The U.S. Wheat Store is Always Open
U.S. wheat farmers produce a plentiful wheat crop each year allowing the United States to be the largest single exporter of wheat in the world. People around the world rely on the United States and a handful of other countries to supply the basic ingredient for their traditional wheat-based foods.
While world wheat trade is largely a commercial market, buyers expect wheat to be available when needed. The U.S. wheat industry recognizes that this social contract exists and has invested much to earn the reputation as the world’s most reliable choice. Click here to read more. |
U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) is dedicated to creating a level trade playing field that allows U.S. wheat producers to participate in export markets worldwide. We offer analyses, perspectives, and recommendations on trade policy issues that potentially affect export market access and have the potential to impede sales. Although most USW activities are conducted overseas, market development programs begin in the United States, where government policy can affect the sales of millions of tons of wheat each year. USW supports wheat trade policies that provide for open and fair competition. USW regularly submits comments to the U.S. government on policies impacting wheat exports.
Free Trade Agreements, WTO and Beyond
 USW supports free trade through multilateral, regional, and bilateral trade agreements. USW believes that a comprehensive and ambitious WTO agreement is the best opportunity to achieve new global sales of U.S.-origin wheat. At the same time, we continue to support an aggressive bilateral and multilateral trade agenda based on the success of previous agreements for U.S. wheat exports such as NAFTA and CAFTA/DR. We support the immediate ratification of pending trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea.
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Competitiveness
USW is involved in providing input on and conducting analyses of various government policies that can impact U.S. wheat exports including sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) issues, export credits, monopoly powers of export state trading enterprises such as the Canadian Wheat Board, and sanctioned country sales, among others.
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Food Aid - Wheat is for Life
 USW works with the U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID), USDA, and many other non-governmental organizations on issues impacting the use of wheat in food aid programs.
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Biotechnology
USW supports the eventual commercialization of biotech wheat and while this goal is at least a decade away for the United States, USW continues to work in concert with industry partners to develop a comprehensive strategy to address the concerns of our loyal overseas customers.
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Sanctioned Countries
 USW supports full normalization of trade relations with Cuba and actively meets and works with the buying agency in Cuba, Alimport, to help them procure wheat from the United States. USW has submitted testimony authored numerous white papers and position pieces promoting the normalization of trade with Cuba, and works cooperatively with the National Association of Wheat Growers on Cuban trade issues. USW supports removal of the travel ban, so that all U.S. citizens and Cuban nationals can travel freely between our respective countries, easing of financial regualtions to allow for direct banking and standard payment terms for buying U.S. agricultural commodities.
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Trade Policy Statements
U.S. Wheat Industry 2012 National Trade Estimate Report on SPS Barriers to the U.S. Trade Representativepublished 11/04/2011
...  U.S. Wheat Industry 2012 National Trade Estimate Report to the U.S. Trade Representativepublished 11/04/2011
... Study Confirms Trade Agreements Lift U.S. Farm Exports, More Progress is Needed published 08/17/2011
ARLINGTON, Virginia (Revised August 17, 2011) -- The results of a comprehensive new study show that bilateral and multilateral trade agreements direc... The World’s Most Reliable Choicepublished 07/27/2011
U.S. wheat farmers produce a plentiful wheat crop each year allowing the United States to be the largest single exporter of wheat in the world. Peopl... Trade Doesn’t Take Vacationspublished 07/25/2011
By Shannon Schlecht, USW Director of Policy, and Tyler Jameson, USW Assistant Director of Policy
The Obama Administration and the U.S. Congress need... USW/NAWG Comments in Support of the Proposed Cross-Border Trucking Proposal published 05/18/2011
USW and NAWG submitted a joint Federal Register comment in support of the proposed DOT Mexico Cross-Border Trucking Proposal.
... Testimony on Pending Free Trade Agreementspublished 05/13/2011
Gordon Stoner testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture and the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance. His testimony fo... Trade Policy Priorities for 2011published 04/13/2011
The following are the wheat industry's trade policy priorities for 2011.
... USTR 2011 Report on Foreign SPS Trade Barrierspublished 04/01/2011
On Wednesday, March 30, 2011, USTR released its annual report on foreign sanitary phytosanitary barriers to trade.
... USTR 2011 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barrierspublished 04/01/2011
On Wednesday, March 30, 2011, USTR released its annual report on foreign barriers to trade.
... Agriculture Coalition Letter Supporting Colombia and Panama FTAspublished 02/24/2011
USW and 49 other organizations sent a letter to President Obama urging him to submit the Colombia and Panama FTAs to Congress as soon as possible.
... Senate Report on Implications of Not Passing Colombia and Panama FTAspublished 02/24/2011
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Lugar released this report on the costs of not passing the Colombia and Panama FTAs.
... USW/NAWG Submits Joint Statement for the Record to House Committee on Ways & Means Committeepublished 02/23/2011
USW/NAWG statement for the record to the House Committee on Ways & Means for their February 9, hearing on the Obama Administration's trade agenda.
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Trade Policy Archive
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Trade Agreements
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Wheat Farmers Gratified to See Congressional Approval of FTAs
Statement from Wayne Hurst, National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) president, and Randy Suess, U.S. Wheat Associates chairman, following Congressional passage of free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea:
“We were extremely pleased to see Congress pass on Wednesday the long-pending free trade agreements our country has negotiated with Colombia, Panama and South Korea. We have waited for the day these agreements would be taken up for many years now. We strongly urge the President to sign these agreements quickly.”
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Biotechnology
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Thoughtful Information
As early as 1991, the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) saw the potential of crop biotechnology to improve the lives of small-scale farmers in developing countries. By sharing and disseminating scientific knowledge to the global community, and by facilitating the transfer of technologies to developing countries through public-private partnerships, ISAAA has established its role and contribution in world efforts to help achieve agricultural sustainability and development.
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