Did you know that Michigan is home to a little over 500,000 acres of wheat in 75 of Michigan’s counties? Listen in to this episode of Fresh From the Field Podcast to learn more about the Michigan Wheat industry. The discussion includes how it is used and the products historically associated with the state’s wheat industry.
Join Podcaster, Ken Nelson as he speaks with Knappen Milling’s Vice President of Sales and Grain Purchasing, Todd Wright, and Jody Pollok-Newsom, the Executive Director of the Michigan Wheat Program.
The podcast discusses:
- Differences between wheat grown in Michigan and wheat that is grown in other regions of the United States
- Explanation of Winter wheat and Soft wheat
- What the Michigan Wheat Program is and why it was formed
- Wheat as a sustainable product
- Products historically made with our wheat
- The future of the state’s wheat industry and wheat products
- Knappen Milling history
- Knappen Millings new retail baking flour – Augusta Mills Baking Flour
- Baking flour as healthy eating options
The economic impact of wheat in Michigan is $180 million. Michigan farmers produce over 35 million bushels of wheat annually.
Michigan Wheat Varieties Include:
- soft winter red
- white wheat
Wright talks about how Knappen Milling rose up during the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic to get flour in stores. Although Knappen Milling is a fourth-generation Michigan flour mill our flour was always sold wholesale. The Knappen team worked diligently to fill the empty flour shelves as more people were staying home and baking. Knappen Milling was fortunate to work closely with Michigan State University’s (MSU) product center. MSU’s Product Center ensured all nutritional analysis was done correctly for the retail Baking Flour. The MSU Product Center team also helped to make sure the package labels were accurate and met FDA regulations.
You can learn more about the Michigan Wheat Council on their Facebook page. The Fresh From the Field podcast is produced by Ken Nelson for the Michigan Agriculture and Rural Development Department, subscribe to all episodes here.
Find Augusta Mills Baking Flour on a store shelf near you. Thank you for listening to the podcast on Michigan Flour. Please contact Todd Wright with any questions you may have.
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