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GSA Global Millets Expo, Purdue University, 11-12 April 2025
by Don Osborn 12 Jan '25

12 Jan '25

Last fall we shared information about the GSA Global Millets Expo scheduled at Purdue University. Here is updated information on this important event, now scheduled for Fri. 11 - Thu. 12 April 2025in West Lafayette, Indiana. For details, including registration, hotel, and proposals for presentations, see: https://ag.purdue.edu/events/department/foodsci/2025/04/gsa-global-millets-… Please note that if you are interested in presenting (spoken or poster), the deadline for submissions is 31 March. This seems like an important event for networking and exchange of information related to millets, and we at NAMA are in various stages of considering or planning participation. Description from the conference webpage linked above: "Welcome to the Global Millets Expo at Purdue University, a premier event uniting government bodies, universities and key stakeholders from around the world to elevate the global presence and availability of millet, a group of ancient grains with deep roots in African and Asian agriculture. These small-seeded grasses are not only highly nutritious but also incredibly resilient, thriving in harsh climates with minimal water compared to traditional staples like wheat and rice. As the world faces growing challenges in food security, sustainable agriculture, and malnutrition, millets offer a promising solution. This expo aims to harness the rising global interest in these climate-resilient and gluten-free grains, particularly in regions like the United States, where millet has been underutilized. Join us in exploring the immense potential of millet to revolutionize agriculture and contribute to a more sustainable and secure food future." For sme background on this event, you may find my post to Collab last November 5th to be of use: https://lists.millets2023.space/pipermail/collab/2024-November/000677.html Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Webinar on the proso market, Thurs. 16 Jan, 11 am EST/8 am PST
by Don Osborn 12 Jan '25

12 Jan '25

With the new year 2025, we're working on a series of webinars in mini-panel format. The intent is to feature interaction among presenters on the common theme they address. The first one is this Thursday, January 16 at 11 am EST/8 am PST (duration, one hour), updating us on the proso millet market. It will feature Craig Anderson of Dryland Genetics and Joni Kindwall-Moore, of NAMA, Snacktivist, and CIVC. Proso is our millet of the month in January. Zoom connection details below, after sig. The Millets Webinar Series we did during the International Year of Millets (2023), with the University of Missouri's FEAST Lab and Center for Regenerative Agriculture, featured more formal presentations with some time for Q&A. This worked well for introducing topics related to millets to a diverse audience. This year, we would like to advance conversations and thinking about millets and various kinds of work with them, again with a focus on North America, and drawing also from experience and trends around the world. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance Topic: NAMA Panel/Presentation Proso Millet Time: Jan 16, 2025 08:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83707801386?pwd=alrbA5a3QMKhMmcd7YaRaPNKQ6mU4n.1 Meeting ID: 837 0780 1386 Passcode: 766597 --- One tap mobile +13017158592,,83707801386#,,,,*766597# US (Washington DC) +13052241968,,83707801386#,,,,*766597# US --- Dial by your location • +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) • +1 305 224 1968 US • +1 309 205 3325 US • +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) • +1 646 931 3860 US • +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) • +1 253 205 0468 US • +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) • +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) • +1 360 209 5623 US • +1 386 347 5053 US • +1 507 473 4847 US • +1 564 217 2000 US • +1 669 444 9171 US • +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) • +1 689 278 1000 US • +1 719 359 4580 US Meeting ID: 837 0780 1386 Passcode: 766597 Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kdpXvUBWOA

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Re: [Collab] Collab Digest, Vol 36, Issue 1
by Gary Wietgrefe 06 Jan '25

06 Jan '25

On behalf of all readers of this Collaboration email, I want to take this opportunity to thank Jonathon Landeck, Don Osborn, and Joni Kindwall-Moore for developing North America Millets Alliance and serving on the board for the past couple years. All three did a fantastic job of presenting all millets grown in North America and exposing potential for others. Jonathon, and his millet experience, will be missed on the North American Millet Alliance board, but I wish him the best in his transition to more family-oriented activities. There is so much millet experience, mostly hidden, in North America. It is my wish for 2025 and beyond that those with millet talent and knowledge feel free to pass it on through NAMA's collaboration emails, webinars, and other ways that will open through our website in 2025 and beyond....Gary Wietgrefe (NAMA board member) On Wed, Jan 1, 2025 at 5:01 AM <collab-request(a)lists.millets2023.space> wrote: > Send Collab mailing list submissions to > collab(a)lists.millets2023.space > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > https://lists.millets2023.space/mailman/listinfo/collab > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > collab-request(a)lists.millets2023.space > > You can reach the person managing the list at > collab-owner(a)lists.millets2023.space > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Collab digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. A deep thank you to Jonathon Landeck (Don Osborn) > 2. "Andropogon(eae) millets"? (Don Osborn) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Tue, 31 Dec 2024 22:30:56 -0500 > From: Don Osborn <don(a)milletsalliance.org> > To: collab(a)lists.millets2023.space > Subject: [Collab] A deep thank you to Jonathon Landeck > Message-ID: > <CA+RHibU= > X8ar_pmDNpxbR3NHwQ9dKEUACL8ssLrvZARHCnAsVA(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > Dear all, > > This is a note of gratitude to Jonathon Landeck, who is retiring from the > North American Millets Alliance as of today, the end of 2024. His work and > ideas over the last three plus years has been essential in developing NAMA, > and he will be missed. > > Jonathon and I are old friends, having both done graduate work at Michigan > State University (although overlapping only briefly) and having been > colleagues in Peace Corps staff. In late 2021 - the year when the UN > General Assembly set 2023 as the International Year of Millets - I > contacted Jonathon to ask if he'd be interested in doing something to mark > that Year and promote millets in the US. That was the earliest beginning of > what later became NAMA. > > We met Joni Kindwall-Moore (virtually) in early 2022, and shortly after > that, together founded NAMA. > > Many of you will recall his role in emceeing many of the Millets Webinars > we did in collaboration with the University of Missouri in 2023. However > much of his role with NAMA was behind the scenes, in regular meetings, > discussions, and external contacts. > > While we wish Jonathon and his family well, in his next chapter, we would > like to assure you that NAMA is still very active, We welcomed a new member > of our leadership group, Gary Wietgrefe not long ago, and although we are > now back to three members, we are continuing our work and also developing > new plans. > > Anyway, thank you again, Jonathon! Happy New Year to you and yours and to > all our friends, colleagues, and supporters! > > Don > > Don Osborn, PhD > (East Lansing, MI, US) > North American Millets Alliance >

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"Andropogon(eae) millets"?
by Don Osborn 01 Jan '25

01 Jan '25

As we close out December, in which adlay is our millet of the month, I wanted to zoom out a bit to consider that three of the millets - adlay, sorghum, and Taiwan oil millet - and only these three, are in a botanical tribe called Andropogoneae. One can identify various groups among the millets, based on various criteria, but this particular botanical one - the Andropogoneae tribe - seems interesting for several reasons: * Corn (maize) and sugar cane are also in this botanical tribe * Sorghum is the subject of a discussion among some as to whether it is a millet or not. (We promote it among the millets - nobody really loses in that.) It is in, any event, by far the most cultivated of these grains * Adlay (Job's tears) has the largest grain among the millets - sorghum is second (and pearl millet, of the larger Paniceae tribe, is third) * Taiwan oil millet *(Spodiopogon formosanus)* is the only one of the millets cultivated as a perennial (altho on a very small scale) Is it useful to have a name for this unique small group of three? "Andropogoneae millets" would be accurate. Shortening the first name by three letters and a syllable to "Andopogon millets" is tempting. However "Andropogon" is also the genus name for some species of clumping perennial grasses, some of which are quite tall. (Interestingly, both sorghum and Taiwan oil millet were apparently once included in this genus). In any event, I will leave this idea there. Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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A deep thank you to Jonathon Landeck
by Don Osborn 01 Jan '25

01 Jan '25

Dear all, This is a note of gratitude to Jonathon Landeck, who is retiring from the North American Millets Alliance as of today, the end of 2024. His work and ideas over the last three plus years has been essential in developing NAMA, and he will be missed. Jonathon and I are old friends, having both done graduate work at Michigan State University (although overlapping only briefly) and having been colleagues in Peace Corps staff. In late 2021 - the year when the UN General Assembly set 2023 as the International Year of Millets - I contacted Jonathon to ask if he'd be interested in doing something to mark that Year and promote millets in the US. That was the earliest beginning of what later became NAMA. We met Joni Kindwall-Moore (virtually) in early 2022, and shortly after that, together founded NAMA. Many of you will recall his role in emceeing many of the Millets Webinars we did in collaboration with the University of Missouri in 2023. However much of his role with NAMA was behind the scenes, in regular meetings, discussions, and external contacts. While we wish Jonathon and his family well, in his next chapter, we would like to assure you that NAMA is still very active, We welcomed a new member of our leadership group, Gary Wietgrefe not long ago, and although we are now back to three members, we are continuing our work and also developing new plans. Anyway, thank you again, Jonathon! Happy New Year to you and yours and to all our friends, colleagues, and supporters! Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Health and medicinal qualities of adlay (Job's tears)
by Don Osborn 30 Dec '24

30 Dec '24

Adlay, or Job's tears - our millet of the month in again in December - gets a lot of attention for its nutritional and purported medicinal properties, including possible anti-carcinogenic effects. The grains have long been used in Chinese traditional medicine, and there is ongoing research on effects of the compounds they contain. Several articles show the range of research. I believe that these have not been posted previously to this list, except for the Kuo et al article, which Gary shared last year. * Weng W.F., et al. "Adlay, an ancient functional plant with nutritional quality, improves human health." Frontiers in Nutrition. 2022 Dec 22;9:1019375. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1019375. PMID: 36618703; PMCID: PMC9815450. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9815450/ ("Adlay has anti-tumor, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, blood sugar-lowering, and blood lipid-lowering effects.") * Chen, Jan-Yow, et al. "Preventive effects of coixol, an active compound of adlay seed, in NGF-differentiated PC12 cells against beta-amyloid25-35-induced neurotoxicity" Asian Biomedicine, vol. 18, no. 5, Sciendo, 2024, pp. 224-235. https://doi.org/10.2478/abm-2024-0030 ("Our novel findings suggested that coixol was a compelling agent against beta-amyloid peptide-induced neurotoxicity.") * Lee C.K., et al. "Adlay Consumption Combined with Suspension Training Improves Blood Lipids and Pulse Wave Velocity in Middle-Aged Women." Healthcare (Basel). 2023 May 15;11(10):1426. doi: 10.3390/healthcare11101426. PMID: 37239711; PMCID: PMC10218412. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10218412/ ("... when adlay was consumed simultaneously [with performing suspension exercises], blood lipids and arterial stiffness were improved [in middle-aged women]") * Oya, Hiroko, et al, "The Effects of Adlay Tea Intake on Immune Homeostasis and Vascular Endothelial Function in Healthy Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Parallel-Group Comparative Study," Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology. 70, 280–287, 2024. https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jnsv/70/3/70_280/_pdf/-char/en ("... adlay tea is considered to have a preventative effect against lifestyle-related diseases through improving vascular endothelial function by effects to maintain immune homeostasis of the contained polyphenols.") * Kuo, Ching-Chuan, et al, "Adlay (薏苡 yì yĭ; 'soft-shelled job's tears'; the seeds of Coix lachryma-jobi L. var. ma-yuen Stapf) is a Potential Cancer Chemopreventive Agent toward Multistage Carcinogenesis Processes," Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, 2(4): 267-275, 2012. ISSN 2225-4110, https://doi.org/10.1016/S2225-4110(16)30112-2. ("... we summarize recent research attempting to study the chemopreventive blocking and suppressing potential of adlay and its active components in scavenging electrophiles and reactive oxygen species, antimutagenicity, enhancing Nrf2-mediated detoxification and antioxidant effect, altering carcinogen metabolism, suppressing proliferation, decreasing inflammation, and enhancing antitumor immunity.") * Ahmad, R.; et al. "Nutritional and Phytochemical Profiles of Wild Adlay (Coix lacryma-jobi L.) Accessions by GCFID, FTIR, and Spectrophotometer." Preprints 2024, 2024020722. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202402.0722.v1 (version not peer reviewed) ("Research progress on functional ingredients on Adlay support the notion that adlay may be one of the best functional foods and further reveal the action mechanism of functional ingredients oils, polysaccharides, phenols, phytosterols, Kanglaite, Coixenolide coixol, Coixolin, naringenin, lactam, and resistant starch for combating diseases") Adlay (Coix lacrymae-jobi) is not grown commercially or at any scale for food (or health uses) in North America. It. or perhaps a hard-shelled variety, is grown sometimes as an ornamental plant. Hard-shelled varieties might be impractical to use for food. Adlay grain is imported as consumer packaged goods, and sold as adlay, Job's tears, or "Chinese barley" (it is not related to barley or pearled barley). You may find it online, or in markets specializing in Asian foods. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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A millet recipe
by Robin Asbell 28 Dec '24

28 Dec '24

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Holiday greetings
by Don Osborn 26 Dec '24

26 Dec '24

Quick note to wish for those who observe, a Merry Christmas / Happy Hanukkah! If anyone has done anything special with any millet during this holiday season, please share it with us later. Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Video of Zoom talk about proso millet grain standards
by Don Osborn 21 Dec '24

21 Dec '24

The video of Gary Wietgrefe's presentation on Thursday 19 Dec., entitled "NAMA Proso Millet Grain Standards Review," is available to view at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVS9c7Doq1o DO, EL, MI, US NAMA

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"Grading Proso Millet for All Markets"(video)
by Don Osborn 18 Dec '24

18 Dec '24

In the run up to Thursday's (12/19) Zoom meeting on the proposed proso grain standards, you may be interested to view Gary's short (~4 min.) video entitled "Grading Proso Millet for All Markets." It's at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lquS2H3XC5Y . This is not the same as the coming presentation, but explains some of the whats and whys about the proposed standards. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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