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CWB Master Growers Fly With the Ducks 
Prairie Canada, September 2, 2004 - Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is pleased to announce its sponsorship of a Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) Master Grower Program special award for Canada Western Red Winter (CWRW) Select, announced by the CWB August 30, 2004.
The Master Grower Program recognizes the achievements of farmers, rewarding top producers and allowing their knowledge to be shared with the Western Canadian grain industry. Master Growers are selected based on their management practices focused on meeting end-use customer needs.
“Information gathered from the Master Grower program will be important in highlighting successful management practices and support the goalsl of the of CWRW Select Market Development Contract Program for improving market acceptance and returns for winter wheat growers,” says CWB agronomist Mike Grenier.
DUC has been involved in the winter wheat industry since the early 1990s, when research showed that winter wheat could provide attractive and safe nesting sites for upland nesting waterfowl. “Fall-seeded cereals, including winter wheat, have been found to produce up to ten times more hatched waterfowl nests as compared to spring-seeded cereals,” says DUC research biologist Jim Devries.
DUC and the CWB have partnered to provide CWRW Select Master Growers with the opportunity to “Migrate with the Pintails.” In addition to the Master Grower awards outlined on the CWB Web site, DUC will provide each CWRW Select Master Grower with airfare and accommodation for two, to California. The U.S. state is a major wintering area for Northern Pintail ducks, a species of concern for waterfowl biologists who have seen pintail numbers decline dramatically in recent years due to lack of nesting cover.
“Ducks Unlimited Canada is excited about the opportunity to work with the CWB to recognize successful agricultural practices that also provide benefits to waterfowl and other wildlife,” says Paul Thoroughgood, a regional agrologist for DUC.
For full details on the CWB Master Grower Program, visit the CWB Web site at www.cwb.ca.
For more information, please contact:
Mike Grenier, M.Sc., P.Ag.
Agronomist
Canadian Wheat Board
(204) 983-2996
Paul Thoroughgood, P.Ag.
Regional Agrologist
Ducks Unlimited Canada
(204) 569-0424
