Before 1950, producing Oklahoma wheat and peanut crops looked a little different from what it does now.
Diseases, pests and yields were much more of a challenge for agricultural producers in the early 1900s, as farmers had few ways of obtaining new varieties with stronger genetics.
“I imagine wheat production would have been a game of ‘whatever you can get your hands on,’” said Dr. Brett Carver, Oklahoma State University wheat genetics chair and head wheat breeder. “There were genetics available, but it was highly unregulated and unstructured, and there were a lot of unknowns.”
Then, Oklahoma Foundation Seed Stocks Inc. was born. The nonprofit organization, which is part of OSU, was incorporated in 1950 to serve as a bridge between OSU plant breeders and certified seed growers.
Source : okstate.edu