Ames, Iowa
March 2, 2009
This year the Iowa Crop
Performance Test-Corn is celebrating 90 growing seasons of
continuous testing.
The trials were started by Henry A. Wallace in 1920 and are
managed by Jim Rouse, director of the
Iowa Crop
Improvement Association (ICIA) at Iowa State University.
During the upcoming year ICIA will release articles highlighting
the history of the program.
"The program has succeeded because of farmers in Iowa and their
use of the performance data, and the many seed companies, past
and present, that participate in the trials. Without the trust
and support of both of these groups the program could not have
reached such a milestone," Rouse said.
The tests are conducted yearly at 24 locations across Iowa to
provide information to farmers and help them select the best
hybrids for their production needs.
ICIA is a nonprofit association that offers unbiased,
third-party information to Iowa growers on the adaptation and
performance of hybrids and varieties of corn and soybeans. All
testing information, including the latest results, is available
at
www.croptesting.iastate.edu.
ICIA is the official seed-certifying agency for Iowa, with
headquarters in the department of agronomy at Iowa State
University. Its mission is to provide an unbiased source of
service and education in production and quality assurance for
Iowa agricultural crops. Founded in 1902, the association has
provided seed production and crop performance testing services
for 97 years.
The association's membership is composed of farmers, seed
producers and others interested in crop improvement. The ICIA
supports the Iowa State University Crops Team, sponsors the Iowa
FFA Agronomy Career Development event, offers a summer
internship program and awards five annual scholarships to Iowa
State undergraduates. |
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