01/24/08 Breeder proposes regional Clearfield wheat licensing program

Farm and Ranch January 24, 2008 Pacific Northwest land grant university wheat breeders will be releasing numerous Clearfield wheat varieties in the next few years. Oregon State University wheat breeder Jim Peterson says the big challenge is how public programs work together better to make sure the Clearfield varieties are handled appropriately in the marketplace, that the stewardship is maintained and intellectual property rights are enforced. So, what Peterson proposed at a the last meeting of the tri-state wheat commissions, Oregon, Idaho and Washington, was a joint licensing approach. Peterson: "Where they would follow or take on what OSU has done already. We have established 23 seed associates licensed for OSU Clearfield varieties and invite U of I and WSU to provide in that same umbrella licensing agreement. Rather than create something new, create a different mechanism, confuse the marketplace, confuse the farmers, to develop a PNW Clearfield program through the three states just seemed a lot more efficient and a lot less confusing to our growers and industry." If there were any royalties involved Peterson says they would go back to the university that developed the variety. Peterson: "So the whole idea is not to put all the money into one pot it is just finding an administrative mechanism to make this easier for reporting and managing of the whole program." There would of course be a small administrative fee charged. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.