$117,500

This will support research on wheat stem sawfly (WSS), and other wheat pests of potential significance.  This program will involve surveys to evaluate the WSS flight timing monitoring at Orchard/New Raymer, WSS stubble infestation survey across Colorado, solidness scoring and dissections of wheat stems of the wheat breeding program’s Elite trials and WSS trials, and assessment of insecticide treatments against WSS.  Additional research priorities include assessing WSS non-preference for certain hollow-stemmed varieties, impact of solidness on natural enemies, and developing high-throughput phenotyping to screen for WSS infestation. The funding will provide support for an entomology research associate and operating funds.

 

36th year of a continuing program for wheat entomology research under the current leadership of Dr. Punya Nachappa, Department of Agricultural Biology.

Premium Program

2026 program Information:

Ardent Mills has partnered with the Colorado Wheat Research Foundation (CWRF) and CSU for years to develop top performing wheat varieties that meet the special quality needed for UltraGrain®.

Eligible Plainsgold Varieties:

PlainsGold Hard White Winter wheat varieties are developed at Colorado State University (CSU) specifically for the quality characteristics needed by Ardent Mills, with the yield performance and agronomics needed by farmers.

For the 2026 crop year, the following varieties are included in the program: Snowmass 2.0, Breck, Monarch, Windom SF, and Telluride. Certified seed is required on all Ardent Mills contracts, and the use of glyphosate for pre-harvest crop desiccation is prohibited.

Ardent Mills is currently paying premiums as follows for the 2026 crop. Future year contracts are subject to market conditions and may change. For 2026, all varieties are paid at the same premium levels:

Delivery Points:

Once you have harvested your wheat crop, complete the program by delivering your qualifying wheat crop to the delivery point in Colorado or Nebraska as listed on your grain pricing schedule: