Chinese Swine Producers Visit NSRL

June 18, 2010

We welcomed a team of Chinese swine producers to NSRL this week. The team is organized and sponsored by the U.S. Soybean Export Council, United Soybean Board and American Soybean Association. The team enjoyed a delicious soy lunch prepared by Dr. Marilyn Nsh and our talented group of summer student workers. The Chinese team greatly appreciated the soy lunch and presentation from Dr. Hans H. Stein, who shared updates from his innovative research with soy in swine nutrition. I spoke with them about who we are and what we do at NSRL and about our international programs and projects.

On the production front, we had our initial meeting with the research partners working with a new nano-tech research project. It was a fascinating meeting and confirmed that this production research project is truly on the cutting edge.

Also on the production front, soybean rust was confirmed June 10th in the U.S. for the first time this season on soybean plants in Hidalgo County, Texas. Rust had also been confirmed on soybean plants in the neighboring Mexican stae of Tamaulipas. Soybean rust lesions are difficult to diagnosis as they are similar in symptoms to sevearl other leaf pathogens, so we encourage any producers who encounter leaves that are suspect to take them to the nearest Illinois Extension office for further evaluation. The Digital Distance Imaging System will be used to help evaluate suspicious leaves for soybean rust.

The latest USDA Crop Progress and Condition Report shows planting at 91% and soybean plant emergence at 80% - - not bad considering the wet planting season. The USDA is also forecasting some close to record breaking yields this year. We look forward to keeping tabs on how the crop looks in the fields as the summer progresses. The dates are set for the ISA Summer Tour: July 20, 2010 and at that time we will be hosting farmers from across the state who will getting updates on research and visiting some of the test plots.

Four Short Course participants joined us for an extended week of training and spent a great deal of time in the pilot plant and the test kitchen involved in hands-on processing and product development along with indepth learning experiences about soy. Hilda Vasanthakaalam from KIST in Rwanda; Abubakar Sadeeq Gwadabe from Fortune Oil Mills in Nigeria; Mary Omwamba from Egerton University in Kenya; and Shadrack Orinda from Jamahedo Health Foods in Tanzania spent the week with soy experts Dr. Karl Weingartner, Danny Erickson, Scott Buchanan, Stacey Krawczyk and Dr. Marilyn Nash and really enjoyed making soymilk and tofu and learned the ins and outs of extrusion.

Some may think that things slow down on campus during the summer when most students are away, but as you'll notice from our blogs, summer is an extremely busy time at NSRL. The Short Course kicks off our summer activities and we go non-stop hosting groups, traveling internationally and participating in Summer Tours, the Illinois State Fair and a number of local and national conferences and workshops.

Regards,

Bridget

Visitors from 18 countries attend 2010 Short Course

June 11, 2010

2010 SHORT COURSE BRINGS VISITORS FROM 18 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES TO NSRL

It was a whirlwind week at NSRL. Over sixty visitors from eighteen countries descended on the U of I campus June 6 - 11th for the 2010 Short Course. It was an excellent opportunity for participants to interact with industry experts and world-renowned professors about issues facing the industry. They also gained valuable knowledge about advances in soy processing and learned more about soy's role in fighting chronic diseases. One perk of attending that participants enjoyed was taste testing over twenty new soy products.

The week started out with some outstanding presentations by Ilan Weiss, SunOpta; Joe Cornelius, Monsanto; and Bruce Chassey, U of I. The questions came fast and furious about industry trends, extrusion and texturizing and the steps to producing soymilk. This year's group was made up of entrepreneurs, nutritionists, humanitarian aid leaders and food technologists along with researchers and marketing individuals.

Dr. Hans H. Stein and I welcomed our guests during a lunch held at the U of I Memorial Stadium. What a spectacular view! We think the attendees were listening, but they may have been slightly distracted by the football field that was showcased through the floor to ceiling windows.

The participants had the opportunity to make presentations on Tuesday evening. I always look forward to hearing what innovative ideas people share and the information usually leads to interesting conversation and new collaborations. The Illinois Soybean Association has been hosting three young Brazilian farmers from Aprosoja this summer and they were part of the Short Course. Darlan Anese, Fabio Henrique de Oliveira and Jefferson Castilho Bergamasco made presentations abou their visits to Illinois farms and they had the group smiling when they told their stories about what they've experienced while in the U.S.

Midweek the participants created meat analog products, learned the process for producing soymilk and baked up some delicious recipes that included soy. There was a great deal of interaction and hands-on experiences that made the NSRL Short Course unique and very worthwhile. Colleen Meadows, ConAgra, told us the course was very beneficial to her and she plans to encourage others from her company to be part of the next Short Course slated for
June 5 - 10, 2011.

A field trip to Archer Daniels Midland in Decatur on Thursday was enjoyed by all. ADM shared a wonderful afternoon of hospitality and knowledge. The evening brought graduation, which is always a fun event. By the time the certificates were handed out, everyone had exchanged business cards and email addresses and had become fast friends.

Friday ended on a high note with presentations by Mark Messina, Nutrition Matters; Michael Dunn, BYU; and Dr. Barbara Klein, U of I. The NSRL team really outdid themselves with all the great work that went in to making the 2010 Short Course a success. They are to be commended for their efforts.

As things wrapped up on Friday afternoon, participants and NSRL staff gathered together to celebrate the completion of the course and cheer on their teams in the World Cup Soccer Games.

Regards,

Bridget