CREMONA, ITALY — More than 150 guests from all over the world attended Ocrim’s “Grano, Farina, E…” (Wheat, Flour, And…) event Sept. 16-17 in Cremona, Italy.

The two-day event included discussions on topical issues, including energy saving, maximizing productivity, milling plant efficiency and food trends. The Ocrim “O|farmhouse” was inaugurated, in the area next to the Milling Hub plant, a recently renovated farmhouse that functions as a hospitality area.

The Sept. 17 conference began with greetings from the Mayor of Cremona, Gianluca Galimberti followed by professors from the Università del Sacro Cuore.

At the end of the conference, attendees visited the Milling Hub mill plant, near the Ocrim manufacturing and logistical headquarters.

These photos, courtesy of Ocrim, provide a snapshot of the activities during the event:

In the USDA's August World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, the world is projected to produce 779.60 million tonnes of wheat and provide 208.65 million tonnes for export in marketing year 2022-23.

These are the eight major wheat importing nations/regions by tonnes as listed in the monthly WASDE and their annual production projections.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February and the persistent La Niña climate phenomenon have combined to create some of the most volatile market conditions in recent memory, sending prices skyrocketing as nations that depend on wheat to feed their populations scramble to secure supplies.

Each month, the WASDE releases new projections to reflect the most recent global market and production conditions, and this slideshow will be updated with those changes.

Following are countries among the world’s least developed that are the most dependent on Russia and Ukraine for their annual wheat supply (2020), according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Nations in Africa import 44% of their wheat from Russia and Ukraine, according to the UN.

Sources: unctad.org and knoema.com/atlas.

Held every three years, VICTAM International is one of the world’s largest dedicated events for the animal feed processing industries. Co-located with VICTAM International is GRAPAS Europe, which is focused on the grain, flour and rice processing industries.

This is also the first show that is a result of the partnership between VICTAM and VIV Europe, which brings together the global feed to food industry for the production and processing of poultry meat, eggs, pork, beef, fish and dairy.

The event continues to June 2 at the Jaarbeurs exhibition grounds in Utrecht, Netherlands. 

Besides being the newest flour mill in the United States, the Ardent Mills flour mill built along the Gulf coast in metropolitan Tampa, Florida, US, has several details that set it apart. Advanced analytics, state-of-the-art equipment, unusually large grain storage capacity and unique supply chain capabilities are among the mill’s distinguishing features.

At 17,500 cwts of daily flour milling capacity, the Port Redwing mill is not Ardent Mills’ largest and is not among the 25 largest flour mills in the United States. With the capacity to receive large quantities of wheat, though, Ardent Mills constructed a large grain elevator at the Port Redwing mill, with 4.1 million bushels of storage capacity.

The elevator may be the largest ever built concurrent with the construction of a US flour mill and, according to the 2022 Grain & Milling Annual published by Sosland Publishing Co., it is the sixth largest elevator of any US flour mill currently operating. The concrete elevator includes 12, 50-foot-concrete bins with 300,000 bushels of grain storage apiece as well as a number of smaller grain bins.

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, US — The Grain Elevator and Processing Society’s GEAPS Exchange 2022 got underway March 26 at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Missouri, US, with the first full day on the expo floor March 27.

With manufacturers, suppliers and customers from across the globe filling the convention center and making connections, here are some more photos from the expo from March 27 and 28.

The March 26-29 event features 45 hours of educational programming, special events and an expo with the latest grain handling and processing solutions.

Photos: John Reidy/World Grain

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, US — The International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) has returned to an in-person event with a feed program that will focus on regulatory changes and provide an industry outlook for 2022. The Jan. 25-27 event is at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, US. 

The 2022 IPPE will include a full week of education programs, including new technology, events on the show floor and networking opportunities with key leaders from the animal food, meat and poultry industries. The event brings together the expertise from the American Feed Industry Association, the North American Meat Institute and the US Poultry & Egg Association.

Despite the challenges from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, suppliers in the grain handling and storage and milling industries continued to innovate and introduce new products and services. Here a few that are highlighted in the 2022 International Buyers Guide.