Association of Cereal Research

Schuetzenberg 10, D-32756 Detmold, Germany, Phone: +49 5231 61664-0,

Fax: +49 5231 20505 - E-mail: info@agf-detmold.de - Internet: www.agfdt.de

 

 

Who we are

 

 

What we want

 

 

What we offer

 

 

 

The Association

 

The Association of Cereal Research (AGF), a registered association, was founded in 1946 upon the initiative of Professor Dr. P.F. Pelshenke, Detmold. At present some 460 companies from 20 nations are members of AGF. They form the economic basis of AGF's successful work for 60 years. The member firms represent the sectors of milling and baking, baking additives, starch, pasta products, cereal-based foodstuffs, machinery,  cereals, institutes, associations and publishing houses. Natural and legal persons as well as societies and associations without legal capacity may become AGF members. The AGF office will provide information about the conditions of membership.

 

AGF is managed by the executive board currently consisting of the president (Dr. Götz Kröner, Ibbenbüren) and 5 vice-presidents (Dr. Jochen Bode, Hamburg, , Dipl.oec.troph. Udo Heckelmann, Werne, Alfred Heyl, Bad Langensalza, Prof. Dr. Meinolf G. Lindhauer, Detmold und Holger Rathjen, Rellingen. The executive secretary is Dipl.-Vw. Klaus Niebuhr.

 

A broad range of services described below is offered to the members. AGF has its own lecture building which is equipped with modern machinery and accommodates about 3OO participants. The machinery and equipment exhibitions are organised in a separate exhibition hall directly adjacent to the lecture building. Since 1946 AGF has organised more than 300 conferences attended by about 60 000 participants. The continued lively interest in AGF events shows that the association has always been able to tackle topical problems and discuss possible solutions. And it is not only the discussion between science and practice that leads to valuable information but also, and to an equal extent, the exchange of ideas among practitioners.

 

AGF is a scientific-technological non-profiting association aiming at:

 

·         promoting the co-operation between science and practice in the area of cereal processing and related areas

 (e.g. breeding, cultivation, storage),

·         promptly transferring scientific results to the field of practice,

·         submitting practical problems to scientific research,

·         promoting the exchange of experience among practitioners,

·         exchanging experience with international organisations,

·         promoting the specialised technical training of junior scientists and practitioners,

·         developing and standardising methods of exploration and testing.

 

The events organised to reach these objectives are:

 

 

Specialised conferences - annually:

 

in February                 Detmold Study Days

                                     for vocational school teachers (approx. 80 participants)

 

in April                  European Bioethanol Technology Meeting (with exhibition)

for the bioethanol industry and supporting industries, renewable raw materials, machinery and equipment, research and advisory centres. (approx. 250 participants from 25 nations)

 

in April                         Starch Conference  (with exhibition)

for the starch industry and supporting industries, renewable raw materials, machinery and equipment, research and advisory centres. (approx. 350 participants from 25 nations)

 

in June                        Food Law Conference for Cereal Based Food 

for the fields of quality assurance, foodstuff development and labelling, marketing, food control, research and advisory centres (approx. 120 participants)

 

in June                        Cereal Chemistry Conference

for the fields of product development, quality assurance, foodstuff control, analysis research and advisory centres (approx. 70 participants from 5 nations)

 

in September             Milling Technology Conference (with exhibition)

for the fields of milling technology, mill and equipment design, supporting industries, trade and co-operatives, breeding, Chambers of Agriculture, research and advisory centres (approx. 250 participants from 15 nations)

 

in September             Harvest Information

for the fields of milling technology, trade and co-operatives, breeding, Chambers of Agriculture, research and advisory centres (approx. 250 participants from 15 nations)

 

in November              Baking Technology Conference (with exhibition)

for the areas of baking technology, bread and biscuits, confectionery      goods, bread improver, machinery and supporting industry, research and advisory centres (approx. 350 participants from 10 nations)

 

 

Specialised conferences - every other year:

 

in March                      Cereal Conference

for the areas of breeding and cultivation of cereals, trade and co-operatives, milling technology, Chambers of Agriculture, research and advisory centres (approx. 120 participants from 10 nations)

 

in March                      Cereal-Based Foodstuffs Conference

for hulling industry, producers of cereal-based food, extrusion, machinery and equipment manufacturers, research and advisory centres (approx. 60 participants from 5 nations)

 

in April/May                 Durum and Pasta Conference

for durum mills, pasta production, machinery, breeding, Chambers of Agriculture, research and advisory centres (approx. 60 participants from 5 nations)

 

 

Specialised Seminar - annually:

 

in January/                  Detmolder Backmanager

February                     4 week seminar for baking experts  (limited to 20 participants)

 

in May                          Seminar Cereal Technology

                                     one week seminar for milling and baking experts

 

In addition, seminars and study courses are offered on request.

 

Participation in the specialised conferences is free of charge for AGF members, seminars and study courses will be offered at a reduced rate.

 

Conference language for all meetings – except Bioethanol Technology Meeting and Starch Convention - is German. Bioethanol Technology Meeting and Starch Convention is held only in English

 

 

Working committees

 

The AGF working committees are responsible for setting up the programs of the various specialised conferences. The committees consist of practitioners and scientists. At numerous meetings they together decide on priority subjects. The intensive expert discussions held at such committee meetings often give the scientists new ideas for future research projects. But the practitioners too derive valuable suggestions for new developments in many different areas from such discussions. The committee members are nominated by the AGF board after consultation with the committee chairman.

 

AGF has the following working committees:

 

Education and Training     (chairman: Wilhelm Jung, vice-chairman: Heiner Lucks)

Baking Technology            (chairman: Georg. Heberer, vice-chairman: Matthias Bantel)

Cereal Chemistry               (chairman: Dr. Georg Böcker, vice-chairman: Prof. Dr. Bärbel. Kniel)

Milling Technology            (chairman: Friedrich-W. Borgstedt, vice-chairman: Matthias Schuh)

Durum and Pasta               (chairman: Dr. Rainer Hüppe, vice-chairman: Raimund Eigenmann)

Cereals                              (chairman: Gerhard Freimann, vice-chairman: Andreas Schmuck)

Cereal-based Food            (chairman: Prof. Dr. Jörg Hampshire, vice-chairman: Dr. Stefan Hoth)

Starch                                (chairman: Dr. Willi Witt, vice-chairman: Karl-Heinz Schneider)

 

 

Publications

 

New scientific and practical knowledge is not only passed on at the specialised conferences but also in written form. By publishing the trade journal "Getreidetechnologie" (Cereals Technology) every three months, AGF is able to pass on promptly the results achieved at the specialised conferences to a large number of interested experts. The journal is published in co-operation with the BackMedia Verlag (publishing house of the German bakery industry) in Bochum which has taken over the technical and financial handling. The editorial work is done by Andreas Ranft and Ludger Themann.

 

The Conference Proceedings are published directly by AGF and offered free of charge only to its members by internet (www.agfdt.de). In the same way, the Leaflets containing suggestions for solutions to current problems of grain processing and sent to the members automatically and free of charge. Teaching information material is another way of providing information. They serve teachers holding classes at vocational schools, but can also be used for in-plant vocational training purposes. Similar to the Leaflets, they deal with special subjects in a clear and concise form. The teaching information material is edited by the education and training committee. AGF members can obtain it at a special rate. Besides, AGF has a comprehensive specialised library which is made available to its members for local use.

 

 

Exhibitions

 

Machinery and equipment exhibitions organised in connection with some specialised conferences also offer possibilities of providing information. Together with the expert papers presented at the conferences, they represent an excellent opportunity of combining theoretical description and practical application. Experience has shown that this combination of specialised conference and exhibition offered by AGF since 1949 is very much appreciated by the visitors.