The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) today named the grain varieties that are eligible for the 2005-06 Identity Preserved Contract Program (IPCP). The IPCP, formally called the Market Development Contract Program (MDCP), offers incentives to farmers who are interested in cultivating new varieties of wheat, durum and barley.

Varieties eligible for the IPCP in the 2005-06 crop year are:

• Canada Western Hard White (CWHW) wheat – Snowbird and Kanata ($2.50 per-tonne premium, storage, guaranteed acceptance and delivery);
• Canada Western Amber Durum (CWAD) wheat – AC Navigator ($2.50 per-tonne premium, guaranteed acceptance and delivery);
• Canada Prairie Spring Red (CPSR) wheat – 5701PR ($5.00 per tonne premium, storage, guaranteed acceptance and delivery);
• Canada Western Red Winter (CWRW) wheat– CWRW Select ($10.00 per-tonne premium, storage, guaranteed acceptance and delivery and protein premiums to be announced closer to the start of the crop year).

“This program helps match production to the market,” said Graham Worden, acting director of Product Development and Marketing Support. “The more actively we work at meeting our customers’ needs, the more value we can extract from the market for farmers.”

Under the IPCP, farmers receive a premium for production contracts on eligible varieties. This allows the CWB to test market new varieties among potential customers and provide buyers with quantities to meet their processing needs once the variety has been established.

In addition to premiums, the program offers guaranteed acceptance and delivery within the crop year of all production that qualifies for the 2005-06 program. Depending on the variety, the IPCP also offers escalating on-farm storage payments, contract premiums and protein premiums.

“The IPCP benefits farmers who want to contribute to our market and product development efforts,” said Worden. “In the long run, however, all farmers benefit from the program because it opens new doors for marketing western Canadian grain.”

For more information on the program, please visit the CWB’s Web site at www.cwb.ca under the ‘Growing grain’ link. Sign-up forms will be available in early March from pedigreed seed growers, elevators or by calling the CWB at 1-800-275-4292.

Controlled by western Canadian farmers, the CWB is the largest wheat and barley marketer in the world. As one of Canada’s biggest exporters, the Winnipeg-based company sells grain to more than 70 countries and returns all sales revenue, less marketing costs, to Prairie farmers.