”Growing wheat 2.0 means protecting nature”

In spring 2024, Elina got a tip from Toni Lindqvist, a farmer in the SatoKlubi group, about the Helsinki Mills Wheat 2.0 project.

– Toni noted that we already have a team ready for that. Things got off to a fast start, as we already had the basics of sustainable farming in place and  preparations for the new growing season were just getting underway. After listening to a presentation by farmer Pekka Kultti, the Grain Purchasing Manager at Helsinki Mills, some of our group decided to join in," says Elina.

In the Wheat 2.0 fields of Elina and four other Finnish contract farmers, crop rotation, catch crops, extended vegetation cover, precision fertilisation and appropriate crop protection will guide their operations and yield prospects.

"I like Helsinki Mills' sustainability programme, which is tailored to Finnish, local conditions. Myllärin is familiar with Finnish farming techniques and uses common sense."

Elina Valkeinen

”Targeted farming is environmentally friendly and economical”

Elina Valkeinen, who also studied to be a forestry engineer, currently farms 160 hectares of fields in Elimäki, in the village of Raussila, together with her husband. 

On the fifth-generation family farm, Elina's father helps during busy seasons. The young master, a 6-year-old boy, is also growing up to fill the boots of a farmer. 

– Ten years ago, I took a big step and assumed responsibility as the successor. When it is a profession and a business, not a hobby, you are also responsible for the finances of the farm – what remains below the line. The key factors are the soil fertility and the allocation of inputs.

– The better the soil, the better the yields, says Elina, explaining the background to regenerative farming.

Some of the farm's wheat fields are sown over the winter, while others are lightly tilled in the autumn. In clay soil areas, spring wheat sowing requires precise timing, as it is not possible to go out into the fields too early, even though at the same time the moisture in the soil is needed for the crops.

In regenerative farming, humus content and structure are improved through measures such as diverse grass mixtures. The crop is supported by catch crops, which take up the nutrients left over from the previous season's crop and make them available for the next crop. 

– We keep valuable nutrients in the field. For crop plants, we only give them what they really need – nothing extra. It's both economical and environmentally friendly, as we fertilise more precisely during the growing season. We save on fertiliser costs while reducing water pollution, says Elina.

Soil in good condition stores carbon

Because of its weaker root system, wheat is a demanding crop that cannot withstand drought in the same way as oats, for example. The short growing season is also a challenge for spring wheat farmers. 

– The earlier we can sow, the better the wheat will benefit from the sun's radiant energy and the earlier it will be ready for threshing. We need to get to the threshing stage before the autumn rains, says Elina, explaining the impact of the timetable on crop prospects.

Climate change and extreme weather conditions are also clearly visible in Elimäki.

– Years are not brothers, not even relatives. We walk around the field and observe the situation all the time, so that we can time our interventions as precisely as possible and give the crop what it needs at that particular moment.

– In a rainy summer, excess fertiliser must not be allowed to leach into water bodies. On the other hand, during the dry summer of 2024, we saved the Wheat 2.0 harvest by watering the fields by sprinklers, when water was fortunately available from a river running through the fields.

In the Nordic countries, when we talk about forests as carbon sinks, it is easy to forget that the soil, the basis of our food production, is the world's second largest carbon storare, just after the oceans. Soils in good condition store carbon from the atmosphere in significant quantities. 

– Targeted farming is environmentally friendly, efficient, and economical. Without compromising on yield targets, we farmers have an excellent opportunity to contribute to biodiversity, environmental protectio,n and climate change mitigation, Elina points out.

”Every growing season is an opportunity to learn and develop"

In January 2025, as in the previous ten winters, Elina's working day will be filled with her duties as a plant production expert at ProAgria. Throughout the year there is customer work and appearances related to her job, which she handles from her home office and Kouvola office, but during the short summer and busy growing season, Elina stays at her home farm in Elimäki. 

– My roles support each other nicely. I can use my own experience as a farmer and be close to other farmers at the same time. We engage in deep discussions and speak openly. In groups and networks, you can always ask about hot topics. Information is shared, and there is no jealousy. Everyone wins when Finnish agriculture succeeds.

The family farm is entering a new growing season with the same curiosity and enthusiasm as a young master starting preschool.  Now we wait to see how the winter wheat will fare over winter. Spring wheat, malting barley, oats, peas, winter wheat and turnip rape are planned. 

– Nothing is done on the basis that it has always been done this way. Let's think carefully about what we are doing right now and why. What to aim for and how best to achieve the desired outcome. This growing season, we will further refine previous techniques and measures, further refine our response to the growing season and increase the number of catch crops.

For Elina, farming is a continuous learning process: every growing season is an opportunity to develop her own farming techniques.

– We test new things in small areas first. We are also ready to learn from our mistakes. No one is born a blacksmith, nor a farmer. Now in my forties, with only ten years of experience, I feel I am at the beginning of my career, so I am constantly learning by questioning and asking why.

A varied job with a view, working on her family farm – that is Elina's passion. Working on something for the love of the game gives you energy for the hectic summer season. It is easy to draw strength from living in the midst of an ever-changing "painting", a rural landscape.

– I believe that my strenth lies in my ability to enjoy the little moments in everyday farm life. Like dewdrops on a spider's web," says Elina, who has been looking forward to the arrival of spring and the smell of the May field ever since she was a child.