ND House Ag Chair: "Beef up the research"

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Prairie Grains is the
official publication of
the Minnesota
Association of
Wheat Growers,
North Dakota Grain Growers Association,
South Dakota Wheat,
Inc., and the
Minnesota Barley
Growers Association

"I as one legislator am very concerned about scab. I hope the Governor will have adequate funding in his budget for research. NDSU is moving the process along pretty well, but we still need to look at beefing things up, " says wheat grower Eugene Nicholas (R-Cando). "The scab area in durum is getting larger. No variety of durum is holding up. Varieties resistant to stem rust were developed, crop breeders can do the same with scab. It’s our job to help find the resources to get the job done. "

The N.D. durum crop was hit hard by scab in 1996. A lot of farmers sprayed for the orange blossom wheat midge, but then lost it to scab, says Nicholas. He says his durum yields fell in the 20-bushel range because of scab, and that he was not alone: there were growers who saw discounts of $1 per bushel because of the disease. As well, scab this year filtered outside the fringes of areas that haven’t been infected before.

"The impacts of this are getting larger for the state as a whole, to the point where it’s affecting the viability of our durum industry." Nicholas says economic losses in the state due to scab in the 1990s are estimated at over $1 billion.

Individual losses for durum growers would have been greater in 1996, had it not been for more flexibility and fixed payments under the new farm bill. "If we would have had the old farm bill, this would be an even bigger disaster," he says, because higher prices would have meant no deficiency payments.

"Over the long-term, if we’re going to be a big durum state, I think we’re going to have to fund our own efforts, as federal dollars dry up. I think that’s just the way it is, whether it’s Republicans or Democrats. States will have to prioritize what’s important to them," says Nicholas.

December 1995