Nebraska Extension 2023 Fall Seed Guide Available Online

Sep 14, 2023

By Cody Creech and Amanda Easterly et.al

The 2023 Nebraska Extension Fall Seed Guide is now available at cropwatch.unl/varietytest. The online guide has details on yield, protein, test weight, ratings for disease characteristics, location summaries, and weather information.

A dry fall contributed to poor fall growth and initial stand, confounded by an incredibly cold winter across the state. Significant freezing temperatures and blizzards occurred in December, led to several regions being affected by winterkill and blowouts, and the variety trials at Lancaster, Jefferson, and Clay counties were lost. Despite a delayed start to spring, timely rains in the western part of the state rescued the crop, and some fields saw extremely good yields.

The data in the Fall Seed Guide provides information on individual, regional, and multi-year performance of varieties available to growers as well as sneak peeks into experimental varieties being developed by Dr. Katherine Frels and the UNL Small Grains Breeding Program and other seed industry partners. Preparations and planting are already underway for the 2024 Winter Wheat Variety Trials. Updates to the testing include the addition of an irrigated trial in Scotts Bluff County. More than 70 varieties will be tested at locations across the state in 2023-2024.

Members of the Crops Testing Team can be reached via email with questions regarding the results and interpretation at ccreech2@unl.edu, bmaust2@unl.edu, or aeasterly2@unl.edu.

Testing would not be possible without the support of our cooperators across the state, who graciously share land to conduct the trials, host field tours, and manage the sites for high-quality data. We would also like to thank the Agricultural Research Division, Nebraska Wheat Board, UNL Extension, and the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture.

Source : unl.edu

Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?