Amber Waves of Grain

With the recent announcement of the Topeka, KS, Horizon Milling flour mill's plans to shut down, I found a few interesting websites targeted towards consumer education in wheat food production. Work done by the Wheat Foods Council is a great example of how agriculturists can help bridge the gap between producers and urban consumers.

Wheat is grow in 42 of the United States, making our country the largest exporter of wheat in the world. Wheat farmers, along with other agriculturists who produce grain, meat, fruits and vegetables, work hard to feed a hungry world.

Take a look at this website to see exactly how wheat goes from farm to fork in a phase-by-phase interactive wheat farm. You won't get to see how farmers can take advantage of wheat's natural growth patterns by grazing cattle on it during the winter, or smell the fresh cut straw during harvest season, and although these are some of my favorite parts of wheat farming, the interactive wheat farm is a really neat tool.

Another successful program that the Wheat Foods Council sponsors, is the planting of an Urban Wheat Field. During this event in October, the council illustrated the life cycle of a kernel of wheat by harvesting the field, demonstrating milling methods and bringing the flour through the production line to bake loaves of bread for people in the City of New York.

What an excellent example of an industry-driven attempt to help consumers understand where their food comes from. I hope other aspects of food production can adapt and implement more programs like this.

All my best,

Tera Rooney