Whole Red Fife Wheat Flour Red Fife was the preferred bread wheat for the latter half of the 19th century, until it was used to develop the Marquis, and later, Thatcher varieties. Its origin traces back to the Ukraine. The name Red Fife refers to its color in the field, and surname of the Canadian farmer who first grew it out again. Its comeback, owes thanks initially to the work of Sharon Rempel, who planted a "Living Museum of Wheat" in the 1980s. Red Fife wheat was nominated to the Slow Food Ark of Taste in 2003 by Mara Jernigan and Sinclair Phillip of Slow Food Canada, making it the first heritage wheat on the Ark. It is a favorite for sourdough among artisan bakers.