Missouri Crop Improvement Association
News and Notes
October – 2014
Vol. 10 – No. 10
MCIA’s News and Notes is designed to provide members and other interested individuals with information about MCIA programs and services, as
well as timely access to information that impacts the seed industry and agriculture in general. Our format is structured to provide a brief
introduction to topics of interest along with contact information or links to sources where you can obtain more detailed information. Many of the
articles and items listed in this newsletter contain web addresses or hyperlinks by which you can obtain additional information. If you do not have
internet access and would like additional information on any of the topics mentioned in this newsletter, please contact the MCIA office and we will
forward you the information. Please feel free to contact the MCIA office if you have questions or suggestions for items to be included in future issues.
2014 Wheat Wrap Up
With a late harvest for the second year in a row and lower commodity prices, wheat seeding is progressing at a snail’s pace. All indications are that
2014 has been a disappointing wheat marketing season for MCIA members. MCIA’s seed lab has tested 754 soft red winter wheat samples (down
262 from 2013) with an average germination of 91.76%, 9 hard red winter wheat samples (down 1) with an average germination of 95.22% and 341
commercial wheat (VNS) samples (up 114) with an average germination of 84.27%. To date, MCIA has issued certification tags or bulk sales
certificates for 449,516 units of certified and/or quality assurance seed (down 304,262 from 2013). REMINDER - any certified or quality assurance
seed sold in loose bulk form should be accompanied by a bulk sales certificate. If you sold seed in loose bulk form without a certificate, please
contact the MCIA office so we can make sure the buyer receives the proper documentation.
2013-14 Soybean Royalties
You may be eligible for a refund of royalties paid for soybean seed that you were unable to sell in 2013-14. In order to receive a refund, please
return any unused soybean tags/labels to the MCIA office no later than November 30 and indicate the number of tags/labels returned for each variety.
MCIA will not count your tags and labels for you. Tags/labels received after the November 30 deadline may not be eligible to receive a credit.
2014 Soybean Yields and Quality
Inspection reports from our inspectors indicate mostly good yields and quality associated with 2014 production. MCIA inspectors are estimating
yields from the low 40’s to high 60’s, with most running in the 45-55 bu/ac range. Late planting and cool, wet conditions early followed by a cool,
wet fall are contributing to a delayed harvest season. Quality appears to be good but once harvest is completed and your bins have had a week or two
to equalize with regard to temperature and moisture, we recommend submitting a representative sample for preliminary analysis prior to initiating
any conditioning activity. While too early to make any kind of definitive assessment with regard to quality, we have noticed that seed size is
extremely variable this year. Many samples are showing larger than normal seed when compared to previous years, while at the same time
containing a lot of small seed.
Vigor Testing for Soybeans
Each year, we receive more and more requests to perform vigor testing for soybeans. There are basically two types of vigor tests for soybean,
namely a cold test or an accelerated aging test. Based on past experience, MCIA believes that the accelerated aging test is a more reliable tool for
measuring vigor and predicting storability for soybeans than a cold test. We offer the accelerated aging test in house and can accommodate requests
for cold tests through one of our partnerships with other third party labs.
Accelerated aging tests should be conducted in conjunction with and compared to the results from a normal warm germination exam. High vigor lots
should not exhibit more than a 5-10% spread between the 2 tests. Spreads over 10% indicate that the vigor level is dropping and the higher the
spread, the lower the vigor. Please contact the MCIA office if you have questions or would like to discuss vigor testing in greater detail.
2015 Spring Seed Directory
We are still receiving inspection reports and have not yet finalized the production numbers from the 2014 crop. Our intent is to have the final 2015
spring seed directory printed and available on the web site in late November and the printed version available for distribution with the December
newsletter. If anyone needs information with regard to availability and sources of seed prior to receiving your copy of the seed directory, please feel
free to contact the MCIA office and we will be happy to provide you with the information you need.
(over)
Final Chance to Provide Input Regarding New Branding and Marketing Program for Wheat and Soybean Genetics
MCIA members and affiliates have until October 31 to voice their preference with regard to the new brand name that will be used to market new
wheat and soybean genetics obtained from the University of Missouri and other variety development programs. Forms for providing comment were
included with the September newsletter or can be obtained by contacting the MCIA office. MCIA’s Board of Directors will make a final decision in
early November and the next brand will be introduced in the November newsletter.
Member Information Access Via MCIA’s Web Site
MCIA provides members and clients with access to laboratory and field inspection information via secured access on MCIA’s web site. Access to
information is password protected and is confidential to each member/client. At the present time, all accounts must be established by MCIA. Please
contact the MCIA office if you would like to set up an account to access this information. (Note – MCIA is still in the process of upgrading our web
site and some users may experience difficulty accessing the report tables with newer versions of web browsers. The web site is not compatible with
Google Chrome at the present time and Internet Explorer users may experience difficulty loading the report tables. If the tables don’t display
correctly, please set your browser to “compatibility view” and load the tables again.
Links to Items of Interest
Scaboo to Lead Soybean Breeding Effort at MU
http://farmprogress.com/story-scaboo-selected-lead-mu-soybean-breeding-efforts-9-119265
Switchgrass for Ethanol
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/aug14/switchgrass0814.htm
Deep Tillage Buries Seeds of Weeds Resistant to Herbicides
http://extension.missouri.edu/news/DisplayStory.aspx?N=2276
Farmers Face Critical Farm Bill Decisions; Four November MU Meetings Offer Help
http://extension.missouri.edu/n/2360
Amped-up Plants
http://www.nature.com/news/amped-up-plants-1.15932
Taking a Shortcut to Improving Wheat
http://phys.org/news/2014-09-shortcut-wheat.html
Mystery of Cereal Grain Defense Explained
http://www.seedtoday.com/info/ST_articles.html?ID=143828
Wheat Breeding Science Offers Greater Yields (video)
http://www.seedtoday.com/info/ST_articles.html?ID=143953
USDA-APHIS Closes Investigation of GM Wheat in Oregon
http://www.grainnet.com/info/ST_articles.html?ID=144070
Cargill v. Syngenta: Biotechnology and Trade
http://www.grainnet.com/info/ST_articles.html?ID=144212
Weed Scientists Uproot Common “Superweed” Myths
http://www.grainnet.com/info/ST_articles.html?ID=144404
SDSU Researcher Seeks More Nitrogen from Soybeans
http://www.grainnet.com/info/ST_articles.html?ID=144085
Calendar
November 3-4
November 8
November 9-10
November 27-28
December 8-12
December 17-18
December 18-20
December 24-26
January 1, 2015
January 24-27
Missouri Forage & Grassland Council Annual Conference
Western Seed Association Annual Meeting
ASTA Farm & Lawn Seed Conference
Thanksgiving Holiday – MCIA Office Closed
ASTA Corn, Sorghum & Soybean Research Conference
MO-AG Winter Convention
MO Governor’s Conference on Agriculture
Christmas Holiday – MCIA Office Closed
New Year’s Holiday – MCIA Office Closed
ASTA Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference
Lake Ozark, MO
Kansas City, MO
Kansas City, MO
Chicago, IL
Columbia, MO
Lake Ozark, MO
Tampa, FL