IGP to hold milling courses
Kansas State University’s International Grains Program is again offering a pair of courses designed to provide additional training to milling professionals and other end-users of Kansas-grown products. The basic and advanced milling principles courses are each a week long and are designed for different segments of industry professionals, but overall focus on key milling principles.
Kansas wheat farmers are a key supporter of the International Grains Program and its educational efforts, through the two-cent per bushel wheat checkoff. Justin Gilpin, Kansas Wheat CEO, says that partnership has been in existence for quite some time.
“Kansas farmers and IGP first partnered more than 30 years ago. Their efforts to aid in the marketing of wheat grown in the world’s breadbasket have always been greatly appreciated. These courses continue to be a great opportunity for customers both here and abroad to enhance their knowledge base of milling operations and efficiency.”
That additional knowledge can encourage sales of U.S. grown wheat and help foster relationships with buyers.
“The more knowledgeable our customers are, the better they can use the quality wheats our farmers produce. There’s also a real advantage to bringing these customers to the U.S. and specifically to Kansas, because it allows us to interact with them on a regular basis and for them to see the investments Kansas farmers are making in wheat research,” Gilpin said.
Those research investments can be viewed firsthand by participants at the year-old Kansas Wheat Innovation Center, located adjacent to the International Grains Program Conference Center and Hal Ross Flour Mill.
Both courses are structured to have in class presentations from industry professionals and contain hands-on milling practicals in the Hal Ross Flour Mill. Participants will have the opportunity to test their knowledge in the teaching facility and take part in practical milling exercises.
“These courses are focused on the principles of wheat milling and the impact of wheat class and quality on the milling process,” Mark Fowler, IGP associate director and course coordinator, says. “They also cover the advantages of proper wheat conditioning and flour blending.”
The Basic Milling Principles course is scheduled for June 3-6, 2014, and will dive into the practical side of milling to give participants a better understanding of how their roles impact production. It introduces participants to wheat cleaning, conditioning and milling, as well as, the role of quality in the milling process. Milling engineers, operation managers and production managers will find benefit in this course as no prior milling experience is required to attend.
The Advanced Milling Principles course is scheduled for June 10-13, 2014, and is designed for participants with more milling experience and a desire to gain additional theoretical knowledge. It allows participants to take a deeper look at analysis of flow sheets, mill balance and product distribution, among other topics. Anyone with a theoretical milling background including milling engineers, operation managers, production managers, head millers and shift millers are encouraged to attend.
K-State’s Department of Grain Science has a unique range of faculty and researcher expertise in flour milling, feed milling and bakery science. Each of these areas of expertise is available to industry members through short courses on campus in Manhattan.
For more information about the International Grains Program, visit www.grains.k-state.edu/igp.