Recent news and highlights from around the wheat industry.
Speaking of Wheat: “There’s a future generation of farmers out there that will carry this through and have that passion that they learned from their family to love the soil and have that ambition to grow good crops.” — Michael Peters, Okarche, Okla., wheat farmer and U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) 2020/21 Secretary-Treasurer
Congratulations to Janice Cooper, Executive Director, Wheat Marketing Center on her appointment to serve on the Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS) Grain Inspection Advisory Committee beginning November 1, 2020. In addition, Steve Wirsching, USW Vice President and Director, West Coast Office, was appointed to the committee as an Alternate. the Advisory Committee represents the interests of all segments of the U.S. grain industry from producer to exporter. The committee is comprised of 15 members including grain processors, merchandisers, handlers, exporters, consumers, grain inspection agencies and scientists.
NAWG Blog: The 2020 Election: How the Next Presidential Administration Could Shape Agricultural Policy. National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) Intern Michelle Sutton has written a blog comparing President Donald Trump’s and Former Vice President Joe Biden’s positions on U.S. agricultural policy. The blog can be found on the National Wheat Foundation’s blog page here: https://bit.ly/3hUeI7A
Stripe Rust Resistant Wheat Varieties. Many farmers would prefer to grow wheat varieties that resist stripe rust disease. To help develop such varieties, scientists from the USDA Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) and Washington State University recently studied stripe rust resistance genes in 616 spring wheat varieties using the genome-wide association study approach. They used the GMS platform recently developed by the USDA-ARS Wheat Health, Genetics, and Quality Research Unit, which reduces the cost greatly compared to other methods. Read more at https://phys.org/news/2020-09-wheat-varieties-resist-destructive-stripe.html
The 2020 Borlaug Dialogues, sponsored by the World Food Prize Foundation, will be held virtually Oct. 12 to 16, 2020, and “will examine four major vulnerabilities or “cracks” in food systems: Climate Change, Finance & Investment, Nutrition, and Equity & Access. These concentrations will focus on actions and outcomes that reflect threats and opportunities in strengthening food systems resilience.” To learn more and register, visit https://www.worldfoodprize.org/en/borlaug_dialogue/2020_borlaug_dialogue/ #foodprize20
The CGIAR Research Program on Wheat (WHEAT) recently shared insights on the impacts and achievements of our vital partnerships, and recommendations to continue “delivering local solutions with a global perspective” to sustainably meet the growing global demand for wheat. WHEAT is a CGIAR Research Program launched in 2012 and led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). Read more here: https://wheat.org/a-track-record-of-delivering-local-solutions-with-a-global-perspective-review-confirms-impact-and-importance-of-wheat-research/
IGP Schedules New Flour Milling Courses. IGP Institute courses in this curriculum area cover aspects of managing the flour milling process, including technical milling, management practices, maintenance, quality control and food safety, and HACCP. Buhler-KSU courses provide milling courses on a variety of topics including soft wheat milling, expert milling, and executive milling. Some of these courses are offered in Spanish. Visit the IGP Institutewebsite at https://www.grains.k-state.edu/igp/on-site-training/flour-milling/ to learn more.
