Northern Crops Institute
Connecting in the Global Marketplace
Northern Crops Institute
Bolley Drive
North Dakota State University
Fargo, ND, USA 58105
Phone: 701-231-7736
Fax: 701-231-7235
Email: nci@ndsu.edu
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July 1, 2008 -- ND Congressman Earl Pomeroy (center) held a press conference at NCI to highlight tax relief for retired farmers and landowners who receive Conservation Reserve Program payments. He was joined by Allen Orwick, (left), a ND accountant with extensive experience in agriculture taxes, and Robert Carlson, (right), president of ND Farmers Union. In 2003, the IRS stated that CRP payments to retired farmers were subject to self-employment taxes, which Pomeroy argued is misguided. Historically CRP payments were treated as rental property, not self-employment income. When IRS refused to reverse course, Pomeroy secured relief for retired farmers when his bill to provide tax fairness for CRP payments was included in the Farm Bill that became law earlier this month. | |
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June 30, 2008 -- A five-member South African Crop Assessment Team is at NCI to assess the current status of the hard red spring crop. The team represents senior management from Pioneer Foods, Premier Foods, Tiger Brands and Ruto Mills, four of South Africa's largest milling groups. They are accompanied by Jim McKenna, (front row, center), milling consultant to US Wheat Associates, Cape Town. They are hosted by Erica Peterson, (front row, second from left), ND Wheat Commission Marketing Specialist. Team members will receive detailed reports on the global supply of wheat, the 2008 U.S. spring wheat crop situation, attend a purchasing strategy seminar, meet with wheat breeders and researchers, and receive additional information on how hard red spring wheat can be utilized as a blending wheat in their specific market dynamics. The team will also tour the Maple River Grain Elevator in Casselton and visit a local farm. South Africa imports an average of 2.6 million bushels of hard red spring wheat from the U.S. each year. Total U.S. wheat exports to South Africa were up substantially this past year to 18.4 million bushels. |
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June 23-24, 2008 -- The Reorganizational Meetings for the Northern Crops Council (NCC) and Industry Advisory Board (IAB) were held at NCI Monday and Tuesday. By unanimous vote, the seventeen-member Northern Crops Council re-elected Laird Larson, Clark, S.D., (middle photo - right) to a second term as Chair. Larson represents the SD Wheat Commission. Also by unanimous vote, Dan Wiltse, Lisbon, N.D., was re-elected to his second term as Vice Chair. Wiltse represents the ND Oilseed Council. Both men are serving in their second three-year terms on the NCC. Vance Taylor, ND Mill, Grand Forks, N.D., was re-appointed for a second term to the NCC, where he holds one of the processor seats. New producer members of the NCC are Arlo Skari, Chester, Mont., representing the Montana Wheat and Barley Commission, and Kevin Skunes, Arthur, N.D., representing the ND Corn Utilization Council. Brian Sorenson, (middle photo - left), NCI Director, recognized Brian Kaae, (middle photo - center), Dagmar, Mont., for his eight years of service to the NCC. Kaae represented the Montana Wheat and Barley Commission. At the Industry Advisory Board meeting, John McLean, Cargill, West Fargo, N.D., was re-relected to a second term as chair. Mike Gray, Kellogg's, Battle Creek, MI, joined the 30-member IAB this year. |
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| June 16, 2008 -- Sixteen participants are attending the Distiller's Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS): Nutrition, Use and Feed Manufacturing Short course at NCI this week. They are from Mexico, Guatamala, and Costa Rica. They are escorted by Patricia Esqueda, (second row, far right), Assistant Director, USGC, Mexico. Speakers for the course are: Dr. Greg Lardy, NDSU; Dr. Sally Noll, UMN; Dr. Mark Whitney, UMN; Dr. Kim Koch, NCI; Dr. Chris Schauer, NDSU-Hettinger; and Jennifer Leupp, NDSU. Later this week, the group will travel to SDSU, Brookings, where they will tour the SDSU Dairy Unit and attend seminars led by SDSU Dairy Science faculty. They will also visit POET Nutrition, Sioux Falls, SD, Turner County Dairy, Parker, SD, and Bones Feed Yard, Parker, SD. |  |
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June 16, 2008 -- The Taiwanese Flour Millers Healthy Foods Study Team is at NCI to learn more about the value of purchasing U.S. wheat to produce high quality, healthy foods. The team represents Uni-President Enterprises, Lien Hwa Flour Mill, and Chia Fah Flour Mill, three of Taiwan's leading mills, in addition to the former Chief of Nutrition from Taiwan's Department of Health. The team is escorted by Ron Lu, (left), Country Director for U.S. Wheat Associates, Taiwan. Erica Peterson, ND Wheat Commission, (center right), is coordinating the visit. During the team's visit, presentations on whole grain foods, flour fortification, and baking demonstrations will illustrate how U.S. spring wheat can be used in products in the growing healthier foods market in Taiwan. They will also tour the ND Mill, Grand Forks, and visit the Bruce Hagen farm, Ayr, ND. | |
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| May 29-June 9, 2008 -- Dr. Kim Koch, NCI Feed Production Manager, addresses the 16th Annual ASAIM Southeast Asian Food Technology and Nutrition Workshop in Singapore (in left photo). The meeting was sponsored by the American Soybean Association and the U.S. Grains Council. In right-hand picture, Koch (third from right) is at the Gold Coin Feedmill in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Koch is traveling to several cities in Southeast Asia for presentations. | ||
May 12, 2008 -- Fourteen participants from eight nations are at the Northern Crops Institute for the 2008 Advanced Grain Procurement Strategies short course. The week-long course runs from May 12-16. Participants are from Brazil, Italy, Monaco, Nigeria, South Africa, Trinidad, USA, and Venezuela. They will spend the week learning about risk management, trading strategies, using options in grain procurement decisions, and do options trading exercises. They will also tour the Alton Grain Terminal, a shuttle train facility at Hillsboro, N.D. |
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May 8, 2008 -- A five-member Technical Team from Japan is at NCI to learn more about the region's wheat crops and agriculture. The team represents four flour mills in Japan and is accompanied by Mr. Wataru Utsunomiya, Director of U.S. Wheat Associates' Tokyo Office, (second from right). The team will hear presentations by Erica Peterson, ND Wheat Commission, on HRS and durum supply and demand; and updates on biotechnology and pesticide issues by NDWC staff. Dr. Elias Elias will give an overview on the NDSU Durum Breeding Program; Dr. Frank Manthey willl present data on durum varieties and quality comparisons; Dr. Mohamed Moregoum, will give an overview on the NDSU HRS Breeding Program; and Brent Hinsz will present data on HRS varieties and quality comparisons. On Friday, they will tour the ND State Mill and visit with Vance Taylor, the mill's president and general manager. | |
| May 6, 2008 -- A Group Study Exchange Team from Sweden visited the NCI. The team is part of an educational program of The Rotary Foundation wherein Rotary districts in different countries are paired to send and receive professional study groups to travel for four to six weeks, staying in the homes of Rotarians when possible. The program is designed to develop professional and leadership skills among young adults so that they can address the needs of their communities and an increasingly global workplace. At NCI, the Swedish team learned more about NCI's mission, agriculture and the culture of the region. |  |
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April 28, 2008 -- Thirteen participants from India and Pakistan are attending the Dairy Feed Manufacturing Technology Short Course at NCI this week. The course runs through May 2. They are sponsored by the U.S. Soybean Export Council and the American Soybean Association. The team is escorted by Ajay Bhoyar, U.S. Soybean Export Council, India, and R. Shahnawaz Janjua, U.S. Soybean Export Council, Pakistan. Speakers include Dr. J.W. Schroeder, Dan Schimek, and Dr. Greg Lardy, NDSU Animal Science Department; Dr. Latif Lighari, and Dr. Vikram Mistry, SDSU Dairy Science Department; Dr. Alavaro Garcia, SDSU Dairy Unit and Processing Center; and Dr. Kim Koch, Manager of NCI's Feed Production Center. The group will tour several dairy farms and processing centers including the Qual Dairy, Lisbon, N.D.; Five Star Dairy, Milnor, N.D.; S.D. Soy Processors, Volga, S.D.; and Lone Tree Dairy, Volga, S.D. |
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April 22-27, 2008 -- Dr. Mehmet Tulbek, NCI Pulse and Oilseed Specialist, presented at the Mixolab R&D Point of View for Millers and Bakers Workshop at ICC Bosphorus Conference in Istanbul, Turkey. The participants were trained on Mixolab equipment, test procedures, data interpretation, use of Mixolab by millers and bakers, and evaluation of bug damage in wheat flour. The meeting was co-sponsored by Chopin Company. | |
April 22, 2008 -- Participants from Canada, Japan and the U.S. are attending the DDGS & Pellet Manufacturing Workshop at the Northern Crops Institute’s (NCI) Feed Production Center. The two-day course runs through April 23. Dr. Kim Koch, (center), manager of the NCI Feed Production Center, coordinates the course. Additional instructors include: Dr. Vern Anderson, NDSU Research Extension Center, Carrington, N.D.; and Kurt Johnsen, Technician, NCI Feed Production Center. The course is co-sponsored by the American Feed Industry Association. This course highlights pelleting of distillers grains alone and in combination with complementary ingredients. Workshop participants will spend a considerable time in hands-on pellet production. |
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April 15, 2008 -- Twenty-four U.S. pasta manufacturers are making pasta this week at Northern Crops Institute (NCI) while they attend the Pasta Production and Technology Short Course, which runs from April 15 to 17. Through pilot-scale processing, the course participants are able to apply what they learn in the lectures to the pasta manufacturing process, from extrusion to drying. Brian Sorenson, NCI Director and an instructor in the course says, “Pasta is a very exciting segment of the food industry right now. There is a lot of interest not only in traditional pasta, but also in different types of pasta products such as fresh and frozen pasta, and in incorporating non-traditional ingredients such as flax, peas, lentils, whole wheat and other grains into pasta.” Course participants will also tour Conte Luna Foods, Grand Forks, N.D., a division of Philadelphia Macaroni. |
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March 27, 2008 -- At a press conference at NCI, Lt. Gov. Jack Dalrymple and members of a North Dakota trade delegation to Seoul, Korea announced that they are expanding existing business ties and gaining new customers in this rapidly growing market. The mission departed on March 21 and returned March 27. Dalrymple led the 25-member delegation of North Dakota companies and state university officials on the mission, in coordination with the North Dakota Trade Office. |
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March 24, 2008 -- Thirteen participants from the USA, Canada, and Colombia are attending the Flaxseed: Adding Food Value Short Course, sponsored by Northern Crops Institute March 24-26. The course is held in conjunction with the 62nd Annual International Flax Institute, March 27-28 in Fargo. Topics in the course highlight nutritional benefits of flaxseed, flaxseed quality, milling of flaxseed, shelf life stability, utilization of milled flaxseed in bread (pan, hearth, pita, tortilla and chapatti), pasta, noodles and extruded snack products, and sensory properties of flaxseed in food systems. Participants also gain hands-on experience in NCI’s grain grading, analytical, baking and processing laboratories. |
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January 28-31, 2008 -- Dr. Mehmet Tulbek, NCI Pulse and Oilseed Specialist, traveled to Thailand to present a series of technical presentations during the Pea Flour Milling Techniques Short Course, sponsored by USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council (USADPLC), January 28-31, 2008. “Southeast Asia is a growing market for U.S. dry peas, primarily for extrud-ed snacks and fried peas. The quality of milled pea flour is essential for the end product attributes, which we extensive-ly elaborated during the program,” Tulbek says. |
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January 1, 2008 -- Brian Sorenson has been named the new Director of Northern Crops Institute. “I am extremely excited to be selected as the new NCI director and I look forward to working with our partners in industry to promote the crops from our region," Sorenson says. Sorenson has been NCI's technical director for the last six years. He also has been a North Dakota State University Extension Service wheat quality specialist since 2000. He replaces Dr. Patricia Berglund, who retired in early December. |
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October 16, 2007 -- NCI opens its first short course on distillers grains today. Participants are from five countries--Canada, India, Israel, South Africa, and the US. The course highlights the by-products that are generated from making corn-based ethanol. Physical characteristics of the by-products as well as the nutritional value and feeding of distillers grains to different species of animals will be discussed. Other topics include transporting, storage, handling, and feed manufacturing. The group will also tour animal feeding and ethanol facilities in the region. |
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| September 17, 2007 -- The 2007 Grain Procurement for Importers Short Course kicked off today at Northern Crops Institute, with a group of 26 participants from 16 countries attending. Participants are from China, Colombia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Morocco, Philippines, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, and the US. The course continues through Sept. 26. |  |
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September 14, 2007 -- Susan Geib, (at front of Auditorium), North Dakota Trade Office, addresses trade delegations from Indonsia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, who are participating in the Southeast Asia Reverse Trade Mission. Northern Crops Institute hosted the group for a morning session on Northern Food Grade Soybeans. The group will also visit area farms and tour local processing plants, including SunOpta, Richland Organic, Brushvale Seed, Buchholz Seed, Peterson Farms Seed, Unity Seed, and Sinner Brothers & Bresnahan. The group will also attend the Midwest Specialty Grains Conference in Fargo. | |
| September 11, 2007 -- Northern Crops Institute is offering a new course, "Exploring Whole Grain Foods," which begins today. Participants are from a variety of food processing and milling companies in the U.S. and Trinidad. Speakers include: Dr. Gary Fulcher, University of Manitoba; Dr. Charlene Hall, NDSU; Tim McDougall, Buhler; Heinz Baecker, Codema; David Jaworski, Fitzpatrick Company; Marcia Scheideman, Wheat Foods Council; Gerry Hertzel, Wenger Manufacturing; Dr. Christine Fastnaught, Phoenix AGRI Research; Dr. Joel Dick, Roman Meal Milling; Robert Majkrzak, Red River Commodities; Aaron Skyberg, SK Food International; Dr. Pat Berglund, NCI Director; Brian Sorenson, NCI Technical Director, Bonnie Jacobson, NCI Food Technologist; and Rilie Morgan, NCI Processing Technician. |  |
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September 10, 2007 -- Staff from six U.S. Wheat Associates international offices visited Northern Crops Institute to learn more about NCI operations in order to understand how to better assist their customers who come to NCI courses. The group also learned about North Dakota agriculture, wheat production and wheat breeding, and toured NCI and NDSU laboratories. They also toured a country elevator and farm near Ayr, N.D. The group represented the U.S. Wheat Associates offices in Singpore, Beijing, Santiago, Cairo, Cape Town, and Washington, DC. They were hosted by the North Dakota Wheat Commission and escorted by Erika Peterson and Jim Peterson. |
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| September 4, 2007 -- Over 70 farmers and business entrepeneurs from Norway toured Northern Crops Institute. The group was escorted by Carol Juven, Juven Tours and Travel, Fargo. NCI Director Pat Berglund and Assistant Director John Crabtree led the group on tours of NCI and explained its operations and mission to promote the crops grown in the northern tier of the U.S. |  |
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August 27, 2007 -- Five participants from India and Kenya are at Northern Crops Institute to learn more about baking with soy. The Baking with Soy short course runs from August 27-31. The course is sponsored by the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council (MSRPC) and the USDA Cochran Fellowship Program in conjunction with WISHH, the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health. This is the second course on baking with soy that Minnesota Soybean Council has sponsored this year. The hands-on laboratory course is taught by Dr. Clyde Stauffer, (second row, far left), Technical Foods Consultants, Cincinnati, Ohio, an expert in enhancing baked products with soy. Bonnie Jacobson, (second row, second from right), NCI Food Technologist and baking specialist, also lectures in the course. The group was accompanied by Virgil Miedema,(back row, far left), Director, American Soybean Association - New Delhi. |
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| August 27, 2007 -- A team from GRUMA, the single largest and most influential wheat buyer in Mexico, is at NCI to receive an overview of the quality charactertistics of U.S. hard red spring wheat. The team is accompanied by Steve Wirsching, (left), Assistant Regional Director, U.S. Wheat Associates, Mexico. Erica Peterson, (second from right), Marketing Specialist for N.D. Wheat Commission is coordinating the meeting. The team will meet with Dr. Pat Berglund, NCI Director; Brian Sorenson, NDSU Wheat Quality Specialist and NCI Technical Director; Dr. Senay Simsek, NDSU HRS Quality Specialist; Kelly McMonagle, NDSU Wheat Quality Lab; and Dr. William Wilson, NDSU. They will also visit Reynolds (N.D.) United Co-op Elevator and have a conference call discussion with Brian Fadness, Horizon Resources, Williston, N.D. |  |
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August 14, 2007 -- Overseas quality assurance managers met at NCI with U.S. Wheat Associates (USW), cereal scientists, and other industry leaders to discuss results from the 2006/07 HRS Overseas Varietal Analysis(OVA) program. USW initiated OVA in 1998 as an allied effort between state wheat commissions, public and private U.S. wheat breeders, regional Wheat Quality Councils, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and overseas milling wheat buyers to identify desirable and undesirable quality characteristics in new varieties. Representative samples of promising varieties from each U.S. wheat class are distributed to key import customers for grading, milling, rheology (dough and gluten strength) and end-product evaluation analysis. Among the countries reporting were Japan, Korea, China, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia, Spain, Italy, UK, and UAE. | |
| August 13, 2007 -- A twenty-member Feed Team from China spent a day in the region learning more about northern-grown crops and its feed industry. The team was sponsored by the USSEC, USB, USDA/FAS, North Dakota Soybean Council and Minnesota Research and Promotion Council. In addition to touring Northern Crops Institute, the group went to the NCI Feed Production Center, Hubbard Feed Mill, Grandin, N.D.; Alton Grain Terminal in Hillsboro, N.D.; SB&B Foods, Casselton, N.D.; SB&B Feedyard, Casselton, N.D.; and the farm of Claude Richard, a member of the Northern Crops Council. |  |
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August 6, 2007 -- Eight representatives of the South Korean milling and food processing industries are at NCI this week to learn more about manufacturing traditional pasta. The group is sponsored by U.S. Wheat Associates. They are escorted by Dr. Woojoon Park, senior technical marketing specialist for U.S. Wheat Seoul (second row, second from right). A South Korean group also attended a pasta-related course at NCI in 2006. This year's course includes sessions on: durum wheat varieties, quality characteristics, wheat and pasta quality evaluation and assurance, commercial pasta processing, and functional and nonfunctional pasta ingredients. Later this week, they will tour area supermarkets, Carrington Research Extension Center, and Dakota Growers Pasta Company in Carrington, N.D. | |
| July 18, 2007 -- Lots of activity is happening in the Baking Laboratory at Northern Crops Institute. Twelve participants from Egypt, Jordan, Oman, and Pakistan are learning more about enhancing their bakery products with soy. The week-long course is taught by Clyde Stauffer, Technical Foods Consultants, Cincinnati, OH. The group toured Pan-O-Gold Baking Company, Fargo, hosted by Cliff Sheely. At the conclusion of the course, they will travel to Mankato and tour the CHS plant. Sponsors of the course are the U.S. Soybean Export Council and the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council. |  |
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July 11, 2007 -- Ten students toured Northern Crops Institute as part of the Combine to Kitchen Tours. The tour is sponsored by USDA, through wheat and barley Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP) Grants. Dr. Bill Berzonsky, NDSU Associate Professor of Plant Sciences, escorted the group. They also toured Roman Meal Milling in Fargo and ND State Mill at Grand Forks, ND. The event is aimed at stimulating interest in agricultural careers among college students. | |
| June 11, 2007 -- A four-member Technical Team from flour mills in Japan is at Northern Crops Institute to learn more about the region's HRS and durum wheat. At NCI, the team is hosted by Dr. Pat Berglund, NCI Director. The team is sponsored by U.S. Wheat Associates and North Dakota Wheat Commission. Wataru "Charlie" Utsunomiya, USW Tokyo Country Director, escorts the team. Erica Peterson, NDWC Marketing Specialist, accompanies the team while they are in North Dakota. The team will meet with Dr. Bill Berzonsky, NDSU Wheat Breeder; Brian Sorenson, NCI Technical Director; Dr. Frank Manthey, Durum Quality program; and Jim Gray, ND Pesticide Registration Coordinator. The team will also tour the CHS-Southwest Grain Elevator, Gladstone, N.D. and visit Jay Elkin's farm. |  |
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May 22, 2007 -- Thirteen participants from five Asian countries are at NCI this week to investigate pea flour as an ingredient in pasta and noodles. Participants are from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. They represent ten noodle manufacturing companies, a university, and international representatives of USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council (USADPLC). The short course is one of two offered this summer in collaboration with USADPLC. Chinese processors will attend a second course later this year. Dr. Mehmet Tulbek, NCI Pulse and Oilseed Quality Specialist, coordinates and teaches in the course. “U.S. pea cultivars show excellent milling and pasting properties; therefore the short course promotes pea flour fortification in terms of blending and end product quality attributes,” says Tulbek. |
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| May 17, 2007 -- A four-member durum team from Algeria was at NCI to learn more about the region's durum wheat. They were accompanied by George Galasso (third from left), Regional Vice President for U.S. Wheat Associates, Rotterdon/North Africa, and Alain Sellier (fourth from left), Program Manager for USW, Washington, DC. NCI Pat Berglund (center) presented an overview of NCI. Dr. Elias Elias (far right), NDSU durum wheat breeder, discussed the NDSU durum breeding program. Dr. Frank Manthey (second from left), durum quality specialist at NDSU's Wheat Quality Lab, presented an overview of durum quality and testing. The team was sponsored by the North Dakota Wheat Commission. Algeria typically ranks as #1 or 2 in U.S. durum purchases. |  |
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NCI Director Pat Berglund (far left) listens to ND Governor John Hoeven (center) during a press conference to announce the signing of a generous agriculture bill. Pictured next to Berglund is Dr. Joseph Chapman, NDSU's President and Northern Crops Council member. |
North Dakota Legislature is Generous to NCI April 27, 2007 -- Gov. John Hoeven came to the NDSU campus to sign legislation that calls for a 34 percent budget increase for NDSU Agriculture and enacts a comprehensive $42 million renewable energy plan for the state. In the signing ceremony at the NDSU Pilot Plant, Hoeven signed the general appropriation bill for the Experiment Station, the Extension Service, Northern Crops Institute and the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute. NDSU’s total agriculture budget is $186 million. |
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April 24, 2007 -- Dr. Kim Koch (second from right), NCI Feed Production Center manager, is serving as a consultant to U.S. Grains Council, providing Feed Manufacturing Technology education programs and on-site technical assistance to integrated swine facilities in China. The group is pictured in front of the Henan Zhengzhung Mu Livestock Co., Ltd. feedmill. The company is a COFCO swine production facility that produces about 160,000 market hogs per year. |
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April 17, 2007 -- Twenty-eight pasta manufacturers from Dominican Republic, Peru, USA, and Venezuela were at the NCI April 17-19 to learn the finer points of producing high-quality pasta. Participants gained hands-on pasta extrusion experience in the NCI pasta processing laboratory during the Pasta Production and Technology course. Speakers for the three-day course included: Carl Anderson, Monterey Gourmet Foods, Salinas, Calif., Dr. Elias Elias, NDSU durum wheat breeder, Dr. David Hahn, New World Pasta Co., Dr. Frank Manthey, NDSU Department of Plant Sciences, and Dr. Pat Berglund, Brian Sorenson, and Mehmet Tulbek, all NCI staff. One participant was sponsored by the USDA Cochran Fellowship Program. | |
January 12, 2007 -- Regional producers and processors attended the Specialty Soybean Outlook Conference on January 12, 2007 at NCI. An additional session was held January 11 in Red Lake Falls, Minn. The conferences were co-sponsored by Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council and Northern Crops Institute. Topics included: State of the Industry and Outlook for 2007, Types of Contracts and Variety Selection, What can I do, as a Producer, to Add Value?, Weed Management: Controlling Weeds and Costs, and an Update on Logistical Issues in Shipping. Speakers included: Rick Brandenburger, Richland Organics; Brett Johnson, BDR Farms; Jay Rehder, Earthwise Processors (SunOpta); Carroll Duerr, Midwest Shippers Association; Dr. Duane Berglund, NDSU Professor Emeritus; Lynn Brakke, Comstock, MN; and Scott Sinner, SB & B Foods. |
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January 11, 2007 -- A Chinese pea processing team came to NCI to learn more about North Dakota peas, specifically high starch pea varieties. They are interested in a pea fractionation joint venture in North Dakota. The team members represented a vermicelli noodle company and a pulse trading company in China. Mehmet Tulbek, NCI’s Pulse and Oilseed Specialist, presented information about pea fractionation and processing issues, North Dakota pea quality in terms of protein content, and pea processing issues. The team was accompanied by Les Knudson of Superior Grains of Crosby, ND and Christopher Darling of Superior Grains Inc, Bejing, China Office. | |
November 6, 2006 -- A USDA Cochran-sponsored Food Safety team of governmental employees from Algeria, Kenya, Nigeria, Oman and Tunisia visited Northern Crops Institute. They are in the U.S. to learn more about U.S. food safety issues and programs. They oversee food safety regulations for their own countries and for their exports into the EU, which requires traceability. |
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October 23, 2006 -- A three-person technical team from Southeast Asia is at NCI to evaluate flour from U.S., Canadian and Australian wheat. The team is escorted by Roy Chung, Bakery Consultant, U.S. Wheat Associates, Singapore. "One of the purposes of the course is for the team to get a better feel for how to properly blend, how to identify levels at which we blend our wheat with other types of wheat, and what kind of performance effects that you would expect from our wheat," says Brian Sorenson, NCI Technical Director. The team is sponsored by the North Dakota Wheat commission and U.S. Wheat Associates. | |
| October 18-19, 2006 -- Twenty-two representatives from the region’s barley malt industry attended the Barley Variety Identification Workshops in NCI’s Commodity Grading Laboratory. The workshops focused on utilization of barley variety identification techniques based on differences in kernel morphology. Scott Heisel, AMBA Vice President & Technical Director, conducted the workshops, which were hosted by the American Malting Barley Association (AMBA). |
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October 10, 2006 -- Three representatives of Nippon Mills, Japan, spent the day at Northern Crops Institute, learning more about the 2006 wheat crop. Erica Peterson, (right), marketing specialist for North Dakota Wheat Commission, briefed the team. | |
| October 4, 2006 -- Dr. Kim Koch (center), NCI Feed Production Center manager, attended the Central and Latin America Poultry Nutritionists’ Roundtable, sponsored by U.S. Grains Council in Quito, Ecuador. The purpose of the meeting was to educate nutritionists on the use of distillers dried grains (DDGs). He is pictured standing on the world's equator. |  |
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Sept. 28, 2006 -- An 18-member China Crop Tour Team visited NCI to learn more about the soybeans produced in this region. The purpose of the trip is to make soybean buyers from major importers more knowledgeable about U.S. soy production. The team was sponsored by the U.S. Soybean Export Council, United Soybean Board, and the USDA Foreign Agriculutral Service. They also visited the farms of several soybean producers in the three-state region, including the farm of Vanessa Kummer at Colfax, N.D. | |
| Sept. 25, 2006 -- A team from Nisshin Flour Mills in Japan visited NCI to learn more about the region's 2006 crop. They were hosted by the North Dakota Wheat Commission. Nisshin manufactures and sells wheat flour, bran, bakery mixes, ready-made and other food-related items. They are based in Tokyo. |  |
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Sept. 25, 2006 -- A group of officials from the Liaoning Province, China, visited NCI to learn more about the region's agriculture. They visited with NCI Director Pat Berglund, who briefed them on the educational and technical services at NCI. The team was escorted by Dr. Brady Vick, research leader in sunflowers for the USDA Labs at NDSU. |
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Sept. 25, 2006 -- Crop buyers from thirteen countries are at NCI this week to study the U.S. grain marketing system. The “Grain Procurement Management for Importers” short course runs from Sept. 25 to October 4. The sixteen buyers are from China, Colombia, El Salvador, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Thailand, USA, and Vietnam. They represent large and small food processing, feed manufacturing, and trading companies that import HRS wheat, durum wheat, corn, soybeans, barley and other commodities. Several participants are sponsored by U.S. Wheat Associates and the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service Cochran Fellowship Program. |
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Sept. 18, 2006 -- A team from GSM/FORAFRIC came to NCI in Sept. to discuss their needs with Dr. Elias Elias, NDSU durum breeder, Dr. Mohammed Mergoum, NDSU HRS breeder, and Dr. Frank Manthey, NDSU Durum Quality Lab. The team was escorted by George Galasso, Regional Vice President, U.S. Wheat Associates. Jim Peterson, North Dakota Wheat Commission, facilitated. | |
| Sept. 6, 2006 -- A high level team from the Tunisian Office of Cereals and private sector food processors visited NCI as guests of the ND Wheat Commission and U.S. Wheat Associates in September. Tunisia’s 2006 durum crop was compromised by drought, which increased their need to import durum. The team was escorted by George Galasso, Regional Vice President, U.S. Wheat Associates, Rotterdam, Netherlands. |  |
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Sept. 5, 2006 -- The Nippon Flour Mill team came to NCI in September to learn more about the 2006 wheat crop. they were sponsored by North Dakota Wheat Commission. | |
| Sept. 5, 2006 -- A six-member Feed Grains Buyer Team from Taiwan came to the Midwest where Dr. Kim Koch of NCI (second from left) joined them for a visit to Sioux Falls, S.D. The team was sponsored by U.S. Feed Grains Council and escorted by Clover Chang, (far right), Assistant Director, USGC Taiwan Office. The purpose of the trip was to introduce the team to the reliable supply and stable quality of U.S. grains and DDGs and the dependable inspection system of U.S. grains. |  |
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August 29, 2006 -- Fourteen participants from North American brewing and malt companies are attending the Barley Malt Quality Evaluation technical course at Northern Crops Institute (NCI) this week. During the course, the group will learn more about the quality components of barley and malt necessary to produce an acceptable beer. Maltsters and brewers attending the course represent Anheuser Busch; Brewer’s Alley, Inc.; Busch Agricultural Resources; Cervecceria Cuauhtemoc-Moctezuma; Grupo Modelo; Labatt Breweries of Canada; McAuslan Brewing; Prairie Malt Limited/Cargill Malt; and University of Minnesota. Dr. Paul Schwarz, NDSU professor of plant science, is program coordinator and instructor in the course. North Dakota ranks number one in U.S. barley production, with 91% of acreage sown to malting varieties. Thirty-one percent of total U.S. barley is produced in N.D., S.D., and Minn. |
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| August 21, 2006 -- Representatives from four major Japanese mills are getting first-hand information on new-crop conditions at Northern Crops Institute. They will receive a report on the 2006 U.S. HRS and durum crops from Jim Peterson, ND Wheat Commission; preliminary data on 2006 harvest from Truman Olson, NDSU Wheat Quality Lab; an overview of HRS breeding program from Dr. Mohammed Mergoum, NDSU wheat breeder; and Quality profile of popular and upcoming HRS varieties from NCI's Technical Director Brian Sorenson. The team will also visit Maple River Grain and Agronomy, Casselton, and an area farm. The North Dakota Wheat Commission is hosting the trade team. |  |
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August 18, 2006 -- A group of Chilean farmers toured the Northern Crops Institute. They are seeking information on crop production, grain quality, and farm equipment. They will continue on to Saskatechewan, Canada. | |
August 14, 2006 -- Interest in the production of higher quality Italian-style pasta brings nine international pasta manufacturers to Northern Crops Institute for a week-long course. Participants hail from Brazil, Costa Rica, Peru, Spain and Venezuela. Companies at the course include: Brazilian Pasta Association (ABIMA); Caiubi Industria de Alimentos; Gallo Group; Industrias TEAL S.A.; Moinho Santa Lucia, Ltd.; MOSACA; Roma Prince S.A.; and the University of Costa Rica. Eight course participants are sponsored by the USDA FAS Cochran Fellowship Program. One is sponsored by U.S. Wheat Associates. The course focuses on traditional Italian-style dry pasta production, featuring lectures, hands-on laboratory experience, and pilot-scale pasta processing. The group will tour Dakota Growers Pasta Company, Carrington, N.D. |
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August 2, 2006 -- Examining the differences between bread wheat milling and durum wheat milling is the focus of the Korean milling team at Northern Crops Institute (NCI) this week. The five-member team is attending the Durum Wheat Milling Short Course, sponsored by U.S. Wheat Associates (USW). The team is comprised of managers and production team members from several leading Korean flourmills and food companies including Daehan Flour Mills Co., Dongah Flour Mills Co., Korea Flour Mills Co., Samyang Milmax Corp., and the CJ Corporation. They are escorted by Woojoon Park, Senior Technical Marketing Specialist for USW, Seoul. Peter Lloyd, Regional Technical Director, USW, Tunis, is the course’s main lecturer. Brian Sorenson, NCI Technical Director, coordinates and teaches in the course. |
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July 19, 2006 -- Twenty-eight participants from Mexico, Taiwan and United States are at Northern Crops Institute (NCI) this week to learn more about manufacturing safe animal feed. The “Feed Safety for Safe Food” short course runs from Wednesday, July 19 to Friday, July 21. U.S. Grains Council (USGC) sponsors a Mexican delegation of ten people. Julio Hernandez, Technical Director for the USGC Mexico City office, escorts the group. The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) and NCI co-sponsor the course. |
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July 12, 2006 -- Bob Majkrzak , president and CEO of Red River Commodities, Fargo, N.D., was re-elected to his second term as chair of the NCI's Industry Advisory Board (IAB). Six board members begin three-year terms on the Industry Advisory Board. They are: Tim Dodd, Dakota Growers Pasta Co.; Greg Johnson, Premier Pulses International; Deon Maasjo, CalDak International LLC; Jay Romsa, General Mills; Bob Sinner, Sinner Bros. & Bresnahan; and Rene Steiner, Buhler, Inc. The Industry Advisory Board provides advice to NCI on educational programming and technical services. IAB draws its members from the agricultural supply and processing industry and the grain trade in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. |
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July 11, 2006 -- At the Northern Crops Council's Reorganizational Meeting, the NCC elected Jennifer Tesch of SK Food International, Fargo, as their new Chair. She holds a processor position on the council and has served as vice chair for the past year. |
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June 26-27, 2006 -- Todd Peterson, head miller at the North Dakota Mill, Grand Forks, N.D., consulted on the operation of the NCI durum mill and optimizing semolina quality in anticipation of an upcoming durum milling course and other projects. U.S. Wheat Associates will sponsor a group of Korean durum millers for a durum-milling course at NCI August 2-4. Peterson recently was named 2006 Milling Operative of the Year by the International Association of Operative Millers. “This is a great opportunity for us to have a truly excellent miller here to fine-tune our pilot durum mill,” says Brian Sorenson, NCI Technical Director. |
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June 17-24, 2006 -- NCI Director Pat Berglund was part of an eight-day trade mission to Taiwan. She visited the Taiwan offices of U.S. Grains Council, U.S. Wheat Associates and American Soybean Association to discuss programs that will be mutually beneficial to buyers of wheat, barley, corn and soybeans, in terms of helping them buy and use more regional crops and to determine the best fit for Taiwan and our region. Berglund (front row, center) met with a number of barley industry representatives to discuss barley for food use from a health promotion standpoint. Mr. C.M. Lynn (back row, left) is the Director of the Taiwan U.S. Grains Council office. |
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June 20, 2006 – North Dakota Mill donated a laboratory-scale Buhler Mill to NCI. Ken Pahlen (left) and Randy Egstad (middle) handled the delivery. The mill is designed for hard wheat, such as HRS, HW, or HRW. “This mill will expand our service to regional processors and producers with quicker turn-around on samples,” says Brian Sorenson (right), NCI Technical Director. “This unit is designed to typically mill between 5 and 10 lb. samples. Its milling capacity is about 30 lbs. per hour. We would like to express our appreciation to ND Mill and Vance Taylor, general manager of ND Mill, who serves on the Northern Crops Council. Vance stepped forward after he heard about our needs and offered this mill to us. It is a great addition to NCI's technical capabilities.” |
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June 14, 2006 -- Lt. Gov. Jack Dalrymple (left) announced a trade mission to Taiwan during a press conference at NCI. The delegation departs on June 17. The delegation represents 14 North Dakota businesses and higher education institutions. According to N.D. Governor John Hoeven, "This trade mission is part of an on-going effort to expand North Dakota's export sales and grow the state's economy." Taiwan has pledged to buy $372 million worth of U.S. wheat this year and in 2007. About half the wheat will come from North Dakota and Montana. Taiwan is the U.S.'s eighth largest trading partner and a major buyer of North Dakota goods. | |
| May 25, 2006 -- NCI Director Pat Berglund and Dr. Kim Koch, NCI Feed Production Center manager, attended the North Dakota Trade Mission Alumni Picnic on May 25 at Lt. Gov. Jack Dalrymple's farm near Casselton, N.D . The picnic was an opportunity for exporters to share their success stories and discuss the challenges ahead. Dr. Berglund traveled on a soybean mission to Philippines and Indonesia in March 2005. Dr. Koch participated in a Chinese trade mission in March 2005. |  |
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May 24, 2006 -- North Dakota Farmers Union (NDFU) announced in a press conference at Northern Crops Institute that they are offering contracts to pool and market carbon credits on behalf of farmers through the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX). Farmers who employ practices that help store carbon dioxide in the soil will receive payments if enrolled in Farmers Union's Carbon Credit Program. Pictured left to right: Robert Carlson, NDFU president; Nathan Clark, Chicago Climate Exchange; Dr. Mark Liebig, Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory; J.R. Flores, ND Natural Resources Conservation Service; Keith Trego, ND Natural Resources Trust; and former ND Governor George Sinner. | |
| May 23, 2006 -- Flax gained center stage at Northern Crops Institute (NCI) when Ameriflax Executive Director Kaye Effertz and NCI Food Technologist Bonnie Jacobson collaborated to develop recipes for a number of flax-enhanced baked products. The finishing touch was a photo shoot that displayed the beauty and nutrition of the flax-enhanced foods. “There is a lot of interest in using whole and milled flax in different health food and bakery recipes,” says Effertz. “Northern Crops Institute staff developed some unique recipes aimed at food service and processors,” says Effertz. John Borge photographed the flax-enhanced recipes, and Shannon Charpentier was the food stylist. Mehmet Tulbek, NCI Oilseed and Legume Quality Specialist, was consultant on the project. More photos. |  |
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May 18, 2006 -- Staff from U.S. Wheat Associates' offices in South Africa, Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong, Mexico, and Washington D.C. visited Northern Crops Institute to acquaint themselves with NCI facilities and the services offered. The participants spent the day learning more about wheat breeding, production, markets, and North Dakota agriculture. They toured the NDSU Plant Science Wheat Quality labs and greenhouses. At NCI, they spent the afternoon in the baking, analytical and extrusion labs doing hands-on work and observing demonstrations about wheat and flour quality. The next day, they visited Maynard Satrom's farm to see machinery, wheat fields, and storage facilities, and they toured a country elevator. |
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May 9, 2006 -- Fourteen crop buyers from six nations are at Northern Crops Institute (NCI) for the Advanced Grain Procurement Strategies short course that runs from May 8-12. Participants represent leading flourmills, feed mills, and trading companies in Germany, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan and USA. Participants learn how to develop, execute, and integrate price-risk management strategies during the weeklong course. Course topics include basis analysis, hedging, options, Value-at-Risk (VaR), trading strategies, current grain situation and outlook, contract specifications, long-term supply relations, ocean freight risk, logistics management, international money market and commercial export trading practices. |
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April 25, 2006 -- A Japanese team visited the Northern Crops Institute with their host, Bob Sinner (center) of Sinner Brothers and Bresnahan, Casselton, ND. The team visited with Northern Crops Institute Director Pat Berglund (far left) and NCI Assistant Director John Crabtree (far right) about the region's wheat crop. Team members represent the Japanese Consumers' Cooperative Union and Ag-Cal Japan, a grain procurement company with overseas offices in the US and Korea. | |
April 4, 2006 -- Twenty-four pasta manufacturers from Brazil, Japan, Nigeria, Singapore, USA, and Venezuela are at the NCI April 5-7 to learn the finer points of producing high-quality pasta. “Our greatest strength in pasta education is teaching traditional Italian-style pasta processing,” says Brian Sorenson, NCI Technical Director. “Our participants will have hands-on access to the pasta extrusion equipment, allowing to them to process pasta, dry it, and test it for cooking quality and color. We also added sessions on refrigerated pasta and microbiology issues associated with pasta. In response to the health and whole-grain trends, we will look at how to use functional ingredients, such as oilseeds and whole grains, in pasta,” Sorenson concludes. |
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March 21, 2006 -- Brian Sorenson (center), crops quality specialist, is honored for five years with the NDSU Extension Service at the Extension spring conference March 21 in Bismarck. NDSU Vice President for Agriculture and University Extension D.C. Coston (left) and Extension Director Duane Hauck presented the award. In addition to awards, the Extension conference included training on subject matter areas, generational differences, evaluation, public issues, technology and many other topics for the county, area and state staff. The conference also featured educational tours. | |
| March 15, 2006 -- Mehmet Tulbek, NCI's Oilseed and Legume Quality Specialist, attended the 10th Annual Practical Short Course on Snack Foods Processing: Extruded Snacks and Tortilla Chips. It was held at Texas A & M University March 12-17. |  |
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March 14, 2006 -- A team from Nigeria visited the Northern Crops Institute, hosted by N.D. Representative Ron Iverson and Dr. Robert Harrold, NDSU. While at Northern Crops Institute, Dr. Kim Koch, NCI's feed production center manager, led a discussion on value-added milling activities. The group is interested in establishing a feedlot for indigenous Zebu-type cattle in their River State Region. The group also toured the NCI Feed Mill. | |
February 27, 2006 -- Northern Crops Institute offered an International Business Protocol Seminar in Fargo. The day-long seminar was led by NCI Director Pat Berglund, who demonstrated many areas of international protocol, such as presenting business cards, making introductions, and appreciating cultural differences. During a four-course luncheon, Berglund demonstrated appropriate table etiquette for formal meals. Dr. Peter Geib spoke on business climates in China and India and a panel of regional businessmen shared their perspectives on doing successful business in foreign countries. |
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