January 2026 - Collab - lists.millets2023.space

Jan. 15 Millets Webinar: A discussion with Leon Kriesel on proso & more
by Don Osborn 31 Jan '26

31 Jan '26

For our first webinar of 2026, we've taken a different approach - shorter and without audience. Our guest, Leon Kriesel of Kriesel Certified Seed in western (panhandle) Nebraska, gave a short presentation on his operation - which produces quality seed for small grained crops, including millets, as well as grain proso for food. One of the varieties of proso that they produce is a waxy (or "sticky") grained type that has markets in Asia, but is also attracting attention for food applications in other regions. "Waxy proso & other millets: Growing, processing & marketing" - NAMA Millets Webinar, 15 Jan. 2026 https://youtu.be/WrGEzzV3gcM (45:01) Discussion, led by Gary Wietgrefe, touched on various aspects of Leon's operation, which includes processing of seed and grain that they grow. In addition to proso millet, they also produce seed for foxtail and pearl millets, as well as some other small grains. This webinar is a shorter length than our previous ones, and it did not involve an audience. We are experimenting with our format. As it turned out in this case, however, we continued the discussion for an additional segment after the one linked above, and we'll share that soon. All together, we covered a lot of interesting ground mainly about proso millet, and giving insights into an established farming and processing business that focuses on small grains. Our video productions can be accessed at https://www.youtube.com/@MilletsAlliance . Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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"Two Food Millets Announced for 2026"
by Don Osborn 13 Jan '26

13 Jan '26

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE by North American Millets Alliance: January 12, 2026 *Two Food Millets Announced for 2026* Enough food-selected seed varieties of proso millet are available for planting in 2026. In the past, food characteristics, empirical analysis, and varietal selection of proso biotypes have limited significant volume of millets in the U.S. food chain. “Having designated food-grade millet varieties is exciting news for millets and the food chain,” said Joni Kindwall-Moore, CEO of Snacktivist Inc. and founding member of the North American Millets Alliance. Don Osborn co-founder of the North American Millets Alliance went on to explain, “Industry changes come in steps. The first was North American Millets Alliance’s release of proso millet grading standards in 2025 in order to properly segregate food grade millets from farm to prepared foods.” University and private plant breeding have developed two different food quality proso millet varieties. One is an amylose-free starch or “waxy” proso, named Plateau, developed by the University of Nebraska—Scottsbluff. A nearby seed producer and proso processor, Kriesel Certified Seed, Gurley, Nebraska has completed expansion to hull Plateau for the food industry. Dryland Genetics, a proso-focused plant breeding company, released their first food-designated millet in 2024 named DLG317. Large quantities of identity preserved DLG317 are available for 2026. Besides its unique aroma and yellow colored endosperm, DLG317 has unique bioflavonoids—antioxidants known to be heart-healthy. “In an era of severe water shortages and growing population desiring healthy foods, proso has the lowest water-use efficiency of any grain crop,” stated Gary Wietgrefe, a senior millet agronomist and international millet researcher. “Plateau and DLG317 are the perfect food varieties to replace water-hungry rice, corn and wheat.” Contacts: Dryland Genetics https://www.drylandgenetics.com/; Kriesel Certified Seed: https://www.krieselcertifiedseed.com/; North American Millets Alliance: https://millets2023.space/ --- DO, EL, MI, US NAMA

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Millets in masa for folic acid? (ref. Calif. law AB 1830)
by Don Osborn 02 Jan '26

02 Jan '26

Happy New Year 2026 to all! Here's something I'm looking into today. California law AB 1830 took effect yesterday (1/1/26) and requires processors of corn masa flour (which is used for tortillas, for example) to fortify their products with folic acid. This is a key nutrient missing from this staple, and diets deficient in this nutrient in pregnant women can lead to birth defects. Folic acid fortification was already mandated by the FDA for enriched wheat, rice, and corn flour, but not masa. So this CA law extends benefits to largely Hispanic populations that use a lot of masa. See https://www.supermarketperimeter.com/articles/13589-california-law-for-foli… So here's the question I have: Could sufficient levels of folic acid in masa be achieved by mixing in a certain percentage of a millet flour, while not greatly changing the character or palatability of the masa? When Hector Williams-Alanís wrote about millets in Mexico, he noted small millet (species not specified) worked well at 1:9 proportions in tortillas, and even at 100%. https://lists.millets2023.space/archives/list/collab@lists.millets2023.spac… Folic acid levels in masa now required by the CA law are 0.7 mg / lb.for dry masa, and 0.4 mg / lb for wet masa. Folic acid levels vary among millets, and varieties of any given millet. From a quick search, it looks like millets in general have higher levels of this than corn, and foxtail and pearl millets tend to be the highest. One research article on foxtail millet showed: "When N (N+) was supplied, the folate levels of 29 foxtail millet cultivars ranged from 42.36 ± 2.91 to 72.89 ± 0.50 μg per 100 g grains and 42.84 ± 1.60 to 69.20 ± 2.13 μg per 100 g grains for 2020 and 2021, respectively..."/* The highest level showed in this research would be the equivalent to.0.33 mg / lb So, if my math is correct, mixing any millet flour into masa does not appear likely to reach the folic acid levels required by Calif. AB 1830. I'd be pleased to be proven incorrect on this .... Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance Note: * Wang Y, Wang JS, Dong EW, Liu QX, Wang LG, Chen EY, Jiao XY, Diao XM. "Foxtail millet [*Setaria italica* (L.) P. Beauv.] grown under nitrogen deficiency exhibits a lower folate contents." Frontiers in Nutrition 2023 Jan 18;10:1035739. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1035739. PMID: 36742438; PMCID: PMC9889834. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9889834/

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