Delegation Applauds Durum Wheat Quality Program

Press Release

Senators Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan and Congressman Earl Pomeroy today applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture's implementation of the Durum Wheat Quality Program. USDA will begin accepting applications today for the program, which partially compensates producers for the cost of fungicides applied to durum wheat to control Fusarium head blight (FHB), or wheat scab.

"The pasta and milling industry consumes approximately 75 to 80 million bushels of durum per year, much of it coming from our producers here in North Dakota," the delegation said. "The Durum Wheat Quality Program will help our producers improve the quality of their crops and ensure they don't lose durum acres to wheat scab. We're encouraging durum growers across the state that are affected by scab fungicide costs to sign up for this program."

Senator Conrad, a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, and Congressman Pomeroy, the only member in the House to sit on both the Agriculture Committee and Ways and Means Committee, played leading roles in negotiating the 2008 Farm Bill and were strong supporters of the Durum Wheat Quality Program.

Senator Dorgan, a senior member of the Senate's Appropriations Committee, secured $3 million in the Fiscal Year 2010 Agriculture Appropriations bill for the initiative.
The program -- authorized by the Farm Bill -- allows for cost share assistance of up to 50 percent for the cost of the fungicide and application of the fungicide during the flower stage of the 2010 crop of certified durum acres.

The deadline to apply for the 2010 crop year is Sept. 15, 2010. To be eligible, a producer must complete an application and have used an eligible fungicide to control FHB on acres planted to durum wheat for the 2010 crop year. In addition, the producer must provide documentation for the purchase of an eligible fungicide used to control FHB on durum wheat.

"Unlike spring wheat where producers may choose scab resistant varieties, durum research has not yet produced a similar option. The Durum Wheat Quality Program is an important safeguard to preserve durum production while scab research continues," the delegation said.

FHB is a fungal disease that can occur on all small-grain crops grown in North Dakota, and is seen commonly on durum. It can cause significant yield losses and quality reductions. The application of

fungicide spray during the early flowering for durum may reduce FHB damage.
Agriculture is North Dakota's largest single industry, with one out of five North Dakotans drawing their livelihood directly from agriculture. North Dakota produces 56 percent of the U.S. durum crop.

For more information or to apply for the Durum Wheat Quality Program visit www.fsa.usda.gov.