More Kansas farmers are testing out a new breed of the durum wheat species milled into semolina flour used in pasta. The state has been such a huge wheat producer that it earned the nickname “ The Wheat State ” since Russian immigrants brought wheat to the Plains in the 1870s. It looks very similar to common Kansas winter wheat, but it consistently boasts more protein. Last year, Kansas harvested almost 7 million acres of winter wheat, and the whole country produced only 2 million acres of durum wheat. Growing durum wheat in Kansas only became a viable option in 2023, when K-State released the variety made for western Kansas.