They were right – I am just like my dad. At any big family event, we would find dad “self-isolating” in the shed listening to the races and drinking beer. When I quizzed mum if dad was in a bad mood, her response was – “No, he just likes his own company.”
The current social distancing requirements has proved that I am the same. Even though I yearn for person-to-person contact, I also adore my own time and being by myself. For me, that is a revelation!
Read MoreThe Northern Crops Institute was formed in 1983 to support the promotion of northern grown crops, chief of which at the time were hard red spring wheat and durum wheat. Since 1983 NCI has expanded its efforts to include work on number of northern grown crops including barley, corn, pulse crops, and oil seeds. However, the promotion of wheat through pilot milling remains a primary focus of the institute.
Read MoreSoymilk and tofu are widely consumed in the Orient and are some of the most recognized soy foods in western countries. North Dakota is a global leader in producing top-quality food-grade soybeans for the world market. In 2016, the Northern Crops Institute (NCI) installed a pilot scale soymilk and tofu processing system. The system was designed by NCI and consists of several pieces of equipment which are made in Japan, China, the USA, and India.
Read MoreThe mission of the Northern Crops Institute is to support North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Montana agriculture production and value-added processing by conducting educational and technical programs that expand and maintain domestic and international markets for northern grown crops. Entities along the value chain of oilseed processing, from seed production through crushing and refining, are interested to in evaluating new oilseed varieties in pilot scale settings that approximate full scale hexane-based oil extraction systems.
Read MoreYou can polish manure – but it’s still manure. And I can’t polish this – we are all in deep manure. It is what it is! There will be many people a lot smarter than me that will, in the future, identify how we got to where we are. Our job is to deal with where we are!
I don’t know about you, but my world and my business has changed – virtually overnight! So, you and I have two options - we can sit and dwell on what is happening and get angry about it. Or, we can say – I don’t know what is happening or what will happen but let’s do our best to grow and thrive from this.
And survive and thrive we will! But it isn’t going to be easy!
Read MoreMany people find themselves confined at home now, balancing taking care of their kids and a new found “work from home” lifestyle. This can be a great opportunity to spend time with kids and engage them in kitchen. Someone I know posted a failed attempt at baking bread this past week, thinking they are just not good at baking. Turns out, they were simply not using the right type of flour! Yes - not all flour is the same.
Read MoreThe Falling Number (FN) method has been around for decades, and it is the industry standard test for analyzing wheat and other cereal grains for pre-harvest sprouting. The FN test indirectly measures the amount of alpha amylase enzyme present in grain, due primarily to pre-harvest sprouting. Pre-harvest sprouting can take place when grain is ripe and ready to harvest and gets exposed to certain conditions, such as extended periods of rainfall or high humidity.
Read MoreThe Northern Crops Institute (NCI) recently held their first installment of the Grain Industry Emerging Leader Program. The two-and-a-half-day course ran from December 17th to the 19th, 2019. This is the first in a two-part series specializing in growing the leaders of the grain industry. This course focused on grain merchandising, while the future program in this series will focus on managerial practices.
Read MoreThe Northern Crops Institute (NCI) recently held its second course educating participants on the uses and benefits of high oleic soybean oil. The day and a half course ran December 3rd and 4th, 2019 and covered topics including consumer trends, nutritional benefits, the economics of high oleic soybean oil, and what is in store for the future of high oleic soybean oil.
Read MoreThirty professionals from across the globe connected together at The Northern Crops Institute (NCI) for its annual Grain Procurement Management for Importers Course. The eight-day course, that ran from September 9th through the 18th began in Fargo, ND, with additional stops in both Duluth and Minneapolis, MN. Participants of the course were educated on how the U.S. grain handling system functions, and how to successfully purchase high quality grains from the U.S.
Read MoreThe Northern Crops Institute welcomed the National Wheat Quality Council’s 2019 Hard Spring Wheat and Durum Tour on Thursday, July 25th. Over 50 attendees took part in a debriefing session of their activities that had taken place on the tour throughout the week. The tour was designed for those who are working within food companies to see where their products key ingredients, such as wheat, come from. Participants were able to learn more about North Dakota agriculture practices, as well as the agriculture industry in its entirety.
Read MoreThe Northern Crops Institute (NCI) hosted 6 participants from the region for the Barley to Beer: A Field Perspective Course. The three-day course ran from July 22nd through the 24th, during which participants heard from various speakers, received hands-on experience, and got to tour barley fields.
Read MoreThe Northern Crops Institute (NCI) hosted 13 participants from six different countries for the Pasta Production from Multiple U.S. Wheat Classes Course. The five-day course ran from July 15th through the 19th, during which participants heard from various speakers, received hands-on experience, and sampled several pasta samples.
Read MoreThe Northern Crops Institute (NCI) recently held a brand-new course educating participants on the uses and benefits of high oleic soybean oil. The High Oleic Soybean Oil: Uses and Benefits course was a two-day course which ran from June 12th to 13th. During the course, participants heard from various speakers, received hands-on experience, and sampled foods made with high oleic soybean oil.
Read MoreThe Northern Crops Institute (NCI) and World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH), held a one-day seminar in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on May 20, 2019. The course highlighted the basics of buying feed ingredients from the United States, working with suppliers, managing quality, and how to manage the price risk on commodities, with special emphasis on soybean meal.
Read MoreThe Northern Crops Institute (NCI) hosted 14 participants from six different countries for the Soy Based Texturized Protein and Meat Analog Course. The four-day course ran from May 21st through the 24th, during which participants heard from various speakers, received hands-on experience, and sampled several soy-based products.
Read MoreThe Northern Crops Institute hosted a Pasta Production and Technology Course on April 30-May 2, 2019. This course introduced participants to the fundamental and applied aspects of pasta production and quality through lectures, laboratory demonstrations and hands-on processing in NCI’s pilot-scale pasta processing laboratory.
Read MoreDennis Hoiberg, from Lessons Learnt Consulting, explains resilience in our 8 part mini-video series "Bouncing Forward: Resilience in the Face of Change".
Read More2018 North Dakota Soybean Quality Survey, prepared by Northern Crops Institute's Food Scientist Natsuki Barber. Funding provided by the North Dakota Soybean Council.
Read MoreThe Northern Crops Institute (NCI) recently hired Grant Christian for communications and marketing manager. In his new role, Grant will use his background in marketing to manage communications and marketing efforts to support NCI’s mission of promoting northern-grown crops through its worldwide educational programming and technical support activities.
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