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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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P.J. Wester and adlay (Job's tears)
by Don Osborn 31 Dec '25

31 Dec '25

About a century ago, the Swedish-American botanist Peter Jansen Wester,/1 who was many years in the Philippines with the USDA, promoted Job's Tears (Coix lacryma-jobi)/2 as a food crop with great potential. He used the Cebuano (or possibly Tagalog) name "adlay" in his writing, and that term is widely used today. Like other grain crops, adlay has significant genetic variation. One major distinction is between varieties where the seed is enclosed in a soft shell, which facilitate dehulling and use as food, and those with a hard shell, which sometimes find use as beads in crafts. Another variation is in height with some being short, and others, such as in the photo on page 222 of Wester's 1922 article on adlay,/3 which grow taller than the average person. Adlay was grown in various localities in Asia ages before Wester's efforts to bring this food crop to wider attention. While it did not achieve widespread adoption after Wester's promotion of it, adlay is currently grown commercially in several parts of Asia, and is packaged for export to retailers, including in the US and Canada. (Sometimes it is labelled as "Chinese pearl barley," altho it is not closely related to barley.) It is not, to our knowledge, grown as a food crop anywhere in North America. Adlay has cultural roots where it has long been cultivated. For example, in Arunachala Pradesh, India, it is promoted as a traditional crop among the Adi people./4 And adlay features in Chinese traditional medicine, being considered to have a mild diuretic effect. There has been some intriguing research on culinary uses of adlay and on health effects of compounds in this grain, and there is a need for further work in these areas. Adlay, or Job's tears, is NAMA's millet of the month in December. Notes: 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Jansen_Wester 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adlay 3. Wester, P.J. (1922) "Adlay — A New Grain Plant From the Orient: A Relative of Indian Corn Found in Eastern Asia in a Great Number of Varietal Forms — Offering an Untouched Field of Work for the Plant Breeder." Journal of Heredity, Vol. 13, Issue 5, May 1922, pp. 221–227, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a102209 (full text here - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/The_journal_of_heredity… - search "adlay") 4. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cropsecure-agritech-private-limited-company_… Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Video of the Millets Webinar recap of 2025 & look ahead to 2026
by Don Osborn 20 Dec '25

20 Dec '25

With apologies for the delay, the video of our webinar on Tuesday 9 December 2025, in which we reviewed the year 2025 in millets, and looked ahead to 2026, is now uploaded to our Youtube channel at: https://youtu.be/YdT2JzJDR98 For the full list of webinars over the last year (and link in channel description to other past webinars), see https://www.youtube.com/@MilletsAlliance - where you can also subscribe. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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(no subject)
by Om Dangi 11 Dec '25

11 Dec '25

Don, Will you please send us if it is recorded. Thanks *Om P.Dangi, Ph.D., P.Ag.President & CEOAgriculture Environmental Renewal Canada (AERC) Inc.821 Corkstown Rd., Ottawa, Ontario, K2K 2Y1Tel: 613 596 5927; Cell: 613-229-1886Website: www.aerc.ca <http://www.aerc.ca>*

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Re: Collab Digest, Vol 47, Issue 1
by Paul Overby/Lee Farms 09 Dec '25

09 Dec '25

Was this recorded? Paul -----Original Message----- From: collab-request(a)lists.millets2023.space <collab-request(a)lists.millets2023.space> Sent: Tuesday, December 9, 2025 6:00 PM To: collab(a)lists.millets2023.space Subject: Collab Digest, Vol 47, Issue 1 Send Collab mailing list submissions to collab(a)lists.millets2023.space To subscribe or unsubscribe 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. Re: Millets 2025 re-cap & 2026 outlook, Tues. 9 Dec. (NAMA webinar), (Don Osborn) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2025 10:40:00 -0500 From: Don Osborn <don(a)milletsalliance.org> Subject: [Collab] Re: Millets 2025 re-cap & 2026 outlook, Tues. 9 Dec. (NAMA webinar), To: collab(a)lists.millets2023.space Message-ID: <CA+RHibWzsn3-nPcKRiN+bVAbqbG7q6Zg+kxgXKEHz2Lj=L7x9g(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Just a reminder as we're starting soon. Also, if you get a spam warning, please persist. The link and the site should be normal. Don DO, EL, MI, US NAMA NAMA is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: NAMA Year End Time: Dec 9, 2025 08:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83214606195?pwd=da8l8lrJfC8fD2Ga0ik83LzEc82KoM.1 View meeting insights with Zoom AI Companion https://us06web.zoom.us/launch/edl?muid=83fc229f-a3ee-4840-b6bd-7d6e58153ce1 Meeting ID: 832 1460 6195 Passcode: 992589 --- One tap mobile +16694449171,,83214606195# US +16699006833,,83214606195# US (San Jose) Join instructions https://us06web.zoom.us/meetings/83214606195/invitations?signature=KvpZz8HP… On Fri, Dec 5, 2025 at 1:13 PM Don Osborn <don(a)milletsalliance.org> wrote: > Join us this Tuesday, December 9, at 11 am EST/8 am PST, for a review > of the year 2025 in millets - with focus on North America - and a look > forward to 2026. > > It will feature presentations by NAMA board members: > * Joni-Kindwall-Moore, founder of Snacktivist and co-founder of the > Ryzosphere > * Gary Wietgrefe, senior millets agronomist and author > * Dr. Don Osborn, senior consultant in international rural development > > You are invited to contribute your experience with millets, whether in > production, processing, marketing, or culinary uses. > > Zoom link: > https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83214606195?pwd=da8l8lrJfC8fD2Ga0ik83LzEc82K > oM.1 Zoom link (shortened, redirects to above): > https://millets2023.space/NAMA-Zoom > > Zoom Meeting ID: 832 1460 6195 > Passcode: 992589 > > --- > > One tap mobile > +16694449171,,83214606195# US > +16699006833,,83214606195# US (San Jose) > > Join instructions: > > https://us06web.zoom.us/meetings/83214606195/invitations?signature=Kvp > Zz8HP2H-ACVDioAbkJGM6Rc5iIClXKGbcIskU-sc > > --- > > Don Osborn, PhD > (East Lansing, MI, US) > North American Millets Alliance > ------------------------------ Subject: Digest Footer -- Collab mailing list -- collab(a)lists.millets2023.space To unsubscribe send an email to collab-leave(a)lists.millets2023.space ------------------------------ End of Collab Digest, Vol 47, Issue 1 *************************************

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Millets 2025 re-cap & 2026 outlook, Tues. 9 Dec. (NAMA webinar),
by Don Osborn 09 Dec '25

09 Dec '25

Join us this Tuesday, December 9, at 11 am EST/8 am PST, for a review of the year 2025 in millets - with focus on North America - and a look forward to 2026. It will feature presentations by NAMA board members: * Joni-Kindwall-Moore, founder of Snacktivist and co-founder of the Ryzosphere * Gary Wietgrefe, senior millets agronomist and author * Dr. Don Osborn, senior consultant in international rural development You are invited to contribute your experience with millets, whether in production, processing, marketing, or culinary uses. Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83214606195?pwd=da8l8lrJfC8fD2Ga0ik83LzEc82KoM.1 Zoom link (shortened, redirects to above): https://millets2023.space/NAMA-Zoom Zoom Meeting ID: 832 1460 6195 Passcode: 992589 --- One tap mobile +16694449171,,83214606195# US +16699006833,,83214606195# US (San Jose) Join instructions: https://us06web.zoom.us/meetings/83214606195/invitations?signature=KvpZz8HP… --- Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Save the date! Tues. 9 December - Millets 2025 re-cap & 2026 outlook
by Don Osborn 27 Nov '25

27 Nov '25

We're planning a special webinar to review what's been happening with millets in North America, and look ahead to the new year. Please join us on Tuesday, December 9 at 11 am EST. In this format, we'd love to have your input as well. This event will be hosted by our NAMA board - Joni, Gary, and myself. More info and full publicity forthcoming shortly, but in the meantime, here is the Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83214606195?pwd=da8l8lrJfC8fD2Ga0ik83LzEc82KoM.1 More soon, and in the meantime, a Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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"What Idaho growers are learning about growing teff"
by Don Osborn 17 Nov '25

17 Nov '25

Teff (Eragrostis tef) is our "millet-of-the-month" again in November. As we know, it is a relatively recent crop introduction in North America, which has caught on as a niche grain crop and a widely used forage/hay crop. Here's an article that explores the experience of teff farmers in Idaho - which is sometimes called the second largest producer of teff after the country of Ethiopia (which is by far the biggest): "What Idaho growers are learning about growing teff," by Lynn James, Ag Proud - Idaho, 14 May 2025 https://www.agproud.com/articles/61436-what-idaho-growers-are-learning-abou… The article features extensive comments by Berny Marquez, who contracts with The Teff Company (which markets Maskal Teff), and Joey Wallace, a farm manager for Driscoll Brothers. It also mentions Wayne Carlson, president of The Teff Company, and his role in introducing teff to Idaho in the 1970s. A good read if you'd like to get an idea of what's involved in teff production these days in the inland Pacific Northwest. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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