Prairie wheat growers who grow BASF’s Clearfield wheat can save their harvested seed to plant as many future crops as they wish, starting in 2008.
The seed and chemical company outlined its new plans for the Clearfield production system for wheat in a release Wednesday. Clearfield wheat is bred for tolerance to BASF’s herbicides Altitude FX and Adrenalin SC and is not considered a genetically modified (GMO) crop.
“Growers can now use this seed to produce and grow unlimited quantities in subsequent years,” BASF said in a release.
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However, there will still be some provisos attached to that offer. The initial crop in 2008 for farmers growing Clearfield wheat for the first time will still have to be certified CDC Imagine seed, which is sold exclusively through Viterra, the company said.
Also, growers who seed the crop must still sign the “Clearfield Commitment” and complete Clearfield Confirm testing, handled by testing firm BioVision under contract with Viterra, to ensure the second- or later-generation crops still have the required tolerance to Clearfield herbicides.
Crops that fail the Clearfield Confirm test must then be sold for milling or other uses and must not be used as seed.
The Clearfield Commitment will still require growers not to sell or give their saved seed to anyone else, and that they must use a registered BASF herbicide on the crop.
Clearfield production contracts — which kept Clearfield wheat in a closed loop, in which all harvested grain would have to be delivered back to Viterra — will no longer be required in 2008, said Clearfield brand manager Scott Chapman in an interview.
Recognized as non-GMO, Clearfield wheat offers wheat growers the same marketing opportunities as conventional non-herbicide-tolerant varieties, with no restrictions, BASF noted.
