b'S T R A T E G Y A featured segment designed to help you in the realm of retail seed sales. Whats the Hold Up with Hybrid Wheat?Although hybrid wheat has found a market in Europe, its falling behind in the U.S.Joe FunkIN THE 1970S,there were some very active, commercial programs in the United States working to develop hybrid wheat. At that time, there was only one com-mitted U.S. public program, located at North Dakota State University. They were doing all kinds of work, but it was tedi-ous hard work. Eventually, a commercial company running perhaps five project programs would come up with a good hybrid. Then a public program would catch up with another hybrid. It would not be long before another commercial hybrid would be announced, and then the public programs would catch it. No one could ever get far enough ahead to change the market. Eventually, the private sector programs, which wereHybrid wheat has been a breeding endeavor for over 30 years in the U.S.already on thin financial ice, abandoned working on hybridprofessor and Wheat Growersbecause we have lacked atinues to work on developing wheat. Meanwhile, Chinapresidential chair, Universitylong-term commitment tohybrid wheat with support and the International Riceof Nebraska. After 30 yearsdeveloping hybrid wheat. Afrom the USDA competitive Research Institute (IRRI) keptin the wilderness with rice,program focused on hybridgrants program. their hybrid rice efforts going. China and the Philippines nowwheat would run until theThis is probably the high-Looking back, I think thehave hybrid rice. It is grown atprincipal investigator left orest risk research I have ever public sector did a huge dis- 17 million hectares (42 millionretired. Then the programdone. It is not something Im service to commercial com- acres). I wonder where wewould stop, Baenziger says.going to go to ask my grow-panies in the seventies andwould be with wheat if weWe were asking the privateers to spend their checkoff eighties because we neverhad maintained a dedicated,sector to make long-termdollars. The USDA is invest-devoted any of our resourcessustained effort to developinvestments against very well- ing in something which, if we to try to help them. I wish thathybrid wheat, the way China,funded public programs. Toare successful, will be a home the United States had kepta developing country, did withthe best of my knowledge, norun. The world will need more at least one program goingmixed rice. hybrid wheat is being sold inwheat for food.to learn about hybrid wheat,If you ask me why it hasthe United States. Increasing wheat con-says P. Stephen Baenziger,taken us so long, I say it isBaenzigers program con- sumption is one-third due to 60/ SEEDWORLD.COMJANUARY 2021'