MANHATTAN, KS — Bold. Ambitious. Visionary. Those three words describe innovation to a T. The agriculture infrastructure initiative underway at Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS, meets those criteria, with a fourth descriptor thrown in by those involved in the project: exciting.
The word infrastructure typically indicates physical facility upgrades, and while those are part of the initiative, they are just the beginning. K-State’s overarching vision is to develop an interdisciplinary approach to working with the baking and milling industry to not only enhance the school’s reputation as a global grain science think tank but also contribute to solving some of the world’s most challenging food-related problems. To support that vision, a new Global Center for Grain and Food Innovation will dedicate approximately 30% of its space to multidisciplinary work.
Leading the charge are Ernie Minton, PhD, dean of the College of Agriculture and director of K-State Research and Extension, and the university’s president, Richard Linton, PhD, who joined the school in 2022 from North Carolina State University. During his time at NC State, Dr. Linton led the effort to build a multimillion-dollar, multidisciplinary building to house agricultural scientists who could problem-solve alongside engineers, data scientists and students from other disciplines.
K-State’s ag initiative is similar in nature, although the school is already known worldwide as an innovator in the grain and milling space.
“In the Department of Grain Science and Industry, we have a unique set of academic programs and research,” Dr. Minton said. “K-State is the only land-grant university in the world that offers bachelor’s degrees in milling science and management, bakery science and management, and feed and pet food science, as well as the master- and doctoral-level degrees associated with each area.”
Spend any amount of time talking to a baker, miller or bakery engineer, and chances are they’re connected to K-State in some fashion. It’s the industry’s version of “six degrees of Kevin Bacon.”
“When you think of Kansas State, the reputation is around the College of Agriculture and the Grain Science and Industry program,” said Robb MacKie, industry liaison for K-State’s College of Agriculture. “There’s no other program like it in the world. When students leave Kansas State, they leave with a very rigorous, scientific academic degree, where they’ve had multiple in-plant or in-facility internships. They come out extremely prepared to serve the industry.”
Yet, over the past decade, enrollment in the College of Agriculture has declined to the point where there isn’t enough talent coming out of the grain science program to fill key positions in the industry.
“Ardent Mills relies heavily on K-State’s grain science program from a talent development perspective,” explained Troy Anderson, VP of operations at Ardent Mills and a member of the Ag Advisory Council for the College of Agriculture. “Enrollment in the grain science program was on a negative trend. We were at a point where we were identifying alternative solutions to recruit talent. When the opportunity to support K-State’s enhancements to the grain science department presented itself, we were eager to take this proactive step to contribute to the long-term growth, competitiveness and sustainability of the milling and baking industry.”
This story has been adapted from the 2023 Innovations Annual issue of Commercial Baking. Read the full story in the digital edition here.