b'DONT COUNTAC FOREMOST OUT YETEveryone thought it would go extinct afterBY ALL ACCOUNTS,AC Foremost should have gone the way of the dodo by now. 2018 market class changes, but the Seed ofIn August of 2018, this spring wheat variety was reclas-the Year winner for 2023 continues to enjoy asified to be eligible for grades of the Canada Northern Hard Red (CNHR) wheat market class. This was no devoted fan base. fault of AC Foremost; the goal posts for gluten strength Marc Zienkiewicz required by some key international markets had simply changed. Most varieties subject to reclassification to a lower value market class have imploded, says Jim Downey, R&D manager for SeCan. Many thought the reclassification to a lower value market class would be the death knell for AC Foremost. The variety didnt just surviveAC Foremost is going through a fourth wave of resurgence with more than 1,000 acres of pedigreed seed produced in 2021. Its been on the market nearly 30 years and is now the recipient of the 2023 Seed of the Year Award, part of the Canadian Plant Breeding Innovation (CPBI) Awards.The award recognizes breeders for their research accomplishments in developing a new variety of field crops, forages, fruits, vegetables and herbs.It really became a winner, one of those varieties that was in the right place at the right time and really caught on, says Ron DePauw, science adviser for SeCan. DePauw was one of nine plant breeders credited with having a hand in creating AC Foremost back in the 1990s.Upon its commercial release in 1995, AC Foremost rap-idly found a very strong following of growers in the high productivity area of west central Alberta. AC Foremost had strong straw of semi-dwarf stature. Subsequently, about 30 CPS varieties have been released and tried by producers. Only AAC Penhold has the straw strength comparable to AC Foremost. The very strong straw of AC Foremost reduces lodging, thereby saving harvesting costs compared to a toppled-over crop in which swathing operations and/or combin-ing might be done in one direction, or special pick-up fingers needed, leading to more biomass being ground through the combine. Also, the extra biomass from weak-strawed varieties incurs additional field operations to prepare a seedbed for planting the following spring. The very widespread and continued farmer adoption 32GERMINATION.CAJANUARY 2023'