Wheat Foods Council sponsors "Wheat Safari"
Jun
22
Written by:
6/22/2012 9:50 AM
The Wheat Safari educated these influencers about wheat foods, from their beginnings on a wheat farm, through the milling process and as healthy, nutritious foods on the plates of Americans. Participants were introduced to the resources and expertise of the Wheat Foods Council by participating in several hands-on activities, including a gluten lesson by Home Baking Associations’ Sharon Davis; a pretzel baking workshop at the American Institute of Baking and a tour of the Hal Ross Flour Mill at Kansas State, plus a tour of the Farm to Market Bread Company in Kansas City. The Wheat Foods Council is supported by the South Dakota Wheat Commission, 15 other wheat commissions and industry partners.
The group toured the Chapman, KS farm of Ken Wood, a director on the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers. Ken and his wife Deb hosted a luncheon and combine rides for Wheat Safari guests, most of whom had never seen a wheat field up-close before.
Wood had saved about five acres of standing wheat in order to give the bloggers a combine ride. A few minutes in the cab of a combine with 25 food writers provided several teachable moments for Wood, who talked about the life cycle of Hard Red Winter wheat, how farmers care for crops, and the future of wheat production.
“The Wheat Safari participants were engaged, curious and asked great questions throughout the combine ride,” Wood said. “It was a great opportunity to reach out to folks who have likely never met a wheat farmer before.”
Participants kept their Twitter and Facebook followers up-to-date throughout the three day tour. For example:
- Jenny Shea (@jennyshea), a registered dietitian at Shaw’s Grocery stores in New England, tweeted a photo of fellow blogger Jill Weisenberger, from Florida; and Ken Wood from the combine.
- Toby Smithson, a contributor to Food and Nutrition magazine from Chicago, updated her Twitter feed several times throughout the wheat tour, with tips from the Home Baking Association and lessons from the farm.
- And Regan Jones, owner of a nutrition communications and food marketing business in Alabama, promoted Kansas State’s Bakery Science program to her 2,200 Twitter followers.
Ken and his wife Deb hosted a luncheon and combine rides for Wheat Safari guests, most of whom had never seen a wheat field up-close before.