<<Disclaimer:  Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

On May18th, Don Kasarda commented on the recent pilot study
suggesting that oats may be safe for Celiacs (generally, he advised
caution, the study was small, full study not published, etc.)...
He also said in that May 18th post:

DK>  I will also mention that they had considerable difficulty buying
DK> supplies of oats that were not contaminated with wheat and
DK> used extensive laboratory testing to clear their supplies.
DK>  So how are you going to be sure that your oats are not
DK> contaminated?

In a private email, I asked Don if there was something about oats
in particular which makes them more likely to be contaminated
with wheat than other grains, such as rice, corn, or the exotic grains.

His reply follows (with his permission):

DK> With regard to your question about oats--I think oats may be more
DK> frequently contaminated with wheat (or rye or barley) than other
DK> grains because it may be grown in rotation with wheat or in
DK> adjacent fields so that volunteer wheat might well be present in
DK> the fields and be harvested with the oats. I am not sure, but I
DK> would make a guess that most farmers growing oats probably also
DK> grow wheat so that contamination from truck beds, machinery, and
DK> storage facilities is possible.  Grains like corn are often grown
DK> separately from wheat, to some extent even in different parts of
DK> the country, and the way they are grown makes contamination less
DK> likely. This may be true of amaranth, quinoa, etc., as well.
DK>
DK> Beyond that, contamination during transportation and processing
DK> would probably not be much different than for other grains.

I would add (from the little that I know about agriculture) that rice tends
to be grown in a completely different climate from wheat, and should also
be less likely to be contaminated in the fields.

Bill Elkus