Flat Aggie visits the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center

Hey there, it’s Flat Aggie!

Today I got to adventure around the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center, where I toured the greenhouses, labs, test kitchen, seed bank and growth rooms. Let’s call it KWIC for short. The KWIC is located in Manhattan, Kansas! Manhattan is located in the northeastern part of Kansas, right in the heart of the Flint Hills. The average temperate in Manhattan during the month of March is 45 degrees, and in the month of August, temperatures can reach up to 109 degrees!

For those of you who don’t know, Kansas is the largest state for wheat production in the United States on average, so it was only fitting I spent the day hanging out at KWIC.

I started out the day by following the smell of freshly-baked bread into the test kitchen. I was greeted by Cindy Falk, the nutrition educator, and Julene DeRouchey, the nutrition educator assistant, who were baking bread in the shape of four-leaf clovers in honor of St. Patrick’s Day! When we got to them, they were fresh out of the oven, and we were able to do a little taste testing. They were delicious! They told me the KWIC’s test kitchen is always baking something good, and the smells radiate throughout the entire office. I had no problem spending a little extra time in there.

After I finished up our mid-morning snack, I went downstairs to the labs and greenhouses. Walking toward the labs, I stopped to learn a little bit about the double-haploid process. This is a production method adopted by Heartland Plant Innovations to decrease the amount of time spent developing new wheat varieties (think of varieties as new wheat families.) These new varieties will hopefully increase the potential to produce more wheat, boost the final quality of the wheat, improve this wheat family’s health and much more. 

 The goal at KWIC is to get new varieties of wheat into the hands of farmers, faster. It used to take 12-13 years to make a new wheat family that farmers can plant, but when these new varieties come to KWIC, the scientists can almost cut that time in half! Yay science!

 

 After learning about that service offered by HPI, I moved on to the labs, where I got to see people actually working on the double haploid process! I didn’t want to get in the way of their routine, so I stood back and watched while they worked. The double haploid process generally takes about a year to complete, so I only got to see a very short glimpse of it (wheat takes a long time to grow… just like you!)

 

After spending some time in the labs, I moved on to the wheat growth chambers. The growth chambers are used to give wheat a little bit of sunshine while it’s inside. Have you learned about photosynthesis? This is the process of how plants get their energy from the sun! If we’re inside, there’s no sun, so scientists have figured out what waves from the “light spectrum” that plants need most… And that just so happens to be the red and blue wavelengths! The rooms are generally colder than room temperature, and have bright red and blue lights that help the plants grow faster and stronger. The red and blue lights combine into the pinkish-purple color you see. The lights in the chamber were bright, and I didn’t bring my sunglasses, so I didn’t stay in long!

 

After I learned some cool facts about the growth chambers, I moved on to explore the seed gene bank. In the Wheat Genetics Resource Center, there are over 2,500 wheat species, and some of them date back many, many years! There are thousands of wild wheat varieties out there, and by keeping a gene bank, the scientists are able to improve new wheat varieties and the wheat industry! The seeds are stored at freezing cold temperatures, and this helps them stay good until the next time they are planted!

 

I left the gene bank wishing I had worn a heavier jacket due to the cold temperatures, and headed toward the greenhouses!

 

The KWIC is home to 22,750 square feet of greenhouse space, where researchers do it all! They are able to pot plants, process seeds and prepare the soil (not all dirt is created the same), all while they also develop advanced technologies for different wheat discoveries and genetic improvements (that means making new wheat varieties better than the old ones.) Thanks to Kansas wheat farmers, the KWIC is able to have these amazing resources to create great new wheat varieties!

Here I am hanging out in a wheat plant. I think I look good in green!

My time at the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center learning about the crop, greenhouses, and getting to taste some of their tasty bread has left me excited to learn more about the crop that makes Kansas famous, and learning about even more agriculture topics! Don’t forget to thank a farmer and have a happy National Agriculture Month.

Action Please

I am not super organized most days, it is a product of my profession that is dictated by the crazy Kansas weather, animals, crops and pests, but when I do a presentation everything is planned.

I have taken a step away from actually going to schools over the last few years as my duties on the farm have evolved, my kids have gotten older and as I have grown Flat Aggie into across the nation learning tool with teachers from California, Kansas, North Carolina, Florida, Illinois and more learning from our paper doll friend.

Enter into my life the young 4-H club.  Young in two ways.  Number one, the club started in August as in seven months ago!  Number two, our oldest member is seventeen and our youngest member is seven which isn’t that uncommon, but our second oldest member just turned fourteen!

Enter in a new 4-H family who loves agriculture especially Hereford pigs.  The seven year old stood up at the last meeting and made a motion that the club do an ag day at the local school.  Did I mention there are currently only 12 members?  The local school is in a town of about 9,000 population which equates to about 475 students in Kindergarten through second grade.

Yes, there was a motion and a second and a unanimous yes vote.  My thoughts were Oh my!  Do they truly realize what they have agreed to?  Probably not, but they are learning quickly.  They are lucky to have a leader who has done a Kindergarten Field Day or two, been to Earth Day and has an extensive Barn of Books! 

A motion like that can spur a leader into action faster than anything else.  I want them to be successful.  I want the school to feel like they are getting a quality day of education.  I want Agriculture to look good great!

Can these kids do it? YES!

Will it be like when I present our farm to school kids?  No, but why does it have to be that way?

Will they tell a side of agriculture that I don’t see? Yes!  Did I mention only one-third of the club has a parent who farms full time?

Will the Kindergartner through second graders learn something new about the farm?  Absolutely!

Will they remember farmers and ranchers (aka 4-H members) are nice people who know a lot about their animals and crops?  We sure hope so.

Will these teachers find a new list of human resources in their community that they can call on when they have a question? Yes and I plan to introduce them to Flat Aggie as well.

Are the kids excited? YES!  Even the seven year olds-they may be the most excited to bring their animals to show their friends.  

Have they spurred me to action in a way I haven't been in quite awhile? Absolutely!

Am I worried?  Maybe a little, but as the days go by, we are getting everyone in the club on the same page and I have a few friends volunteering to come help out.

We all get caught up in everything needing to be perfect to tell the ag story.  Farmers have been told time and time again that if we don’t tell the story, someone else will and it could be someone who has never stepped foot in a pig pen or a corn field.  Maybe instead of working hard to turn introvert farmers into agvocates we are missing the boat!  Maybe we need to be working with the kids who love agriculture, but don’t get to live it every day to help tell our agriculture super story.

Maybe we need to remember to take action when some says please come talk to us.

Stay tuned...I have more to say about this subject.

Thank You Consumers

Today is National Agriculture Day and while my new feeds are full of pictures thanking American farmers, I want to thank you the consumer

It is the (silent) majority of you that continue to have confidence in today's farmers that work hard to feed you, your family and your friends.

You see through the sensationalism and emotionalism behind those with TV shows and agendas and continue to provide food to your families that isn't labeled needlessly to boost your ego.

You teach your kids that milk comes from a cow, pancakes are made of wheat, and blue jeans are made of cotton (a plant).

Thank you for believing in us when we often feel everyone is against us.

Thank you for buying our products so we can provide for our families and buy from other farm families from across the globe.

Thank you for letting us continue a job we love that many have left behind.  Thank you for letting us put in the long hours that many don't want to put in and we do with a smile on our face and pride in our hearts.

Thank you for letting us raise our kids where they learn the difficult lessons of life every day.

Thank you for letting our family work together as a team without a corporation or the government to answer to.

Most farmers by nature are soft spoken, hard working, proud people who all think to say thank you, but assume you know that we are thankful for each and everyone of you.

From the bottom of my heart, "Thank you consumers!"

-Nicole
A Kansas Farm(er) Mom