Wheat Foods Council Elects Officers

Ridgway, CO – Brent Robertson (above left), a wheat farmer in Perkins, Lincoln and Chase counties, NE, is the 2012-2013 chair of the Wheat Foods Council (WFC).  Brent is a member of the Nebraska Wheat Board and for the past year, served as the WFC’s vice chair.

“Brent has shown great dedication in assisting the Wheat Foods Council in its mission to educate the public about the nutrition and healthfulness of wheat foods,” said Judi Adams, WFC President.  “As a producer, he will be a valuable leader over the next year as we focus more heavily on raising the awareness of supermarket dietitians about where wheat comes from and how to incorporate more grains into Americans’ daily diets.”

Robertson and his wife Amy raise irrigated and dry land wheat and corn. He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with a B.S. in diversified agricultural and minors in agricultural economics, animal science, and mechanized systems management. Brent is a member of the NE Wheat Growers Association and Nebraska Farm Bureau.

Other officers are:

Vice Chair – Erica Olson, North Dakota Wheat Commission (above, second from left)
Olson started working with the North Dakota Wheat Commission in 2006, joining the staff as marketing specialist. Her duties include promotion activities for foreign buyers including trade team arrangements, providing quality and supply and demand information to customers, statistical and market analysis, providing marketing information to producers and assisting with communication efforts.  She grew up on a family farm near Mohall, ND, and received her bachelor and master’s degrees from North Dakota State University.

Secretary/Treasurer – Cindy Falk, Kansas Wheat Commission (above, second from right)
Falk is a nutrition educator for Kansas Wheat. She began in 1985 as a volunteer “Speak for Wheat” spokesperson and part-time nutritionist (1989 -1994). Falk is responsible for domestic marketing and nutrition education where she enjoys developing the annual Kansas Wheat Commission Recipe booklet, providing educational programs, and supervising more than two dozen “Speak for Wheat” volunteer spokespersons. She is currently Chair of the National Festival of Breads. Since 1993, she has served on the WFC Executive Board of Directors and was chairperson in 2002-2003. She earned a B.S. in Human Ecology from Kansas State University.

Immediate Past Chair – Dave Green, ADM Milling Co.  (above right)

Green currently serves as director of quality control and laboratory services at ADM Milling Co.  For the past 24 years, he has overseen corporate quality programs for ADM Milling facilities in the U.S.   His responsibilities include crop surveys, wheat blends, customer correspondence and specifications.  He directs the mill laboratory managers and corporate laboratory in Overland Park, KS.  Previous to ADM, Green served as crop scout flour miller and mill lab technician with International Multifoods.  A native of Akron, OH, he holds a B.S. degree from Ohio State University.  Green is a member of the American Association of Cereal Chemists, the American Society of Baking, and the Wheat Quality Council.

Liaison to Grain Foods Foundation Marketing Committee – Mary Ellen Wagner, South Dakota Wheat Commission  (not pictured)                                             
Wagner is a long-time member of the South Dakota Wheat Commission and the Wheat Foods Council Board of Directors.  She has served in all the executive board positions and chaired numerous committees, the most longstanding of which is the WFC Exhibits at the annual meeting of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND).  Wagner has a bachelor and master’s degrees in Communications.

The Wheat Foods Council is a nonprofit organization formed in 1972 to help increase public awareness of grains, complex carbohydrates, and fiber as essential components of a healthful diet. The Council is supported voluntarily by wheat producers, millers, and related industries. For more information, visit www.wheatfoods.org.

Source: The Wheat Foods Council