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Number of grain millet farmers in US?
by Don Osborn 04 Sep '22

04 Sep '22

I'm curious to know more about the numbers of producers growing grain millets (broadly defined) in North America, with focus here on the US. That would mean proso millet, teff, and sorghum. I'll begin with teff. A while back, I came across mention of there being 11 growers of teff for grain in the US state of Nevada. On this email list, we heard about two growers of grain teff in Oklahoma. There is one in the state if Michigan that I know of. And an article earlier this year/1 said that the Boise, Idaho-based Teff Co. typically worked with 15-20 producers, and was planning to double that number. So, it seems that the overall number of grain teff producers in the US is rather small: "Relatively few U.S. producers grow teff, with almost all production in Nevada or Idaho..."/2 Maybe the total number is less than 100? With numbers on this order of magnitude, it would be feasible to manage direct communication for sharing of information (surveys, publicity...). What about the number of grain proso millet producers? I found no figures, but looking at 2019 stats from Colorado - the biggest proso-producing state - we can do some math. If the average farm size there is just over 800 acres,/3 and the total number of acres of proso that year was 320,000 (a banner year),/4 that would mean that 400 average-sized farms devoted entirely to proso could account for the total proso production. However, it seems more likely that producers would devote only part of their land to one such crop. So, for example, 1600 producers in Colorado devoting 200 acres each to proso, could account for the total. So, maybe one could count an average of 1500-2000 producers of proso in that state? (Which would be around 5% of the 38,700 farms and ranches there). So the number of grain proso producers nationally would be in the low thousands? This is a significant number, even if a small percentage of total farmers in the country. The number of sorghum farmers is likely higher. Whatever the actual numbers of producers of grain millets - and any more accurate figures or estimates are welcome - it is useful, I think, to have a clearer picture of the population of farmers in this sector as we plan for the International Year of Millets. DO, EL, MI, US Notes: 1. "Company plans to add teff growers, acreage," by Brad Carlson, The Capital Press, 15 Feb. 2022 https://www.capitalpress.com/ag_sectors/grains/company-plans-to-add-teff-gr… 2. "It’s A Teff Little Grain," by Chris Bennett, The Daily Scoop, 1 Nov. 2018 https://www.thedailyscoop.com/news/retail-business/its-teff-little-grain 3. "Ag stats: 2019 farms and land in farms for the USDA mountain states region," Kiowa County Press, (n.d.) https://kiowacountypress.net/content/ag-stats-2019-farms-and-land-farms-usd… 4. "Ag stats: 2019 annual Colorado and U.S. crop summary," Kiowa County Press, (n.d.) https://kiowacountypress.net/content/ag-stats-2019-annual-colorado-and-us-c…

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Kodo millet (& how about comparative taste tests?)
by Don Osborn 31 Aug '22

31 Aug '22

I cooked up some kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum) for demo last May (photo) and again last week to compare taste with proso millet (Panicum miliaceum). As far as I know, kodo millet is not grown at all as a crop in North America. In fact, it apparently is considered a weed. Curiously, although the plant originated in Africa, it is a food crop only in parts of South and Southeast Asia. The kodo millet I cooked came from India, and was packaged under one of several Indian labels marketing this grain: Incept. I used a simple automatic rice cooker and it cooked fine - easy to dish out (like rice) and break up. The grains are about the size of proso, but the color of what I had was a light brown (main varieties of proso are yellow). I found kodo's taste to be mild. Oddly, the word that came to mind was "mature" (you can see why I'm not a food writer). When I did a taste test with proso the other day, I found the latter also mild but having that faintly "nutty" taste that is often mentioned. I had to think about it, but there was slightly more going on with proso on taste buds on the side and middle of my tongue. Kodo seemed more subtle, in a comparison of subtle tastes. This taste comparison experience has me thinking that it would be interesting to have some culinary experts - real food writers - do blind taste tests of cooked millets, and perhaps some baked goods or porridges made with them, in order to get some taste characterizations useful for discussion of millets' unique characteristics. From what I've seen in some literature (but not an actual study of that literature), tests of how people react to the taste of millets in various forms and products are not rare. However, I don't recall seeing anything where two or more millets were evaluated for taste in comparison to each other. Such comparisons might be especially useful in markets where millets in general are not well known, and there is no culinary experience with the range of types of millets. DO, EL, MI, US

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Articles that mix "millet" & "millets" to the point of confusion
by Don Osborn 30 Aug '22

30 Aug '22

One of several things I've been thinking about is a kind of press package about the International Year of Millets. There are several considerations in preparing press packages, but one theme I think will be useful for any guidelines for journalists writing in English will be encouragement to use the plural "millets" when referring to the generic category, and not the singular form "millet." The latter form may of course be appropriate when referring to specific crops / foods, so clarity on what one is writing about, and how it might be (mis)read is central. In support of this process, I began a couple of months ago to put together some "data" on articles which infortuitously mix the plural and singular forms in ways that can't but be confusing to general readership. A first attempt at presenting the latter, with comments, is in the form of a PowerPoint presentation, which is attached, in ppt & pdf formats. Your feedback will be helpful and appreciated. Thank you in advance, and best to all, DO, EL, MI, US

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Diagram for visualizing millets as a group
by Don Osborn 07 Aug '22

07 Aug '22

Last April I put together a diagram to help inform thinking about a "millet-of-the-month" calendar. Recently I returned to it as a possible way of illustrating the relative importance of all millets globally, and of conveying information about which ones among this group of over a dozen species are grown in different world regions. The base diagram, below, is a triangle (or pyramid), with the most produced and consumed towards the top, and the less produced and more local ones toward the base. There are 4 layers to the diagram. I have included sorghum, which is sometimes counted as a millet, and it occupies the top (point), since its production worldwide is by far greater than any of the other individual millets. If sorghum were not included, pearl millet would be at the top, as it apparently accounts for about half the worldwide production of all millets (aside from sorghum). The next layer includes the four most produced grains surnamed "millet" - pearl, foxtail, proso, and finger. Below that are millets that are of lesser importance, but are grownin more than one region and/or traded to limited degrees. And finally on the fourth level are millets that are local or rarely cultivated today. This is a subjective ranking, based on impressions from figures and other information (a more complete discussion of possible improvements is at the end of this email). The diagram itself is rough and would need a design makeover if wider use were envisioned. [Millets-triangle.png] The use of color coding allows us to convey certain information about this group of grains. For example, which of three botanical "tribes" they belong to: [Millets-triangle-tribes-color.png] Similarly, we can illustrate the origins of these various millets: [Millets-triangle-continent-origins.png] The above two color-coding exercises indicate that it might be helpful to rearrange millets within each line in order to group as much as possible related millets and geographical origins. Continuing with the same layout, however, we can then proceed to illustrating what millets are and aren't important as crops in various world regions. Two examples only in this email. First, that of North America (in this case, Indian and Japanese barnyard are both grown, indicating that these closely-related and sometimes confused species should have separate boxes): [Millets-triangle-USandCanada.png] And second, an illustration of important millets in West and East Africa. I've combined them here since they are largely complementary, but they could be two separate treatments. Southern Africa is a bit complicated as to what is grown where, and I am not as familiar with that region, so that will be for another diagram. [Millets-triangle-WandEAfrica.png] Such regional or even country level diagrams could help in giving at-a-glance information about what millets are important where and in what ways. I may follow with more examples, time permitting. Your feedback on any aspect of the above will be helpful. In the meantime, here are some areas for attention that I see: * Possible accompanying document with data supporting the placement of various millets on each level * Rearrangement of millets to correspond a bit better with botanical relationships (e.g., Andropogonae in the 4th level both in the left corner & Eragrostideae along the right side, with others in occupying the middle spaces) * Rearrangement of millets to correspond a bit better to geographical origins (probably Asia to the left, and Africa to the right) * Placement of millets of the same genus (e.g., proso & little) in adjacent boxes to the extent possible * Split barnyard & fonio each into two (black fonio would probably go to the bottom line, if indeed it is less cultivated and not exported) * More details on very minor millets for example in Setaria or Panicum that were of significance in some localities (e.g., in North America) in the past * Design makeover with thinner dividing lines Thank you for reading, and I look forward to any feedback, DO, EL, MI, US

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"Leveraging millets for developing climate resilient agriculture"
by Don Osborn 27 Jun '22

27 Jun '22

This article looks interesting. The link leads to a partial display of the article; the full item is available via subscribing institutions or by purchase. McKena Lipham Wilson, Robert VanBuren, Leveraging millets for developing climate resilient agriculture, Current Opinion in Biotechnology, Volume 75, 2022 (June) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2022.102683 "C4 grasses dominate natural and agricultural settings, and the widespread success of wild grasses is mostly attributable to their resilience to environmental extremes. Much of this natural stress tolerance has been lost in major cereals as a byproduct of domestication and intensive selection. Millets are an exception, and they were domesticated in semi-arid regions of Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia where selection favored tolerance and stability over yield. Here, we review the evolutionary and domestication histories of millets and the traits that enable their stress tolerance, broad adaptability, and superior nutritional qualities compared to other cereals. We discuss genome editing and advanced breeding approaches that can be used to develop nutritious, climate resilient cereals of the future. Finally, we propose that millets can play a central role in the global food system to combat food insecurity, with researchers and germplasm from the Global South at the center of these efforts." [NB- I am not personally advocating for gene editing, just noting the article is of interest] Robert VanBuren is an Assistant Professor in Horticulture at Michigan State University, and runs the VanBuran Lab. McKena Lipham Wilson is a PhD student in Horticulture at Michigan State University DO, EL, MI, US

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Podcasts: Regenerative by Design & Heritage Radio Network
by Don Osborn 08 Jun '22

08 Jun '22

From time to time I post about podcast episodes that mention one or more of the millets. This time I'll spotlight a couple of podcasts that each have more than one episode treating or touching upon this subject. First, Joni Kindwall-Moore (Snacktivist Foods and NAMA) has a new podcast called "Regenerative by Design: Getting to the root of health, climate, economics & food" https://snacktivistfoods.com/pages/regenerative-by-design-podcast Among the episodes currently listed is an interview with Chef Pierre Thiam (Yolélé and Teranga), who has developed a line of products made with fonio, and a supply chain going back to smallholder farmers - many of them women - in West Africa: "Regenerating the Sahel and Rediscovering Forgotten Foods with Chef Pierre Thiam" (5 May 2022) https://snacktivistfoods.com/pages/regenerating-the-sahal-and-rediscovering… I understand that an upcoming episode features John Manuel, Chief Commercial Officer of Dryland Genetics, an organization researching and promoting cultivation of proso millet in the US. Second is a major food podcast that I'm only just discovering - Heritage Radio Network at https://heritageradionetwork.org/ . It bills itself as "the world's pioneer food radio station" and has been going for over a decade. According to Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritage_Radio_Network , it has produced over 4000 shows - apparently organized by series each with their own numbering sequences.. One or another of the millets have been mentioned in various episodes, a sampling of 20 of which is listed below (these from site searches and quick looks at the descriptions; I haven't had the chance to listen to them...): Dyed Green, Episode 11, Aired: Thursday, June 2nd 2022 Bread Medicine https://heritageradionetwork.org/episode/bread-medicine (among the tags is "teff") Heritage Radio Network On Tour, Episode 391, Aired: Wednesday, March 9th 2022 Amethyst Ganaway on Whole Animal Cooking at at Charleston Wine + Food 2022 https://heritageradionetwork.org/episode/amethyst-ganaway-whole-animal-cook… (cooking fonio is one subject) Item 13: An African Food Podcast, Episode 62, Aired: Tuesday, September 28th 2021 Ancestral Food Ways with Abena Offeh-Gyimah https://heritageradionetwork.org/episode/ancestral-food-ways-abena-offeh-gy… Cooking Issues, Episode 446, Aired: Tuesday, March 9th 2021 A Real Life Precious Moment (feat. Peter Kim) https://heritageradionetwork.org/episode/real-life-precious-moment-feat-pet… (tagged "teff" and "injera") Item 13: An African Food Podcast, Episode 49, Aired: Monday, January 18th 2021 Introducing West African Cuisine to Astoria with Beatrice Ajaero https://heritageradionetwork.org/episode/introducing-west-african-cuisine-a… (PS- In the show notes, garri is notnotnot a grain, as what looks like an editing error implies; rather it's dried grated or granulated cassava, which can be eaten as such with a sauce - how I was introduced to it in Togo - or apparently cooked as a porridge) Item 13: An African Food Podcast, Episode 4, Aired: Wednesday, August 26th 2020 Telling the Ghanaian Food Story with Naa Oyoo Kumodzi https://heritageradionetwork.org/podcast/telling-the-ghanaian-food-story-wi… Meat and Three, Episode 83, Aired: Friday, July 24th 2020 Striving for Sovereignty in Indigenous Foodways https://heritageradionetwork.org/podcast/striving-for-sovereignty-in-indige… (focus on fonio) Heritage Radio Network On Tour, Episode 356, Aired: Thursday, March 12th 2020 Chefs Fatmata Binta and Digby Stridiron at Charleston Wine + Food 2020 https://heritageradionetwork.org/podcast/chefs-fatmata-binta-and-digby-stri… Heritage Radio Network On Tour, Episode 326, Aired: Tuesday, January 28th 2020 Claire Alsup of Yolélé Foods at the Good Food Mercantile 2020 https://heritageradionetwork.org/podcast/claire-alsup-of-yolele-foods-at-th… Heritage Radio Network On Tour, Episode 288, Aired: Tuesday, July 30th 2019 Pierre Thiam is a Fonio Evangelist at Slow Food Nations 2019 https://heritageradionetwork.org/podcast/pierre-thiam-is-a-fonio-evangelist… A Taste of the Past, Episode 327, Aired: Thursday, May 9th 2019 Pierre Thiam on FONIO: History and Future of the African Supergrain https://heritageradionetwork.org/podcast/pierre-thiam-on-fonio-history-and-… Food Without Borders, Episode 17, Aired: Wednesday, October 11th 2017 Chef Pierre Thiam https://heritageradionetwork.org/podcast/30179 (apparently can't play from page; need to download to listen) Heritage Radio Network On Tour, Episode 70, Aired: Monday, July 24th 2017 In Praise of Ancient Grains at Slow Food Nations 2017 https://heritageradionetwork.org/podcast/in-praise-of-ancient-grains-at-slo… To listen online, go to https://heritageradionetwork.org/honor-slow-food and scroll down to, or search, "Episode 70" Fuhmentaboudit!, Episode 179, Aired: Monday, October 10th 2016 Musekiwa Chingodza & The Ceremonial Beer and Music of Zimbabwe https://heritageradionetwork.org/podcast/musekiwa-chingodza-the-ceremonial-… The Food Seen, Episode 260, Aired: Tuesday, November 24th 2015 Scratch & Sniff Whiskey with Richard Betts https://heritageradionetwork.org/podcast/scratch-sniff-whiskey-with-richard… (apparently can't play from page; need to download to listen) Eat Your Words, Episode 223, Aired: Sunday, March 8th 2015 Bob's Red Mill https://heritageradionetwork.org/podcast/eat-your-words-episode-223-bob-039… (apparently can't play from page; need to download to listen) The Food Seen, Episode 207, Aired: Tuesday, September 23rd 2014 Wild Apple gluten https://heritageradionetwork.org/podcast/the-food-seen-episode-207-wild-app… (apparently can't play from page; need to download to listen) (PS- mentions "millet, ... sorghum, teff" among gluten-free grains) A Taste of the Past, Episode 130, Aired: Thursday, March 7th 2013 Kubee Kassaye https://heritageradionetwork.org/podcast/a-taste-of-the-past-episode-130-ku… (apparently can't play from page; need to download to listen) (PS- tagged "teff grain") A Taste of the Past, Episode 111, Aired: Thursday, August 30th 2012 Whole Grains https://heritageradionetwork.org/podcast/a-taste-of-the-past-episode-111-wh… (apparently can't play from page; need to download to listen) (PS- This episode is tagged "millet" and also "job's tears," the latter, aka adlay, being a millet more closely related to corn and sorghum that is rarely discussed) A Taste of the Past, Episode 103, Aired: Thursday, May 17th 2012 Ancient Grainshttps://heritageradionetwork.org/podcast/a-taste-of-the-past-episode-… (apparently can't play from page; need to download to listen) The above list is from site searches on "millet," "fonio," and "teff." Searches on names for other millets, including some frequently seen Indian and Chinese names, yielded no results. There are a number of items on HRN mentioning "sorghum," in addition to a couple listed above. A list of these can be seen at https://heritageradionetwork.org/search?s=sorghum DO, EL, MI, US

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Proso millet & pecans?
by Don Osborn 22 May '22

22 May '22

Last week I cooked and ate plain little millet for the first time, and today I did proso in the rice cooker for the first time in a while. Usually I put proso in a stew in the slow cooker, or maybe in a soup. On rare occasion in oatmeal. In the rice cooker (these days I use a small one) it gave off a nice grain aroma with a bit of nuttness - the typical description you'll read about proso's taste. I got the water right so it was a good consistency to fluff with a fork. As expected, the taste was "round" and somewhat nutty. There was a slight sweet aftertaste, which I wasn't expecting. Usually I think of proso as best with savory dishes - so this got me thinking. I decided to run with the slightly nutty and sweet flavor and ... add nuts. In this case it was some crushed pecans, which have their own sweetness. It was a nice combination, actually. Next time I might put the crushed pecans in the cooker with the proso. That could actually make a quick breakfast with milk or yoghurt and some fruit. Or else maybe a sweeter side in a later meal. So, considering the two "cousins" - proso (Panicum mileacium) & little millet (P. sumatrense) - proso is rounder, "nuttier," and slightly sweeter, while little is higher, flatter, and a bit earthy. Both good and both mild, but more different than I expected. Little may be the one to use for or with savory dishes, while proso may have a wider range (for those who can really cook or bake). Anyway, I learned something. DO, EL, MI, US

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Proceedings of a landmark international worksop on millets, 1986
by Don Osborn 21 May '22

21 May '22

In a slight research detour I came across an item of possible interest to those who aren't familiar with it (as I wasn't until today). It's the publication of articles from a conference on small millets 36 years ago Seetharam, A., K.W. Riley, and G. Harinarayana, eds., 1989, Small Millets in Global Agriculture: Proceedings of the First International Small Millets Workshop, Bangalore, India, October 29 - November 2, 1986. Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. https://www.millets.res.in/books/Small_millets.pdf & https://idl-bnc-idrc.dspacedirect.org/bitstream/handle/10625/4286/42064.pdf A summary of recommendations from this conference is presented at http://www.milletimplic.net/englishinfo/1stintsym.htm One of the editors of that volume, Kenneth W. Riley, gave a summary of some of the ideas and hopes of that time, in "Small millets with big potential : introductory remarks" (1987): https://idl-bnc-idrc.dspacedirect.org/bitstream/handle/10625/4286/42064.pdf Personally I find it of interest to see where the thinking was at that time. Some of the articles give the state of use of and research on specific millets. Keep in mind that this event was held in a period when in much of the world, millets were already losing ground (literally, in terms of area cultivated, and figuratively in terms of dietary habits) to the major cereal grains most of the world depends on. So this compilation may be useful for historic perspective. While on the topic, there was a follow-up event five years later in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. That Second International Small Millets Workshop also had recommendations: http://www.milletimplic.net/englishinfo/2ndintsymp.htm The proceedings of that second conference do not appear to be available in full online, but were published as: Riley, K.W., S.C. Gupta, A. Seetharam, and J.M. Mushonga, eds. Advances in Small Millets, 1993, Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. https://books.google.com/books/about/Advances_in_Small_Millets.html?id=PCkh… There does not appear to have been a third in this series. Anyway, I plan to look more closely at the recommendations from these two events - a few seem to still be pertinent. Note that "small millets" explicitly excluded the "large millet(s)," pearl millet (and sorghum). DO, EL, MI, US

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Lessons from quinoa & the IYQ (2013)?
by Don Osborn 15 May '22

15 May '22

The experience with the rise in popularity of quinoa in international markets, and the specific lessons from the International Year of Quinoa (IYQ) in 2013, may have important lessons for our efforts for millets and IYM in 2023. In an earlier post on this list, Joni mentioned potential synergisms with what has already happened with quinoa. What might these be? What should we know about IYQ as we plan for IYM in North America? One obvious place to look is the website of FAO, which coordinated IYQ just as it is coordinating IYM. Their main page for IYQ is at [https://www.fao.org/quinoa-2013/](https://www.fao.org/quinoa-2013/iyq/) There's quite a bit of material there, but of note is the short (4½ pp.) "Assessment of the International Year of Quinoa 2013" at https://www.fao.org/3/mk172E/mk172E.pdf . It noted * a traveling exhibition, "From the Andes to the World," which visited 7 countries, including the US * "tasting events" in a number of countries, including Canada and the US * several conference or symposium events, including the following in North America (I've added dates where I could find them, plus a URL about the Pullman event that has some info): ** Scientific technical meeting on food security and quinoa – New York (20 Feb 2013) ** International Quinoa Research Symposium – Pullman, Washington (12-14 Aug 2013; held by Washington State University & the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture) https://na.eventscloud.com/ehome/quinoa/ ** III International Forum of Quinoa at La Mar – San Francisco There does not appear to have been any particular initiative for quinoa in the region comparable to NAMA during IYQ, and it's not clear that there was any IYQ steering committee for any of the countries of the region. Will follow with any additional info as appropriate, and of course, if anyone has more or different info, please let us know. DO, EL, MI, US

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Little millet, the shorter cousin of proso millet
by Don Osborn 14 May '22

14 May '22

The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) featured an article on its website last year entitled "The Big Potential of Little Millet."/1 Part of what's interesting about little millet is that it's in the same genus as proso millet./2 It is shorter than proso, but from photos (see the article or the Pinterest section on little millet/3), its panicles bear resemblance to those of proso. Not aware that it is grown in North America, but could this be easily added as a crop? Could harvesting techniques for proso be adapted for it? Anyone anywhere done taste tests on the two? I have inquired why SSSA featured an article on this particular millet, and will share whatever I learn. Of possible interest for further reading (if you have access to Jstor or a university library) is a book chapter by Steven A. Weber and Arunima Kashyap entitled "Panicum sumatrense: The Forgotten Millet."/4 DO - www.soils.org/news/science-news/big-potential-little-millet/ - Little millet = Panicum sumatrense; proso millet = Panicum miliaceum. Among the dozen or so cultivated millets, these represent the only two from a common genus. - https://www.pinterest.com/drdonosborn/millets-plural/little-millet/ - MINNIS, PAUL E., ed. New Lives for Ancient and Extinct Crops. University of Arizona Press, 2014. Chapter 8, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1mgmcgt.11

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