As a landrace, Red Fife wheat adapts quickly to a diversity of soil types, growing conditions and climate changes. It is long strawed = high biomass. It has abundant root growth, ease of tillering growth, wide leaf structure with more prostrate pattern that provides faster ground coverage which shades the soil and competes better with undesirable plants. It is late maturing and can be difficult to harvest.
Red Fife wheat is visually appealing with its large seed heads and red grain head colouring. It is a wheat of distinctive flavour that lends itself beautifully to the artisan baking process.
Red Fife represents the miracle of growing food from seed. It represents hope that we can continue to provide pure food in spite of threats by genetically altered crops (GMOs) and control of the food production systems by transnational corporations. It represents farmers' rights to save and grow their own seed without having the menace of plant breeders rights and patent infringement endangering this time-honoured tradition.
We are founding members of the Prairie Red Fife Organic Growers Co-operative Ltd.
Marc in Prairie Red Fife wheat field August, 2003 just prior to swathing (cutting).