A quick note on the theme of today's webinar (plus longer discussion of the whole series). You may have seen several formulations of the title. All are correct. The basic concept is how millets as crops match up with the changing agro-climatic realities of a warming global climate and its immediate (and varying) local effects. 

This is a big topic, and one of the two "pillars," if you will, of our effort with NAMA: promoting millets in this region as sustainable crops and as nutritious foods. In that context, the upcoming June webinar on millets as nutrition "powerhouses" goes together with the one today.

So, in the yearlong program of the Millets Webinar Series (a full list of which is appended below), you'll note that the first three - intro, ancient history, and modern situation, set the table, and the following 9 webinars treat different aspects of millets. April (millets' advantages as crops) and June (millets as nutritious foods) can be seen as the two pillars mentioned above. 

The May, July, and August webinars are about the space between millets as crops in fields and what they give as nutrition. In the common "field to fork" metaphor you probably have heard, these three webinars zero in on aspects of the "to."

May is on basic processing, from harvest to where the grains can be used as food, July is on the culinary aspects (what you can do with the whole grains or their flour or grits, etc.), and August is on products made with millets, with additional processing, sometimes mixing, and packaging. We see a number of products produced in the region (particularly with sorghum, proso millet, and teff, all grown for food grade grains here), and even more imported, which make the full range of millets available to us as consumers.

September takes us to the use of millets for beverages ("field to glass"?). This less-discussed area is one meriting a lot more attention, as the range of beverages - both alcoholic and non-alcoholic - is significant, and a space to watch.

In November we will consider the wide use of millets in agriculture in North America, especially for feeding animals. While the production of millets in the US, Canada, and Mexico for human consumption is still somewhat limited, there is a significant area under cultivation of a variety of millets. And it's important to understand how this fits in the broader prospects for millets in the region.

The October and December webinars return to broader systems perspectives. In October,we'll consider how millets fit into community economic development, and in December, we'll look at promotion of millets in farming and food systems.

We have discussed a bonus January edition, being a wrap-up and retrospective on the International Year of Millets.

One interesting topic fell off the list - alternative, non-food uses of millets. That, and some ideas that people have brought up with us privately, lead me to wonder about a second season in one form or another. That is not to commit us or our Millets Webinar colleagues at the University of Missouri. However, if there is interest, givemn what we have learned in this process so far, it would be easier to undertake a follow-on series (webinars, or possibly in more of a podcast format) with external funding.

Before closing, I'll also mention that among the various ideas we at NAMA have generated is a virtual conference on millets in North America. That could also be a venue for addressing additional topics, as well as going deeper on the topics of this year's Millets Webinar Series.

Thanks, and hope you will join us for today's webinar...

Don

DO, EL, MI, US
NAMA

The Millets Webinar Series 2023

 

Organized during the UN International Year of Millets (2023) by the North American Millets Alliance, the FEAST Lab at the University of Missouri, and the Center for Regenerative Agriculture at the University of Missouri

Webinars are held on the 3rd Wednesday of every month, at 5-6 pm Eastern Time.

•            (Jan) Intro & tour of the millets - Dr. Rob Myers, "An introduction to millets from around the world"; and Mr. David Brenner, "Millets from a gene bank perspective"  https://youtu.be/1xKaoQoaj30

•            (Feb) Millets as "ancient" grains - Dr. Abed Chaudhury, "Is Millet the most ancient crop domesticated by humans?" https://youtu.be/nm8Yox9i2Jo

•            (Mar) Modern history of millets: Trends in ag & food preferences - Prof. David Baltensperger, "Proso millet"; Dr. Laurajean Lewis, "Biogeography, domestication, and cultivation of millets with a focus on pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum)"; and Prof. Francesca Bray, "Millet in China: The heyday, afterlife and resurrection of a staple"  https://youtu.be/IUeLldImLzE

•            (Apr) Are millets the ideal crops for an era of climate change? Dr, Daniel Packer, "The Sorghum Advantage: Adapting to Heat and Drought"; and Juan I. Di Salvo, "Millet Characterization for Iowa Growing Conditions"

•            (May) Processing millets: From the field to the kitchen

•            (Jun) Tasty grains: What millets bring to the table

•            (Jul) Millets as nutrition powerhouses

•            (Aug) On & off the shelf: Millet products in markets today

•            (Sep) Drink up! Millets beverages, alcoholic & non-alcoholic

•            (Oct) More than small change: Millets in community & economic development

•            (Nov) Not just for the birds: Millets & animal farming

•            (Dec) Innovations in millets: A food systems approach [tentative]

To access list of all videos of previous Millets Webinars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLy7IvZCKUBap-6AaoCjPSFTMMq772t_Yb

To register to participate in the Millets Webinar Series: https://umsystem.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJctduutrTgoGNLZnrkxtUw614DEjAT3SgNN


On Tue, Apr 18, 2023 at 8:35 AM Don Osborn <don@milletsalliance.org> wrote:
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