Note: The University of Minnesota has not released any new small grains varieties for 2025 spring planting. Please inquire with MCIA Foundation Seed Services for the availability of varieties released by neighboring states.
Foundation Seed ordering information (price lists, order forms) can also always be found on the Where to Buy page of the MCIA website.
By Carl Anfinson, Foundation Seed Services Manager
It appears this spring is attempting to make up for the small amount of moisture we received this past winter. I have a feeling, though, that the lack of a true Minnesotan winter, which most of us experienced, will be remembered for quite some time. Looking at the USDA latest planting progress report for Minnesota, many of our crops appear to be ahead of or near to the five-year average for the end of May, despite the wet spring.
Foundation Seed Sales
Overall foundation seed sales for 2024 declined compared to recent years. Seed growers indicated that initial interest was good after the 2023 harvest year for varieties like MN-Rothsay. However, at the end of the day, demand for foundation wheat was lower than initially expected. Compared to last season, we have had about a 50 percent reduction in wheat sales. There are many variables and factors that might be linked to lower overall foundation seed sales and especially sales of foundation wheat seed.
The demand for oats has been holding steady these past few years. The continued availability of a good number of popular public varieties has helped support that consistency.
Soybean seed sales for food-grade varieties and our contract production were also down compared to last year. This accounts for the drop from the large increase we had last year.
The table below provides a five-year sales summary of the three highest selling crops. I have excluded crops with less significant sales.
Meetings and Grower Visits
I am still in my first full season as Foundation Seed Services manager, and I am looking forward to meeting more seed growers in person at the various meetings and visits throughout the year. Each season the Foundation Seed Services department does its best to help meet the needs of certified seed growers, collaborate with University of Minnesota researchers, engage with outside entities, and work cross-functionally with other MCIA departments.
I am excited to continue the great work that this department has been a part of for numerous years. I know that each season will be different and will have its interesting and challenging moments. I am looking forward to another growing season and connecting with many of you!
MCIA is still accepting orders from foundation seed growers for seed of barley, oats, soybeans, and wheat. We still have MN-Rothsay and MN-Torgy foundation seed available. Please include full payment when ordering.
Pickup
Full payment is due before you can pick up your foundation seed order. Remember to contact your seed distributor ahead of time to make arrangements to pick up seed.
Roger Wippler holding AOSCA’s Honorary Member award, which he received at the AOSCA Annual Meeting in Bloomington, June 5, 2023.
MCIA Foundation Seed Services Manager Roger Wippler Retires
When I began my tenure at the Minnesota Crop Improvement Association in 1989, I never imagined my time here would span 34 plus years. However, working with good people makes a job much more enjoyable. It did not take very long to realize that I was not just an employee, but I was part of something bigger. It has been a great experience to have been associated with MCIA.
One of the most rewarding parts of the job was visiting foundation seed growers and walking fields. My experience with these growers was remarkable. From the very beginning, they were eager to share information about seed production and their operations. Many times, they personally drove me around their farms, poured me a cup of coffee or offered me a meal. To all the growers I worked with, thank you for your cooperation and kindness.
Traveling around the state during the summer and fall gave me a great appreciation for the diverse geography of our state and the varied scope of Minnesota agriculture. From the rolling hills in southeast Minnesota to the flat prairies of the Red River Valley, I’ve walked shoulder high oats, waving wheat, and fields of soybeans during stunning fall days. All the while weaving my way along a myriad of county and township roads.
Those roads led me to cross paths with a lot of great people, including University of Minnesota plant breeders and their teams, commodity group leaders, and Minnesota Department of Agriculture staff. Thanks also to my fellow foundation seed and certification folks in our neighboring states, you have been great neighbors indeed.
I can’t say enough about my coworkers, through the years they have been tremendous. The people at MCIA in my early years were generous in sharing their time and knowledge. I hope that I was able to do that for my fellow employees and in the process help create an atmosphere of “we can do more by working together.”
Overall, my experience here at MCIA has been very satisfying. I will certainly miss the MCIA members and people I have gotten to know, some only by their voices on the phone, others through visits to their farms or at meetings. I won’t walk away completely, I will still be involved at the Minnesota State Fair, and I will be attending the 2024 MCIA Annual Meeting—I hope to see you there!
Finally, I offer my sincere thanks for the opportunity to serve the MCIA organization for these many years. Best wishes and I hope to see you around.
Note: The University of Minnesota has not released any new small grains varieties for 2024 spring planting. However, in 2023, North Dakota State University released the hard red spring wheat variety ND Thresher.
Foundation Seed ordering information (price lists, order forms) can also always be found on the Where to Buy page of the MCIA website.
Interested in ordering winter wheat or rye foundation seed? If the answer is yes, we encourage you to contact MCIA now.
We will help you obtain seed from neighboring states. Order early for best availability!
Call 612-625-7766 and ask for Roger Wippler, Foundation Seed Services Manager, or email roger.wippler@mncia.org.
For a list of available foundation rye and winter wheat seed from North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, click here to view MCIA’s 2023 Winter Grains Directory.
By Roger Wippler, Foundation Seed Services Manager
I thought I knew the answers, but then they changed the questions. Over the years, I have learned that try as we might to find some predictability, the world of agriculture is ever-changing. The weather certainly plays a big part in that unpredictability. With all the snow last winter, what looked like it might be a wet, late spring, turned out not to be the case. Small grains, corn, and soybeans were planted in a timely manner. Now a couple of months later, rain has been scarce in many areas of the state and high temperatures have pushed the crops along at record rates. Like all seed producers, our foundation seed is in the ground. Now we wait for Mother Nature to provide the best growing conditions.
For MCIA, wheat and oats generally make up most of our foundation seed sales, so we are always looking for favorable conditions and good prices for small grains. Early intentions show fewer acres of wheat, barley, and oats being planted this year as strong corn and soybean prices continue to put pressure on small grain acres.
Foundation Seed Sales
Overall foundation seed sales increased 15 percent compared to 2022. However, with no new wheat variety this year, foundation wheat sales dropped about 20 percent compared to last year. MN-Rothsay and MN-Torgy made up the majority of wheat sales, which totaled just over 4,300 bushels. Demand for oats was good, with sales at 6,100 bushels, just under 2022 totals. MN-Pearl, and Rushmore were popular varieties. Foundation barley sales maintained modest levels at 400 bushels sold.
Soybeans were the reason overall seed sales rose in 2023. Sales more than doubled over last year because MCIA had more contract production of specialty type varieties. A summary of the last five years of foundation seed sales follows.
Variety Licensing Services
Variety licensing continues to be an important part of the Foundation Seed Program. Over the past year we have prepared new license agreements for winter barley and several soybean lines. We continue to work with plant breeding programs and parties interested in new materials.
Following is a list of new varieties being released from neighboring states. We may or may not be able to obtain seed as availability is limited. If you would like more information on any of these lines, please contact MCIA’s Foundation Seed Services at 612-625-7766.
SPRING WHEAT
Brawn-SDwheat, released by South Dakota, was tested as SD4843. It has yielded well in regional trials with good test weight but has low protein. Brawn-SD has been tested in Minnesota trials only one year where it yielded well, with average to slightly below average straw strength. It looks to have good BLS rating and average Fusarium head blight (FHB) scab resistance. Another year of testing will clarify these ratings.
ND Heronwheat released by North Dakota was tested as NDHRS16-14-126. It has slightly below average grain yield, good protein and test weight. ND-Heron is an early maturing variety with below average straw strength. It is best suited to central and western North Dakota. It has good Fusarium head blight (FHB) scab resistance, and slightly below average rating for BLS.
OATS
ND-Carson oats (ND141338) released by North Dakota is a spring oat with good yield, test weight, and lodging score. In North Dakota trials, yield and test weight were equal to MN-Pearl. Heading date, height, and lodging scores were also similar to MN-Pearl. ND-Carson is a white oat. This line was not tested in Minnesota.
ND-Spilde (ND131603) released by North Dakota is a spring oat with yields and test weight less than MN-Pearl. Heading date is similar to MN-Pearl but the lodging score is not as good. Release information describes ND-Spilde as having unique crown rust resistance. It is a white oat. This line was not tested in Minnesota.
MINNESOTA SOYBEAN LINES
Soybean Varieties with Peking-type SCN Resistance
MCIA has two soybean lines that contain the Peking source of soybean cyst nematode resistance (SCN). There are very few varieties with Peking-type resistance, most contain the PI88788 source of resistance. Both are conventional, non-GMO soybean lines, which are good yielding with average protein levels and buff hilum.
M13-250056, is a 0.8 relative maturity, Rps1c Phytophthora resistance, good IDC rating.
M13-250046, is a 1.6 relative maturity. Rps1c Phytophthora resistance, good IDC rating.
For yield data and additional information, please contact MCIA at 612-625-7766.
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Note: This entry was revised November 1, 2023: Previously, ND-Carson was described as a yellow oat; it is a white oat.
For the last six months of 2022, intern Adriel Junior worked for the MCIA Foundation Seed Services department. During that time, Adriel helped rogue soybeans, harvest barley and soybeans, and condition soybean seed. He also took in Minnesota Farmfest, the Minnesota State Fair, and attended classes while on the UMN campus.
The experience was made possible by MAST International in coordination with the UMN’s College of Food Agriculture and Natural Sciences. The MAST International program provides young people from around the world with hands-on experiences in U.S agriculture.
An excellent worker, Adriel has now returned to his home country of Brazil to take a job with the Bunge Corporation, a global agribusiness and food company.
For more information about MCIA’s Foundation Seed Services, click here.
