As spring planting draws to a close, the Montana Department of Ag wants to know which varieties of wheat and barley were planted this year.
The department is reminding producers to participate in the upcoming Wheat and Barley Varieties Survey conducted by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
The Montana Wheat and Barley Committee’s Executive VP, Cassidy Marn says that this year’s varieties survey will give their breeding programs unique and widespread insight into the characteristics that are truly important to Montana farmers.
“In general, we are trying to find out what varieties producers are putting in the ground. We like to be able to track those trends and actually get some acreage percentages,” Marn states. “On top of that, we also have some new questions as far as what kind of decision-making process goes into picking specific varieties.”
She says that with end-use quality driving markets around the world, Montana can maintain a competitive edge by utilizing survey results to guarantee crop quality and improve production.
“Montana wheat and barley is pretty important in the world of small grains,” she adds. “Our buyers and end-users look at this survey every year. They track these trends. They call us and request samples of new varieties they haven’t seen on that list before. They want to get them in the lab and know how they’re going to perform and what they have to look forward to as the years progress.”
USDA NASS will begin contacting Montana farmers by phone at the end of May to collect data for June survey reports, then continue compiling information through mid-July.
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