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| 2009 Seed of the Year West - Winner Harrington Barley |
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November 17, 2009 / Saskatoon Seed of the Year West is proud to announce Harrington barley, as the winner of the 2009 Seed of the Year - West. Congratulations go out to Bryan Harvey and Brian Rossnagel and the research team at the University of Saskatchewan responsible for Harrington. Harrington was the first high enzyme, rapid modification two-row malting barley bred in Canada. Harrington was released in 1981, with the first certified seed sold in 1983, rapidly taking over the Canadian acreage. Harrington could be malted right off the combine and thus eliminated the need to mature barley in post-harvest storage. This gave processors much greater flexibility in material handling and inventory flow. Harrington turned out to be a very forgiving variety for processing in both the malt house and the brewery, and gave consistently good results despite variations in handling. Bruce Coulman who nominated Harrington noted that “Harrington was the dominant variety of malting barley for so many years, and is still in production after more than 25 years. In addition, it became a world standard for malting barley quality. Bryan Harvey and Brian Rossnagel have had such outstanding careers in barley breeding - it was appropriate that one of their varieties be nominated.” More than 60 million acres of Harrington have been grown in western Canada with the single-year peak coming in 1991 with 4.7 million acres. Total Harrington production of more than three billion bushels has an estimated value of more than $15 billion. Seed of the Year is designed to provide recognition to publicly-developed varieties that have made a significant contribution to the economy, agriculture, and the Canadian public in general. Although the name, Seed of the Year, indicates the contribution in a particular year, the program is much broader reaching and considers total lifetime achievement and contribution. It is important to recognize the value of our public plant breeding programs, as well as encourage the entry of new plant breeders to the industry. Part of the western award is a scholarship for $4000 that is awarded to a student enrolled in a western Canadian university and currently completing a Masters or Ph.-D in plant breeding or genetics. Bryan Harvey and Brian Rossnagel will now be asked to review and select the scholarship award winner. The Seed of The Year award program highlights the importance of plant breeding and the seed industry to crop production in Canada. The scholarship aspect will contribute to the education of a new generation of plant breeders. Seed of the Year would also like to acknowledge its sponsors: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Alberta Barley Commission, Canterra Seeds, Cargill, Canadian Wheat Board, Parrish & Heimbecker Limited, Canadian Seed Growers Association, Viterra, Richardson International, SeCan, and Western Grains Research Foundation. We also wish to thank the judges and other applicants who applied. For more information on Seed of the Year, as well as application forms for next year, please visit www.seedoftheyear.ca/west -30- For further information, contact: |