North American Millers Meet; NAWG CEO Talks Sustainable Production
More than 100 milling industry leaders and their guests gathered for three days of education and networking during the recent 2021 North American Millers’ Association Annual Meeting in Boca Raton, Florida.
“NAMA was proud to once again host milling executives from across North America at the NAMA Annual Meeting. NAMA Milling and Associate Members learned from expert speakers and set the course for NAMA’s work looking ahead into 2022 and beyond,” said NAMA President Jane DeMarchi. “As the pandemic recovery process moves forward and Capitol Hill and the Administration continue to act on industry priorities, NAMA’s role has never been more important.”
The general session presentations focused on critical topics facing the milling sector in 2021, including cybersecurity, sustainability, and workforce development. With a focus on U.S. wheat sustainable production, National Association of Wheat Growers CEO Chandler Goule told NAMA members that growers are producing more wheat on fewer acres.
Chandler Goule, CEO, National Association of Wheat Growers
“We know we have a great story,” Goule said. “We know we are sustainable. We know that when we are looking at what is coming ahead — whether through sustainability programs coming from the private sector or whether it is something coming in from the government.”
In an article about his presentation in World-Grain.com, Goule did note that more research is required quantifying the environmental impact of wheat production and the industry is responding.
“What we don’t have is a life cycle assessment of the wheat production,” he said. “NAWG and NAWG Foundation are working with U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) to work with a land grant university to determine how much water we use, what is our carbon footprint.”
To avoid the pitting of one wheat class against another, data will be aggregated between classes, Goule said. The work is expected to begin in November and will generate important information for the upcoming farm bill. Food companies also are asking for the data, which will provide a baseline against which improvement may be measured, Goule said.
The North American Millers’ Association is the only national trade association that exclusively represents the interests of the North American wheat, corn, oat, and rye milling industry before Congress, federal agencies, and international regulatory bodies. Member companies operate mills in 31 states, Puerto Rico, and Canada, representing more than 90 percent of total industry production capacity.
