Colorado State University’s Wheat Breeding and Genetics Program has become a cornerstone of Colorado agriculture, developing wheat varieties over the past 60 years that now make up 85% of the wheat grown in the state. These successful varieties generate about $1.81 million annually for CSU — more than any other university intellectual property — with much of the revenue reinvested into research. The program’s roots trace back to the late 1800s and Defiance wheat, a hardy variety developed by Ainsworth Blount, CSU’s first agriculture professor, that thrived in Colorado’s difficult growing conditions and gained widespread attention.

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