World Grain - September 2011 - 66

FEATURE: MILLING EDUCATION REVIEW

presentations in a classroom setting. In cooperation with Kansas State University, IAOM will offer four weeklong resident milling courses in 2012. Courses include: IAOM-KSU Intro to Flour Milling, Jan. 23-27; IAOM-KSU Managing Mill Performance, Jan. 30-Feb. 3; IAOMKSU Mill Processes I; June 4-8; IAOMKSU Mill Processes II, June 11-15. IAOM is considering having preconference workshops at some of the international district meetings this fall. More information on IAOM programs is available at its website: www.iaom.info. NCI Located on the campus of North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota, U.S., the Northern Crops Institute (NCI) supports the promotion and market development of crops grown in the four-state region of North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana and South Dakota. Its international meeting and learning center brings together customers, commodity traders, technical experts and processors. NCI said it specializes in programs that focus on baking, pasta processing, extrusion technology, milling technology, risk management and feed manufacturing. Along with its regular courses, programs are developed to address new trends in the food and feed industries. Some programs are requested by U.S. market promotion organizations such as the U.S. Grains Council, U.S. Wheat Associations, U.S. Soybean Export Council and the U.S.A. Dry Pea and Lentil Council. Some recent specialty courses have included: dried distiller’s grains as a feed ingredient; developing a HACCP plan; and use and quality of peas and lentils. NCI said HACCP and food/feed safety have become big issues with more discussion on traceability. Extreme volatility in prices also is of concern with the industry, NCI said, with companies asking for help in managing risks. NCI also said companies are dealing with a shortage of experienced millers, and are ﬁnding it difﬁcult to replace retiring personnel. Customized courses for individual companies are increasing, NCI said. The
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courses are conﬁdential and provide an arena where participants can openly discuss issues facing their company. NCI believes strongly in hands-on education, stressing the importance of participants seeing where their ingredients come from, how the grain moves from the farm to the market, and visiting with the producers and grain handlers. When producers meet with people from the course and trade teams, a relationship forms that often continues for years, NCI said. The leading course is “Grain Procurement Management for Importers,” which has been offered since 1983. It averages about 30 participants from 10 to 18 countries. NCI said its pasta manufacturing courses are unique and showcase the high quality durum that is grown in the northern U.S. region. The courses focus on the manufacture of traditional Italian-style pasta. Recently, NCI converted its durum mill to a dual-purpose mill for milling durum and bread wheat ﬂours. In addition to milling courses, the new mill is used by companies to evaluate milling and ﬂour characteristics. NCI has seen an increase in product development, where a company comes to NCI with a product it would like to investigate. The company can use NCI’s equipment and staff assistance to process and evaluate a product. NCI’s pilot-scale equipment allows the company to test ingredients or processes without shutting down their whole commercial line. For the remainder of 2011, NCI is offering Wheat and Flour Quality for Breeding Programs, Oct. 4-7, and Understanding Northern Feed Ingredients, Oct. 25-27. More information and registration forms are available on NCI’s website (www.northern-crops.com). CIGI The Canadian International Grains Institute (CIGI), Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, provides customized educational programs and technical expertise. Since 1972, more than 34,000 people from the grain, oilseed, pulse and special crop industries from 115 countries have partici-

pated in CIGI programs and seminars. Funding is provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB). Additional funding and support is provided by other sectors of the agriculture industry. CIGI typically provides more than 50 programs annually which are customdesigned to meet the needs of industry whether that’s on ﬁeld crops (wheat, pulses, barley, etc.), end uses (ﬂour, pasta, noodles and more) or speciﬁc subjects (food safety, environmental and trade issues). Courses are offered at CIGI or offsite, and in the language of the customer. Programs are sponsored by the CWB, government organizations and agencies, grain industry partners, seed development companies and agricultural commodity groups. CIGI also offers open enrollment courses and customized training on a fee-for-service basis. Open enrollment courses include the following technical courses (course materials and presentations can be customized based on the registrants’ interest and background): • Wheat Milling Technical Short Course, March 19-21, 2012: Delivered by CIGI’s milling staff with a combined 80-plus years of experience, this two-and-one-half day course provides a comprehensive basic education in the key aspects of ﬂour milling technology. Through classroom presentations and practical demonstrations in CIGI’s pilot ﬂour mill, participants learn about raw materials, processes, equipment and new developments in the industry. The course also provides short demonstrations in baking, pasta making, Asian products (noodles, steam breads and dumplings) and the analytical services laboratory. This course is ideally suited for newer or junior ﬂour milling personnel involved in milling, lab services, product development, technical services. It will also beneﬁt anyone who requires a greater understanding of the ﬂour milling process such as marketing and sales group of various grain handling companies. • Milling Apprenticeship Program: CIGI also offers an in-depth two-week

September 2011 / World Grain / www.World-Grain.com

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World Grain - September 2011

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