A Kansan has truly “arrived” as a historical feature when somebody names a new wheat variety in his or her honor.

That recognition came to former state legislator, U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole with the release of a new hard red winter variety for the Central Plains by Syngenta and the Kansas Wheat Commission.

The new variety was developed by Kansas State University and will be available through the AgriPro brand for the 2018 season through a public-private partnership between Syngenta and Kansas wheat farmers through the Kansas Wheat Commission and Kansas Wheat Alliance, the marketing arm for varieties developed by K-State.

“I am honored to be the namesake of this new wheat variety that will be grown in America’s heartland,” Dole says. “Wheat feeds people across the country and throughout the world, so I am particularly humbled that my name is attached to such a fundamental source of global nutrition. I believe in the value of this partnership between Syngenta and the Kansas Wheat Commission — an alliance that will ensure continued access to quality food.”

DOLING OUT HONORS: Kansas hero Bob Dole is shown here during a ceremony in Washington, D.C., honoring his service to the country with the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal.

The Bob Dole variety, which will be available for fall planting, will feature a good disease package with leaf and stripe rust tolerance along with fusarium head blight tolerance. Farmers can also expect excellent end-use quality, and a good grain and forage yield in the heart of wheat production in Central Kansas and Oklahoma.

“Bob Dole is a man of quality character who always looked out for wheat farmers and rural communities,” says Greg McCormack, AgriPro key account manager for Syngenta in the Plains region. “We are proud to partner with Kansas Wheat to provide farmers with a new variety that has great yielding potential and features strong quality characteristics, just like its namesake.”

AgriPro wheat varieties are top performers, with in-field results that consistently rank among the top yield group in every region.

For more information about AgriPro brand wheat varieties or to find a local AgriPro Associate, visit agriprowheat.com.

Source: Syngenta