New wheat variety available to producers

Jun 21, 2019

MN-Washburn is resistant to barley yellow dwarf virus

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Wheat growers now have access to a new hard red spring wheat variety.

The University of Minnesota recently released MN-Washburn. It’s named after the Washburn A flour mill, which helped Minneapolis earn the nickname of The Mill City.

The main feature of the variety is the Bdv2 gene, making it resistant to barley yellow dwarf virus.

Pests including the bird cherry-oat aphid, corn leaf aphid, English grain aphid and greenbugs can transmit the virus to wheat crops.

If allowed to spread, barley yellow dwarf virus can have significant effects on yield, said Gary Anderson, a wheat grower from Grygla, Minn.

“I’ve had some bad experiences with the virus,” he told Farms.com. “I’ve seen yield losses of up to 20 percent. So, it’s very important to me to know there’s a variety out there that’s resistant to the virus.”

Other characteristics of the variety include good straw strength (it scored three on a scale of up to nine) and had a test weight of 60.2 pounds per bushel based on a two-year trial.

And despite a 14.2 percent protein level, the variety is a good choice for some growers, said Jim Anderson, a wheat breeder with the University of Minnesota.

“In state trials MN-Washburn stood out due to its consistent yield, superior straw strength and overall disease resistance,” he said in a statement. “While lower in protein than other recent UMN releases, MN-Washburn still provides excellent milling and baking quality.”

Producers interested in learning more about the variety can attend field days at the university’s Northwest Research and Outreach Center or visit on-farm plots.

Plot visits will take place in:

LeCenter, June 25, 1:00 pm (GPS 44.457669, -93.676844)
Marty/Kimball, June 26, 1:00 pm (GPS 45.390100, -94.309243)
Benson, June 26, 5:00 pm (GPS 45.398088, -95.521917)
Fergus Falls, July 9, 9:00 am (GPS 46.094802, -96.174936)
Oklee, July 10, 9:00 am (GPS 47.776605, -95.858971)
Humboldt, July 11, 9:00 am (GPS 48.910487, -97.127943)
Strathcona, July 11, 1:00 pm (GPS 48.572373, -96.157484)

Wheat farmers interested in purchasing the new variety can contact the Minnesota Crop Improvement Association.

Barley yellow dwarf virus/Michigan State University photo

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.