CASS CITY, Mich. — Things are moving along slowly but surely for the Michigan Wheat Promotion Committee, an organization approved by voters last summer to enable a checkoff.

“One of the things we’re considering helping to fund is the wheat breeder’s position at MSU,” said Dave Milligan, chair of the committee and a wheat grower from Cass City, in the Thumb region. “Currently it’s not filled. It has become a priority at Michigan State (University). Hopefully that will get filled in the fall.

“There’s a lot of issues with growing quality wheat,” he explained.

Historically, the wheat milling industry has funded this position and is expected to continue funding a portion of it. Among the issues a wheat checkoff could help address for growers and purchasers in Michigan include breeding for head blight resistance to pre-harvest sprouting, use of fungicides for disease control and timing and rates of nitrogen fertilizer applications.

According to the official program language, the checkoff assessment will be up to one-half of 1 percent of the net sales of wheat for an eligible wheat grower. That means the assessment will be on sales after any discounts; Milligan said this will start in May.

That amounts to 2 cents per bushel, assuming wheat is selling at $4 per bushel. The actual amount could vary between 2-5 cents per bushel. The committee projects this will generate $500,000-$700,000 into the program fund each year. Wheat sold as seed will be exempt.

Wheat growers eligible for the assessment are those who have produced any market wheat beyond the grower’s personal use and which has a value at first point-of-sale of more than $800 in any one growing season, within the last three years. There are about 8,000 wheat growers in the state.

As the campaign for a wheat program ramped up last year, an interim wheat committee was formed. After the referendum passed in July, a new permanent committee had to be peopled by the governor before the checkoff could be implemented, according to Milligan. The permanent committee names weren’t named until November 2011.

Generally, things have moved a bit slower than Milligan would have liked. “We anticipate getting (the checkoff) in place after the first of May,” he said.

He expects wheat will get sold, and thus money collected into the committee’s fund, starting sometime in July.

Another matter on the committee’s plate is its search for an executive director. The committee expects an executive director to have at least seven years of relevant experience, or some combination of experience and formal education, including a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Milligan said Feb. 3 is a hard deadline for getting in an application. His preferred method of communications is email.

“I think there’s a lot of candidates out there,” he said. “I anticipate getting a lot of applications the last three or four days.”

His email address is dave@milliganfarms.com for anyone wanting to submit a last-minute application.

Members of the permanent wheat committee, in addition to Milligan, are William Hunt of Davison, Dean Kantola of Ravenna, Art Loeffler of Frankenmuth, Gerald Heck of Monroe, Chris Schmidt of Auburn, Frank Vyskocil of New Lothrop, Scott Heussner of Marlette and Carl Sparks of Cassopolis. All are wheat growers except Loeffler, who is president of Star of the West Milling Co.