The U.S. Wheat Associates Sub–Saharan Region Flour Milling course was June 18–30. Along with laboratory exercises in the Hal Ross Flour Mill, Shellenberger mill and baking lab, and classroom presentations on the KSU campus, participants also went on field trips to several rural areas in Kansas.
“I thought the course was very informative,” said Tim Emmerson, production manager at Pioneer Foods in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. “It kind of refreshes you and reminds you of things that you are supposed to do. I will be teaching the youngsters how to mill properly, mill basics, the proper way of being taught and making sure that they gain as much from me as I have gained from this course.”
The course covered many aspects of milling, including wheat classes, structure and functionality; U.S. grain inspection system; principles of grain storage for wheat; an overview of the milling industry in the United States; principles of wheat cleaning; principles of wheat conditioning; flour and dough testing practices and methods; impact of wheat quality on milling extraction and flour quality; and managing the process and mill control.
Participants in the course also toured several facilities, including the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center in Manhattan; Ardent Mills Flour Mill in Newton, Kansas; Cargill Elevator near Salina, Kansas; a farm tour and wheat harvest visit at Joe Kejr’s farm near Salina, Kansas; Farmer Direct Foods in New Cambria, Kansas; U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Services in Manhattan; and a train excursion on the Smokey Hill Train.
