Educational Programming

IAOM 2026 Educational Sessions

Keynote AddressEmployee ManagementFacility ManagementProduct ProtectionTechnical OperationsMain Line
PreviousNext

  • Wednesday, April 15 | 7:30 a.m.

    Leading Through Structural Change
    Sheryl Wallace, Ardent Mills

    Agriculture operates in a world shaped by structural commodity cycles influenced by production conditions, input costs, global trade dynamics and evolving customer needs. In today’s challenging environment, the most effective companies are not those trying to anticipate every market shift but those that bring clarity amid uncertainty, balance long-term direction with near-term adaptability and collaborate responsibly across the value chain through transparency and shared understanding to address the forces reshaping the industry.

    For millers and grain-based ingredient suppliers, developments in the Ag and Food system directly affect sourcing, processing, quality assurance and operational planning. At the same time, today’s demand landscape marked by shifting consumer preferences, cost pressures and economic cyclicality introduces additional complexity. From Ardent Mills’ vantage point in the middle of the supply chain, real-time visibility into both demand patterns and supply dynamics reinforces the importance of shared context across the grain chain. While different segments experience these cycles in distinct ways, alignment around market fundamentals, trade realities and customer needs enables the broader system to function reliably and efficiently.

    In Sheryl’s keynote, she will explore how reframing the operating environment as structurally dynamic rather than temporary or transitory can strengthen decision making, spark innovation and enhance coordination that builds resiliency and efficiency across the supply chain. Her focus is on how leaders interpret, prioritize and act in these conditions to achieve operational excellence and emerge stronger. She will highlight the role leaders play in clearly assessing the operating environment, identifying the most consequential headwinds and opportunities and enabling better planning and holistic execution. The discussion reinforces the enduring purpose of the agricultural and milling sectors and their capacity to support the food system through periods of disruption, transformation and growth.

     

  • Wednesday, April 15 | 1-1:30 p.m.

    Succession Planning: Practical Approaches for Building Your Future Workforce Now

    Nicole Gasaway, Bay State Milling
    This session will address the key practice of creating succession plans as part of a broader workforce development strategy. Participants will leave with pragmatic steps to plan for future talent needs.

  • Wednesday, April 15 | 1:35-2:40 p.m.

    Workforce Development

    Amy Jones, Didion Milling

  • Wednesday, April 15 | 1-1:30 p.m.

    Sustaining Your Desired Safety Culture

    David Uhl, Aubrey Daniels International

    In this session, we will explore how to create and sustain your desired safety culture by sharing best practices and practical tips.  This discussion will cover:

    • Defining organizational culture
    • Best practices for proactive culture development
    • Critical considerations for sustaining culture
    • Best practices for increasing ‘want-to’ behavior patterns that create ownership and buy-in

     

  • Wednesday, April 15 | 1:35-2:05 p.m.

    Combustible Dust Safety: Preventing Serious Injury and Fatality

    Timothy Heneks, CV Technology, Inc.

    Recent large-scale explosions at grain milling and similar facilities in the world highlight the continued need for improved combustible dust safety in milling operations. This presentation explores how preventable hazards—like hidden dust accumulation, overlooked ignition sources, and unprotected equipment—continue to threaten facilities even today. Using real-world examples, we’ll examine common vulnerabilities in grain milling and how operational and cultural challenges contribute to combustible dust incidents, even in facilities with strong safety intentions.

  • Wednesday, April 15 | 2:10-2:40 p.m.

    Process Hazard Analysis Options for Milling Operations

    Ed Gaither, PROtect, LLC

    The majority of grain storage and milling operations have performed a dust hazard analysis (DHA) as required by NFPA standards, mostly likely as a checklist to verify that NFPA requirements are met. As most facilities’ five-year DHA revalidation period comes due, the opportunity exists to use a method tailored to your specific operation that evaluates hazards and provides practical results. This presentation outlines other process hazard analysis (PHA) options commonly used in process industries.

  • Wednesday, April 15 | 1-1:30 p.m.

    Sanitary Design: Building Food Safety into the Mill

    Jesse Leal, AIB International
    Sanitary design plays a critical role in preventing contamination, improving cleanability and protecting product integrity within milling operations. This session will explore practical sanitary design principles tailored to the flour milling environment, including equipment layout, material flow, moisture management and hygienic equipment construction. Attendees will gain actionable insight into identifying design-related risks, reducing harborage points, and integrating sanitation considerations into new projects and facility upgrades. Whether planning a retrofit or evaluating existing systems, this presentation will help millers strengthen food safety performance through smarter design.

  • Wednesday, April 15 | 1:35-2:05 p.m.

    Paperless Flour Mill

    Cody Blodgett, Miller Milling, and Andreas Hummel, Advactory

    This presentation introduces a paperless digital quality management system and its practical implementation in flour mills. Focusing on operations, quality, and maintenance, we demonstrate how paper-based processes can be replaced with real-time digital workflows. Attendees will gain insights into improving traceability, compliance, and efficiency through a fully integrated system – highlighting real-world benefits and lessons learned from successful installations in modern milling environments.

  • Wednesday, April 15 | 2:10-2:40 p.m.

    Food Defense Experiences

    Jesse Leal, AIB International
    This session explores how the industry’s approach to intentional adulteration has changed since 9/11, highlights notable contamination cases, and outlines the most common gaps identified during regulatory inspections and third-party audits. Attendees will gain practical insight into building, maintaining and reanalyzing effective food defense plans—strengthening their facility’s ability to prevent intentional contamination while protecting public health, brand integrity and regulatory compliance.

  • Wednesday, April 15 | 1-1:30 p.m.

    Flour Power: The Miller’s Guide to Energy Efficiency

    Pedro Medina, Haystack Data Solutions

    Eradicate the “efficiency phantom” in your mill by learning how IoT‑powered AI transforms hidden energy leaks into measurable savings. Electricity prices have surged since 2020 and now account for approximately 33% of processing costs. In this session, you’ll receive a clear, practical roadmap to leverage IoT and AI tools for real‑time data collection and Intelligent Automation in order to reduce energy, boost uptime, and champion sustainability at your mill.

  • Wednesday, April 15 | 1:35-2:05 p.m.

    Arc Flash Reality Check

    Bobby Duncan, Knobelsdorff

    When an arc flash happens, it’s not the voltage that kills; it’s the delay. In the field, a few cycles of hesitation, mis-labeling, or missing data can mean the difference between a safe reset and a career-ending explosion. This session strips away the academic clutter and dives straight into how clearing time, system coordination, and qualified analysis determine real-world outcomes. Using NFPA 70E (2024) and OSHA 1910/1926 as the framework, we’ll expose how poorly gathered data, unverified protective device settings, and outdated reports silently increase incident energy every day. Attendees will leave with field-tested methods to verify, question, and document risk assessments that actually protect people, not just meet compliance checkboxes.

  • Wednesday, April 15 | 2:10-2:40 p.m.

    When Heat Speaks

    Alexis Noel, Bühler

    This presentation will introduce insights into how temperature data – especially the delta between the fast and slow roller – correlates directly with the surface condition and performance of roller packs, whether smooth or corrugated. Long-term data analyses demonstrate that specific temperature patterns provide a reliable indication of roller wear levels and can signal the optimal point for revision, long before visible performance degradation occurs. Adding machine learning and AI analytics further refines these insights for process optimization.

  • Thursday, April16 | 1-2 p.m.

    One Technology, Two Perspectives: Inline and Desktop NIRs in Quality Assurance

    Moderator: Sydney Blanks, Mennel Milling
    Panelists: David Honigs, PerkinElmer; Andy LaFollette, FOSS; Isaac Rukundo, BUCHI; Cyprian Syeunda, Mennel Milling; and Casey Thomson, KPM Analytics.

    Near-infrared (NIR) technology is a cornerstone of modern milling quality assurance, yet its application can differ significantly depending on operational needs and workflows. This panel discussion brings together industry experts to discuss the practical use of both inline and desktop NIR systems in milling operations.

    The session will explore the advantages and trade-offs of each approach, including considerations such as speed, accuracy, calibration, integration into production processes, and overall impact on quality control. By comparing real-world applications from both operational and technology perspectives, the discussion will highlight how different NIR solutions support consistency, efficiency, and informed decision-making.

    Attendees will gain practical insights to help evaluate how inline and desktop NIR technologies can best be applied within their own quality assurance programs.

  • Thursday, April 16 | 2:10-3:10 p.m.

    Built to Thrive: Leadership That Powers Mill Performance
    Katie Christensen, Beekuba
    Culture is not a warm-and-fuzzy initiative. In grain milling, it either strengthens performance or quietly erodes margin. Turnover alone can cost $10,000 to $30,000 per frontline departure and well over 100 percent of salary for leaders and technical specialists. Disengagement further drains output and consistency. In a single facility, that can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenue each year due to overtime, safety risks, downtime, retraining, and performance gaps. In small labor markets, reputation determines access to talent.
    These challenges share one driver. Managers influence up to 70 percent of employee engagement, directly shaping retention, performance, and recruiting power. Yet many leaders were promoted for technical expertise and have not yet been equipped with the tools to consistently build engagement and culture.
    This high-energy, practical session delivers simple, immediately applicable leadership habits that can be used the very next shift to strengthen engagement, reduce preventable turnover, and build a culture that fuels performance. Because in grain milling, thriving mills are powered by thriving leaders.