Agricultural News
Dr. Brett Carver Says Wheat Improvement Program Stronger Than Ever with Robust Variety Portfolio
Wed, 23 Jan 2019 19:11:54 CST
Prior to its January Board Meeting, the Oklahoma Wheat Commission toured this week, the facilities at Oklahoma State University utilized by the Oklahoma Wheat Improvement Team to learn more about the work being done there on behalf of wheat farmers. Guiding the tour was team Chairman and State Wheat Breeder Dr. Brett Carver. He spoke with Radio Oklahoma Associate Farm Director Carson Horn about the research he has overseen as chairman, the results it has yielded and what his expectations are for the future of the work being conducted. You can listen to that complete conversation by clicking or tapping the LISTEN BAR below at the bottom of the page.
In summary of the visit and the progress of the genetic work that has been done to date, Carver offered a brief 'State of the Program,' putting the various components of the team's efforts into perspective.
"The state of the program, I'd say, is very healthy and vigorous - a lot of things to look forward to and a past that we can build upon with a lot of success in terms of varieties being successful in the field," he said. "The main thrust of the program remains the same and that is - 'create a variety that produces good quality yield.'"
This past year is evident of that mission's continued success. In 2018, the Oklahoma Wheat Improvement Team released four new varieties - each according to Carver - with its own unique trait complimenting a different segment of the industry. With an initial six varieties originally considered for release, Carver narrowed the list down to Green Hammer, Showdown, Baker's Ann and Skydance. With the advent of these varieties, the portfolio of OSU Wheat Varieties continues to grow. With so many options available to them, many farmers may be scratching their heads wondering which variety is best suited for them. Carver's advice to those farmers is to consult the trial data.
"It's a very important decision that a producer needs to make. Use the variety trial data to decide what works best in that area, because not all varieties work in all areas," he explained. "Every now and then, you see a homerun variety that can go a long ways. I guess our closest one to that would be Lone Rider- But, those are few and far between. The more likely scenario is a wheat variety that does well in a much more limited geographical area."
While Carver admits it can get confusing, he says the good thing about having so many options is that producers have the best opportunity at finding a variety that will help them achieve the best possible success.
"Give them the best chance possible - that's what it's all about," he remarked. "They're taking a risk. Agriculture is a risk, I understand that. We're just trying to remove as many of those risks as possible and we do that with good safe genetics that are going to go all the way to the consumer's table."
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