PULLMAN, Wash. — Potential synergies between Washington State University and General Mills, Inc., to enhance production and utilization of Pacific Northwest wheat will be the subject of the luncheon speaker at the WSU Spillman Agronomy Farm Field Day, Thursday, July 11.
Tom Willis, General Mills merchandising manager for specialty products, Great Falls, Mont., will discuss expectations for new wheat lines and production and marketing strategies now being considered by his company.
John Burns, WSU extension agronomist, said General Mills and the WSU Research Foundation are discussing the licensing of Macon, a new WSU hard white spring wheat, as part of a program to develop a Pacific Northwest hard white spring wheat market.
In addition, General Mills has licensed two new Clearfield winter wheat lines developed by Northwest Plant Breeders, Inc.
Kulvinder Gill, newly appointed to the Orville A. Vogel Endowed Chair, will conduct a question-and-answer session at one of the tour stops.
Registration will begin at 7:45 a.m. Traditional plot tours of WSU and USDA Agricultural Research Service plots will occupy the morning. Willis will be the principal luncheon speaker.
The farm is five miles southwest of Pullman on Johnson Road. Additional information is available on the World Wide Web at http://css.wsu.edu/, or from Debbie Marsh in the WSU Crop and Soil Sciences Department. Call (509) 335-2915 or e-mail her at marshdj@wsu.edu.
– 30 –