Wheat’s On Your Mind celebrates 100 episodes by looking back at the people and conversations that have helped explain Kansas wheat. Host Aaron Harries joins producer Dave Deken to revisit favorite interviews and talk about what they hope to cover next. Their conversation brings together the crop’s history, the work happening in wheat research and the farm families whose stories give the industry a human face.
The retrospective shows how changes in wheat production have always depended on changes elsewhere in the industry. Author Glenn Ediger’s archive clip explains how mills needed new processing methods to handle hard winter wheat, while wheat geneticist Mary Guttieri describes the ongoing challenge of improving grain protein without sacrificing yield. Aaron and Dave also revisit Ken and Deb Wood’s account of surviving a tornado near Chapman, Kansas, and the neighbors who helped them afterward. Those conversations show why family experience and community support belong alongside science in the story of wheat.
Other clips follow the crop into new products and international markets. Hayes Kelman describes Boot Hill Distillery’s approach to making spirits from grain grown on its own farm, and U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran discusses why access to buyers beyond Kansas matters to the state’s economy. As Aaron and Dave look toward the next hundred episodes, they emphasize making research understandable, hearing directly from farmers and preserving stories that might otherwise be lost. Listeners can explore earlier conversations at WheatsonYourMind.com and suggest future topics by emailing kswheat@kswheat.com.
