PORTLAND — Growing up on a wheat farm in northwest Kansas ultimately led Andrew Mense to study the crop in college.

During an open house at Kansas State University, the grain science department caught his eye.

“(It was) a way to apply or stay in agriculture and use some math and science background, which really meshed well with what I’m interested in,” he said.

Mense is the new food scientist at the Wheat Marketing Center in Portland. He spoke with the Capital Press on March 15, his first day on the job.

In his job, Mense will help deliver research findings to state commissions and evaluate new wheat varieties, in addition to offering workshops for U.S. Wheat Associates.

He said he was drawn to examining wheat flours and blends to gain an understanding of how they impact the quality of products.

Among his goals is helping farmers understand how their growing practices impact flour and product quality. He will help farmers “see how what they do on the farm ultimately impacts the food manufacturers,” he said.

Mense previously was a food scientist at startup Indigo Ag and was in quality assurance at Bay State Milling on the East Coast, working closely with agronomists, growers and food processors.

He has authored refereed journal articles focused on the structure of wheat bran, cereal food ingredient technology and milling science as well as wheat and flour quality.

“His familiarity with issues facing the industry at multiple points throughout the market value chain leave him well positioned to begin making immediate contributions in this position,” center technical director Jayne Bock said in a press release.

Mense has several years of industry experience on top of his academic work, said Janice Cooper, executive director of the center.

“That’s very attractive, to have somebody that’s been out in the world and learned something about the wheat industry from different perspectives,” she told the Capital Press.

Cooper expected Mense to hit the ground running.

“We just have so much work, we’re just happy to have him here,” she said. “We know that he will be kept very busy.”

The marketing center offers technical training to customers, grower workshops, research, product development and crop quality testing services.