Wheat Industry News
Recent news and highlights from around the wheat industry.
Speaking of Wheat: “Wheat farmers and Mexico’s wheat buyers are very glad to see the cloud of uncertainty lifted from our trade relationship. Replacing NAFTA without harm to the wheat trade relationship was a priority for all of us – mission accomplished.” – Doug Goyings, USW Chairman and Wheat Farmer from Paulding, Ohio, noting one of the benefits of the U.S., Mexico, Canada Agreement signed into U.S. law last week by President Trump.
Our Sincere Sympathy to former USW colleague Pam Leckie Wiese and the family of former USW Regional Vice President, Sub-Sahara Africa, Ed Wiese who passed away at age 71 on Jan. 25, 2020, in Florida.
Japanese Perceptions of Gene Editing. A team of Japanese researchers surveyed Japanese experts and the public about their perceptions of the benefits, risks, and value of using gene editing in Japan. A partial summary of results suggested that molecular biology experts had higher benefit and value perceptions, as well as lower risk perceptions regarding new technologies. Although the lay public tended to have more favorable attitudes toward gene editing than toward genetic modification, such differences were much smaller than their perceived differences between conventional breeding and genetic modification. Read more in Nature Communications Journal. Click here to read USW positions on plant breeding innovation.
California Wheat’s Claudia Carter Interviewed. Claudia Carter, Executive Director of the California Wheat Commission, was recently featured in an episode of the “Regenerative Agriculture Podcast.” Originally from Ecuador, Claudia leads research around the marketability of California wheat and helps to develop and maintain domestic and international markets for this commodity. She describes her educational journey in cereal sciences, and her focus on the durum quality parameters that processors need to develop a good pasta. Claudia and the host also discuss biofortification, the process of breeding wheat varieties for a specific nutritional profile. Listen to the podcast here.
Wheat All About It! Speaking of podcasts, Washington Grain Commission (WGC) publishes a very informative weekly podcast all about wheat and the wheat industry in the Pacific Northwest. Click here to listen to the latest episodes. You may also subscribe to “Wheat All About It!” on iTunes and other podcast apps like Stitcher, Pocket Cast, Overcast and Radio FM, or download multiple episodes from the WGC website at wagrains.org.
EPA Evaluation of Glyphosate. In January 2020, after receiving and considering public comments on the glyphosate proposed interim decision, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the interim decision for registration review. As part of this action, EPA continues to find that there are no risks of concern to human health when glyphosate is used in accordance with its current label. EPA also found that glyphosate is unlikely to be a human carcinogen. EPA is requiring management measures to help farmers target pesticide sprays to intended pests, protect pollinators, and reduce the problem of weeds becoming resistant to glyphosate. Read more here.
U.S. Flour Miller Invests in Wheat Quality. Grain Craft, the largest U.S. independent flour miller, has increased its commitment to improving wheat quality with another gift to the Kansas Wheat Commission Research Foundation (KWCRF). The gift will build upon previous support of research to improve wheat quality and yield through proper fertility management. “Preliminary results from the research indicate there is a strong correlation between proper fertility management of wheat by farmers and not only the quantity, but quality of the protein produced,” according to Dr. Romulo Lollato, Wheat Production Extension Specialist at Kansas State University in Manhattan. Read more 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 https://twitter.com/uswheatassoc and video stories on Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/uswheatassociates.
