2010 MidYear Grains Report  - by Arlene Novak

In a recent article in the Grainews magazine (www.grainews.ca), the Land Institute in Kansas has been researching perennial wheat and sorghum crops since 2002.  They indicate in the article that the wheatgrass program is ready to go, but what they are working on is increasing the seed yield and that it is going to take some time to get it competitive with the annual grain crops.  Grain produced perennially apparently has baking characteristics comparable to annual wheat varieties.

In Kansas, the perennial wheat hybrids don't survive the summers whereas at Washington State University they have good populations of the perennial wheat hybrids. 

The benefits for the farmer will be increased yields because using early spring moisture, the root systems penetrate much deeper taking moisture and nutrients from more of the soil horizon, and all of this would mean that farms would be more efficient.

The plant breeding problems can be overcome, according to Jerry Glover, of the Land Institute, but progress takes time and it is likely it could be a decade or more before any perennial wheat varieties become commercially available. 

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Soybean Asian Rust was found in the U.S. in 2005.  It has slowly been spreading to other parts and is still a serious threat to all U.S. soybean growing areas.  If uncontrolled, farmers can experience up to 80% yield losses with Asian Rust.  More research dollars are needed for Soybean Asian Rust to prevent it from spreading more in the U.S.  Presently farmers are contributing through the checkoff dollars but it isn't enough.