Where Are We With White Spring Wheat?

Not that long ago the wheat industry was discussing hard white spring wheat as a potentially strong market for U.S. Northern Plains farmers. Little is said about this emerging class of wheat, but that doesn’t mean significant research investment and industry demand has faded or that the potential market is no longer strong.

One group, the Dakota Pride Cooperative (DPC), is trying to increase their white wheat program. Executive Director Judge Barth is planning to sign up 8,000 acres of white spring wheat contracts for this summer. DPC members will deliver grain to the ND State Mill & Elevator in Grand Forks. In past years, the group has grown different white spring wheat varieties looking for agronomics that growers will like and the end-use quality the mill needs. This year, DPC will again be offering Peerless and Diamond, two lines from Meridian Seeds, along with Alpine, a new white spring wheat from AgriPro Wheat.  According to Barth, the grower signs the contract with the State Mill and the price is set based on the HRS price at the Mill plus a $0.35 premium.  He added that a fuel surcharge is also paid to the growers for up to a $0.20 premium if the grower lives more than 160 miles from Grand Forks.  Barth feels the demand for white wheat will increase but “we need more varieties that perform like HRS.”  That is the main reason for the current incentive, Barth commented.

Others agree, including North Dakota State University specialty wheat breeder, Dr. Bill Berzonsky. “Given the current price of HRS, I think few can expect that growers will seriously consider producing white wheat without a variety being competitive with the best HRS varieties.”  Berzonsky stated that NDSU has made significant progress towards developing acceptable white spring wheat varieties, but that regional yield testing needs to show whether these lines are competitive with current HRS varieties.  He has coordinated a consolidated effort for public and private spring wheat breeders called the Uniform Regional Hard White Spring Wheat Nursery.  Started in 2004, Berzonsky has seen this nursery test advanced lines submitted by breeders at NDSU, AgriPro Wheat, Montana State University, and two Canadian breeding programs.  The nursery is grown at locations throughout the spring wheat region of the U.S. and Canada, and breeders at the University of Minnesota, South Dakota State University, and WestBred have collaborated in growing the nursery and sharing data over the years, even if they have not themselves submitted entries.  “I think this nursery has been very valuable in being a focal point for the breeding work being done on hard white spring wheat in the region,” Berzonsky stated.

When experimental lines are entered in the regional white spring wheat nursery, they are available to other breeders for crossing and Berzonsky noted that this effort has “fostered the exchange of white wheat germplasm for breeders to use advanced lines as parents for their programs.”

The new Alpine variety is another step closer to matching HRS agronomics.  AgriPro breeder, Joe Smith, acknowledged that Alpine “has the Sumai-3 source of scab tolerance found in Freyr, Glenn and others.”  He said Alpine has semi-dwarf height with yield and maturity equal to Freyr HRS.  “Growers will like the variety,” Smith believes.

University of Minnesota HRS breeder Dr. Jim Anderson added that the “increased susceptibility to pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) is the most limiting factor for growing white wheat.” Anderson pointed to his research to identify molecular markers for PHS.  “It looks like we have discovered at least one, maybe two” new markers for PHS. He routinely screens all of his breeding material for PHS, and currently has a “handful” of white wheat lines in preliminary and advanced yield trials.  If these markers are successful in raising the level of PHS tolerance, Anderson says he will increase his efforts in white wheat development.

South Dakota Wheat Commission Executive Director Randy Englund also feels PHS is the main challenge for SD growers.  He said the SD Wheat Commission is funding white spring wheat efforts at SDSU and that they will have preliminary yield trials on a few experimental lines this season.

Berzonsky doesn’t necessarily see red wheat going away.  The need for competitive hard white varieties is not so they can replace hard red varieties, but “so that producers can have an alternative and be able to expand into emerging end-use markets,” he stated.  One example he listed is a growing market for flour tortillas.  Englund also asks whether hard white wheat is the answer to whole wheat or whole grain products. “The consumer, while becoming more inclined to eat whole grain products, doesn’t necessarily know the difference between red and white wheat, let alone the difference in whole wheat or whole grain,” England reported.  

Berzonsky thinks the milling industry and commodity groups he interacts with are still very interested and supportive of white wheat development.  He noted that there are already popular end-use products being marketed based on whole grain white wheat.  Englund feels that “the domestic milling and baking industries need to be more aggressive in the development of varieties and markets.”

For the export market, the issue of critical-mass was repeatedly mentioned.  Barth said he hears from Asian buyers who ask “when are you going to get white spring wheat?” He said they want the U.S. to compete with Australian white wheat production. The issue is getting enough white wheat grain produced that allows for export quality and efficiencies, said Barth

In regards to premiums offered for white wheat, Barth feels that the $0.35 premium offered through the DPC program is “more than anyone could have expected.”  He stated it is the highest white wheat grain premium that he is aware of in the country. Considering that varieties are getting better, this premium is significant and “money in the bank.” When asked how many acres are possible in the future, Barth replied, “the sky is the limit.”