Monday, 7 November 2005 - 9:00 AM
30-3

Trials and Tribulations of Introducing White Wheat in Western Kansas.

James Shroyer, Kansas State University, 2013 Throckmorton, Manhattan, KS 66506-5504

Since the introduction of Turkey Red wheat in the 1870s, Kansas has been noted for its production of hard red winter wheat and consistently grows more than 10 million acres annually. For years officials from wheat-importing countries have intimated they preferred white wheat, consequently K-State has been working with white wheat (HDWH) for more than 25 years and during the 1990s began releasing HDWH cultivars. One might think introducing HDWH, even though it is wheat of a different class, into a hard red winter wheat region would be relatively easy because producers are already familiar with wheat production practices. However, farmers' concerns regarding HDWH yields compared to red wheat yields, the number of HDWH cultivars available, preharvest sprouting, grain contamination, cost of seed, lack of a price incentive, drought, managing risk, and ownership of grain further in the marketing chain all have which has slowed acceptance. Grain elevator operators expressed concerns regarding grain handling and contamination, while corporate grain companies expressed concerns about having enough acreage and grain to make it a commodity crop like hard red winter wheat. An extension education effort was developed that consisted of specialists in agronomy, grain science, and ag economics in conjunction with industry and state grain inspection personnel. This presentation will discuss those efforts to introduce HDWH in western Kansas.

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