Kansas wheat groups announce $1.4M in wheat research

Apr 23, 2013

Kansas organizations collaborate on wheat research

For the first time, three Kansas wheat producer organizations are pooling together to prioritize research funding needs while getting the most out of wheat growers dollars. The Kansas Wheat Commission, Kansas Wheat Alliance and Kansas Crop Improvement Association recently announced that collectively they would fund $1.4 million into wheat research for 2014.

The research dollars will be for the 2014 fiscal year from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014. The research monies will be divided up between researchers at Kansas State University. The research funding comes from money collected from every bushel of wheat sold in the state. For every bushel, one and a half cents is collected.

The bulk of the funding will go towards aspects that will assist with wheat variety development including: disease control and resistance, insect control and resistance, quality assessment, genetic mapping and trait identification. While the majority of the funding is for lab and field work, one project that was granted approval aims to connect wheat growers with seed distributers on the web.

Video: How Can We Grow More Food With Less Impact?

For over two decades, Dr. Mitloehner has been at the forefront of research on how animal agriculture affects our air and our climate. With deep expertise in emissions and volatile organic compounds, his work initially focused on air quality in regions like California’s Central Valley—home to both the nation’s richest agricultural output and some of its poorest air quality.

In recent years, methane has taken center stage in climate discourse—not just scientifically, but politically. Once a topic reserved for technical discussions about manure management and feed efficiency, it has become a flashpoint in debates over sustainability, regulation, and even the legitimacy of livestock farming itself.

Dr. Frank Mitloehner, Professor and Air Quality Specialist with the CLEAR Center sits down with Associate Director for Communications at the CLEAR Center, Joe Proudman.