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KySGGA Announces 2011-2012 Research Funding
In August, the Kentucky
Small Grain Growers Association and Promotion Council selected
the research projects that will receive Small Grain checkoff
funding for the 2011-2012 growing season. The new round of
projects brings the total dedicated funding toward research to
nearly $1.8 million since the checkoff was initiated in
1992.
| Investigator |
Research Title |
Funding |
| UK - Van Sanford |
Soft Red Winter Wheat Breeding
and Variety Development |
$34,955 |
| UK - Van Sanford |
Impact of Climate Change on
Wheat Production in Kentucky |
$5,000 |
| VA Tech |
Improvement and Development of
Barley |
$5,000 |
| UK - Bruening |
Performance of Small Grain
Varieties in Kentucky |
$8,000 |
| UK - Wendroth |
Wheat Crop Sensing in Spring:
On-Farm Comparison of Uniform, On-the-Go, and Prior
Scanning |
$6,500 |
| UK - Harwood |
Tracking the Source of
Aphid-Vectored Virus in Winter Wheat |
$8,521 |
| UK - Ritchey |
Survey of the Tissue Nutrient
Status of Winter Wheat in Kentucky |
$4,000 |
| UK - Hildebrand |
Development of Chia as a
Sustainable Crop |
$10,000 |
| UK - Murdock |
Improving Nitrogen Application
Technology under Kentucky Conditions |
$5,000 |
| UK - Martin |
Managing Giant Ragweed and
Marestail in Wheat |
$6,000 |
| |
Total
Funded |
$92,976 |
View a summary
of research objectives
 Catalog
of Research Results Available
One of the primary objectives of KySGGA's research support is
that the results are available to growers for use. You will find
a list of research results and articles from research funded in
the 2010-2011 growing season on our web site at
www.kysmallgrains.org/research/reports.htm.
UK Wheat Breeder named a Fellow to Two Professional Societies
By Katie Pratt, University of Kentucky
 David Van Sanford, a wheat breeder and professor in the
University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, has been selected
a Fellow of the Crop Science Society of America and the American
Society of Agronomy.
Fellows are nominated by colleagues to receive these honors.
Only 0.3 percent of the members in each society receive this
recognition. He will be recognized along with other honorees
during the national societies’ annual meetings Oct. 16-19 in San
Antonio.
In his breeding program, Van Sanford has focused on developing
high yielding, scab resistant soft red winter wheat varieties.
“Through his wheat breeding work and his service to the U.S.
Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative, Dave Van Sanford is a national
leader in the effort to improve wheat’s resistance to Fusarium
head blight,” said Todd Pfeiffer, chair of the UK Department of
Plant and Soil Sciences. “Being named a fellow of both ASA and
CSSA is worthy recognition of his research and administrative
talents.”
As a member of the Crop Science Society of America, Van Sanford
has served as co-chair of the organizing committee for the
Golden Opportunities Scholars Institute. The institute
identifies promising, high-achieving undergraduate students.
These undergrads receive an opportunity to attend the society’s
annual meeting for a chance to showcase their work and network
with current and future colleagues. He’s also served as an
associate editor of the society’s official publication, Crop
Science. The journal publishes original research about crop
breeding and genetics.
“It’s a great honor to receive recognition for my service and
scientific contributions, but what really matters is our
research is having a meaningful impact on society,” Van Sanford
said.
Small Steps Seen on FTAs as Pressure,
Frustration Mounts With Congress back from the fall recess, a
looming question is becoming louder: when will three
long-pending free trade agreements see action? The agreements – negotiated with Colombia, Panama and South
Korea as long as four years ago – generally enjoy bipartisan
support, even while stuck in the equivalent of political
muck. The latest concerns revolve around trade adjustment
assistance (TAA), which aids U.S. workers hurt by trade
agreements. The Obama Administration and, thus,
Congressional Democrats have insisted on simultaneous
passage of TAA and the FTAs, which Republicans disagree
with. The House of Representatives took a very initial first step
Wednesday toward a potential path forward by passing, via a
voice vote and under suspension of the rules, legislation to
renew the generalized system of preferences (GSP), which is
a program designed to promote economic growth in developing
countries through reduced duties. GSP is considered non-controversial, and the bill is seen as
a vehicle for TAA once it gets to the Senate. During the recess, leaders in both parties urged quick
passage of the agreements to help stimulate economic
activity and create jobs, and there were some positive
political rumblings toward that end. It is likely President Barack Obama will again call for the
agreements’’ passage in his address Thursday evening to a
joint session of Congress, though likely without mentioning
that the next formal step is for his Administration to
submit agreement language to the legislative branch. Wheat growers and other agricultural producers continue to
press for immediate enactment of the agreements,
particularly as other countries implement their own free
trade measures. As of mid-August, Canada’s FTA with Colombia is in place,
which U.S. Wheat Associates has estimated will cost U.S.
wheat producers upwards of $100 million in lost sales each
year – losses that only hurt a national economy with few
bright spots and agricultural producers facing a variety of
weather-related disasters. For more about the impact of the FTAs on the wheat industry,
visit www.wheatworld.org/trade.
Be sure to visit
www.kysmallgrains.org for the latest small grain news and resources. |
