Amaranth Institute Symposium 2026 Full Schedule

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SCHEDULE DAY 1: AUGUST 12 (La Conner Inn and WSU-Breadlab)
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8:30am - 9:00am
Registration at the La Conner Inn - Welcome at Two Forks Conference Room

9:00am - 9:20am
Introduction Amaranth Institute: What and Why?
  - Matthew Blair and Paul Galewski
  - How to add to the AI website (Niel Pyat, Virtual)
  - Frontiers in Plant Science Sponsorship / Special Issue plan (Matthew Blair and Alfredo Araujo)

VEGETABLE AMARANTH
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9:20am - 9:45am
  - Speaker I: Vegetable Amaranth (Tori Rosen, Rutgers)
    Leafy Green Amaranth: Selection and Breeding to Meet Grower Needs and Consumer Expectations for US-based Production. (in person)

9:45am - 10:05am
  - Speaker II: Vegetable Amaranth (Jay Bost, Appalachian State University; Lane Selman, Culinary Breeding Network)
    Vegetable Amaranth Making Agrobiodiversity Sexy: Amaranth Greens in the US Regional Food and Seed Scene. (in person)

10:05am - 10:30am
  - Speaker III: Vegetable Amaranth (Mildred Osei, UDS-Ghana)
    Beyond Fresh Consumption: Vegetable Amaranths (Amaranthus spp.) in Food Product Innovation. (virtual)

10:30am - 10:55am
  - Speaker IV: Entomology (Simon Zebelo, Univ. Maryland - Eastern Shore)
    Managing pigweed flea beetle using insecticides and trap crop in Amaranthus (in person)

AGRONOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY
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11:00am - 11:20am
  - Amaranth Agronomy and Physiology I (Anamika Pandey, NCAT)
    Evaluating Moisture Stress Effects on Amaranth Yield and Antioxidant Capacity in Raised-bed Urban Systems (in person)

11:20am - 11:40am
  - Amaranth Agronomy and Physiology II (Rekha Badu, TSU)
    High Resolution Phenotyping of Growth and Water Use Responses to Heat Stress in Five Grain Amaranth Cultivars (in person)

11:40am - 12:00pm
  - Amaranth Agronomy III (Emily Jacobson and Svitlana Lymanska, TSU)
    Yield Potential of Grain Amaranth in Riverbottom Location in Tennessee (in person and virtual)

12:00pm
  - Lunch in La Conner (On your own not sponsored, please go individually or in groups)

FOOD SECURITY
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1:00pm - 1:20pm
  - Speaker I: Food Security III (Daniel Fairbanks, Utah Valley University)
    The History of Cultivated Grain Amaranths in the Old World (in person)

1:20pm - 1:40pm
  - Speaker III: Food Security II (Kevin Murphy, WSU)
    Role of Breadlab, Introduction to WSU / Region (what we will see today and tomorrow) (in person)

1:40pm - 2:00pm
  - Speaker II: Food Security I (Vik Bensen, Whole Grains Council)
    Opportunities for Amaranth: Trends and Insights from the Whole Grains Council's Stamped Product Database (in person)

2:00pm - 2:25pm
  - Speaker IV: Food Security IV (Ivonne Sanchez del Pino, CICY-Yucatan)
    Amaranth in the Maya Sun: Overview and Recent Findings (virtual)

2:25pm - 2:45pm
  - Afternoon Plan & Recipe Development (Lauren Chandler, Jay Bost)

INTO THE FIELD!
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2:45pm - 4:00pm
  - Drive and visit to Verduras Mexicanas (greens) Matthew B. to translate, followed by Breadlab

4:00pm - 5:00pm
  - Breadlab tour (Kevin) / Cleaning and milling demo (Paul Galewski and Matthew Blair)

5:00pm - 5:30pm
  - Demos: Alegria de Mexico (A. Araujo), Popping & Crackers (L. Chandler), Greens (B. Dingha), Sweets (M. Blair)

5:30pm
  - Pizza Making and Eating! (BYO beverages & pizza toppings)


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SCHEDULE DAY 2: AUGUST 13 (La Conner Inn in morning, then Auditorium - WSU NW Wash REC, Mt. Vernon)
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8:30am
  - Registration Day II and pre-meeting snacks (breakfast amaranth products)

9:00am - 9:10am
  - Opener: Day 2 welcome and review of Day 1 (Matthew Blair)

9:10am - 9:20am
  - Opener: International Breeding (Sieglinda Snapp, Washington State University)

ANCIENT GRAIN
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9:20am - 9:40am
  - Speaker I: Ancient Grain (Yony Tito Qui, NCAT)
    From Roots to Global Boom - Individual and Collective Scientific Reflections on Quinoa in Peru and the Possible Applications on Transformation and Pest Dynamics in the US Southeast (in person)

9:40am - 10:00am
  - Speaker II: Ancient Grain (Puru Natarajan, UMES)
    Integrated Phenomics and Genomics of North American Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) Genotypes Toward Pangenome Development and Agronomic Trait Dissection in Mid-Atlantic Production Environments (in person)

NOVEL USES
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10:00am - 10:25am
  - Speaker I: Novel Uses (Chance Riggins, U Illinois-CU)
    Overview of Research and Potential Applications of Natural Colorants From Amaranths. (in person)

10:25am - 10:50am
  - Speaker II: Novel Uses (Alfredo Araujo, CICY-Mex)
    Ancient Roots to Modern Science of Huauhtli: Unlocking the Phytochemical Potential of Mesoamerican Sacred Amaranth (in person)

10:50am - 10:55am
  - Webinario and Ferias of Amaranth in Mexico (Alfredo/Ivonne, CICY)

10:55am - 11:00am
  - A conversation about Geosmin: Friend or Foe (Xavier Lem, UC-Berkeley)

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES
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11:00am - 11:20am
  - International Updates I (Adrian Argumedo, Colegio Postgrados - Puebla campus)
    Status of Amaranth Production and Popping Technology In Puebla, Mexico (virtual)

11:20am - 11:40am
  - International Updates II (Prabha and Laxmi Joshi)
    Agromorphological Diversity and Disease Assessment of Grain Amaranth in Lamjung, Nepal (virtual from Auburn/TSU)

11:40am - 12:00pm
  - International Updates III (Beatriz Bustamente Arce, Jorge Mario Pardo Castro)
    Amaranth in Colombia: Validation of an Andean Pilot Crop in the Coffee-Growing Tropics A SENA-TSU Cooperation

12:00pm - 12:25pm
  - International Updates IV (Carolyn Boykins, UVI)
    Insect Constraints on Amaranthus Cultivation in the U.S. Virgin Islands: from Callaloo to Feed for Small Ruminants and Poultry (in person)

12:25pm - 12:35pm
  - Pre-lunch break

12:40pm
  - Travel to WSU-NWREC Center - 16650 Hwy. WA-536, Mount Vernon - Sakuma Auditorium

1:00pm
  - Catered Lunch; Setup of Posters

GRAIN AMARANTH
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2:00pm - 2:20pm
  - Grain Amaranth I (David Brenner, Iowa State Univ, USDA)
    Amaranth Germplasm for Plant Breeding from the US National Plant Germplasm System (in person)

2:20pm - 2:40pm
  - Grain Amaranth II (Matthew Blair, Tennessee State Univ.)
    Differentiation of Andean and Mesoamerican Accessions in a USDA Core Collection of Grain Amaranths (in person)

2:40pm - 3:00pm
  - Grain Amaranth III (Walt Sumner, UMSL)
    Soil Management Effects on Amaranth Composition

3:00pm - 3:15pm
  - Talk about trials/grow out (Kevin Murphy, WSU) (in person)

3:15pm - 4:00pm
  - Visit grain fields (Amaranth, Quinoa, Spring Barley, Spring Wheat)

4:00pm
  - Poster Session summaries (5 minutes summary) (in person)

4:00pm - 4:30pm
  - Poster Session Viewing and other Demo such as Seeder/Combine (Paul and Matthew)

BREAKOUT SESSIONS:
  - Breakout I: Recipe development/Cooking Innovations / Fancy Desserts (Chocolates w Rekha)
  - Breakout II: Managing grain amaranth seeds. Lessons from Quinoa. Innovation needs. Optical cleaning.
  - Breakout III: Discussion on Agronomic Issues/Crop Development
  - Breakout IV: Private Sector Collaborations

5:00pm - 5:30pm
  - Wrap up and Amaranth Institute Elections

5:30pm - 6:00pm
  - Return to La Conner and free time

6:00pm - 6:15pm
  - Assemble for dinner La Conner Inn lobby (Emily leads us)

6:30pm
  - Light Dinner (La Conner Pub & Eatery)


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SCHEDULE DAY 3: AUGUST 14 (La Conner Inn)
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9:00am - 10:30am
  - Amaranth Institute meeting, New Board Members, Other International Engagements
  - TBD: Other Country Highlights (Tanzania - Elibariki and Sabine, Kenya, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe - Lillian) (virtual)
  - WorldVeg and AVRDC (Tanzania - Alfred)
  - Adding to AI web (Neil)
  - Private Sector Acknowledgements / Iowa Food Lab: Kurt A. Rosentrater (virtual)

10:30am
  - Break

11:00am
  - Check out from hotel

11:30am
  - Shuttle with Emily to SEA-TAC airport OR visit to Amaranth Flower Farm: Floret (30-minute drive)

4:00pm
  - Shuttle with Matthew to Mt. Vernon or SEA-TAC


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IMPORTANT ADDRESSES AND PHONE NUMBERS
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La Conner Lodge (adjacent hotel)
205 N 1st St, La Conner, WA 98257

La Conner Inn
107 S 2nd St, La Conner, WA 98257
Phone: (360) 466-1500 / (360) 466-3101

WSU Breadlab
11768 Westar Ln. Unit E
Burlington, WA 98233

WSU NW Wash REC
16650 Hwy. WA-536
Mount Vernon, WA 98273
Phone: (360) 848-6120

Event Contact: Dr. Matthew Blair (615-554-4139)