52 GERMINATION.CA NOVEMBER 2018 SUPPORTED BY: ENDORSED BY: The Stewardship Agreement Process has been Simplified Proper stewardship is necessary to pre- serve midge tolerance, so farmers can continue to benefit from this technology for 90 years or longer. Farmers buying midge tolerant wheat are required to sign a Midge Tolerant Wheat Stewardship Agreement that limits the use of farm- saved seed to one generation past certified seed. It ensures that all farmers will main- tain the interspersed refuge system. The Midge Tolerant Wheat Stewardship Assurance Site is a secure, web-based tool for use by seed distributors, seed retailers and seed growers that makes the process of documenting the movement of Certified Midge Tolerant Wheat seed more efficient. It allows users to create elec- tronically signed Stewardship Agreements and to post sales transactions. The online Stewardship Agreement is evergreen, which simplifies things for everyone. Agreements are now signed digitally, and farmers will only need to sign once, no matter where they buy their seed. REMEMBER! In order for distributors, retailers and seed growers to access the new system, they require a new Authorized Retailer number. This is obtained by successfully passing the updated Retailer Training located at midgetolerantwheat.ca and by signing a new Retailer Stewardship Agreement at MTWSA.ca. For Seed Growers: Managing Refuge Because the varieties used in a varietal blend are not genetically identical, refuge percentage can change or “drift” for several reasons: How to Minimize Refuge “Drift” in-Crop: REMEMBER! After harvest, the seed grower must submit a cleaned sample to a recognized lab. Currently, labs must develop a unique test for each varietal blend. In future, it is hoped there will be one test that will detect a single Sm1 marker which can be used for all varietal blends. It is recommended to test before and after cleaning. Why Two Tests? A pre-cleaning test will give an approximate range for refuge and will determine if remediation may be required. The results can be used to determine settings for cleaning (refuge percentage may be tweaked by cleaning if there is a seed size difference between the two varieties). A post-cleaning test will give a final result. What if my Refuge Percentage is Too High or Too Low? Then remediation is required. If it’s too high, there are no easy fixes since there is no pure tolerant product available to blend down with. You can attempt to: • Blend with a lower refuge lot •  Demote to a lower class or work with a distributor and CSGA to allow higher pedigree seed to be grown for own use with the goal of falling into the required range before sale. If your refuge percentage is too low, you can use a blend calculator to determine the quantity of refuge required. You can source refuge of an equal pedigree class, but do not attempt to “top up” refuge — it is difficult to fix. You can download a handy refuge calculator in Excel form at germination.ca/site/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Refuge-Blend-Sheet.xls REMEMBER! Midge tolerant wheat stewardship ensures we will maintain the interspersed refuge system. While other methods of midge tolerance in wheat are being investigated, at the moment the Sm1 gene is all we have — there is no Plan B. • Midge damage • Disease resistance • Shattering differences •  Agronomic performance (yield) • Seed size • Spray for Midge •  Manage disease (in crop fungicide) •  Harvest timing/ swathing