Washington adopts Oregon's preferred wheat variety language

Farm and Ranch March 25, 2009 The Washington Wheat Commission is again changing the labels it uses in its preferred wheat variety brochures, which offer information on end use quality to growers to help them in their planting decisions. Last year the Commission made some modifications in its "Q" rating system but at a meeting last week it was decided to scrap that labeling entirely and adopt the language and definitions of Oregon's preferred variety system. Instead of Q*, Q+, Q and Q- varieties will be labeled as Most Desirable, Desirable, Acceptable, and Least Desirable. Washington Wheat Commission vice president Glen Squires says only the labels have changed. Squires: "The varieties are still listed statistically by quality rankings by class. So none of that has changed. It is simply the labeling of those categories. Squires says the aim is to make the preferred varieties list easier for growers to understand and use. Squires: "As they look at the brochure it will be very self-evident where the varieties rank in terms of quality. And of course the grower needs to look at the agronomics as well." When agronomic characteristics and yield potential are similar, growers are urged to plant the variety with the best end use quality. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.