MAWG executive director David Torgerson attributed the low grower response to the late corn harvest.

Another reason could be Minnesota Wheat Council's actions to offer a more direct checkoff referendum with multiple polling places. Both actions are responses to grower feedback to last year's failed referendum attempt.

Minnesota Wheat Council chairman Pete Kappes, in a written explanation of the proposed wheat checkoff increase referendum, noted the 2009 vote was narrowly defeated by 14 votes.

"Throughout last year's referendum process, we consistently heard positive feedback on the need for research," he said. "But we also heard that growers would prefer to have the checkoff at a set value instead of changing it to a percentage of the selling price. They also wanted a different way to vote."

The council seeks an increase from 1 cent to 2 cents per bushel. Growers will be able to vote at one of 14 locations throughout Minnesota from Jan. 15 to 25. Most of the polling locations coincide with the Small Grains Update.

Growers don't have to attend the updates in order to vote, he said.

The Council clarified that no absentee ballots are available.

Minnesota Wheat Council has operated for 30 years, Torgerson said. Since its inception, it hasn't increased the checkoff amount.

"There is some very important research that needs to be done, but with our 30-year-old budget, we are unable to get it done," Kappes said in the written referendum explanation. "For instance, this year the council received nearly $700,000 in worthy research project proposals but we were only able to fund about $150,000 of that."

Other commodity groups have increased their checkoffs, he said. Minnesota's wheat checkoff is the lowest in the country.

Biotech is a small piece of the research project, Torgerson said. Maintaining a strong wheat breeding program is essential.

"I think, if the checkoff increase comes to pass, one of the key parts would be to build up Jim Anderson's breeding program," Torgerson said. "You need the traditional varieties before you put the traits into this."

There was concern that biotech wheat could go the way of biotech soybeans and that crop's higher seed prices.

Torgerson said maintaining a strong wheat breeding program is key. If it doesn't stay strong, wheat growers will lose some control over the crop.

Wheat Council member Doug Rude of Twin Valley supports wheat development advances, including biotech varieties.

"It takes time to develop those varieties.'' he said. "You can't say we will be competitive next year. We are trying to look ahead on this project. We want to grow wheat. If the wheat growers say they don't want to invest in it, the crop could go the way of others.

"Look at corn. Twenty years ago there wasn't corn growing around our area, either. Nor were soybeans. Those crops have been moving north."

Source: Agri News