BFA Newsletter - 12/28/24
It has been a full and successful year here at the BFA, with momentum continuing to expand into the future. We hope next year bodes similarly well for you.
The Research
After delving deeply into the steps necessary to develop the first ever definition of Nutrient Density in a crop, beef, over the past couple of years, the leg work on our part was done, and we were able to focus back on our core function of education with a majority of our efforts this year. Our key partners in the beef project, Stephan Van Vliet at his lab in Utah State, and Edacious in Massachusetts have been finalizing the last samples from the beef project, and then taking all of the complex data sets that were collected and putting them into a framework that can be assessed by anyone. We are now ready for the final step, the definition work.
For those that want to see the dashboard or results that Edacious has put so many long hours into developing, it is here available for general public perusal.
Now that we have all of the overlapping biochemistry, microbiome, fodder, soil, and management data we are inviting submissions to our Bionutrient Definition Standards Board. Those with specific expertise in the core fields of nutritional biochemistry, and ruminant microbiology, management, and agronomy are welcome to apply, or if you know someone eligible, feel free to nominate them as well.
We expect to have the process of determining this first definition of Nutrient Density on any crop ever on the planet completed by the middle of 2025! We are still collecting funds to pay for the work of the members of the standards board.
Subsequent to that accomplishment, we are welcoming interest from any technology provider interested in manufacturing the instruments necessary to provide the general citizen the capacity to assess Nutrient Density in beef in real time anywhere in the world.
While the work concludes in the definition process for beef, we are beginning work on our second crop in the Nutrient Density definition process, wheat. Wheat, similar to beef, is a foodstuff with a major ecological, nutritional, and economic footprint. Defining Nutrient Density in wheat will provide its own unique challenges in that most wheat is not procured in its original form, but is often processed to a significant degree. The wheat project will not only define variation in the raw quality of the grain from a series of samples across genetic, geographic, and management spectrums, but will also integrate the basics of post harvest processing to ascertain which raw samples and processes correlate with the best nutritional outcomes for humans. We are in the preliminary stage of designing this study, so those with interest in it should feel free to engage at the button below.
This project will require significant funding, so those with the means to support should know that their support is graciously accepted.
The Conference
As part of our pivot to more active educational work in the past year, we held our first Soil and Nutrition Conference since 2021, this year themed, “The State of Nutrient Density”. The event ran for 16 weeks from May through the end of August, and it was a wonderful opportunity to highlight many of the guiding lights from around the world in this realm that we here at the Bionutrient Food Association have been leading since coining the term more than 15 years ago. The many hundreds of attendees from across the planet were able to actively engage with these presenters, and get a chance to not only access up to date reportage from the cutting edge of the movement but get their questions answered. We expect to run another similar event in the coming year, although with a different theme. Those who have as yet not accessed the recordings from the conference need only look to our YouTube page for that content. It is there with the recordings of all of the other presentations that have ever occurred at this conference along with much more.
The World Tour
Well, really only North America, Europe and Australia / New Zealand. ☺ This year has been a wonderful experience in the broad base of interest and support for the BFA. We have been invited to keynote conferences and present courses in many countries and multiple continents this year, and the desire for our presence around the world continues to expand. As the word of our work in defining Nutrient Density continues to build, and its implications for the environment, human health, and farm viability are acknowledged, we are honored to be in such high demand. 2025 seems poised to continue in a similar vein, and we welcome interest from those who would like to invite us to speak at or present to a community they are connected to.
As a small educational organization, we run primarily on donations, and certainly welcome your year end support as we continue to carry out our important mission. Please do support us as you can, and know that we have a remarkably outsized effect on the world in relation to the money that we have access to. A good return on your donation if there ever was one.
Best to you and yours in the new year. If all proceeds well, the first ever meter to test Nutrient Density in a crop will be in the hands of the people by the end of the coming year.
