Manhattan, KS - To help state wheat commissioners gain a better understanding of the flour milling process, the IGP Institute hosted the IGP–KSU Flour Milling for State Wheat Commissioners and Staff course held February 25–27, 2020.
Ten participants representing four different states received an overview of the milling process through hands-on training and classrooms discussions.
“Many factors play into the milling process and directly affect extraction and quality of the finished flour for baked goods.
"This all starts with wheat selections and through this course, the participants took an in-depth look at the U.S. wheat classes and how each class reacts differently through the milling and baking processes,” says Shawn Thiele, IGP Institute associate director and flour milling and grain processing curriculum manager.
Participants engaged in classroom lectures and interactive discussions about competitor quality for U.S. wheat globally, wheat cleaning and conditioning, the milling systems and equipment used, milling extraction and other math, and flour functionality, among other topics.
They also spent time in the Hal Ross Flour Mill and K-State’s Shellenberger Hall milling and baking labs.
Participant Jason Middleton, regional manager with United Grain Corporation and Oregon Wheat Commissioners, wanted to get a better look at the entire milling process so he could better answer questions his customer’s may have.
“Ninety percent of wheat that comes from Oregon goes to export, so when we hear comments about falling numbers, I wanted to learn more about that part of it,” Middleton says.
Another participant Nathan Larson, local farmer and Kansas Wheat Commissioner, felt that he had a broad idea of what goes into flour milling, but didn’t realize the extent of the process.
“You think you know how to grind wheat, but I didn’t realize how many types of grinding there are and how many types of flour you get from different grinding processes,” says Larson.
He adds, “I also knew you used certain wheats for certain products but getting to actually go into the lab and see what you get when you bake different types of wheat into different types of products was an eye-opener.”
This is one example of the many customized grain processing and flour milling courses offered by the IGP Institute.
In addition, the IGP Institute provides trainings in the areas of feed manufacturing and grain quality management, and grain marketing and risk management.
For more information, please contact Kelly Boswell at kelly12@ksu.edu