Jones started getting his hands dirty when he was 6

By COOKSON BEECHER

Capital Press

Maybe it was in his genes to be a wheat breeder and seek out new directions.

When he was 6, Stephen Jones asked his mother to go to the store with him to buy some seeds. He planted a garden in the family's suburban yard, and from then on he was always growing vegetables or other plants.

"That was pretty unique," he said, referring to his first garden. "My parents didn't know corn from broccoli, but they were thrilled with the whole idea."

As an undergraduate at California State University-Chico, he took advantage of a program that allowed students to lease 5 acres. He borrowed money from the bank to cover the expenses that went with growing a crop.

He chose wheat.

"I like wheat," he said. "There's something so basic about it."

That endeavor earned him $400 and an awareness that growing a good crop and reaping a profit go hand in hand.

Arriving in Pullman, Wash., in 1991 with a master's degree in agronomy and a doctorate in genetics from the University of California-Davis, Jones started as a molecular cytogeneticist for USDA's Agricultural Research Service. He joined the Washington State University faculty in 1995.

It was then that he began to have second thoughts about what he refers to as the "mold of commodity wheat with its narrow focus on big yields at any cost and its one-size-fits-all emphasis on export markets."

"My interest went in the direction of smaller scale," he said of his work developing varieties with good yields that use fewer inputs, provide high nutritional content and can be used in a farmer's diversification and crop rotation plans.

"I began thinking of what questions could be solved through genetics and breeding," he said.

That led him to an interest in perennial wheat, which can help reduce erosion and retain soil moisture. But Jones said that at that time, it was an idea that received a "pretty lukewarm reception."

He won a $500,000 USDA grant to work on perennial wheat.

"It's becoming more accepted now," he said.

While in Pullman, Jones became interested in developing varieties of organic wheat. In 2006, he received a $680,000 grant for organic wheat breeding.

His interest in it continues today. Jones and graduate student Kevin Murphy this year worked with Olympic Peninsula farmer Nash Huber, who planted 15 acres in organic wheat and other small-grain crops.

Huber praises Jones' research.

"His work has allowed us to increase the diversity of our crops, which greatly increases our farm's sustainability," Huber said.

In his research, Jones and his students conduct trials on earlier varieties that were grown from the 1840s to the 1950s.

"We want to invigorate the newer varieties with genes from the older varieties," he said.

One of his many projects is breeding wheat and small-grain varieties that do well in wet climates.

"Everywhere, people are looking at growing grains again," he said. "We've been getting phone calls from people in British Columbia to Northern California who want to add wheat to their rotation."

George De Pasquale, owner of The Essential Baking Co., is helping Jones identify qualities in wheat that bakers want. De Pasquale said he admires Jones for his search for varieties that will be viable for farmers on smaller acreages in Western Washington.

"It's a stroke of brilliance," he said.

Stephen Jones

Age: 52

Occupation: Director of Washington State University's Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center-Mount Vernon; wheat breeder.

Hometown: Grew up in Sunnyvale and Cupertino, Calif. Now lives in Bayview, Wash.

Education: Bachelor's degree, California State University-Chico; master's degree in agronomy and doctorate in genetics, University of California-Davis.

Family: Wife, Hannelore Sudermann.