North American Millets Alliance (NAMA)

If you see "millet" on the shelf of a food store in the US, it will as a general rule be #prosomillet. But the list of ingredients won't usually tell you that - typically just the generic "millet," or the obvious "hulled millet," or perhaps "organic millet." So here's a shout out to three US companies that *do* tell you more, giving the species name (Panicum miliaceum) and in two cases also alternate common names for what we usually call proso ("yellow millet" or "white millet"; proso is also called "broomcorn millet," but we have not seen that on labels): * Anthony's Goods?https://lnkd.in/gQE9Ujiw * Eden Foods?https://lnkd.in/g2UEAAMd * Grand Teton Ancient Grains https://lnkd.in/gkfB6RsE Clarity in #labeling of #millets will become increasingly important to consumers as these small grains become more widely available. Labeling standards in the US currently do not require more specific information on the types of millet used in food products, but companies can add it, as these three have shown. A next step would be to develop industry standards for millets labeling, and perhaps update Federal standards. A quick note about imports: It does appear from anecdotal evidence that labeling of the diverse millets & millet products imported to the US from India have more information about the identity of the millets now than they did, say, 10 years ago. We hope to get more information on labeling standards there as well. (Images below from the vendors' respective webpages linked above.)

Little millet (Panicum sumatrense)/1 - our "millet of the month" in February - is quite a bit more interesting than its common name might lead you to believe. * First of all, #littlemillet is a close relative of proso millet (P. miliaceum), our January millet-of-the-month,?and the rare Sonoran millet (P. hirticaule), which is the only surviving cultivated millet native to North America * Archaeological research on the ancient Harappan (Indus Valley) Civilization reveals that little millet was a common grain crop at a number of sites./2 * Today, it is a crop in parts of Asia, most notably in India./3 * Like other #millets, little millet is touted for its nutritional profile./4 * Altho little millet is not grown commercially in North America, it is imported in the form of consumer packaged goods from India: grain, flour, mixes, and as an ingredient in ready-to-eat products. These can be found in many stores specializing in South Asian foods, and on the internet./5 * In terms of flavor, you might find that in comparison with its cousin proso millet, little millet is a bit less "nutty" and perhaps more akin to rice./6 (Let us know what you think.) In addition to the material linked in notes below, here's a nice short read on little millet. It features work on this crop by ICRISAT's Dr. Vetriventhan Mani (the same scientist who presented on proso millet genetics in the latest NAMA webinar): "The Big Potential of Little Millet," by Eric Hamilton, American Society of Agronomy (via Phys.org), 12 July 2021 https://lnkd.in/gW9ihavc Notes: 1.?https://lnkd.in/dTSHgVzf?? 2.?https://lnkd.in/dYH4sSS5 (see under Crops Cultivation: ii. Millets) 3. Note distribution:?https://lnkd.in/dsRpDJrx 4.?https://lnkd.in/dwhQ-CsT 5. Images of a few such products can be seen at:?https://lnkd.in/dsghwwHQ 6. This webpage has some good info on little millet, altho the authors consider its flavor to be "nutty": https://lnkd.in/dMJKjQKb #milletofthemonth

The recording of our Feb. 20, 2025 Millets Webinar on proso millet breeding and genetics is now available at?https://lnkd.in/gzSW6-V7 Thanks again to Prof. Dipak Santra and Dr. Vetriventhan Mani for their very informative presentations. And again, thanking?Dr. Mani for appearing live on a webcast at such a late hour in his time zone in India. This webinar ran a full half hour longer than our usual program calls for, so one option is to watch it in segments. After the intros, Dr. Mani went first, with?"Proso Millet Genetic Resources Conservation and Research" (start time, 4:31), and some discussion followed. Prof. Santra then followed, with "Proso Millet Breeding and Genetics Research in the USA" (start time, 40:18), and again, there was some discussion afterwards. FYI, the NAMA YouTube channel, recently created, is at?https://lnkd.in/gVCJfecr #millets #prosomillet #cropbreeding #genetics

This Thursday, February 20, at 11 am EST/8 am PST, NAMA will host a webinar with two prominent researchers on the genetics and breeding of proso millet: * Prof. Dipak Santra, Dept. of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln?https://lnkd.in/g-MFGKa7 * Dr. Vetriventhan Mani, Senior Genetic Resources Scientist, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)?https://lnkd.in/g2EaQ6rz Prof. Santra is the alternative crops breeder at the University of Nebraska. His program?works on?cultivar and germplasm development of existing alternative crops and developing new crops for semi-arid High Plains?region. #Prosomillet cultivar development is primarily by conventional #plantbreeding, with target traits being high grain yield, grain quality for multiple purposes, lodging and shattering tolerance, and suitability for direct harvest. He has organized international conferences on proso millet (aka broomcorn millet) and #millets in general. On Thursday, Prof. Santra will discuss "Proso Millet Breeding and Genetics Research in the USA." Dr. Mani's primary focus at ICRISAT's Genebank revolves around strategizing and conducting #germplasm research to enhance the efficiency of conserving and utilizing this valuable collection. He has specialized in plant genetic resources, primarily focusing on eight dryland millets: sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet, foxtail millet, proso millet, barnyard millet, kodo millet, and little millet. The key areas of his work include performing germplasm gap analysis, assembling new germplasm, characterization, regeneration, and evaluation of germplasm for key traits, developing germplasm diversity subsets, genomic investigation and trait discovery, etc. Dr. Mani will present on "Proso Millet Genetic Resources Conservation and Research." Please join us for?insights into genetic resources of one of the most widely-cultivated millets, and how they're?being used?in crop breeding: ────────── Zoom Meeting, Thurs. 20 Feb., 11 am EST / 8 am PST https://lnkd.in/gTyuU4fZ Meeting ID: 876 5049 8139 Passcode: 423770 --- One tap mobile +16694449171,,87650498139#,,,,*423770# US +16699006833,,87650498139#,,,,*423770# US (San Jose) --- Dial by your location ? +1 669 444 9171 US ? +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) ? +1 719 359 4580 US ? +1 253 205 0468 US ? +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) ? +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) ? +1 386 347 5053 US ? +1 507 473 4847 US ? +1 564 217 2000 US ? +1 646 931 3860 US ? +1 689 278 1000 US ? +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) ? +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) ? +1 305 224 1968 US ? +1 309 205 3325 US ? +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) ? +1 360 209 5623 US Meeting ID: 876 5049 8139 Passcode: 423770 Find your local number:?https://lnkd.in/gnmgrPBd

One less-discussed benefit of #millets seems to be that we feel full longer after eating them than is the case with other grains. A review article last year discusses the mechanisms of this and the health implications: Anitha Seetha, Shweta Upadhyay, and Joanna Kane-Potaka, "Millets have the potential to increase satiety and reduce the feeling of hunger: a systematic review," Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, Vol. 8, 3 June 2024 https://lnkd.in/gHJBNbSw According to the article * "Millet-based food stays longer in the stomach, thereby prolonging the feeling of satiety or fullness." * This may be due to "millets’ richness in fiber ... increasing gastric volume and prolonging gastric emptying time" * And this, in turn, delays glucose response and lowers the blood lipid profile The diagram below, from the article (Fig. 2), illustrates the "Proposed mechanism of action of millets on satiety and other health parameters."

Passing on additional information about the GSA Global Millets Expo at Purdue University (11-12 April 2025). This flyer, including details such as fees for attendance, exhibits, and displays, was posted by GSA chairman, Dr. VGP Vijay G. Prabhakar at: https://lnkd.in/gqrN2JaE The event registration page, also with information on fees, is at: https://lnkd.in/gTt7-29t Fees for attending the Millets Expo, as seen in all the above, would be: * Professional Registration / Delegate $300.00 * Purdue Faculty, Staff & Students $50.00 * Non-Purdue Students $100.00 * Non-Purdue Faculty & Staff $150.00 * Millet Product Display $500 * Exhibit Booth $1000 For further information or for questions, please see the event webpage (on the Purdue Food Science site) at: https://lnkd.in/gcxtG2e3 #millets

Here's the recording of the 16 January 2025 webinar on current trends and future prospects for proso millet in the US. It features Joni Kindwall-Moore of Snacktivist and CIVC, and Craig Anderson of Dryland Genetics. https://lnkd.in/gbskpKri This is posted on our new YouTube channel, @MilletsAlliance: https://lnkd.in/gVCJfecr #millets #prosomillet

An article on Martha Stewart's website promotes #millets with some ideas and instructions for cooking them: "Millets Are the Sustainable Super Grains We Should All Be Eating," by Kirsten Nunez, MS (18 Dec. 2024, update). https://lnkd.in/epvA6J9j The article features expert comments by Dana Amaya, McKenzie J. Dokter, and Ann Ziata.

Here is our "Millet of the Month" (MotM) calendar for 2025. There is one change from last year: Fonio is now in July (harmonizing with the July 27th Fonio Day), and barnyard millet(s) are now in August. Jan.?proso?millet?(Panicum miliaceum) Feb.?little?millet?(Panicum sumatrense) Mar.?foxtail?millet?(Setaria italica) Apr.?pearl?millet??(Pennisetum glaucum) May?finger?millet?(Eleusine coracana) Jun.?sorghum?(Sorghum bicolor) Jul.?fonio & raishan?(Digitaria spp.) Aug.?barnyard?millet?(Echinochloa spp.) Sep.?browntop & Guinea?(Brachiaria spp.) Oct.?kodo?millet?(Paspalum scrobiculatum) Nov.?teff?(Eragrostis tef) Dec.?adlay/Job's tears?(Coix lacryma-jobi) Since there are more #millets than months in a year, some months - like July and August - feature more than one closely related millet. The MotM calendar reminds us to regularly spotlight individual millets that can sometimes get lost in the crowd. MotM?of?course doesn't mean that we can only talk about a particular?millet?during its?month, or can't talk about other millets at?the?same time. #prosomillet #littlemillet #foxtailmillet #pearlmillet #fingermillet #sorghum #fonio #raishan #barnyardmillet #Japanesemillet #browntopmillet #Guineamillet #kodomillet #teff #adlay

This is coming up tomorrow, Thursday, Jan. 16, at 11 am EST / 8 am PST!