The full extent of the problem is still being assessed as the summer harvest of a projected 6 million bushels of white wheat progresses north through the valley. Small grains producers are invited to attend a variety plot tour on Monday, August 4. The tour will start at 10 am and is located two miles west of the Humboldt beet piler in the southwest quarter of Section 9, Hill Township. Take Kittson County Hwy 16 until you come to the south end of the Humboldt beet piler, go west two miles, turn north on the township road and the plot will be on the east side of the road. Jochum Wiersma, U of M small grains specialist, will discuss two separate trials of 14 wheat and 6 barley varieties.
Trials are on last year's sugarbeet and wheat fields and are replicated for yield checks.
Wiersma will also address question on scab and other management concerns. Barshefsky promised that the U. S. Commerce Department would investigate Dorgan and Conrad's complaints, but didn't guarantee any concrete action. Canada denies any wrongdoing on their part, and one aide to the Canadian Embassy in Washington said that Canada would argue their case to the World Trade Organization if necessary. The most accurate indicator known is the appearance of a dark layer of cells. The specific location of these dark cells depends on the crop.