Wheat and Barley Variety Survey Results Are In

MSU Varieties Continue to Perform Well

The annual National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) wheat and barley variety survey for Montana is completed. The annual questionnaire is important to Montana State University (MSU) plant breeders as well as buyers of Montana grain.

“In a tough economic environment for farmers, it is encouraging to see Montana State University varieties leading Montana’s wheat acreage, with Dagmar and Vida ranking first and second in spring wheat and Bobcat leading winter wheat,” said Dr. Mike Giroux, MSU’s durum breeder. Dagmar’s combination of high yield and solid stems has helped farmers meet production challenges, and Bobcat’s solid stem offers another important tool for growers.”

MSU has high expectations for a recent durum release, including a solid stem variety. “We look forward to MSU varieties making an impact in durum also,” Giroux said. “We have two new releases in 2026: MTD19011 and MT Sheridan Gold. MT Sheridan Gold is our first solid stem durum.”

Wheat Notables:

1. Dagmar remains the #1 planted hard red spring wheat, growing another 6% in preference. Through a challenging weather year, this solid stem variety was particularly hardy. MSU released Dagmar in 2019.
2. MSU’s solid stem hard red winter wheat, Bobcat, stayed at the top of the winter wheat pile,  accounting for 25.7% of all seeded acres, up about 3% over 2025. MSU’s Warhorse dropped from its second position to fourth, while Keldin (developed by WestBred) moved to #3. Fortress has made it into the top five, a winter wheat developed by Colorado State University in 2024.
3. Like a bit of a broken record, durum is largely unchanged with Alzada planted more than any other variety in Montana at 14.4%. ND Riveland from North Dakota State University (NDSU) ranks second at 10.7%, followed by AC Strongfield from SeCan, at 10.2%. Even though wheat stem sawfly was more quiet in 2026, durum growers affected by the pest can look forward to the new solid stem durum release.

Barley Notables:

1. Barley growers seeded an additional 100,000 acres of barley over 2025, largely due to a dry fall reducing the total number of winter wheat acres.
2. Malting varieties were overwhelmingly favored for planting, tallying 45.7% of all barley acres planted. It is important to note that malt varieties are planted on irrigated and dryland acres across Montana.
3. Similar to durum’s rather stationary stats, the top planted barley remains the same as previous years with AC Metcalfe at #1, an MSU variety released in 1997. Bill Coors 100 ranks second and Conlon (NDSU) comes in third.
4. Barley forage varieties are far less concentrated than their malt barley cousins. The larger story here is that the previously popular Haybet (released in 1989) dropped to third. Lavina moved to the top variety slot at 5.5%, and Haymaker ranked second at 4.2%. All three were developed by MSU.

More growers responded to the survey this year, with a total 13% larger response rate over 2025. The Montana Wheat & Barley Committee (MWBC) funds both surveys which are located at montanawbc.com/research. For more information, email wbc@mt.gov or call 406-761-7732.

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