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Colorado Wheat, ConAgra launch new program

The desire by Americans for additional whole grains has spurred ConAgra Foods, Inc., to join with Colorado Wheat in developing a new program to spur increase in hard white wheat (HWW) production.

The program is considered a win-win solution as ConAgra gains additional tonnes of hard white flour and producers gain new premiums--and added income--for producing quality wheat.

Dubbed the Ultragrain Premium Program, it's the brainchild of the Colorado Wheat Research Foundation (CWRF)--the educational and scientific arm of Colorado Wheat--and the ConAgra Mills division of the Omaha, Neb., agribusiness giant.

Ultragrain is the brand name of ConAgra Mills' 100 percent whole white wheat flour that combines the nutrition and benefits of whole grains with the finished recipe qualities of refined flour. The brand was launched in 2004 to distinguish this unique product from hard red wheat flours.

In its sales information, distributed to school and institutional food service purchasers, ConAgra touts Ultragrain as "made from a proprietary variety of wheat, specially grown to have a sweeter, milder taste and lighter color than conventional wheat."

"ConAgra Mills then grinds this whole wheat with a patented milling technology that maintains the flour's milder taste and develops the smooth texture, while preserving the fiber, antioxidants, phytonutrients and other essential vitamins and minerals found in the whole wheat bran and germ--the nutrition components missing in refined flours."

For the producer

To the producer, this intense sales pitch means ConAgra is seeking growers to raise more quality HWW. CRWF is working to oblige ConAgra Mills by releasing Thunder CL, a Clearfield herbicide-tolerant HWW variety developed at Colorado State University and released to ConAgra under exclusive license.

Trials have shown Thunder CL to have high dryland and irrigated yields, excellent stripe and stem rust resistance, very good straw strength, good stress tolerance, high performance in tough weather conditions, and exceptional milling and baking qualities.

"This is a great variety for those producers where hard white grows well, said Darrell Hanavan, executive director of Colorado Wheat. "Particularly those producers who have problems with jointed goatgrass. Being a Clearfield-tolerant variety, we should see lots of acceptance."

This partnership looks like it could be a winner for both parties, adds Randy Wilkes, president of CRWF.

"This agreement creates a long-term, value-added market for our hard white varieties that have been developed by producer-funded research at CSU. Plus, it gives ConAgra a broader source of hard white wheat to draw from, with varieties that have superior milling and baking properties," said Randy Wilkes, president of CWRF.

Farmers who participate in the program will be able to gain a minimum premium of 20 cents per bushel, and a guaranteed protein premium of 2 cents per bushel for each .2 percent of protein greater than 12 percent with a 15 percent maximum.

ConAgra will accept up to 50,000 acres of Thunder CL for planting in fall 2009. The program is expected to grow to 100,000 acres by fall of 2012 with the addition of another variety, which is expected to be available for planting in the fall of 2010.

John Bartels, merchandiser and specialty grains manager for ConAgra Mills, says his company wants to continue to expand their Ultragrain program. He also sees the benefit to Colorado wheat growers. "In the past year, we've seen a 14 percent annual increase in sales for the whole grain white bread segment, while the total fresh bread and rolls category declined 2.5 percent. So, it gives producers a good, stable market for their grain, an opportunity to participate in a value-added program, and it keeps their wheat in the state of Colorado."

As Commerce City, Colo., is a key Ultragrain milling location, it offers growers a local market they can count on. Through this exciting new program Colorado growers can capitalize on this growing demand and secure their positions in this long-term market," Hanavan said.

Lots of products

Nationally, the Ultragrain label can be found on many different products, beginning with ConAgra Mills own Eagle Mills Ultragrain White Whole Wheat Flour. In the food service arena, Papa John's 100% Whole-Wheat Pizza is made from Ultragrain HWW flour.

ConAgra Foods' own brands are filled with Ultragrain selections, including pastas and paninis in the Healthy Choice line; Herr's Whole Grain Pretzel Sticks; Kid Cuisine Dip & Dunk Cheese Pizza Sticks, Carnival Corn Dogs and Cheeseburgers and vegetarian Litelife Smart Tortilla Wraps.

Several Ultragrain fresh bakery products are sold under the Sara Lee brand including:

--Sara Lee Soft & Smooth 100% Whole Wheat Bread.

--Sara Lee Hearty & Delicious All-Natural 100% Whole Grain breads.

--Sara Lee made-with-whole-grain White Hot Dog Buns, White Hamburger Buns and English muffins.

--Sara Lee Plain Bagels made with Ultragrain.

"Probably our most successful product of the Ultragrain lineup is in Pepperidge Farm Whole Grain Goldfish Crackers," said Mike Veal, vice president of marketing for ConAgra Mills. "They are very popular."

Given the acceptance of 50,000 Thunder CL acres by ConAgra Mills, if 90 percent of those acres reach harvest producing a state three-year average for Thunder CL tests of 51.7 bushels per acre, it could mean over 2.588 million bushels or about 70,352 metric tonnes of product.

That may be a small amount, given demand for hard white wheat all over the world.

Beyond the seemingly limitless demand for whole grains domestically, according to a U.S. Wheat Associates survey of export customers, there is an unmet demand for 145 million bushels of hard white wheat for export.

Larry Dreiling can be reached by phone at 785-628-1117, or by e-mail at ldreiling@aol.com.

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