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.
By Roger Wippler, Foundation Seed Services Manager
What a Difference a Year Makes
Who would have thought, after the drought last year, we would have been dealing with extremely wet conditions this spring? Overall, Foundation seed supplies and quality were not seriously impacted by the drought. Following is a summary of a busy and productive year.
Foundation Seed Sales
Late last fall, grain prices for wheat and oats were rising and had farmers thinking about planting more small grains. By late winter, the price of corn and soybeans had climbed, and planting plans remained in flux. The late wet spring resulted in more plans changing on the fly. It will be interesting to see how early planting intentions compare to actual acres planted.
Overall Foundation Seed sales increased 10 percent compared to 2021. Much of the increase was due to the release of the new Minnesota wheat release MN-Rothsay. Wheat sales totaled just over 5,400 bushels. The variety MN-Torgy also had good demand.
Oat sales were good with 6,300 bushels sold this year, up 6 percent over 2021. MN-Pearl and Reins were the most popular varieties. South Dakota released a new oat variety, SD-Buffalo, which may do well in Minnesota. Foundation barley sales maintained modest levels with 400 bushels sold.
Soybean sales are largely made up of food-grade types. We sold 2,100 units, down slightly from last year. The decline was primarily due to drought-related poorer yields at Rosemount.
Color Optic Sorter & Seed Conditioning
In late January, the Foundation Seed Program purchased a Meyer M1 RGB + Shape Optical Sorter. We were able to get the unit set up this spring. It has already proven to be a valuable asset when conditioning some of our foundation seed lots.
We have used it for both soybeans and barley to improve seed purity and quality. The smaller size machine was perfect for use on small quantities of breeder seed, prior to planting. We will continue to do additional training and look for ways to best utilize this equipment.
The University of Minnesota has released a new hard red spring wheat variety called ‘MN-Rothsay.’ The variety features excellent straw strength with a good combination of yield, protein, and disease resistance.
“MN-Rothsay has straw strength comparable to Linkert but has about 10 percent higher grain yield,” says Jim Anderson, University of Minnesota wheat breeder in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics. “The exceptional straw strength of Linkert was largely responsible for its 5-year reign from 2016–2020 as the most popular variety in the state, so our expectation is that MN-Rothsay’s higher grain yields, comparable or higher than other popular varieties, and improved disease resistance compared to Linkert will be attractive to growers.”
In addition to high yields, the protein level of MN-Rothsay is higher than other top yielding varieties along with good test weight and a good pre-harvest sprouting rating. MN-Rothsay has moderate overall disease resistance, with a very good score for leaf and stem rust, and a good Fusarium head blight (FHB) rating.
Prior to being formally named, MN-Rothsay was tested as MN15005-4. The line stood out in both state and regional trials including the Uniform Regional Nurseries trials, where it finished second in grain yield out of 33 experimental entries in 2018, eighth out of 34 in 2019, and had the best straw strength of all entries in both years.
Jochum Wiersma, University of Minnesota Extension Small Grains Specialist, stresses that, “The value growers place of straw strength cannot be overstated, making MN-Rothsay the logical choice to replace Linkert in the U’s line-up.”
MCIA certified seed growers received allocations of foundation seed of MN-Rothsay this spring. Despite the tough weather this spring, seed growers are excited about the new variety and will have seed available for planting next year. Look for a list of growers in the MCIA Directory this fall.
The new release is named in honor of the city of Rothsay, Minnesota, which is an area of the state with a long history of wheat production.
We remind participants in MCIA’s Foundation Seed Program that full payment is due before you can pick up your foundation seed.
Also, remember to contact the seed distributor in advance to make arrangements to pick up your seed.
Call MCIA’s Foundation Seed Services at 612-625-7766 to order additional seed or if you have questions about the program.
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For additional information about MCIA’s Foundation Seed Services, please visit https://www.mncia.org/services-programs/foundation-seed-services.
Foundation Seed Available
MCIA’s Foundation Seed Services is still accepting orders for foundation seed of barley, oats, soybeans, and wheat. Please include full payment when ordering.
MN-Rothsay Invoices
Reminder to those who ordered MN-Rothsay seed: When you receive your invoice, please pay it promptly so that we can get pickup receipts out to you and the distributor in a timely manner.
Foundation Seed Pickup
Reminder to Foundation Seed customers: Full payment is due before you can pick up your order. Remember to contact your seed distributor ahead of time to make arrangements to pick up seed. Call MCIA for additional information or if you have questions, 800-510-6242 or 612-625-7766.
MCIA recently sent out foundation confirmation and order forms to certified seed growers. We are currently accepting orders for foundation seed on a first come, first served basis. Seed supplies are good but can change quickly, so order soon for best availability.
If you are interested in a variety not on our price list, give us a call at 612-625-7766. We will try to locate it from another state.
Payment should be sent with any orders.
For more information about foundation seed and variety licensing, please visit the Foundation Seed Services page of this website, here.
This year’s Minnesota Certified Seed Guide is now available! Minnesota Farm Guide published the 2022 edition earlier this month. This annual publication is a collaborative effort of MCIA and the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES). It lists seed producers, includes MAES crop trial results, and features news and information relevant to the seed industry.
Take the opportunity to learn about the University of Minnesota’s new releases: three new conventional soybean varieties as well as a first-ever winter barley variety, MN-Equinox. Another article, written by Andrea Johnson, profiles MCIA Foundation Seed Manager Roger Wippler, who, for three decades, has led MCIA’s successful efforts to promote public seed varieties, working collaboratively with university breeders, certified seed producers, and farmers.
A digital version of the Minnesota Certified Seed Guide can be found here. If you’d like a printed copy, please request one from your MCIA field supervisor or from the MCIA office.
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.
The rising price of corn and soybeans is good for most farmers, but it may not have been good for small grain seed sales. Several producers of certified wheat and oat seed indicated reduced sales, during the spring of 2021, as farmers planted more acres of soybeans and corn. In turn, demand for foundation seed of wheat and oats was also slow.
The lack of a new wheat variety and lower demand had foundation wheat seed sales falling to levels not seen since the early 1970s. Overall wheat sales totaled just under 4,200 bushels. MN-Torgy, the 2020 new release, was well received and demand for foundation seed was very strong.
Oat sales were good with nearly 6,000 bushels sold this year, the third highest total since 2015. However, the previous two years were very strong and overall foundation oat seed sales declined in 2021. MN-Pearl and Deon continue to be the most popular varieties. Foundation barley seed sales increased, although the total sales amount to only 480 bushels.
Soybean sales are made up largely of food-grade types. Over 2,300 units were sold, the majority of which were purchased from other states or produced under contract.
Overall foundation seed sales in 2021 were lower than anticipated. We expected a slight decline due to the lack of a new variety. However, it is difficult to predict the impact of other factors such as commodity prices. The table included here summarizes the last five years of foundation seed sales.
Please visit MCIA’s Foundation Seed Services for more information on this topic.
The University of Minnesota has released a new hard red spring wheat variety called ‘MN-Torgy.’ The new variety features a good combination of yield, protein, straw strength, and disease resistance. For on-farm trial results and other information, read the full press release, from the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station.
