Being able to trace your food from farm to fork has become a necessity for many consumers. ISU ABE professor, Charles Hurburgh, and his team are setting better practices for effective bulk commodity traceability. Bulk food products are often blended and thought to be impossible to track through their supply chains.
An Iowa State University grain quality specialist, Charles Hurburgh says some growers are choosing to leave corn in the fields because the kernels’ moisture content is too high for safe storage.
Grant Ives is discovering ways to add value to ethanol production. As an undergraduate in industrial technology, he’s worked alongside researchers in the Iowa Grain Quality Initiative lab using Near Infrared Spectroscopy to analyze grain samples for protein, oil, fiber and fat content. His internship has allowed him to make strides towards his real passion— making …Continue reading “Adding value, advancing energy”
Given the heart-healthy benefits, plus longer fryer life and advantages with biodiesel production, high oleic soybeans may eventually become the norm, rather than the exception, said Charles Hurburgh, Iowa State University professor of ag and biosystems engineering.
Harvested corn, like all food, can spoil or grow mold in certain situations. Farmers have to take care to keep their product safe to sell. Last fall, there was a large crop and farmers had to pile grain. On top of that, the humidity or dew point was high, so there are concerns that the …Continue reading “Hurburgh: Grain storage concerns after warm winter”
Ethanol plants need to be especially cautious of moldy corn this spring due to a humid fall and excessive amounts of corn stored in outdoor piles. Charles Hurburgh, Iowa State University Extension grain quality specialist and ABE professor, says mid- to late February will bring reports of moldy corn, hot spots and blue eye mold …Continue reading “Hurburgh: Beware of moldy corn this spring”
Iowa farmers who had flooding in their corn fields may have the option of feeding some of that grain to livestock, but the corn must be tested first. “If the grain has been actually flooded, that is uncontrolled flood water over top of either the ear or the pod, then FDA — Food and Drug Administration …Continue reading “Hurburgh: After tests, some flood-damaged corn may be fed to livestock”
“Increased production coupled with consumer demands for food safety assurance require good manufacturing practices and the training to support them, at all levels of the grain market,” said Charles Hurburgh, professor-in-charge of the Iowa Grain Quality Initiative. “Market activities are much more interrelated than in the past.”
Charles Hurburgh, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering Hurbugh said producers will face challenges on several fronts during this year’s harvest. Alternating periods of precipitation and high humidity across the state have created favorable conditions for high moisture and mold in the crop, which means grain quality will vary for many producers, he said. “The …Continue reading “MEDIA ADVISORY: Iowa State experts available to comment on 2016 harvest”
Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences presented awards to two professors for applying research findings to benefit Iowans. The Dean Lee R. Kolmer Award for Excellence in Applied Research was presented to Charles Hurburgh, a professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering who is professor-in-charge of the Iowa Grain Quality Initiative, and Joseph Sebranek, …Continue reading “Hurburgh honored for applied research accomplishments”
The series is authored by Iowa State researchers Greg Brenneman, agricultural engineering specialist; Steve Johnson, farm management specialist; Erin Bowers, postdoctorate research associate in agriculture and biosystems engineering; Charles Hurburgh, professor and extension ag health and safety specialist in agriculture and biosystems engineering; Alison Robertson, associate professor and extension specialist in plant pathology and microbiology; …Continue reading “Modules provide education on grain handling, storage safety”
The American Feed Industry Assn. (AFIA) and Iowa State University are offering a 2.5-day course leading to Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA) designation as a “preventive controls qualified individual” (PCQI) for the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The course, Preventive Controls for Animal Food, will be held June 27-29, 2016, at Elings Hall on the …Continue reading “AFIA, Iowa State offer FSMA training”
As the temperature starts to rise, it is a critical time to keep stored corn and soybeans in good condition. Charles Hurburgh, Iowa State University grain quality specialist and professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, says grain was generally of good quality when it was put into the bin last fall. “There were some pockets …Continue reading “Hurburgh: Watch grain quality in bins as temps rise”
Since 1984, the Cochran Fellowship Program has been bringing foreign agricultural professionals to the US for technical training, networking and a greater understanding of the US agricultural sector in general. The program, which is sponsored by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, is geared toward agricultural professionals from “middle income countries, emerging markets and emerging democracies.” …Continue reading “Cochran Fellows visit CALS, ABE”
Charles Hurburgh, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, director of Iowa State University’s grain quality initiative and a member of the food safety alliance, reports that ISU is working toward becoming an FSMA training center, and he’s anticipating that among the offerings will be an ethanol-industry-specific training course.
