- Collab - lists.millets2023.space

Reorganized & expanded image galleries of millets
by Don Osborn 23 Apr '23

23 Apr '23

Some of you may have seen the galleries of images of millets I set up on Pinterest. This is an ongoing side effort, and I've just completed a round of organizing and expanding this presentation of a few hundred images. Of particular note are: * A recently created board on "Andropogon millets" (sorghum, adlay/Job's tears, & Taiwan oil millet), being millets in the Andropogoneae tribe of the Panicoideae subfamily of the grass family (Poaceae). This isthe same tribe in which corn/maize is found. * A new board on "Millets in charts & diagrams," including taxonomies, flow charts,and diagrams about the nature of millets and the ways we use them The taxonomies section used to be under the main "Millets, plural" board. One of the other sections is on the "millets triangle," about which I will have more to say later. * A new section of the main "Millets, plural" board for images and lists of cereal grains that consider "millet" as one grain (not appropriate, despite the overall good intent, but worth taking note of in our efforts to raise awareness that there are a number of distinct millets). So, that makes 4 Pinterest boards related to millets, which are listed below with links and names of their respective sections (boards have a main area, and one may also set up whatever sections one wants):: * Millets, plural (the grains that have "millet" as part of their common names in English) https://www.pinterest.com/drdonosborn/millets-plural/ ** Pearl millet / Bajri ** Foxtail millet / Xiaomi ** Proso millet / Proso ** Finger millet / Ragi ** Kodo millet ** Barnyard millet [no distinction yet between Indian & Japanese] ** Little millet ** Browntop millet ** Uncertain [i.e., items where the identity of the millet is not clear] ** "Millet," singular, in lists of grains * Fonio & teff: Africa's tiniest millets https://www.pinterest.com/drdonosborn/fonio-teff-africas-tiniest-millets/ ** Fonio / Acha [no distinction yet between white & iburua or black] ** Teff * Andropogon millets: Sorghum, adlay & TOM (this board needs a lot more work, esp. for sorghum) https://www.pinterest.com/drdonosborn/andropogon-millets-sorghum-adlay-tom/ ** Sorghum ** Adlay / Job's tears ** Taiwan oil millet * Millets in charts & diagrams (this board could change a lot with time) https://www.pinterest.com/drdonosborn/millets-in-charts-diagrams/ ** Characteristics ** Food processing ** Taxonomies ** Taxonomies, with "pseudo-millets" (the latter being a non-standard term one sees cropping up occasionally) ** The"millets triangle"* The choice of Pinterest as platform for this work was kind of accidental. I played around with it as a place to park images related to a couple of things I was writing about a few years ago. It also had the advantage of being an easy place to point interested people to for more examples or information. With time and intermittent amendments, it has grown to what you see now. Future development will include, aside from work on the above, possible addition of a board for very local millets, such as raishan, Polish millet, and Sonoran panic grass. Such additions might also require consideration of another reorganization of the set of boards. Eventual copy or transfer of all or parts of this to a dedicated site might be considered if the collection is found useful by some constituency(ies). It should be noted that this effort is not entirely unique. ICRISAT's smartfood.org site has - or had until recently (the site does not load for me now) - a "Millet Finder" database with over 500 products in 10 categories, from over 130 companies in 34 countries. See this page for more info: https://www.icrisat.org/newly-launched-millet-food-finder-shows-a-revolutio… . The archived home page of the Millet Finder can be viewed at https://web.archive.org/web/20210117195838/https://www.smartfood.org/smart-… . Finally, if anyone has experience in working with image files, referencing, and web-based presentation of images & info about them - esp. if they are familiar with how Pinterest works - I'm seeking one or more volunteers to help with one or more of the above boards. Please contact me offline (email address in sig). Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance don(a)milletsalliance.org

1 0

Millets Webinar #4, 19 April 2023, video
by Don Osborn 23 Apr '23

23 Apr '23

The video of the fourth in our Millets Webinar series is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqdO__eUmtg Thanks again to our presenters (in order of appearance): * Juan Di Salvo (Iowa State University) who presented on "Millet Characterization for Iowa Growing Conditions" * Dr. Daniel Packer (Washington State University) who presented on "The Sorghum Advantage: Adapting to Heat and Drought" Thanks also to Dr. Kiruba Krishnaswamy, Dr. Rob Myers, Ms. Sophia Sapp, and their colleagues at the University of Missouri, for helping make this edition of the Webinar a success. A list of video recordings for all four of the webinars held so far this year is available at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLy7IvZCKUBap-6AaoCjPSFTMMq772t_Yb DO, EL, MI. US NAMA

1 0

4th Millets Webinar, Wed. 4/19/2023: Millets & climate change
by Don Osborn 19 Apr '23

19 Apr '23

The 4th in the Millets Webinar Series offered by NAMA, and the FEAST Lab and Center for Regenerative Agriculture at the University of Missouri, is scheduled for Wednesday 19 April at 5 pm EDT. Two presenters will offer perspectives on the theme, "Are millets the ideal crops for an era of climate change?": * Dr. Daniel Packer, a research associate at Washington State University, will talk about "The Sorghum Advantage: Adapting to Heat and Drought" * Juan Di Salvo, a plant breeding graduate student at Iowa State University, will talk about "Millet Characterization for Iowa Growing Conditions" Both researchers also have significant experience with a range of other crops, so we look forward to their insights into the place of millets in the future of agriculture. To register for the Millets Webinar Series (if you haven't already), please go to: umsystem.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJctduutrTgoGNLZnrkxtUw614DEjAT3SgNN DO, EL, MI, US NAMA

1 1

UCCS Grain School webinar on millets, TODAY (Thu. 13 Apr 2023)
by Don Osborn 13 Apr '23

13 Apr '23

The University of Colorado - Colorado Springs Grain School Online 2023 is holding its third and final webinar this spring for the International Year of Millets, on THURSDAY, APRIL 13 at 4:30-6 MDT. https://uccs-edu.zoom.us/j/99337028216 The theme is “Role of Millets in Community Food Systems & Nutrition Security” Presenters: * Dr. Kiruba Krishnaswamy, FEAST Lab, University of Missouri * Nicholas Musisi, Nutri-Worth International * Arun Nagpal, Mryda - Earthspired * Abena Offeh-Gyimah, Living the Ancient Way

1 0

Re: [Collab] Collab Digest, Vol 14, Issue 7
by Gary Wietgrefe 01 Apr '23

01 Apr '23

Unless I missed something, I do not find NAMA's FAQ attached....Gary On Wed, Mar 29, 2023 at 11:40 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. NAMA FAQ 5.1 (latest version) (Don Osborn) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2023 13:40:00 -0400 > From: Don Osborn <don(a)milletsalliance.org> > To: collab(a)lists.millets2023.space > Subject: [Collab] NAMA FAQ 5.1 (latest version) > Message-ID: > < > CA+RHibX1BXKE3X3kofGYDPH4rJ6W8iH8jW02AvdzuWo0G0XwUA(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > Attached is a PDF of NAMA's FAQ ("Frequently Asked Questions"), version > 5.1. Please feel free to share as you see fit. > > And of course, if there are any questions about it, or issues you spot with > regard to the content, please advise. > > Best to all, > Don > > Don Osborn, PhD > (East Lansing, MI, US) > North American Millets Alliance > don(a)milletsalliance.org >

2 2

A two-minute history of millets (& the next phase of the Webinars)
by Don Osborn 31 Mar '23

31 Mar '23

A few thoughts about where we've been and where we're going with the Millets Webinar Series... The last two webinars in the series (February and March) dealt in broad terms and in some specifics with the multi-millennial history of millets. This is a vast subject that hasn't to my knowledge been treated as a historical whole There are many articles and some books that treat some subset of millets - usually one, sometimes a couple, and usually in a particular region and/or time period, This makes sense if you consider that we're talking about different crop species domesticated in various regions that fit in diverse cultures of agriculture and food. But since we're talking about this group of crops in the International Year of Millets, it is natural to ask about their collective story. So the last two webinars were intended as a stab in that direction. Here are some quick thoughts about the major trends I see in that long story - a "two-minute history of millets," if you will: * Millets (small grained cereals of the grass family) figured prominently in the earliest agriculture in various regions around the world, most notably in the vast continents of Asia and Africa * Many of these millets continued as local crops until today, but a few disseminated widely, and a few effectively disappeared from cultivation (for example in North America) * Of those that disseminated widely, foxtail and proso millets spread from East Asia south and west across Eurasia, and pearl millet, sorghum, and finger millet spread out of West and East Africa eastward to South Asia and beyond. This vast counterclockwise movement appears to have happened relatively quickly - that is, still in prehistory or ancient history. Incidentally it also established South Asia as a kind of "crossroads" of millets - a legacy you can see in India today * Over time, the prominent roles of millets in food and agriculture gradually ceded place to larger-grained cereals - this happening at different periods in different regions. That process picked up pace in some regions in the last century, in part due to the "Green Revolution" and its focus on selected large-grained crops. This marginalization of millets as crops and food has had economic, agronomic, and cultural aspects * In recent years, millets have received some renewed attention due to their adaptations as crops and qualities as foods, and in some places (such as India and China) an appeal to their cultural roles. The International Year of Millets is emblematic of this very recent trend. Does this portend another major shift in the long history of millets? (We are kind of betting it will.) If we look at the last three webinars, including also the January intro to millets, they set the stage for upcoming webinars about specific aspects of millets - agronomy, processing, nutrition, culinary, etc. More on those is upcoming. We look forward to your participation and feedback. Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance don(a)milletsalliance.org

1 0

NAMA FAQ 5.1 (latest version)
by Don Osborn 29 Mar '23

29 Mar '23

Attached is a PDF of NAMA's FAQ ("Frequently Asked Questions"), version 5.1. Please feel free to share as you see fit. And of course, if there are any questions about it, or issues you spot with regard to the content, please advise. Best to all, Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance don(a)milletsalliance.org

1 0

Millets Webinar #3, 15 Mar. 2023, video
by Don Osborn 25 Mar '23

25 Mar '23

The video of the third in our Millets Webinar series is available at https://youtu.be/IUeLldImLzE (this was slightly edited from the full original) Thanks again to our presenters (in order of appearance): * Prof. David Baltensperger (Texas A&M University), who discussed proso millet, with focus on its current status in the US * Dr. Laurajean Lewis (Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research), who discussed pearl millet, with focus on its variability and cultivation in Sahelian Africa * Prof. Francesca Bray (University of Edinburgh (emerita)), who discussed foxtail and proso (aka broomcorn) millets in Chinese history, with attention to their decline in importance relative to rice and wheat, and the recent resurgence of interest in them. Thanks also to Dr. Kiruba Krishnaswamy, Ms. Sophia Sapp, and their colleagues at the University of Missouri, for helping make this edition of the Webinar a success. A list of video recordings for all three of the webinars held so far this year is available at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLy7IvZCKUBap-6AaoCjPSFTMMq772t_Yb DO, EL, MI. US NAMA

1 0

Upcoming Millets Webinar (#3), "Modern history of millets" 2023-3-15, 5 pm EST
by Don Osborn 13 Mar '23

13 Mar '23

Please join us for the upcoming Millets Webinar, Wed. 15 March, at 5 pm EST. The theme is the modern history of millets, and will feature three presentations: * Dr. Laurajean Lewis (Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research, & former professor & director of the Food Systems Program, Washington State Univ.), Biogeography, domestication, and cultivation of millets with a focus on pearl millet (examples from Africa) * Prof. David Baltensperger (Head of Crop & Soil Sciences, Texas A&M University), Proso millet in the US * Prof. Francesca Bray (Social Anthropology (emerita), University of Edinburgh), China as an example of how millets are faring in the contemporary global farming system This is the third of the monthly Millets Webinars we are hosting with the FEAST Lab & the Center for Regenerative Agriculture at the University of Missouri during this, the International Year of Millets. It will be more of a panel format than the previous two. It follows the February webinar in which the prehistory and early history of millets were considered. If you are not already registered for the Millets Webinar Series, here is the link to sign up: https://umsystem.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJctduutrTgoGNLZnrkxtUw614DEjAT3S…

1 0

NAMA meet-up at Expo West, 10 March 2023
by Don Osborn 09 Mar '23

09 Mar '23

For anyone who is attending the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA, you may be interested in an informal meet-up on Friday 10 March. I understand from our colleague Joni Kindwall-Moore who is organizing it, that it will take place at the Starbucks on the main floor of the Marriott at 2:30 pm. For those not familiar with this annual convention event, see https://www.expowest.com/ Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

1 0