b'A 1942 USDA poster created to promote hemp production for the war effort.FORGINGA PATH TO COMMERCIALIZATIONThis years National Association of Plant Breeders meeting focused heavily on how to ensure breeding goals translate into commercial success.Marc ZienkiewiczTHE ROAD TO commercializing a crop can be a long andin the United States. Even in Russia they recognized the winding one, but all successfully marketed crop varie- utility of corn starch for munitions, said University of ties have one thing in common: innovative breeders whoNebraska-Lincoln corn breeder Tom Hoegemeyer during figured out a way to take a plant to the next level, and ahis presentation on corn breeding history.captive audience in the form of growers and consumersToday, more corn is produced than any other grain who all want that crop and the products derived from it. crop globally.That was the unofficial theme of this years NAPB vir- Hemp, of course, would follow a much different trajec-tual meeting, put together by an organizing committee attory. After the war ended in 1945, the crop reverted to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln led by wheat breederits de facto illegal status. It wouldnt be until 2018 that Stephen Baenziger. federal legislation allowed American farmers to grow it During a range of talks held via Zoom, it became clearonce again.that what has driven the success of crops like hybrid cornBut why would two plants take such drastically differ-has been a thirst from both growers and consumers forent journeys toward commercialization?something profitable, practical and affordable. Whats acceptable to consumers and what will add During the Second World War, massive quantitiesvalue for growers and processors are sometimes two dif-of corn starch were required to make bombs for theferent things, said Brandon Wardyn, corn breeder and American war effort. Hemp also got a boost during thezone lead for Corteva Agrisciences North America Far same timein 1942 the U.S. government released aWest Evaluation Zone. 14-minute film called Hemp for Victory explaining theAccording to Wardyn, for a variety to truly succeed many practical uses of the crop (including as fibre forcommercially, it must provide value for the plant breeders rope, which was desperately needed by the Americancustomerbe they a grower or processorand find Navy), encouraging farmers to grow as much hemp asacceptance among consumers. If either of those is lack-possible.ing, or if there is a lag or disconnect between the two, The war drove near-universal adoption of hybrid corncommercial acceptance simply will not occur.20GERMINATION.CANOVEMBER 2020'