At the annual Collaborator meeting organized by the California Grain Foundation and UC Davis, wheat industry leaders gathered in Davis earlier this month to evaluate public and private varieties being considered for release. Under this program, breeders submit varieties in the fall, UC Davis plants trials in two locations - Davis for common wheat and Imperial Valley for durum - and grows the wheat under specified agronomic practices. Upon harvest, samples are sent to seven collaborating mills across the country for their milling and baking analysis. The October meeting brings together wheat breeders, growers, handlers, millers, bakers, and others to review the results and discuss current industry issues.
This year, 13 common wheat and 16 durum varieties were submitted for testing by seven different breeders. The common wheat included eight white and five red cultivars. The miller panels commented on the milling and end use qualities of each variety. These end use quality results will be factored into the decision on whether to commercially release these varieties. Yield and protein data will also be considered. The meeting concluded with a discussion on how to improve next year's Collaborator Program.
CWC-Funded Field Research Results
As reported in earlier Wheat Bulletins, the CWC initiated a mini-grant program to provide funds to UC farm advisors and specialists for wheat related field research projects. A total of $51,000 was provided for projects, plus $10,000 to fund internships to give students practical experience in wheat field research. These projects focused on fertilization, weed management and variety suitability. The reports can be found on the Commission website under Growers/Wheat Research/Archive of Research Projects.
Commission to Support More Field Research in 2011/2012
The Commission's Research Committee met last week to consider field research proposals valued at close to $115,000. These proposals were submitted by UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors, specialists and other researchers in response to the 2011 Mini-Grant call for proposals.
The mini-grant program is an important component of the approximately $350,000 the Commission approved to support wheat-related research at the University of California in the current fiscal year. The program was developed as a complement to the funding traditionally provided to support the wheat breeding program at UC Davis and the statewide field trials. The proposals are designed to provide short term results to growers on issues such as increasing protein and yield through improved fertilization practices.
The Research Committee approved a total of $82,000 for grants and $10,000 for internships. Several of last year's projects on fertilization and irrigation were continued and new projects covering residual soil nitrate accumulation and improved website tools for growers were funded. A complete list is on the CWC website at Growers/Wheat Research.
Commission Election Results
This summer, elections were conducted in four growers districts. The results were compiled by the California Department of Food and Agriculture and accepted by the Commission at its most recent meeting on August 31. The following growers were elected:
District 4 - Eric Freese, Commissioner and Alan Freese, Alternate
District 6 - Augie Scoto, Commissioner and Kole Upton, Alternate.
District 9 - Kirk Elholm, Commissioner
District 11 - Mike Bouris, Commissioner
The Commission welcomed new member Augie Scoto from Atwater and welcomed back the returning Commissioners and Alternates.
In addition to these four districts, we have Commissioner and Alternate openings in District 2 (Butte, Colusa, Glenn, and Lake Counties) and District 7 (Fresno County); there are also Alternate openings in several other districts. Involvement in the California Wheat Commission enables California producers to help set the priorities for how grower assessment dollars are spent and to take a more active role in national wheat organizations and policymaking bodies.
A qualified producer member or alternate is defined as any person in California who is engaged in the business of producing wheat for market during any of the preceding three marketing seasons, and who resides or conducts farming operations in the district. Between election cycles, interested growers can submit a petition to fill partial terms.
Commission Updates:
Our annual crop quality reports will be published by the end of October and can be accessed on the Commission's website. Printed copies are available upon request from the office.
The next Commission meeting will take place on December 8th in Woodland. The Commissioners will meet at the Commission office to tour our milling and baking laboratory and then continue the meeting at the UCCE office across town. Wheat growers and members of the public are welcome to attend. Details will be published on our website in late November.
Summary results from the Collaborator trials plus current agronomic data from the statewide field trials can be found on the UC Davis website: http://smallgrains.ucdavis.edu
