Pages

October 31, 2014

SATAKE - GFMT1404


In 1896, the founder of the Satake Corporation, Riichi Satake, invented and began the production of Japan's first power driven rice milling machine.

In the subsequent one hundred years, a succession of successful developments and a wealth of accumulated research and knowledge have made Satake the world leader in grain processing systems. Satake produces a comprehensive range of individual machines, integrated systems and totally engineered solutions for the processing of rice, wheat and other grains.


The Company is proud of its tradition of innovation which ensures that Satake machines and systems are always at the forefront of technology.

Satake has achieved its position as the oldest, largest and most advanced company in its fields through its commitment to offering customers superb equipment, specially developed to meet their needs. This driving principle has led directly to the prosperity of the Company.


We are most grateful to all our customers for their patronage which has allowed us to become known and respected in Japan and over 140 countries throughout the world.

Satake is a "customer company" as well as a "technically oriented company" putting the principle of customer satisfaction into practice. The support and assistance of our customers are greatly appreciated.


Read more HERE.
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

31/10/2014: US country elevator managers to hear how politics impacts their sector

Congressman Todd Young to Address
Country Elevator Conference & Trade Show
Early Bird Registration Deadline Ends Nov. 7
The National Grain and Feed Association's (NGFA's) 43rd annual Country Elevator Conference and Trade Show (CEC) kicks off December 7-9, 2014 in Indianapolis. US Rep. Todd Young, R-Ind., will open the "meeting of the year" for country elevator managers and their key employees on December 8 with a look at what the elections mean for Congress in 2015.

While results of midterm elections will be known once CEC begins, as it stands today the congressional make up could change dramatically - which could affect pending legislation of interest to NGFA members. According to a recent Gallup poll, only 20 percent of Americans said they approve of Congress' performance, which often is reflected in a high seat turnover during mid-term elections. Young's valuable insights will help attendees see how 2015 congressional changes could impact business operations.
 

Young, who represents the 9th district of Indiana, currently serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over taxes, international trade, health care, Social Security, Medicare and welfare. As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, he serves on both the Select Revenue Measures and Human Resources Subcommittees.  Previously, he served on the House Armed Services Committee and House Budget Committee.

Registration for the conference, which is open to NGFA members only, is available online. NGFA's annual CEC is the single largest gathering of country elevator operators. Each year, more than 500 industry members and another 175 trade show personnel attend the day-and-a-half conference and trade show.


Highlights from this year's conference agenda include:
Biotechnology: Matt Rekeweg, industry relations leader, Dow AgroSciences, and Chris Novak, new chief executive officer of the National Corn Growers Association, will address the compatibility of biotech innovation and access to markets.

Ag Transportation: Tom Brugman, immediate past deputy director of the Surface Transportation Board's Office of Public Assistance, and Jon Samson, executive director of the American Trucking Associations agricultural conference, will provide their views on addressing the challenges presented by rail service disruptions, capacity constraints and issues constraining efficient truck movements.

Ag Technology: Cory Reed, senior vice president, Intelligent Solutions Group, John Deere & Co.; Dr. Richard Baker, Center for Unmanned Systems & Human Capital Development, Indiana State University; and Dr. Johnny Park, research professor, Purdue University, will address technology-based advances in efficiency and productivity that will impact conference registrants and their farmer-customers.

Loss Prevention: Simon (Chip) Buckner, counsel, Bartlett Grain Co., and Jonathan Sandoz, counsel, CGB Enterprises, will relate their strategies for loss-prevention to real-world situations. 

Overview of World Grain: Dr Parry Dixon, director of economic research, Archer Daniels Midland Co., will examine trends affecting U.S. and global demand for grains and oilseeds, and distill facts in ways attendees can take home and put to use.

Enhancing Communication: Carey Bennett, director of business development, RCI Safety, will deliver practical tips that managers can use to get the most out of employees and make them feel good about it in the process.

Talent Acquisition:  Greg Duerksen, president of Kincannon & Reed, will provide a common-sense and humorous look at how companies can put their best foot forward when competing for talent.


In addition to the sessions, at no additional cost, registrants are invited to attend a Dec. 7 workshop, "New Kid on the Block - FDA Inspections of Grain Elevators," focusing on the Food and Drug Administration's expanding visits to grain handling and processing facilities. Dave Fairfield, NGFA vice president of feed services, will give an overview of the different types of FDA inspections, and provide guidance on what can be done before and during an inspection to achieve the best outcome.

Read more HERE.
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

31/10/2014: Grain farmers produced 27% less than in 2013 and face lower prices

Poor weather conditions have dramatically reduced Canada’s production of grains and oilseeds this year and resulted in a lower-quality crop, says CBC News.

At the same time, prices for wheat, corn, barley and soybeans are much lower than last year, resulting in much lower projected earnings for farmers.ii
 


Last year was a record year for wheat production, with about  37.5 million tonnes, a 38 per cent  increase from 2012. Most of the durum wheat crop was of highest quality and the sheer volume that had to be shipped caused friction with the railways.

This year, total wheat production is expected to fall 27 per cent to about 27.5 million tonnes, according to Statistics Canada.

Farmers are on track to meet or exceed historic average yields, according to Harry Brook, a crop specialist with the Alberta department of agriculture, but the grade of wheat produced will be much lower.

Quality is the issue
“It’s the quality that’s the big issue,” Brook told CBC News.
 

A snowfall and hail in September created poor conditions for farmers at a time when the wheat had to dry in preparation for harvest.

“The problem was the cool, damp conditions. When there was snow in Alberta in September it squashed the crop close to ground. And then the weather warms up and there’s water on the ground and the grain starts to germinate,” Brook said.

He said many farmers will be looking to sell their crop as feed because of the lower quality and that will hurt their income. On the other hand, it’s good news for livestock producers, who will be buying feed. They are seeing record prices for livestock.

Canola, corn and barley production is also on track to be substantially lower than last year, Statistics Canada estimated in early October. But soybean production could be up.

World prices fall
After hitting new highs in 2013, prices for canola, wheat and other crops have plunged, in part because of supplies left over from last year’s record harvest in Western Canada, according to the latest commodity report from BMO.

An oversupply of corn and soybean production worldwide has led to a 34 percent drop in corn prices and 25 percent lower soybean prices than a year ago.
 

“Sharply lower corn and soybean prices have had big knock-on effects in other crop markets where yields were not as strong. The impact has been particularly evident in the canola market, where prices are down 22 per cent year-over-year despite a lacklustre crop, as a deluge of soybeans has poured into oilseed markets,” BMO said.

Brenda Tjaden Lepp, chief market analyst for FarmLink Marketing Solutions in Winnipeg, said wheat prices have bounced off their lows of this summer, but prices are lower than normal because all commodities take direction from corn and soybean.


Read more HERE.
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

31/10/2014: drought affects more than rice farmers, sushi lovers in California

California’s deepening drought is shrinking its rice harvest, and that is bad news for farmers, migratory birds and sushi lovers, reports Japan Times.

The US$5 billion industry exports rice to more than 100 countries and specializes in premium grains used in risotto, paella and sushi. Nearly all US sushi restaurants use medium-grain rice grown in the Sacramento Valley.
 


The rice harvest is just the latest victim of California’s historic drought, which has sharply reduced crop production as it enters its fourth year. With 95 percent of the state in “severe” to “exceptional” drought, farmers are leaving fields unplanted, cattle ranchers are reducing herds and almond growers are tearing out orchards.

California, the second-largest rice-growing state in the U.S. after Arkansas, usually produces more than five million pounds (2.3 million kg) of rice and sells about half of it abroad.

But this year rice farmers only planted 420,000 acres (about 170,000 hectares) — 25 percent less than last year — because of water restrictions, according to the California Rice Commission.

On a clear October day, farmer Mike DeWit watched as a giant combine harvester cut and threshed a field of rice plants, discharging the grain into a tractor-pulled wagon.

DeWit, who usually plants 1,000 acres (about 404 hectares) of rice on his family farm in Woodland, outside Sacramento, said he only planted 700 acres (about 280 hectares) this year because his water supply was cut by 30 percent.


So he idled one of his combine harvesters, and hired one less worker and one less tractor.

“I think it’s the worst as far as the California rice industry is concerned on record,” DeWit said. “One more dry year, and I think the impacts on California rice farmers will be devastating.”

The reduced plantings also impact migratory birds and other wildlife that depend on flooded rice fields as habitat. Every fall, millions of waterfowl fly south from Canada and Alaska to spend their winters in California’s Central Valley.

After the fall harvest, farmers usually cover their fields with water to break down the rice stalks, creating a wetland habitat for millions of ducks and geese which feed on uncollected grains and other plants.

“It is environmentally a very nice crop to have in the system. It mimics the natural system of a couple hundred years ago, when that area was wetlands,” said Bruce Lindquist, a rice researcher at the University of California, Davis.

In a typical year, rice farms flood 250,000 (about 100,000 hectares) to 300,000 acres (about 120,000 hectares) in winter, but this year as little as 50,000 acres (about 20,000 hectares) may be flooded because of water restrictions, according to the rice commission.

Conservationists are worried that waterfowl and shorebirds will be at greater risk for disease as they crowd together in fewer rice fields and wetlands.


Read more HERE.
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

Interview: Volkmar Wywiol - Patron, FlourWorld Museum

Volkmar Wywiol is the owner of Mühlenchemie – a manufacturer of flour improvers – in Ahrensburg, near Hamburg, and the initiator of the FlourWorld Museum, an attraction unique of its kind in the world. In this interview Volkmar Wywiol explains what motivated him to do something out of the ordinary for the international milling community. 




What triggered the idea for the FlourWorld Museum?

Quite often it’s pure chance that intervenes in the course of our lives and inspires us to do something unexpected. In this case it was an empty flour sack from our Arab customer “Emigrain” that was washed up at my feet on the beach in Dubai in 1998. I was electrified; I took the sack to my hotel, washed it and took it back to Hamburg with me. As a good omen for our company claim, “Mühlenchemie makes good flours even better”. It was the start of an unprecedented collection of items from all the corners of the earth, but also as a mark of respect and admiration for the achievements and commitment of millers. The FlourWorld Museum now houses a remarkable “milling treasure” of over 3,000 flour sacks from 130 countries.

 

What is so fascinating about flour sacks?

These apparently mundane and commonplace bags can tell us a lot. There are endless stories hidden behind the chosen names and symbols that make the sacks real works of art. Symbols as an expression of archaic knowledge that is often no longer perceptible except to the subconscious mind. They reflect the cultural region from which they originate. And all of them demonstrate the enormous significance of flour for man, as one of the world’s most important staple foods.
Can you give us some examples of the hidden meaning of the logos on the sacks?
The sun is often depicted as a symbol of life, perhaps its most powerful symbol. Lions and other Big Cats symbolize the strength imparted by the flour. The same is true of muscular men breaking iron chains. The Mother of God in a garment of ears of corn stands for the purity of the flour. She is the field on which Jesus grows. And in the depictions of saints we can distinguish the original legend of corn as a gift of God. We find this fascination with the fundamental on nearly all the flour sacks that make up the FlourWorld Museum.

 

How did the name FlourWorld come about?

When the museum was established and opened in 2008 it was initially called the “flour art museum”. What interested us was the “art of the sack”. But in the meantime the many questions from visitors have shown us that the museum has a much broader task to fulfil.
Our aim is to emphasize the significance of flour as one of the world’s most important staple foods. At a time when the world’s population is exploding we hope to underline today’s challenges of ensuring a global supply of food as well as providing information on flour and its cultural and historical significance.

 

What are the individual goals you have set yourself?

Our goals are ambitious. What are the important growing areas for what? What do we know about the composition and quality of flours and their various baking properties, about the diversity of baked goods in the world and milling technology? But they also include:
-    Showing the significance of flour as the world’s most important food and the way it is treated and processed today;
-    Transfer of knowledge: “What is flour?”
-    Creating an awareness of global interrelationships;
-    Presenting the art of baking worldwide: “This is how the world eats and enjoys its food!”
Yes – flour is life! And that is what we are showing.

 

Where is the museum?

Mühlenchemie has its production facility in the little town of Wittenburg, about 75 kilometres east of Hamburg on the road to Berlin. The town council has provided us with a wonderful “listed” building from the year 1850 that we have converted into a museum at great expense with funds of our own. It has an exhibition area of 800 m².

 

What is the connection between the museum and Mühlenchemie as a well-known manufacturer of flour improvers?

The museum is an important expression of Mühlenchemie’s corporate culture. Besides pursuing its business targets the company attaches great importance to moral and ethical responsibility in all its activities. These two factors determine our entrepreneurial thinking and action, together with understanding, tolerance, courage, creativity and enthusiasm. In other words: with culture. The museum is a visible expression of this corporate philosophy.

 

Who are the visitors to the museum?

The visitors are interested individuals from different regions, and also school groups. But we have millers from many parts of the world, too, who combine a tour of the museum with a visit to our trial bakery and milling laboratory and take part in a training course there.
The flour sacks collected and catalogued here and examined for their cultural and artistic significance are an expression of the great, worldwide community of millers to which we all owe so much.
The FlourWorld Museum is unique and offers fascinating insights into art and culture. We have dedicated it to all the millers of the world.

October 30, 2014

30/10/2014: The consequences of GM are more about politics than science

by Tom Chivers - The Telegraph

Frankenfood or saviour of the starving? In the latest blow to the anti-GM movement, a consortium of European scientists has urged government to embrace GM food as the only way to feed the planet.
 

GM corn - fighting contaminants in corn

They're not the only ones: last year, the then Environment Secretary, Owen Paterson, made a major speech calling on the European Union to drop its barriers preventing genetically modified organisms being grown and sold in Europe.

It could, he said, be the difference between survival and starvation for millions of people around the world.


So what's the truth? (And if what follows is familiar, it's because it's based on a piece I wrote at the time of Paterson's speech - but then, the facts about GM haven't changed in that time.)

Everyone agrees that we need to get better at feeding people. Our population reached seven billion two years ago; it is predicted to level off at nine billion in the middle of this century. GM proponents suggest that it can be an important tool in our battle to feed that ever-growing number of mouths; opponents suggest that it is a distraction, and a dangerous one.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agriculture/geneticmodification/11197471/GM-food-saving-lives-or-lining-corporate-pockets.html


Read the rest of Tom's article HERE.
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

NABIM - GFMT1404


Nabim is the representative organisation for the UK flour millers and represents virtually 100 percent of the industry, which uses around 5.7 million tonnes of wheat a year to produce 4.5 million tonnes of flour.

nabim works closely with plant breeders, farmer organisations, agronomists, levy boards, research communities, grain merchants, bakers, government departments and others on a broad range of issues including wheat breeding and agronomy; food safety; training and health and safety; environmental matters; competitiveness and trade matters.

The site aims to give an overview of the milling process and raw materials; key information on pertinent issues to the industry; up-to-date statistics; information on joining our world class distance learning programme (correspondence courses); as well as links to our curriculum linked school resources.

Read more HERE.
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

30/10/2014: India ups prices for its wheat growers

The India government has raised the price it will pay to buy new-season wheat from local farmers by 3.57 percent to 1450 rupees per 100kg, encouraging the crop even though supply has exceeded demand for eight years, reports Reuters online.

 


India, the world's second-biggest wheat consumer, sets a price each year to protect domestic farmers from distress sales and to cover emergency needs. It uses the grain to sell food to the poor at low prices.

The government also raised the support price for new-season rapeseed, the main winter-sown oilseed, to 3100 rupees per 100kg from 3050 rupees a year earlier.

State governments buy oilseeds only when prices fall below the support rate and can claim reimbursements from the central government.

Imports account for nearly 60 percent of India's annual edible oil demand of 18-19 million tonnes, making it the world's biggest buyer.


Read more HERE.
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

30/10/2014: Agricultural insurance has the potential to reduce global poverty

by Gaby Ramm in Cologne and Roland Steinmann in Zurich of the Guardian Professional

Agriculture is a main source of income for rural communities in many developing countries. More than two billion people depend on smallholder farms for their livelihoods, so improving conditions for smallholders would reduce global poverty levels.ii
 

Should agricultural insurance be packaged as part of a wider disaster strategy for farmers? Photograph: Design Pics Inc/Alamy
Life for rural smallholder farmers is often marred by difficulties and there are many constraints limiting their economic potential. Challenges include uncertain weather conditions affecting harvests, insecure land ownership limiting farmers’ propensity to invest, restricted access to capital and farm inputs such as fertiliser or seeds, unfavourable trade policies and price fluctuations.

Many of these constraints are beyond the farmers control as they depend on environmental conditions, policies or market players. For example, a female farmer in a traditional rural community is unlikely to own the land she works on. She will have no collateral and, as market prices and demand are volatile and her activity is heavily exposed to natural calamities, creditors could consider her business too risky to invest in. Banks are also unlikely to lend to farmers in disaster-prone regions if the shocks might result in widespread loan defaults.

Agricultural insurance has the potential to address some of these constraints by facilitating access to means of production and changing behaviour by reducing uncertainty. Coverage can enable farmers to invest in riskier but potentially more lucrative farm activities. Timely insurance pay-outs after crop losses can help smallholders smooth consumption and prevent the sale of assets. Insurance can also be a catalyser, as lenders will be more likely to extend credit to farmers covered by insurance, allowing them to make productivity-enhancing investments.

Evidence from pilot studies suggests insurance does have an impact on farmers’ behaviour. In India, farmers covered by rainfall insurance shifted investments towards cash crops, which are more sensitive to rainfall deficit but expect higher returns. In Ghana, farmers with rainfall insurance increased their cash investments, cultivation area and labour inputs. The ultimate effect of insurance on the total value of farm outputs remains less evident though.


Read more HERE.
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

30/10/2014: Kemin discusses lipid challenges and opportunities in animal nutrition

Profitability, through the utilisation and impact of nutrients, combined with animal health, are two of the most important challenges in today’s animal production.

Kemin initiated two seminars with leading animal nutrition experts in Germany and Belgium to address these challenges and create a greater understanding of lipid nutrition. ii



“It is clearly understood that to maintain profits for swine and poultry production, the industry must increase the profitability of meat, while maintaining high animal health and meat quality standards,” said John Springate, president of the animal nutrition and health division of Kemin.

“Oils and fats are an important energy contribution that can improve profits; however, their impact is often underestimated. Through discussions with leading researchers, Kemin hopes to raise awareness for the science and strategies behind lipid nutrition.”

The seminar’s first speaker, Julian Wiseman, professor at Nottingham University, said the biological composition and nutritional value of fats and oils varies and can greatly influence animal production.

He explained that the degree of saturation, the content of free fatty acids, the chain length of constituent fatty acids and contaminants, are all factors that affect the energy value as well as the age of the animal. The Wiseman equation brings these numerous parameters together into one general equation to accurately estimate the apparent metabolizable energy (AME) of the fat. Wiseman highlighted that proper quality control plays a fundamental role in accurate feed formulation.

Furthermore, Dr Nicola Tallarico, Kemin technical service manager, discussed the importance of preventing lipid oxidation to ensure quality. To emphasise his point, Tallarico demonstrated the correlation between lipid oxidation and reduced energetic value (ME, DE).

In addition, Tallarico highlighted other negative effects of oxidation. He said that once oxidation begins, essential fatty acids, such as linoleic acid, which have the highest nutritional value and fatty soluble vitamins, will oxidize first, significantly reducing their levels.

Finally, Tallarico discussed the negative effects of damaged lipids on animal production, such as oxidative stress and reduced feed intake, while also reviewing preventive antioxidant protection strategies.

Also speaking at the event, Geert Janssens, University of Ghent professor, discussed the art of burning fat for energy. He focused on the biochemistry of fat digestion and highlighted other nutrients that play a role in fat utilization. In particular, he presented recent research on the role of amino acids.

Furthermore, Janssens described the mechanism of fat deposition in tissues and organs, such as the liver, in the case of improper lipid metabolism. In conclusion, he emphasized that keeping the right balance between nutrients like fats, sugar and amino acids can help maximize feed efficiency, manage heat stress, and avoid problems, such as fatty liver.
Providing insights on how to improve nutrition by evaluating the nutritional and quality profile of oils and fats, Dr. Mauri Di Benedetto, Kemin senior technical service manager, said the company’s Lipid Evaluation Test allows nutritionists to ensure they have accurate, reliable numbers.

According to Di Benedetto, the nutritional value of oils and fats are characterized by the ratio of unsaturated/saturated fatty acids, the level of free fatty acids, as well as the level of moisture and various impurities.

Lipids, like many raw materials, come from a wide variety of sources and are prone to large variations in their nutritive value. Traditionally, nutritionists use the standard energy value on oils and fats, which Kemin researchers have found to be quite different from the actual values. Numerous analyses have resulted in up to 30 percent variations in AME values for a single oil type.

 To provide nutritionists with accurate, reliable lipid profiles containing the AME values and the oxidative status, Kemin recently launched its Lipid Evaluation Test. This service provides nutritionists with a clear, accurate understanding of the nutritional and quality status of oils and fats in order to make informed decisions on their use, and ultimately, to optimize feed formulations and profitability.

In addition to this service, Kemin will launch a new app for smart devices at Eurotier held Nov. 11–14. The app will help to easily and quickly calculate the benefits of using LYSOFORTE® in particular customer conditions, taking into consideration raw material prices and the oil energy contribution to feed. DiBenedetto said nutritionists can work with their Kemin representative to take full advantage of these offerings.

He furthermore presented data on LYSOFORTE® Booster Dry, a natural biosurfactant that has been shown to reduce differences and enhance the utilization of energy of oils and fats. According to Benedetto, the product can lead to improved feed conversion ratios and lower production costs.

To conclude the panel, the industry specialists agreed that in today’s increasingly challenging production environment, optimising animal nutrition to improve profits is critical. They concurred that to ensure the highest quality of fats and oils for optimum production, the sources of the lipids should be known as well as the factors affecting their quality and efficacy. Additionally, oils and fats should be accurately evaluated.

During Eurotier, a synopsis of the seminars will be presented in the swine technical program on Wednesday, November 12 at 10am.

Kemin – Inspired Molecular Solutions™
Kemin (www.kemin.com) provides “inspired molecular solutions” specifically developed to provide nutrition and health benefits for humans and animals. Committed to feed and food safety, Kemin maintains top-of-the-line manufacturing facilities where approximately 500 specialty ingredients are made for the global feed and food industries as well as the health, nutrition and beauty markets. A privately held, family-owned and operated company, Kemin has nearly 2,000 employees and operates in 90 countries with manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Brazil, China, India, Italy, Singapore, South Africa and the United States.


Read more HERE.
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

Interview: Nigel Bennett, secretary, nabim

In this issue we talk to the secretary of nabim - Nigel Bennett. nabim has three principle functions to promote the flour milling industry's views to government, parliamentarians, regulators, the media and other interested bodies; to improve the understanding of the operational requirements of the flour milling sector; to provide information and advice to its members on a wide range of subjects affecting flour milling.





How old is nabim and why was it first established?

nabim was founded in 1878.  A meeting of leading millers had been called on 11 April that year with the express purpose of discussing and creating a national association.
Agreement was duly reached and the inaugural meeting of nabim was held on 27 April 1878.  The association’s main object was the advancement of common interests by legitimate means, including the collection of technical, practical and commercial information, largely related to the spread of rollermilling across Europe.

 

How important was the 1880 exhibition in London to the development of the industry and the association?

This exhibition, the first major event organised by nabim, is credited with being the catalyst in promoting the British roller revolution of 1885-95.
1891 saw Joseph Rank open, in Hull, the most advanced roller mill in Britain, and other large port mills also switched to rollermilling.  Between 1878 and 1900, it is estimated that the number of mills in Britain fell from 10,000 to 2,000.
What is the key role of the association today and does it have international role to play?
The association’s aims and objectives have not changed much since 1917,  the year of its incorporation and first articles.  To promote the interests of the UK flour milling industry by: establishing the industry’s needs and communicating them to all relevant parts of the supply chain;   anticipating, monitoring and influencing legislative and trade developments through effective relationships with policy-makers and others in London, Brussels and further afield;  advancing the highest possible standards of training and health and safety;  identifying technological needs and investing in research when best conducted on a collective basis;  promoting a positive image for the industry and its products; sourcing and supplying sound information to members on factors affecting sectoral competitiveness;  and acting as a forum for discussion on all legitimate issues affecting the industry’s competitiveness. nabim is very active within the European Flour Millers Association (EFM) and recently hosted, in Edinburgh, its biannual Congress.  We are a major presence on EFM’s Technical Committee which is of increasing importance as the European Commission seeks to regulate extensively on food safety matters.  Meanwhile, global relationships are maintained with, for example, North American wheat growers.

 

How has the UK flour milling industry changed over the years?

I suppose the key difference is in the number of milling companies.  During the first half of the twentieth century the number fell from around 2,000 to 200 (running about 500 mills).  Today there are just 30 or so milling companies in the UK, operating around 50 mills. Key milestones?  1939 – Government takes over all flour mills to achieve maximum production.  1946 – Bread rationing introduced.  1953 – Milling industry decontrolled.  1973 - UK entry into the European Union, a driver in the milling industry working with farmers and breeders to increase the amount of UK wheat that can be used for milling.  1998 – demise of Spillers Milling, one of the ‘big three’ milling companies.
Can you give us some basic statistics of the industry?
Each year, the UK flour milling industry produces around 5m tonnes of flour, from over 7m tonnes of wheat.  In the early 1970s, around 30% of the wheat used by UK millers was grown in the UK.  Nowadays, that figure is closer to 85% (though 2012 was an exception because of the worst UK harvest on record).
 

Is training a key role in the association's activities?

Not only does training feature in nabim’s aims and objectives but the industry sees nabim’s distance learning programme (the correspondence courses) as the bedrock of milling training – and has done so for a century or more. The industry provides the tutors and examiners, vital to the success of a programme that is ‘developed by millers, delivered by millers, for millers’.  The learning material is kept up-to-date;  students are provided with expert support;  and retained knowledge and understanding is assessed by formal written examination. 
How wide-ranging is that training both in terms of learning and in geographical reach?
Our training programme provides a comprehensive overview of the milling industry and process, covering everything from health and safety to quality assurance, from debranning to  bulk outloading.  Hundreds of students from around the world enrol for the courses each year.  A more ‘exclusive’ programme is the Advanced Milling Diploma, run every three years in partnership with CampdenBRI and the Buhler Training Centre in Switzerland.  nabim is also engaged in providing resources to support its member companies’ training and development in everything from practical skills to personal and management development. 
What is the future for nabim?
Bright – provided we can continue to engage with the whole industry and enjoy their commitment in terms of both finance and time.
 

What are the challenges the industry faces today?

How long have you got?
Here are four: Misinformation on the nutritional and health value of flour products.  The need to maintain sufficient supplies of milling quality wheat.  Increased regulatory intervention often based on the development of more sensitive tests to detect contaminants in food. Competitive pressures in the multiple retail sector with implications for its supply chain. 

30/10/2014: Does wheat make us fat and sick?

by Fred J.P.H. Brouns, and Vincent J. van Buula of Maastricht University, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Human Biology, Health Food Innovation Management, The Netherlands and Peter R. Shewry of Rothamsted Research, Plant Biology and Crop Science, West Common, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom in the Journal of Cereal Science
 
  1. After fat and fructose, it is now suggested that wheat is a main cause for obesity.
  2. Whole-wheat consumption is discouraged by current (non-peer reviewed) publications
  3. We make recommendations on the basis of scientific consensus rather than speculation
  4. No data justifies a negative opinion about whole-wheat products in a healthy population
  5. Gluten-sensitive individuals can benefit from a diet without gluten from wheat
After earlier debates on the role of fat, high fructose corn syrup and added sugar in the aetiology of obesity, it has recently been suggested that wheat consumption is involved.

Suggestions have been made that wheat consumption has adverse effects on health by mechanisms related to addiction and overeating.

We discuss these arguments and conclude that they cannot be substantiated. Moreover, we conclude that assigning the cause of obesity to one specific type of food or food component, rather than over consumption and inactive lifestyle in general, is not correct.

In fact, foods containing whole-wheat, which have been prepared in customary ways (such as baked or extruded), and eaten in recommended amounts, have been associated with significant reductions in risks for type 2 diabetes, heart disease and a more favourable long term weight management.

Nevertheless, individuals that have a genetic predisposition for developing celiac disease, or who are sensitive or allergic to wheat proteins, will benefit from avoiding wheat and other cereals that contain proteins related to gluten, including primitive wheat species (einkorn, emmer, spelt) and varieties, rye and barley.

It is therefore important for these individuals that the food industry should develop a much wider spectrum of foods, based on crops that do not contain proteins related to gluten, such as teff, amaranth, oat, quinoa, and chia. Based on the available evidence, we conclude that whole-wheat consumption cannot be linked to increased prevalence of obesity in the general population.~
 



Copyright Clearance Centre Inc
Journal of Cereal Science
Volume 58, Issue 2, September 2013, Pages 209–215


Read more HERE.
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

October 29, 2014

MONDI - GFMT 1404




The Group’s key operations are located in central Europe, Russia and South Africa and as at the end of 2011, Mondi employed 23,400 people across 28 countries worldwide.

Read more HERE.
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

29/10/2014: Cereal farmers fight mines for their food production land

99 conditions imposed on Rex Minerals, may not be enough to stop it from undertaking open-cut mining for copper, gold, iron ore and uranium in a large area of South Australia's York Peninsula is threatening traditional wheat and cereal farmers.
 
Glorious fields of what and cereal right down to the coast line in South Australia's York Peninsula

This is the region west of Adelaide that has been farmed by generations of cereal farmers, who have turned a hostile environment in to one of the most productive grain growing regions over several generations. Now it threatens to be dug over up to 2.5km wide and more than a km long and to the depth of 400-plus metres.

If you want to read a heart-renching story of mineral exploration verses traditional food production in one of our global 'food baskets' then look no further than the Guardian's feature on the families who are fighting to save their cropping land and their heritage against the miners!


Will food production be over-powered by big business when we all know cereals are vital in today's world when populations are expanding and where wheat accounts for every seventh calorie we consume today? Comment to show your support for making the right decision that supports grain growing!

Read more HERE.
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

29/10/2014: GlobalG.A.P. presents innovations at Summit 2014 in Abu Dhabi, UAE

GlobalG.A.P., a leading global farm assurance system for Good Agricultural Practices, held the Summit 2014 - its 12th GlobalG.A.P. Conference - in Abu Dhabi from 27-29 October 2014 at the Hotel Jumeirah at Etihad Towers.
 


Experts from more than 50 countries are attending this important event, which is under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority.

At this occasion, the GlobalG.A.P. Board plans to introduce several certification innovations that address the need for continuous improvement in Good Agricultural Practices.

Delegates will discuss the proposed new additions and modifications to be put forward for public consultation during the revision process of the upcoming Version 5 of the GlobalG.A.P. Integrated Farm Assurance Standard.

These include the added microbial risk assessment criteria for fruit and vegetable production, and enhanced environmental sustainability criteria for livestock and aquaculture production.

Group Certification for smallholder farmers will now include a feature to cover contract growing. The introduction of the New Crops for Processing Standard addresses the particular needs of the food processing industry to facilitate the adoption of farm assurance certification in their production processes.


The new GlobalG.A.P.’s Chain of Custody Version 5 sharpens transparency and control mechanisms at both input and output channels at every stage of the supply chain.

Within this framework, GlobalG.A.P. seeks to intensify partnerships with other standards along the supply chain, including compound feed.

The GlobalG.A.P. Summit 2014 includes the G.A.P. Awards Ceremony, where four producers will receive recognition for their high level of commitment to implementing GlobalG.A.P. principles on their farms.

This edition of the GlobalG.A.P. conference also features the first-ever National Technical Working Group Award.

Representatives of NTWG Argentina, this year’s winner, will also be honoured at a special ceremony.
 

As a member-driven organisation, 29 members that are attending the Summit will be honoured for their long-standing commitment and dedication in support of GlobalG.A.P.’s mission for safe and sustainable agriculture.

A special ceremony was held on 28 October to honour 100 Abu Dhabi farmers who have achieved GlobalG.A.P. Certification with the support and training of the Abu Dhabi Farmers’ Services Centre (ADFSC).


Read more HERE.
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

29/10/2014: Sustainability Summit - Why Sustainability Matters to the Animal Agriculture Industry at 2015 IPPE

The seventh annual Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit will be held during the 2015 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Ga. Sponsored by US Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY).

This timely program will provide viewpoints from industry and agriculture experts on sustainability and why it matters to the animal agriculture industry, as well as how to communicate efforts to consumers, suppliers and industry stakeholders. 


The half-day program is US$100 for all registered Expo attendees.

This year's Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit will include a presentation by Dr Marty Matlock, professor, Department of Biological and Agriculture Engineering, University of Arkansas, on Sustainable Agriculture – What Is It and Why Do We Need It?

Dr Hongwei Xin, professor, Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, will review Advancements of the US Egg Industry Over the Past 50 Years.

Jamie Burr, environmental stewardship manager, Tyson Foods, will discuss the National Pork Board’s Pig Production Environmental Footprint Calendar – Lessons Learned.

The Summit will conclude with a ceremony to recognise and present honours to winners of USPOULTRY’s 2015 Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award.

The IPPE, the world's largest annual poultry, feed and meat industry trade show, will be held January 27-29, 2015 while the Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit is scheduled for Tuesday, January 27, 2015 in
Room A-411 from 9am – 12pm

Read more HERE.
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

29/10/2014: We can't continue with what we are doing 2014 International Rice Congress told

A senior scientist and rice breeder for over 20 years of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los, Banos, Laguna, batted for Filipino farmers’ use of science in farming.

Dr Glenn Gregorio, deputy head of IRRI’s Plant Breeding, Genetics and Biotechnology Division, made the pitch here at the 2014 International Rice Congress, still only the fourth time it is being conducted and runs through until October 30, 2014 in Bangkok.
 
Dr. Robert “Bob” Zeigler is alon on the program over the next few days in Bangkok. He is an internationally respected plant pathologist with more than 30 years of experience in agricultural research in the developing world. He is the director general of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

The road toward global food security is not without challenges. The population will balloon to 9 billion in 2050.

The signs of climate change have never been so real—frequent floods, droughts, and storm surges. Storm surges make farmland in coastal areas too salty for most crops to grow. Also, pathogens and pests evolve. Therefore, a rice variety may lose its resistance to new strains of pathogens or insects.
 


“With so many challenges that we are facing now, we can’t just continue with what we are doing,” said Eero Nissilä, head of the IRRI Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology Division at the International Rice Research Institute.

“There need to be changes in the way we do breeding at IRRI.”

IRRI plant breeder Bert Collard agrees.

“A revolution in rice breeding is what we need now,” Dr Collard said.

“Not much has changed for the last 50 years. The methods used today in Asia are generally the same as the ones used in the 1960s-1970s. More importantly, the rate of yield increase or genetic gain for irrigated varieties is less than 1% per year.”

Dr Nissilä and his team are now restructuring IRRI’s entire breeding operations.

Transforming Rice Breeding, a project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is one important component of this new breeding factory, which focuses on irrigated rice. IRRI is aiming to double the rate of genetic gains—the increase in crop performance that is achieved through genetic improvement programs per unit time of breeding—or even make it higher (more than 2%).

“To make breeding more efficient, we need to change how we organize our breeding operations,” 


Dr Nissilä said. “We need to restructure the overall breeding pipeline.” (With report from Rice Today)

Read more HERE.
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

October 28, 2014

LAMBTON - GFMT1404

Family owned since 1965, Lambton Conveyor Limited is a multinational manufacturer of grain, storage, material handling, drying and feed equipment. We provide an ever expanding line of innovative and practical products. 

Products include: bucket elevators, chain conveyors, tube conveyors, screw conveyors, flow system accessories, grain bins, bin unloads, bin dryers, gravity screen cleaners, pellet mills, hammer mills, mixers, coolers, crumblers and custom fabrications. Almost all of the equipment produced by Lambton Conveyor is fabricated using galvanized steel. The galvanized coating ensures a long service life and a low maintenance finish. Most products are also available in stainless steel and painted mild steel upon request or depending on the application. 

Lambton equipment can be seen around the world in varying environments and applications. The modular design of our equipment provides our customers with flexibility and assembly efficiencies. From the local farmer to the commercial processor we have a reputation for providing high quality and cost effective equipment.

Read more HERE.
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

28/10/2014: Rice Processing book published

The comprehensive guide to global Technology and Innovative Products
 

Rice Processing is the new standard handbook for the rice milling industry and related professions. 

http://www.erling-verlag.com/en/Food/Books/Rice-Processing.html


Leading experts from science and industry around the world have teamed up to gather the latest research and pooled their state-of-the-art expertise on rice, rice milling and rice-based value added products. The book is technically profound, yet easy to read for both professionals and those new to the field. 

The book contains introductions into agriculture, morphology and trade. It gives detailed information on drying, cooling, storage, parboiling and milling. Additional chapters deal with issues from rice quality and food safety to value-added rice-based products.

The following authors have contributed to this unique compilation of rice know-how:

  • Professor Apichart Vanavichit
  • Robert and Jean-Pierre Brun
  • Thomas Laxhuber
  • Ralph E. Kolb
  • Dr Claus M. Braunbeck
  • Salvatore Appiani
  • Dr Ye Aung
  • Benedict Deefholts
  • Dr Gabriel Hamid
  • Professor Terry Siebenmorgen
  • Sarah Lanning
  • Dr Werner F. Nader and his team
  • Eleanor Ye Min
  • Anil Kumar Mittal
  • Professor Takasuke IshitaniI
  • Professor Ken’ichi Ohtsubo
  • Vichai Sriprasert
  • Professor Onanong Naivikul
  • Patcharee Tungtrakul
  • Dr Sirichai Songsermpong
  • Pravit Santiwattana
  • Vincent Weyne
  • Joachim Sontag                           
Read more HERE
GFMT1406
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

28/10/2014: Move to ban pesticides ‘a threat to UK food security’

Scientists at the James Hutton Institute have cast doubt on the wisdom and the benefit of the European Union’s aim to restrict the use of a range of pesticides. 

http://www.hutton.ac.uk

They have voiced this view in response to a report commissioned by the National Farmers' Union (NFU), the Crop Protection Association (CPA) and the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) on the impact of the proposed blacklisting of up to 40 chemicals. The report cautions that such a ban will lead to an overall drop in farming income of UK£1.7 billion, up to 50 percent yield loss in some crops and serious threats to the viability of crops such as peas, carrots and apples in the UK.

In 2009 the European Parliament voted for stricter controls on pesticide use and to ban numerous chemicals deemed harmful to human health.  

However, according to Professor Ian Toth, Controlling Weeds, Pests and Diseases research theme leader at the James Hutton Institute, seeking to ban pesticides based on ‘hazard’ rather than ‘risk’ means that a chemical would be banned even if it was deemed to be hazardous only at levels many times higher than would be used in practice. 

Professor Toth asks: “How many medicines would be lost if the same criteria were applied, and would people accept a similar ban? We all live with risk on a daily basis and we need to keep this in mind when considering the ways we produce our food; food that we have taken for granted for so many years.”

One of the biggest issues arising from moves away from pesticides that are in common use is the impact on agricultural output, and from there to the additional amount of food the UK would need to import to make up for lower yields. 


“We currently import just under 50 percent of our food into the UK and crop yield reductions due to reduced use of pesticides will almost certainly increase that reliance in future. Ironically, many of the crops that we import from countries outside the EU will have been produced using the very chemicals the EU has targeted for reduction,” said Professor Toth.

Dr David Cooke, also of the James Hutton Institute, has identified a further downside of the impending changes.  


“The agricultural industry uses pesticides out of necessity and if some products are banned others will be used in their place. The same amount of a more limited repertoire of products is thus applied. This loss of active ingredients increases the risk of pest resistance towards those remaining.”

Researchers at the James Hutton Institute have been working on ways to tackle crop pests and pathogens that will reduce reliance on pesticides. They now have a number of methods in the pipeline, including better targeting of chemical applications, resistant crops and biocontrol through integrated pest management (IPM). 


However, according to Professor Toth, “There’s no way we can replace the use of many important pesticides in the short period proposed by the EU. While we all want to protect people, animals and the environment, we also need food and have to be pragmatic about how that food is produced. Looking to reduce pesticide use is an important way forward but we do also need to be careful not to remove the very tools that for decades have been essential for producing our food before viable alternatives become available.”

The James Hutton Institute’s experts believe the way forward should be to keep working to find viable alternatives to the pesticides earmarked for reduction. This would necessarily include the development of new, safer and more environmentally friendly pesticides, continuing efforts to develop new methods.  


They are asking if time may be ripe for Europe to reconsider the use of biotechnological approaches. 

Scientific evidence suggests that these have significantly less, if not zero, impact on the environment and human health, and, have already led to a nine percent reduction in pesticide usage worldwide. It may be that biotechnological approaches to crop production are the only real alternative to pesticides in the short term if crop yields, food security and the low food prices that we currently enjoy are to be maintained.

Read more HERE
GFMT1406
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com