05/01/08 Northwest growers visit CYMMT part II

Farm and Ranch May 1, 2008 Whether they know anything about it or not, Northwest wheat growers probably have a connection to CYMMT in Obregon, Mexico, an international wheat research program. Washington grower and Wheat Commissioner Curtis Hennings, who recently visited CYMMT, explains why. Hennings: "I think a least 70% of the wheat in the world has CYMMT germplasm in it if not more than that." Hennings says the father of the Green Revolution, Dr. Norman Borlaug did work at CYMMT and he collaborated with Washington State University wheat breeder Orville Vogel. Hennings: "I say it is unfortunate that USAID, who has been putting in three million dollars a year into the CYMMT program, which we all benefit from, has zeroed out money for CYMMT in their budget this year. And I think that is really unfortunate." What impressed Hennings was the quality and quantity of work being done at CYMMT. For example; Hennings: "The rust researcher there in conjunction with the other guys, looks at or screens about nine-thousand varieties a year. And dumps about half of them every year, and creates new material. So there is a lot of work going on there." ARS wheat breeder Kim Campbell and WSU breeder Steve Jones were on the trip and Hennings thinks that as a result there will be more collaboration between them and CYMMT. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.