Recent news and highlights from around the wheat industry.

Quote of the Week: “It’s hard to hide the optimism associated with the potential of gene editing for wheat. While bread wheat has existed on the planet for 10,000 years, science has only started to understand its complex genetic structure in the past few decades.” – Aaron Harries, vice president for research and operations, Kansas Wheat Commission. Read full article here.

USAID Awards $21.9 Million for Efforts to Help End Hunger, Poverty. Officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced Aug. 23, 2018, that they have awarded $21.9 million to Kansas State University (KSU) to continue funding three research labs that work to end global hunger and poverty. In 2013, USAID awarded three “innovation labs” to KSU through the Feed the Future initiative, which is the U.S. government’s effort to end global hunger. Read the press release in its entirety here.

Cereal Science Events Calendar. Prof. Dr. M. Hikmet Boyacýoðlu, associate editor of “Cereal Science,” contributing editor to “World Grain” and a cereal science consultant continues to track industry events. Contact him to receive the calendar.

September is Whole Grains Month. Wheat is the most widely grown crop in the world and serves as an excellent source of nutrition. Read more about whole grains from the National Wheat Foundation here. Visit the Wheat Foods Council website for additional whole grains and wheat foods resources.

2018 Borlaug Dialogue International Symposium. Registration is open for the annual Borlaug Dialogue International Symposium Oct. 17 to 19, 2018, in Des Moines, Iowa. This year’s theme is “Rise to the Challenge” and will include a panel of leaders in genome engineering and agriculture that will discuss potential uses for CRISPR-CAS technology in agriculture as well as ethical implications of the technology. Click here for registration and more information.

Subscribe to USW Reports. USW publishes a variety of reports and content that are available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts, the weekly Price Report and the weekly Harvest Report (available May to October). Subscribe here.

Follow USW Online. Visit our page at https://www.facebook.com/uswheat for the latest updates, photos and discussions of what is going on in the world of wheat. Also, find breaking news on Twitter at www.twitter.com/uswheatassoc and video stories at https://www.youtube.com/uswheatassociates.

Recent news and highlights from around the wheat industry.

Quote of the Week: “I want people to know that I’m producing a safe product. I think there is a lot of fear around where our food comes from. But hopefully coming straight to the source you can see that we take pride in what we do and we want to produce food that is safe to eat, because our family eats it, too.“ – Scott VanAllen, Kansas wheat farmer, speaking at his farm to food bloggers on a visit sponsored by Kansas Wheat and Red Star Yeast.

Congratulations. U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Regional Program Coordinator Domenique Opperman, based in the Cape Town Office, recently welcomed a baby girl, Calia, who joins father Shaun and big brother Javier.

Best Wishes to Pamela Ann Leckie Wiese who is retiring after serving as an Administrative Assistant in the USW Cape Town office for more than 25 years. USW thanks Pam for her service to U.S. wheat farmers and their customers in Sub-Saharan Africa.

IGP Seeks Ag Economist. IGP International’s long time Senior Agricultural Economist Jay O’Neil retired in late June and IGP is currently seeking national or international candidates to replace him. Ideal candidates will serve as on-site expert on grain trading and risk management, and program manager for the Grain Procurement and Risk Management Curricula. Here is a link to more information about the position and to apply: https://careers.k-state.edu/cw/en-us/job/504320/senior-agricultural-economist.

Gene Editing Coalition. A multi-stakeholder steering committee of the Coalition for Responsible Gene Editing in Agriculture met recently to “develop a framework that can provide assurance to the food system and other stakeholders that those using gene editing … are doing so responsibly,” said Charlie Arnot, chief executive officer of The Center for Food Integrity (CFI), which facilitates the Coalition. “The framework will provide an opportunity for those engaged in gene editing to demonstrate their commitment to values that build trust.” For more information, visit https://geneediting.foodintegrity.org/.

Business World Notices Wheat Weather Market. An article in the “Wall Street Journal” Aug. 4 attributed rising wheat prices to heat-related short crops around the world. The article noted that “after years of over-supply, this year’s heat is hitting wheat yields in key growing areas like Russia, Ukraine, France and Britain, while also affecting the crop in Australia, China and other parts of Asia.” About price increases, AgResource analyst Ben Buckner said: “If everyone comes to the U.S. [wheat farmers] in November, it could be incredible, and that part hasn’t yet been fully digested.” Read more at: https://www.wsj.com/articles/global-heat-wave-toasts-wheat-and-prices-soar-1533391201.

New World-grain.com Website. The publication says the new world-grain.com will present users with a fresh layout to access content. With a new navigation system, topics are broken down into multiple categories allowing users to take a surface-level look at news or a deep dive into a topic. For users wanting to browse industry news, they can access the homepage where the newest stories are available. By clicking the “More News” icon, readers can find a feed of latest articles. Read more at https://bit.ly/2OUnfdE.

Grain Procurement Management for Importers. The Northern Crops Institute will host this eight-day course, Sep. 10 to 19, 2018, at its facilities in Fargo, N.D. The course will focus on the mechanics of grain merchandising and providing training for individuals responsible for purchasing grain. The registration deadline is Aug. 15, 2018. Learn more about the course here.

IAOM-KSU Basic and Advanced Milling Principles. The IGP Institute will host two short courses focused on milling principles in October at its conference center in Manhattan, Kan. The Basic Milling Principles short course, scheduled Oct. 8 to 12, 2018, will help participants develop a conceptual understanding of the milling process with a focus on mill balance, understanding critical control points in the milling system, and milling different wheat classes. The Advanced Milling Principles short course, scheduled Oct. 15 to 19, 2018 will educate participants on quantitative tools and practices to influence and impact, optimal machine adjustment, milling efficiency and flour quality in the mill. Learn more about the courses here.

Subscribe to USW Reports. USW publishes a variety of reports and content that are available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts, the weekly Price Report and the weekly Harvest Report (available May to October). Subscribe here.

Follow USW Online. Visit our page at https://www.facebook.com/uswheat for the latest updates, photos and discussions of what is going on in the world of wheat. Also, find breaking news on Twitter at www.twitter.com/uswheatassoc and video stories at https://www.youtube.com/uswheatassociates.

Photo credit: Kansas Wheat