A Study of Some Physical and Chemical Properties of Hard Red Spring and Hard Red Winter Wheat in South Dakota

South Dakota is located in a transition zone between the winter wheat area to the south and the spring wheat area to the north. The summers seem to be too warm to produce the later maturing spring wheat of good test weight and of good milling quality that is in demand by consumers. Yet South Dakota remains primarily a spring wheat state because varieties and farming practices have not yet been perfected enough to overcome the problem of winter killing of winter wheat. Indications from several sources (27, 30) are that South Dakota’s wheat, especially the spring wheat, is of questionable quality. In the past years, world wheat production has increased significantly resulting in a world surplus of wheat. The world’s wheat buyers now enjoy a very competitive market not only in terms of price, but also in terms of quality. Those states provinces or countries who choose to ignore the quality of their wheat ·will face the possibility of losing their market. "A wheat exporting state such as South Dakota can justify producing wheat only if it produces a quality commodity that is in real demand by wheat buyers. In 1963 a joint project was initiated between the South Dakota Wheat Commission and the South Dakota State University Agronomy Department to obtain information on the quality of wheat produced in South Dakota. This study was undertaken (a) to determine as specifically as possible the quality of wheat produced and delivered to shipping points in South Dakota, (b) to compare the quality of wheat being delivered to the county elevator to the quality of the wheat being shipped to the terminal markets, (c) to compare quality factors of spring and winter wheat and to consider the comparative advantages of both classes of wheat in South Dakota, (d) to analyze the quality of wheat going into different elevators and to observe area differences , (e ) to determine the milling and baking quality of South Dakota grim wheat and to compare it to wheat germ in other areas. It is hoped that these investigations will reveal the particular quality .factors that lower the quality of wheat entering the market and help point out where changes can be made to make South Dakota’s wheat more competitive in the terminal market.