This is the Manitoba Pulse Grower’s (MPGA) call for entries into the 2014 Manitoba Dry Bean Regional (variety screening) trials. If you would like to enter lines into these trials, please contact me at sandy@manitobapulse.ca or (204) 745-6488. Varieties that are registered in Canada, or being tested or registered in the USA, will be considered for entry into this trial. MPGA’s edible bean committee reserves the right to select varieties to feature, should we not have room for all of them. Please limit entries to a maximum of 6 types per company, and please indicate what type of bean the varieties are.
The deadline to submit entries is March 28, 2014. Letters of confirmation will be sent after MPGA’s edible bean committee has reviewed all entries and made selections.
As in past years, we require 10,000 bare seeds per variety (no seed treatments, please!). Seed for varieties that are approved must be received by April 21st to ensure we have enough time to package them and get them sent out to the various sites. (If you cannot make this deadline, please let me know, as seeds not received at this time run the risk of not being included in the trials.)
A seed submission entry form will be included with letters of confirmation. One copy (per entry) is to be returned to MPGA with the second copy to be sent with the seed.
The 2014 trials will be grown at four locations: Morden, Carman, Winkler and Portage la Prairie. Looking forward, we hope to continue these trials which we find very useful to Manitoba Dry Bean producers as well as to the companies that supply lines for these trials.
FUTURE TRIALS: With potential changes to the Canadian registration system, MPGA is considering implementing a fee for the wide row edible bean trials in 2015. An option being considered is charging an entrance fee for varieties that are not registered in Canada. Varieties that are registered could be exempt from his fee; however, this decision still needs to be approved by the MPGA Edible bean Committee. We look forward to your feedback. For 2014, we will continue with no entrance fee.
Please submit entries for the regional trials to sandy@manitobapulse.ca by March 28, 2014.
Thank you,
Sandy Robinson
Business Manager
Manitoba Pulse Growers Association
Phone (204) 745-6488
Dennis Lange
Farm Production Advisor
Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development
Phone (204) 324-4383