08/08/07 More Clearfield wheats on the way

Farm and Ranch August 8, 2007 Northwest wheat growers interested in the Clearfield wheat production system should soon see a lot more varieties to choose from on the market. At this year's Washington State University Spillman Field Day WSU agronomist John Burns said last year he only had four Clearfield wheats in the variety trials he runs. There were a lot more this year. Burns: "There's a lot of privates and public varieties in here. AP just to mention, is an AgriPro, a new company that has been here since 2000. They have a Clearfield which is a Stephens type. University has a couple there. One is a Lambert type. That 435. The 859 is a Brundage. 587 is from Idaho is a Stephens type. 101 is a Malcom type. 102 is a Madsen type. 237 is an Eltan type and 1020 out of WestBred is a Daws type. So a lot of novel things coming and there are more Clearfields out there than have actually been entered in these trials." Clearfield wheats are varieties that have been developed through traditional breeding to be resistant to BASF's Beyond herbicide giving growers a tool to use against goat grass and other grassy weeds in wheat. It is necessary to utilize good stewardship with the Clearfield system to preserve its benefits and not have weed resistance develop. The stewardship practices include purchasing new certified seed each year and avoiding continuous use of Clearfield wheat on the same land. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.