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Kernel Photography Project: Images Designed to Help Educate Customers About U.S. Wheat’s Quality

Building a kernel photo library with new and updated images from each of the six classes of U.S. wheat requires the single steady hand of a skilled photographer.

And hundreds of hands of support from everyone else.

The wheat kernel photo library project, which U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) began planning earlier this year, took a major leap forward in June, when the Department of Plant Sciences at North Dakota State University hosted a photo crew from Middle, USW’s creative agency in Manhattan, Kansas. Over two days, a Middle photographer captured images of a dozen different varieties of U.S. wheat – the six classes and several subclasses – from fields across the country.

Therein lies the referenced “hundreds of hands of support” – wheat kernels photographed for the USW project were sent to the NDSU campus in boxes and buckets from Idaho, Kansas, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, Texas and, of course, North Dakota.

Clair Keene, an Assistant Professor and Agronomist at North Dakota State University, and North Dakota Wheat Commission Policy and Marketing Director Jim Peterson watch as a photographer captures images as part of the kernel photography project.

Clair Keene, an Assistant Professor and Agronomist at North Dakota State University, and North Dakota Wheat Commission Policy and Marketing Director Jim Peterson watch as a photographer captures images as part of the photography project. NDSU hosted the photo shoot to build the new library of wheat kernel images.

Photos in the wheat kernel photo library project include magnified up-close shots of individual kernels, as well as cross-cut shots that show an internal view of the kernel. There are photos of small piles of the grains that depict uniformity and color.

The library is still “under construction,” but once it is complete, photos will be used across USW departments for a variety of projects. Having access to clear and accurate kernel images allows USW to educate and inform both internal and external audiences, explained USW Vice President of Programs Erica Oakley.

“There are many important uses for these images – everything from our Crop Quality programs to presentations our staff and partners give around the world to buyers and potential buyers of U.S. wheat,” explained Oakley. “We really appreciate the people at North Dakota State University for hosting this project, and we must thank producers and state wheat associations for sharing samples of their wheat to photograph. It’s a worthwhile project that will benefit us all.”

 

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USW Policy Team Engages Australian Industry on Collaboration Opportunities

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Director of Trade Policy Peter Laudeman recently returned from Australia, where he joined members of that country’s wheat and grain industries in discussions on plant breeding innovations and other issues ripe for collaboration.

Laudeman attended an international conference in Canberra focused on the research and regulatory landscape of gene-edited crops and implications for international trade.

“As we look to the future potential for gene editing to substantially benefit wheat production, it will be critical that our mutual exporting countries, and customer bases, enable trade in products derived from these technologies,” Laudeman said. “Similar to the U.S., many research efforts for gene editing in wheat are still early in their progress in Australia and will take some time to reach their full potential.”

While in Australia, USW Director of Trade Policy Peter Laudeman (right) pauses for a photo with Dr. Rohit Mago, Team Leader of the Plant Pathogen Interactions group at CSIRO. Among other things, Mago's team works on host resistance involving identification of new sources for rust resistance both for race-specific and adult plant resistance in wheat.

While in Australia, USW Director of Trade Policy Peter Laudeman (right) pauses for a photo with Dr. Rohit Mago, a Principal Research Scientist and Team Leader of the Plant Pathogen Interactions Group at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), an Australian government agency responsible for scientific research.

Laudeman pointed out that the U.S. has been one of the early global leaders in advancing updated biotechnology regulations to cover gene editing. From USW’s perspective, the hope is that the U.S. system will be a learning experience for the rest of the world in managing the pros and cons that have come out of our updated regulations.

In addition to gene editing, Laudeman also engaged the Australians on the potential for GMO wheat to come to the global market. Bioceres, the company seeking to champion their HB4 drought tolerant GMO wheat globally, has indicated that both the U.S. and Australia may be among the first global wheat exporters outside of Argentina to potentially work with the technology.

Outside of plant breeding innovations, there are additional collaboration opportunities with Australian industry when it comes to non-tariff barriers to trade. Historically, tariffs were the primary trade policy challenge for wheat exporting countries, but increasingly, non-tariff barriers have been the more substantial area of concern.

“These non-tariff barriers often impact exporters globally in similar ways,” Laudeman explained. “Being able to collaborate with another major global wheat exporter to ensure consistent, science-based trade is a major opportunity for USW to address longstanding barriers, such as China’s implementation of their wheat tariff-rate-quota (TRQ) system or Turkish flour dumping on the global market.”

Similarly, as sustainability continues to dominate conversations around the world, partnering with like-minded countries to ensure science-based access to essential technologies will be critical to pushing back against regulatory overreach that can effectively become a barrier to trade, Laudeman noted.

Laudeman was able to tour farms in Australia and learn about how farmers in the region approach planting and harvest seasons. He was also able to see how they are using new technologies in their fields.

“The USW policy team will continue to explore these collaboration opportunities to leverage global partnerships that drive more opportunities for U.S. wheat exports around the world,” he said.

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USW Explores Opportunities to Collaborate with Australia on Policy Initiatives

USW Director of Trade Policy Peter Laudeman (left) chats with NAWG Vice President Of Policy And Communications Jake Westlin during the recent NAFB "Washington Watch" event in the nation's capital. Laudeman is currently in Australia to engage grain industry stakeholders in that country and explore ongoing global issues involving trade, plant breeding technologies and World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments.

USW Director of Trade Policy Peter Laudeman (left) chats with NAWG Vice President of Policy and Communications Jake Westlin during the recent “Washington Watch” event in the nation’s capital. Laudeman is currently in Australia to engage grain industry stakeholders in that country and explore ongoing global issues involving trade, plant breeding technologies and World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments.

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Director of Trade Policy Peter Laudeman is in Australia this week to engage grain industry stakeholders in that country and explore ongoing global issues involving trade, plant breeding technologies and World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments.

While a major competitor for U.S. wheat, Australia presents many opportunities for collaboration on policy initiatives that mutually impact both U.S. and Australian producers.

Laudeman will interact with researchers, government regulators, producer organizations, and private sector plant breeding and grain handling companies. His discussions will primarily be focused on the regulatory environment guiding plant breeding technologies, including transgenic and gene edited wheat. Both the U.S. and Australia regulators are reviewing applications to deregulate HB4 wheat produced by Argentinian company Bioceres.

HB4 wheat, a drought-tolerant transgenic wheat, received approval for commercialization and cultivation from Brazil in early March. Brazil joined Argentina, which granted commercialization approval to the genetically modified (GM) wheat in 2022. HB4 wheat is also approved for food and feed use in the U.S., Australia, Colombia, New Zealand, South Africa, Nigeria and Indonesia.

Growing global demand for wheat combined with persistent drought conditions that hamper production is leading the push for greater acceptance of new plant breeding technologies. Bioceres said HB4 drought-tolerance technology has been shown to increase wheat yields by an average of 20% in water-limited conditions.

USW and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) are guided by jointly approved “Wheat Industry Principles for Biotechnology Commercialization,” which lay out specific steps expected from plant breeding companies if they wish to commercialize transgenic wheat in the U.S.

India’s oversubsidization of wheat and rice is another topic Laudeman will visit while in Australia, which has been a partner with the U.S. in holding other trading partners accountable to their WTO commitments. Australia recently joined WTO counternotification filed by the U.S. against India.

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Kansas State University Invests in the Future of Grain and Baking Industry Science

Be they students working toward a college degree in grain science or wheat professionals on campus for a quick lesson, thousands have experienced the sights, sounds and smells of wheat being milled into flour inside Shellenberger Hall at Kansas State University’s (KSU).

It won’t be long before the final kernels are gristed, separated and sifted inside the six decades-old building, which has been instrumental in the education and development of milling experts around the world.

Shellenberger Hall, long the center of the Kansas State University’s Grain Science and Industry program, will be torn down, according to KSU’s College of Agriculture. Earlier this month, KSU announced plans to upgrade facilities, including construction of a Global Center for Grain and Food Innovation Center. While it will not be built on the current site of Shellenberger Hall, the new facility will become the centerpiece of the grain program. According to KSU’s plans, the Innovation Center will be built to the west of the Grain Science Complex that includes the Hal Ross Flour Mill, O.H. Kruse Feed Mill, International Grains Program (IGP) Institute and other facilities.

Currently, Shellenberger houses the milling science pilot classroom. Teaching mills are located on the first floor, along with the Baking Science Lab.

Photo shows the flour milling classroom at Kansas State University (KSU) Shellenberger Hall with industry students test milling flour.

Currently, KSU’s Shellenberger Hall houses the milling science pilot classroom. Teaching mills are located on the first floor (above during a recent education program for U.S. industry and farmers, along with the Baking Science Lab.

Long and Storied History

“KSU’s Department of Grain Science and Industry has a long and storied history of career pathways into the flour milling industry worldwide and research and promotion of U.S.-grown wheat,” said Justin Gilpin, CEO of Kansas Wheat. “It’s exciting to see this new investment in infrastructure that will further enhance not only the student experience but the capacity for wheat industry engagement, research, and promotion of U.S. wheat usage and exports.”

This important addition to KSU’s Grain Science and Industry program holds promise toward reverse a trend in declining enrollment in flour milling and baking industry management programs.

Shellenberger Hall, named after John Shellenberger, head of KSU’s Department of Flour and Feed Milling from 1944 to 1966, has been a key waypoint for KSU graduates – and others. State wheat associations and organizations such as U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) regularly send staff and board members to KSU to learn the details of flour milling in short courses offered by KSU and IGP. In all cases, Shellenberger Hall has been instrumental in milling education.

Bigger Reach and Impact

“Walk into any flour mill in the United States and you’ll likely find a graduate from KSU’s milling science program presiding over the operation,” Arvin Donley, editor of World Grain, wrote in a recent editorial on the university’s plans. “Many of the industry’s future leaders will pass through the milling program, which is why having top-notch academic facilities to attract prospective students will not only benefit the university but the flour milling industry as well. The program also has sent hundreds of graduates to flour mills around the world over the years, making it a program with a truly global impact.”

An artist rendering of a new Global Center for Grain and Food Innovation Center at Kansas State University.

An artist rendering of a new Global Center for Grain and Food Innovation Center at Kansas State University. Construction is scheduled to start in 2024. Courtesy of Kansas State University.

Dr. Ernie Minton, dean of KSU’s College of Agriculture and director of K-State Research and Extension, said the project will begin with construction of an agronomy center that will house the field research component of the Department of Agronomy, including the wheat breeding program, and renovations to the Department of Animal Science’s Weber Hall and Call Hall. That project is expected to be completed in 2024. Construction of the new Global Grain and Food Innovation Center is scheduled to follow.

The photo at the top of this page, courtesy of Kansas State University, is an artist’s rendering of a proposed building at Kansas State University to replace Shellenberger Hall for the Department of Grain Science and Industry.

USW will follow the progress of this exciting addition to KSU’s programs and share more information as it is available.

By USW Director of Communications Ralph Loos

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