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Hard white wheat crop near Hemingford does well in 2008Nebraska Hard white wheat growers near Hemingford in Nebraska's Panhandle have something to celebrate this fall. Wheat growers were able to raise more than 400,000 bushels of hard white wheat. Last year, growers were hoping to hit that mark, but fell short, producing only about 125,000 bushels. "This year we got a little over 400,000 bushels," said Bart Moseman, grain manager of the Farmers Co-op Elevator in Hemingford. "Volume always is key." The bigger the amount of the grain that farmers are able to deliver to the co-op, the more cost effective it is to handle and store it. While 400,000 bushels is enough to fill a 110-car unit train, the grain will be shipped out in increments about one-fourth that size. "Logistically, we can't put 400,000 bushels in one place to be able to load a full train," Moseman said. While volume is key, handling hard white wheat is still challenging. Hard white wheat must be kept separate from hard red winter wheats and other grains. Wheat is reduced a full grade for every 1 percent contamination with a contrasting class of grain. Hemingford handles white wheat at a separate location. Wheat growers also are excited because this puts Hemingford on the map in terms of hard white wheat production in the state, said Drew Lyon, dryland crops specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Panhandle Research and Extension Center at Scottsbluff. Hemingford is in a good spot because it has easy access to railroad lines by which the wheat can be shipped to Portland, Ore., or Mexico. Hard white wheat also is an ideal crop for Nebraska's semi-arid regions in the southwest and Panhandle. Chris Cullan of Cullan Farms in Hemingford, who is one of the area's seed suppliers, said the crop has excellent potential in his area, and the trend is in place for acres to be up in 2009, according to seed sales. Problems that can occur with hard white wheat, such as sprouting in the head at harvest, are of small concern in the drier climate. "At planting, the variety sprouts quickly once planted and gets good cover in the fall, especially in regard to the irrigated wheat that follows edible beans, sugarbeets and millet," Cullan said. Early varieties had some yield drag, but newer varieties of hard white wheat have performed as well as other red varieties, eliminating that concern. The newest hard white winter wheat release is Anton. It was a joint release this past year between the USDA-ARS and UNL, said Robert Graybosch, USDA-ARS research geneticist at UNL. Its most unique characteristic is low levels of polyphenol oxidase, an enzyme responsible for dark color in food products. Low levels are desirable and those in Anton are lower than any other white wheat released by Nebraska programs to date. Across the state, there are about 30,000 acres of hard white wheat, said Royce Schaneman, executive director of the Nebraska Wheat Board. Other growers trying hard white wheat should call their local elevator to see if it accepts the crop, Schaneman said. "We are still working on hard white wheat being established as a viable market class," he said. The market for white wheat is sizeable; about 124 million bushels are needed in 14 countries a year. Currently the three big potential markets for hard white wheat are through gulf ports to Latin America for bread and tortillas, through the Pacific Northwest to Asia for noodles and steamed breads and through both sets of ports for use in the Middle East and India. Australia dominates the hard white wheat market internationally, and Kansas ranks No. 1 in hard white wheat production nationally. Nebraska ranks eighth in white wheat production, behind Kansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Oklahoma. The demand for hard white wheat also continues to go up domestically. "It really ties in with eating healthier, which includes eating more whole grains," Schaneman said. "With hard white wheat, we are able to maintain the quality and brighter, whiter color and sweeter flavor. This continues to drive demand." Nebraska will rank seventh this year in the nation for hard winter wheat production, he said. About half of Nebraska's wheat is exported. Wheat acres were steady in Nebraska and in other states this year. For more information about hard white wheat in Nebraska, visit the university's hard white wheat Web page at http://www.hardwhitewheat.unl.edu/. 11/24/08 Date: 11/18/08
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