AOCS Processing Division
Newsletter November 2007
Chairperson's Corner
Ramanathan Narayanan (Nara)
The Annual Meeting in Québec City (May 13-16, 2007) was a great success for the Processing Division and we are already working hard for a great session in Seattle, WA (May 18-21, 2008).
Processing Division will have three sessions on Processing Technologies, an Exhibitor session, a Poster session and a General Processing session.
We are also planning a Hot Topic session (sponsored by Processing Division and IOMSA) on Tuesday morning.
More details on these sessions will be available in the next few months. If you have any specific topics you would like to be included, please contact me or one of the division officers.
Processing Division will have a Hospitality Suite open for networking and exchange of ideas within its members. In 2008, the suite will be open on Monday & Tuesday night and will be a sponsored event.
I look forward to seeing you all in Seattle, WA.
We are all deeply saddened at the sudden passing of Richard (Dick) Farmer recently. He was a great supporter of the Processing Division and worked hard to make a difference in the safety and training of everyone involved in the processing business. Our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends.
Processing News
Tentative Technical Program for Seattle 2008
The next AOCS meeting will be held May 18-21, 2008 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, WA. The Tentative Technical Program sponsored by the Processing Division is as follows:
Monday, May 19
- Morning Session—Processor Topics
Chair—Jerry Strickland - Afternoon Session—Processor Topics
Chair—Jim Willits/ Mike Snow
Tuesday, May 20
- Morning Session—Hot Topics
Chair—Ramanathan Narayanan / Bryan Yeh - Afternoon Session—Exhibitors Session
Chair—Ted Neuman/ Roberto Berbessi
Wednesday, May 21
- Morning Joint Session with Agricultural Microscopy
Chair—Nurhan Dunford - Afternoon Session—Submitted Papers
Chair—TBD
Poster Session
Chair—Tim Gum
Hospitality Suite
In Seattle, the Processing Division will be hosting a Hospitality Suite on Monday and Tuesday nights. This is an excellent opportunity for networking and catching up with old friends. We are also looking for sponsors for the two evenings. Please contact Ted Neuman at neuman.theodore@wsus.com.
News Articles
Do you have any news or information that you would like to share with fellow Processing Division members? If so, please contact Bryan Yeh at bryan.yeh@ge.com. We will be publishing the Processing Division newsletters three times a year.
Processing Division Officers
For 2007-2008, the following individuals will be serving as division officers for the Processing Division. Please feel free to contact them with any questions or suggestions that you may have:
Chairperson
Ramanathan Narayanan (Nara) rnanayanan@agp.com
Vice Chairperson
Mike Snow mike.snow@bunge.com
Sec./ Treas.
Nurhan Dunford dunford@okstate.edu
Member at Large
Jim Willits jw@desmetusa.com
Member at Large
Bryan Yeh bryan.yeh@ge.com
Member at Large
Tim Gum tgum@aesms.com
Member at Large
Jerry Strickland
Member at Large
Ted Neuman neuman.Theodore@wsus.com
Past Chair
Mike Boyer mboyer@aesms.com
Articles of Interest to Members
In case you missed these, here is a list of articles that have appeared this year in inform that may be of interest to our members (page number, title).
303 Biofuels vs Food
385 Biofuel production effects
403 The battle over hydrogenation
594 Real world experience from a small biodiesel production facility
639 NuSun oil—success and challenges
Here are some articles from recent issues of the Journal of American Oil Chemists Society (JAOCS) that may be of interest to you (page number, title).
421-426 Formation of Granular Crystals in Margarine with Excess Amount of Palm Oil
433-442 Industrially Produced trans Fat in Foods in Australia
474-478 Temperature Effects on the Deacidification of Mixtures of Sunflower Oil and Oleic Acid
557-563 Frying Performance of No-trans, Low-Linolenic Acid Soybean Oils
579-585 The Influence of Tocopherols on the Oxidation Stability of Methyl Esters
587-596 Process Technology for the Production of Micronutrient Rich Red Palm Olein
603-608 Sunflower—Oil Wax Reduction by Seed Solvent Washing
609-612 Low-trans Spread and Shortening Oils via Hydrogenation of Soybean Oil
693-700 Downstream Process for Aqueous Enzymatic Extraction of Rapeseed Oil and Protein Hydrolysates
785-792 Separating Oil from Aqueous Extraction Fractions of Soybean
937-943 Synthesis of Biodiesel from Canola Oil Using Heterogeneous Base Catalyst
Tribute:
Dick Farmer, 1941—2007
by Catherine Watkins
Dick and his wife, Grace, clown around in their kitchen.
Asked for three words that best describe Dick Farmer, those closest to him chose the following: humble, smart, very smart, analytical, logical, enthusiastic, optimistic, supportive, productive, dedicated, and loyal. As evocative as those descriptors are, they are eclipsed by the stories his friends and associates told after his sudden passing on August 3 at age 66.
Dick clearly was a man who was deeply loved and respected by all those in his orbit. In fact, many of those who worked with him during his 25 years at Bunge North America (St. Louis, Missouri, USA) called him "Mr. Farmer" as a mark of respect, recalls AOCS President Phil Bollheimer.
"I once went into a meeting with Dick and some of his colleagues and suddenly realized I was the only person in the room calling him 'Dick.' Everyone else was calling him 'Mr. Farmer.' When I asked him afterward why that was, he said it was a mystery to him because he had never asked them to do so."
Other titles given to Dick by his colleagues include "The Doctor" and "Professor," reports Mickey Lay, senior project manager at Bunge in St. Louis.
"Dick was my friend and boss for 28 years," he said. "His work ethic was absolutely unparalleled. I recall one occasion when he and I travelled from our facility in Marks, Mississippi, to our plant in Decatur, Alabama, which was about a six-hour drive."
After working all day in Marks, the two left just after 5:00 p.m., with Dick driving, as always. As they pulled out of the parking lot, "Dick suggested I get out a pencil, some paper, and a calculator. For the next six hours he had me calculate heat transfer and steam consumption data on several of our extraction facilities, as well as discussing potential improvements to our dehulling systems and life in general."
By the time the two finally arrived in Decatur at around 11:00 p.m., they decided to drive by the facility so they could see the plant at night. Then they noticed several fire engines heading in the same direction, only to discover there was a fire in a hull collection filter at the plant.
The two immediately began helping to secure the plant and extinguish the fire. After several hours of work, they finally headed to their motel several blocks away.
"We checked in at the front desk and drove around to the rooms," Lay said. "I remember looking at my watch and saying to Dick, 'It is almost 4:00 a.m. What time do you want to meet to go back to the plant?' Dick looked at me as if I were crazy and said, 'The regular time--6:00 a.m.' So I re-opened my door and got back in the car. Dick asked what I was doing. I told him that if we only had two hours to sleep, I would just sleep in the car. We laughed, and he finally said, 'I'll meet you at 7:30 a.m.' But that was the way it was with Dick. You worked hard, and for some reason always enjoyed doing it."
Phil Bollheimer also commented that people who worked with Dick "felt absolute loyalty to him. But, then, loyalty begets loyalty." Bollheimer also remembered how personable Dick was. "He knew the names of everyone's spouse and children, and he would always ask after them."
"He always took time to help others," Mike Snow of Bunge said, adding that "Dick consistently looked for ways to improve processes and people."
Mickey Lay seconded that thought, remembering how Dick would quote Peter Drucker about efficiency and effectiveness. "In the end, though, his motivation was all about people and helping others achieve their potential," Lay said.
Having retired from Bunge in 2004 as vice president of oilseed operations, Mr. Farmer turned his considerable intellect to understanding the nonprofit world of AOCS. "He was always interested in why we did things the way we did," notes Jean Wills, AOCS executive vice president. "He wanted to peel back all the layers and get the core idea behind the actions we took."
"As the recently elected treasurer of AOCS and second vice chairperson and chairperson of the Financial Steering Committee, Dick was a numbers guy, through and through," Wills said. "He would always start a question by saying something like, 'I might not understand this, but . . .,' followed by a question that hit right to the heart of an issue. In fact, when he was here earlier this year to receive our audited financial statement, our accountant turned to him at one point and said, 'Are you an accountant?' And she was serious. He was that good."
In the words of a retired Bunge shift supervisor who worked for Mr. Farmer in the early 1980s--one of the hundreds of people who emailed Mickey Lay after Dick's death: "For those who knew him; we were fortunate. For those who didn't; they missed out."
Mr. Farmer is survived by his wife, Grace; his mother, Genell; sons Steve (Nancy) and Brian (Connie); a sister, Mary King; and four grandchildren.