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 of 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. Click here to learn more.
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. Click here to learn more.
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. Click here to learn more.
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. Click here to learn more.
Cuba
 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 and numerous white papers and position pieces promoting, as an immediate step in the normalization process, the full lifting of the travel ban so that all U.S. and Cuban citizens can travel freely between our respective nations and easing of current payment restrictions that add burdensome administrative requirements to Cuban purchases of U.S. wheat. Click here to learn more. |
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Trade Agreements
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Huge Export Losses for Wheat Growers Expected if U.S.-Colombia FTA Not Ratified
U.S. wheat sales to Colombia would likely drop by more than 50 percent if Congress fails to soon ratify the U.S.-Columbia free trade agreement (FTA), say Colombian wheat buyers…a possible loss of more than $80 million in sales.
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Trade Policy
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Brazil Cotton Case Impact on Wheat Industry
Brazil has won a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement against the US involving the use of improper subsidies to support the domestic cotton industry that threatens USDA's GSM 102 Export Credit Guarantee Program. The Obama Administration is taking this seriously and working hard to find a solution, an effort USW and NAWG are actively supporting.
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