Why is it necessary for farmers to sign a stewardship agreement?
The stewardship agreement is necessary to make sure that the importance of the refuge is communicated to farmers and that refuge variety levels are maintained. We need to preserve midge tolerance so that farmers can continue to benefit from this technology. The agreement ensures that all farmers will maintain the interspersed refuge system in midge tolerant wheat. This is necessary to preserve midge tolerance because: • The tolerance is based on a single gene, which has a history of becoming ineffective over time. An interspersed refuge system could extend the life of midge tolerance from as little as 10 years to 90 years or longer. • It took researchers more than 15 years to move this single gene into spring wheat varieties. • No other known source of midge tolerance has been identified so we all need to work together to maintain this valuable trait for today and for generations to come.
