Wheat.

The food staple of about 35 percent of the world’s population. And in America, the food eaten more than any other. In fact, food has been and will likely always be the major focus of wheat production. Only a fraction of U.S. wheat — less than five percent — is currently used for industrial purposes. Wheat’s key components, starch and gluten, hold the best new uses potential. And wheat straw is showing up in decorative and industrial boards. (See fiber section, page 15, for more on straw).

The United States exports almost as much wheat as it uses domestically. There are six different classes of U.S.-produced wheat, unlike most other countries that produce just one or two classes. Hard red winter and hard red spring varieties are used in breads; soft red winter and soft white in crackers, pastries, and cakes; durum in pastas; and new varieties of hard white wheat are making headway in the Asian noodle and ethnic food markets.

Nationally, Minnesota ranked tenth in wheat production in 1997, with 2.5 million acres planted.

New uses take a back seat

“Wheat is one of the most under-researched raw materials around because it’s too easily used in bread,” says Doug Ohlemeier, marketing specialist for the Kansas Wheat Commission. “But the properties that make wheat suitable in food products also make wheat functional in nonfood industrial applications.”

Food demands have kept wheat prices higher than other grains but also hindered wheat’s ability to compete as a low-cost starch and protein source for industrial uses. European dumping of wheat gluten (the critical protein for making bread) has also stymied new-use efforts. “Now that the U.S. government has decided to impose quotas on the dumping, there is again opportunity to explore new uses,” Ohlemeier says. For fiscal year 2000, the Kansas Wheat Commission is spending $250,000 on value-added research, including $60,000 for a wheat starch and gluten project.

There is no national wheat checkoff, the small percentage of sales farmers pay for research, product development and marketing efforts. “We have not been able to muster the different classes of wheat and growing regions into a united effort on industrial and new uses,” says Richard Owen of the Montana Grain Growers Association and former executive director of the National Association of Wheat Growers Foundation. “Most of the research into new uses for wheat has been directed through state wheat commissions, state land-grant universities, and through USDA-ARS.”

Farmers in food processing
WHEAT PRODUCT CO-OPS

If wheat is a valuable food, then added value lies in processing it into products America loves. The 1990s saw a rising tide of producers investing in cooperatives to add value to wheat. To become members, farmers invest equity and deliver a portion of their crop to the co-op.

Formed in 1991, Dakota Growers Pasta Company of Carrington, N.D. is the third largest pasta maker in North America. Owned by 1,100 farmer members, the co-op employs almost 500 people between its Carrington mill and pasta plant, Fargo distribution center and two Twin Cities plants, which DGPC purchased last February. “We now have an annual capacity of 470 million pounds of dry pasta,” says DGPC’s Liz Reinhiller. After another Carrington mill is completed in March, DGPC will be milling 12 million bushels of durum wheat annually.

Farmers Choice of Leeds, N.D. began in 1995. It manufactures fresh and frozen filled pasta from pre-processed semolina. Farmers Choice teamed up with the North American Bison Cooperative recently to launch two new products: bison-filled ravioli and barbecue bison hot pockets.

The 3,000-member United Spring Wheat Processors of Fargo, N.D. recently purchased a plant near Atlanta, Ga. Beginning this year, the co-op will process hard red spring wheat from the Dakotas, Minnesota and Montana into frozen dough.

21st Century Alliance, Manhattan, Kan., a co-op of 750 farmers from five states, recently bought a flour mill in New Mexico to turn identity-preserved wheat into flour for tortillas, the fastest growing bread product in the world.

Sticky and strong
GLUTON AND STARCH PRODUCTS

Midwest Grain Products of Atchison, Kan., America’s largest wheat gluten producer, has developed many gluten and starch-based products used in food processing, adhesives, films, coatings, personal care products and food service containers. On the food side, “Pasta Power” increases the strength, firmness and cooking tolerance of pastas and noodles. “Wheatex” is a meat extender or replacer in vegetarian products.

The company also produces Polytriticum biodegradable resins derived from wheat protein and starch blended with biodegradable polyester. These resins can be used to make disposable utensils and many other products currently made from plastic. Midwest Grains received seed money from USDA’s Alternative Agricultural Research Center to commercialize biodegradable plastics.

Packing with wheat
STARCHTECH PRODUCTS

StarchTech, Inc. of Golden Valley, Minn. markets three wheat and cornstarch-based products, all commercialized with AURI’s help. Its “Clean Green” packing peanuts have been accepted by the packaging industry. Biodegradable packing peanuts now account for about 20 percent of the entire loose-fill packaging market.

The company also manufactures degradable plastic resins for injection molding. The resins are being evaluated by customers for use in cutlery, golf tees, ball markers, sod stakes and turf tacks. The company’s latest wheat starch-based product is “Vent Seals,” a patented safety product that prevents fecal contamination in poultry and pork processing.

Cheaper plastics
WHEAT-BASED BIOPLASTICS

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the United States produces 11 billion pounds of plastic wastes per year. At Kansas State University, scientist X. Susan Sun is blending wheat starch with polylactic acid to make degradable bioplastics more economical.

Fully biodegradable synthetic polymers such as polylactic acid have been available since 1990, but they are two to ten times more expensive than petroleum products. Blending wheat starch with synthetic polymers could dramatically reduce costs.

Making cats purr
CAT LITTER FROM WHEAT

Cat litter is a one-billion dollar industry in the U.S. Small bird and animal litter add another 400 million. So several companies are setting their stakes in these growing markets with environmentally friendly, biodegradable, flushable litter made from wheat.

Pet Care Systems of Detroit Lakes, Minn. started marketing scoopable cat litters in 1992 and, in 1998, utilized 75 truckloads of nonfood-grade wheat. The company markets throughout the United States and Canada and also exports to Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Pet Care finished a new processing plant in 1996 with help from AURI and a development package from the City of Detroit Lakes. Sales have grown from $57,000 in 1993 to more than a million dollars in 1998.

Heartland Products of Valley City, N.D. began producing a wheat-based cat litter in 1994. The company sells Heartland Wheat Litter throughout the U.S. in 1,000 stores; California is its number one market.
Wheat fragrance

Aromatherapy pillows

Nature’s Place of Fargo, N.D. uses red wheat for relaxation. Kimberly Kraemer, owner of the nature store, says wheat is an ideal grain for her Aroma Relief Pillows. “Wheat is a heavier grain so it helps the pillows conform to peoples’ bodies. Wheat also holds heat or coolness and it absorbs and holds the essential oils we use for fragrance,” Kraemer says. The aromatherapy pillows may be microwaved or refrigerated to reach a desired temperature.

Interest in the pillows is taking off “like crazy,” selling at gift shops and nature stores throughout North Dakota and Minnesota, Kraemer says. “I like promoting an agricultural product from the Upper Midwest.”

Hard as cement
WHEAT-BASED CONCRETE

Lightweight concrete products such as exterior panels for high-rise office buildings may soon be made with wheat starch. The USDA-ARS and Artlo Industries of Perris, Calif. entered into a cooperative agreement in October to develop, test and commercialize wheat-based concrete. Artlo manufactures custom pre-cast concrete products. In addition to building materials, wheat-based concrete may be used in ornamental fountains, benches and planters.

Expect biotech breakthroughs

“In five years, new wheat varieties developed through biotechnology will change the characteristics of wheat and provide opportunities for wheat to enter totally new market areas,” predicts Ron Madl, director of the Wheat Research Center at Kansas State University.

Barley.

Minnesota ranks fifth nationally in barley production, with 580,000 acres planted in 1997. Most barley is used for feed or the malting industry. There is some new interest in using hull-less varieties for food products because, like oats, barley has a high soluble fiber content.

Barley boards
BARLEY AND PLASTIC LUMBER

Steve Raguse, a barley farmer with a knack for mechanical engineering, developed a process to make a durable, rodent- and moisture-proof plastic lumber from ground barley grain and recycled plastic. AURI helped him prove the process and now Raguse markets the boards directly from his Wheaton, Minn. shop and has one distributor. “We’ve had positive results with up to 40 percent barley,” Raguse says. “The market is just coming into its own. People are more accepting of plastic lumber for decks and marine uses.”

Oats.

Minnesota ranks third nationally in oat production with 410,000 acres planted in 1997. While U.S. production has declined dramatically in the past 20 years, some producers are taking a new look at oats. The crop is good in grain rotations, helps prevent organism buildup and is less susceptible to scab than spring wheat and barley.

Conventional oats’ fibrous hulls do not have much feed value. But new “naked oats” varieties have thin, paper-like hulls that thresh free during harvesting, leaving only the groat in the combine hopper. The groat is higher in metabolizable energy than corn, says Michael McMullen, oat researcher at North Dakota State University. The naked oat variety “Paul” produces about 99 percent naked kernels, with 17 to 19 percent protein and 7 to 9 percent oil, making it a valuable livestock feed.

The cosmetic industry has found new uses for oats, which studies show can help heal problem skin. An example is the Aveeno skin care line produced by a division of S.C. Johnson & Sons.

One new product that AURI helped commercialize is OatsCream,® an all-oats treat similar to soft-serve ice cream. Several Twin Cities food co-ops and Whole Foods Market have started dishing up the soft-serve and distribution recently expanded into Madison, Chicago and Milwaukee. OatsCream is particularly popular among the lactose intolerant and consumers interested in heart-healthy foods. American Oats, Inc. of Minnetonka, Minn. has a U.S. patent and international patents pending.