Grainnet

Washington, DC--The first oat variety produced at Iowa State University in nearly 15 years, the Baker oat, has been successfully commercialized.

The North American Millers' Association (NAMA) helped fund the research in developing the Baker oat.

NAMA Vice President Jim Bair participated in a ceremony to launch the commercial release of the new oat variety in the offices of the dean of Agriculture at Iowa State University.

The Baker oat is available from two Iowa seed copmanies and one in Minnesota.

There are no private oat research programs in the United States, and publicly funded oat research totals only about $4.6 million annually.

As a result, the agronomic performance of oats continues to fall further behind competing crops, and 2006 oat production was the smallest since the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) began keeping records in 1866.

Industry experts hope the new variety will give growers in the upper Midwest a reason to consider oats for at least a small portion of their total acreage.

Agronomist Jean-Luc Jannink and his research team at the Small Grains Breeding Lab developed the Baker oat variety named after Raymond F. Baker, an Iowa State agronomy alumnus who went onto become the lead plant breeder of Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., and developed many of the company's first hybrid seed corns.

In Iowa, the Baker oat displayed excellent yield and high groat percentage.

Of the highest-yielding varieties tested the last few years, Baker is above average for disease resistance.

It is also high in beta-glucan, a soluble fiber that accounts for oat's beneficial heart health effects.

Baker ranked first and second for protein and oil yield, respectively, making it a valuable feed oat for on-farm use as well.

See Related Websites/Articles:

• North American Millers' Association
• Iowa State University

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