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Creating an organic wheat production system in Ohio

Deborah stinner, the organic Food and Farming education and research program (oFFer) clay sneller, Horticulture and crop science

Ohio imports organic bread wheat for milling from other states. With the growing popularity of organic foods nationwide, several regional millers, bakers, and processors of specialty bread and noodle products would prefer to source hard wheat grain from regional farmers. However, processors either are unable to find locally produced grain, or available products do not meet quality targets. A local, organic, hard wheat management system could be profitable for farmers and millers, benefit the environment, and improve consumer health. Three key questions need to be addressed before a local and organic wheat production system can be established in Ohio. (1) Which wheat cultivars will provide an optimal combination of productivity, crop quality, and resistance to disease and insect pests? (2) Given the best wheat genetics, which fertility and pest management strategies will meet producer, processor, and consumer quality standards the most cost effectively? (3) How can profitability be optimized along the organic production chain, so that all members have a fair share of the profits? The specific objective of this project was to address the first question so that subsequent research can begin to address the broader issues of management and profitability.

The project evaluated new cultivars of hard white and red wheat that were under organic production in Wooster based on several attributes that are essential for marketing and safety. Researchers tested whether the cultivars had the necessary characteristics for quality bread dough, determined their disease resistance, and measured their concentrations of deoxynivalenol, a toxin produced by the pathogen that causes head scab on wheat. Of the eight hard white wheat cultivars, Clarks Cream had the best overall gluten quality and visually had relatively lower head scab infection than the other hard white wheat cultivars. However, its yield was not as high as some of the other cultivars, and its flour contained deoxynivalenol above the concentration level recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Another cultivar produced greater yields than Clarks Cream but would likely require added fertilization to increase protein and gluten quality. Its flour also contained excessive deoxynivalenol levels. The trial included a new line of soft red winter wheat developed at OARDC with higher gluten content and promising baking qualities. It had excellent yield and a deoxynivalenol concentration well below the FDAs recommended level. The three cultivars from this trial that merit further experimentation and evaluation are two hard white wheat cultivars and the high-gluten soft red winter wheat. The latter is of particular interest because of its low deoxynivalenol concentration. This cultivar was grown organically at OARDC Wooster in 20102011 for commercial production. The next step is to mill the grain and have bakers evaluate the flour.

Deborah stinner

A local, organic, hard wheat management system could be profitable for farmers and millers, benefit the environment, and improve consumer health.

www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/seeds SEEDS: The OARDC Research Enhancement Competitive Grants Program

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