MV Fredericia is an opportunity for UK growers to grow a top quality Group1 milling wheat with a guaranteed market. The variety’s very good grain quality with protein above 13%, late drill suitability, early maturity and good foliar disease resistance all add up to an attractive offer to whet growers this back end.

The very high quality home-grown grain represents an opportunity for the UK’s domestic high protein wheat requirement to be met by UK growers, and provides them some protection from Brexit-related uncertainties. It also provides an alternative to growing feed wheat for export, as well as helping to reduce the carbon footprint of UK food production.

Bill Angus, Managing Director of Angus Wheat Consultants, stresses the key agronomics: “MV Fredericia’s grain quality is very good with protein above 13%, extremely high specific weights, HFN comfortably above 350 and good dough characteristics, meaning Fredericia has attracted interest for wholemeal four.

“MV Fredericia’s late-drill suitability makes it an ideal choice after potatoes and sugar beet, or in high grassweed situations, as its fast speed of growth gives it a very good competitive edge, and its early maturity makes it an ideal entry crop for OSR.

“The variety has good foliar disease resistance. Also I would note that MV Fredericia requires a robust PGR programme – especially in more fertile situations.”

Raich Growdridge, Purchasing Director, Whitworth Bros Ltd gives a positive view from a miller’s perspective: “We have done trial work with MV Fredericia over the last three years. It shows all the characteristics of a good NABIM G1 wheat, and we will be using it in our Mills going forward as it becomes more widely grown”

Bill Angus underlines the philosophy that applies to MV Fredericia and AWC’s varieties overall. “It’s good to see growers starting to use wheat genetics strategically in their variety choice. For too long they have been encouraged to scan the Recommended List and pick off the variety
on the ‘far left’ – the highest yielding variety in that particular NABIM group.

“Late sowing is undesirable, but for many growers it has become a necessity – particularly for those with blackgrass problems. With a buyback contract in place there is now the opportunity to get that all-important early harvest as well as picking up a quality premium. The choice of variety to grow is the most important one for cereal growers and MV Fredericia gives them a new option.

“Growers interested in an MV Fredericia buyback for harvest 2021, can access information on the MV Fredericia agronomy programme and buyback by contacting their usual contact at our partners for the variety, Agrii or Glencore.”