A surprisingly good 12 minute AI video intro to millets was recently released on the Green Truth Lab channel. Thanks to Gary for this catch and for bringing it to our attention: "Millet: The Grains That Fed China and Africa Before Rice and Wheat," 24 Aug 2026 (12:38) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTsDz4mbA2o THe video description: "Many people assume rice was the original staple of ancient Chinese agriculture but archaeological excavations reveal that farming in northern China actually began with millet. Across the world in the Sahel region of Africa completely separate species of millet were domesticated independently. Because these small grains mature rapidly tolerate intense heat and produce reliable harvests in poor dry soils with limited rainfall they sustained some of humanity's earliest civilizations long before rice and wheat took center stage. Scientific sources: Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Plants of the World Online database and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Although wheat and rice eventually overshadowed millets modern agricultural research is bringing these ancient crops back into focus due to climate resilience and food security needs. Which part of millet history surprised you the most?" My comments: It's very useful to have content like this distinguishing among the grains that commonly, in the West, at least, get lumped under the term "millet." AI imagery always seems to have issues, but on the whole it tracks. THe video's emphasis on the individuality of each millet is helpful, as is its linking of the broadly common characteristics of millets that made them attractive crops in ancient times, with the needs we are seeing now. Anyone using this for education might want to clarify or add a few points: * Kudos for the mention of "millet" in ancient text. It's worth noting that foxtail millet and proso millet - which have different names in Chinese - were once considered two of the five basic grains of China (alongside rice, wheat, and soybeans). * One could frame the spread of the 4 millets discussed in the video as a vast counterclockwise movement of foxtail and proso west across more or temperat Eurasia, and pearl and finger east in the tropics from Africa to South Asia (and beyond). The actual histories are a bit more complicated, but I find this image to be helpful. * Fonio, from West Africa, and teff, from the Horn of Africa, are also considered with the millets. * To give a sense of the total number of cultivated millets, broadly defined, their relative importance in terms of production, and their botanical and geographic relationships, one might use the millets triangle. That;s available at https://milletsalliance.org/millets-triangle/ * By their sheer number and diversity, millets have a huge potential to enhance agrobiodiversity and nutritious multi-food diets. * Finally, one could add the roles many millets have taken on in the continents not mentioned, including of course our own, North America. I have no information on Green Truth Lab other than what there is on its YouTube channel. The is a Facebook page for a digital creator using the same name, but its logo is different and its YouTube outlink is dead: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590206090305 Anyway, let us know what your impressions are of the video. Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance