Fort Collins, Colo. – Amplify SF was the most popular winter wheat variety planted in Colorado, according to the 2026 Colorado Winter Wheat Variety Survey released by the National Agricultural Statistics Service on March 6. This marks the second time Amplify SF has topped the survey, accounting for 10.5 percent of the state’s winter wheat acreage.
Amplify SF, a semi-solid hard red winter wheat, was developed by the Colorado State University Wheat Breeding and Genetics Program and released by the Colorado Wheat Research Foundation in 2021 under its PlainsGold® brand. Amplify SF carries a stem-solidness trait that helps defend against the wheat stem sawfly, an insect that is estimated to cause $30 million in damages annually in Colorado.
“The survey highlights the diversity of wheat genetics required to meet the wide variety of conditions present on Colorado wheat farms,” said Brad Erker, Executive Director of Colorado Wheat. “From semi-solid stemmed varieties that combat the wheat stem sawfly, to herbicide tolerant varieties in the CoAXium and Clearfield systems, to hard white wheats, and regular hollow-stemmed hard red winter wheats, Colorado wheat producers are able to select the varieties that work best on their farms.”
Other PlainsGold® varieties took top spots in the survey. Langin ranked second, planted on 6.3 percent of Colorado’s winter wheat acres. Kivari AX and Snowmass 2.0 tied for fourth at 5.5 percent. In total, eleven of the top twelve varieties in the survey are marketed by PlainsGold®.
The PlainsGold® brand, introduced in 2012, carries some the most well-known and innovative winter wheat varieties available today in the High Plains. The PlainsGold® brand, varieties and AXigen® trait are owned by the farmer-governed Colorado Wheat Research Foundation. Royalties from the sale of PlainsGold® seed support the public wheat breeding program at Colorado State University, which further enhances the funding provided by the wheat assessment paid by all Colorado wheat farmers.