Doha WTO Round
USW collaborates closely with United States, partner country, and World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiators to ensure the best possible outcome for U.S. wheat producers from an eventual Doha agreement. USW believes that a successful and balanced Doha agreement that provides significant new market access is the U.S. wheat industry's best opportunity to generate significant new sales of U.S.-origin wheat. USW anticipates that a successful Doha agreement would provide:

Improved market access for the wheat industry through lower tariffs and the removal of non-tariff barriers;
Reduction in export subsidies in competing wheat-exporting countries;
Removal of trade distorting export state trading entities (STEs).

Click here for more information on the agricultural negotiations of the WTO Doha Round.

Free Trade Agreements
The United States has free trade agreements (FTAs) in place with 17 countries. There are three additional bilateral trade agreements pending Congressional ratification and talks are underway to establish a new regional trade agreement with South Asian nations, known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership. USW works closely with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Services (FAS) and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to ensure favorable terms for wheat exports in all trade negotiations.

Click here to see the positive impact free trade agreements have on U.S. agricultural exports.

Fact sheets on the outstanding FTAs can be found here:
U.S.-Colombia FTA
U.S.-South Korea FTA
U.S.-Panama FTA

Click here for a summary of U.S. FTAs that are currently in force, signed but not ratified, or in negotiation.

More information is available from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service.

Colombian Wheat Millers Advocate for U.S.-Colombia FTA in Washington, DC

Colombian Wheat Millers Advocate for U.S.-Colombia FTA in Washington, DC

U.S. Wheat Associates is working to support ratification of the U.S.-Columbia free trade agreement and other FTAs. Jaime Jimenez, executive director of FEDEMOL, the Columbian millers association (above), leading a USW-sponsored team of Columbian wheat buyers to Washington, DC, in 2009 told the media, members of Congress, and Obama Administration officials that "we have long-standing ties with the U.S. wheat industry and we prefer U.S. wheat, but the difference in price [if the agreement is not ratified] would be impossible to ignore."

Trade Agreements

Agriculture Groups Urge Immediate Action On FTAs

published 08/01/2011

USW joined other agricultural organizations in calling for immediate actions on the pending free trade agreements.......

Positive Effects of Free Trade

published 04/08/2011

This chart illustrates the positive gains U.S. agriculture experiences as a result of free trade agreements.......

U.S. Free Trade Agreements

published 03/22/2011

Chart of United States FTAs in force, pending or currently being negotiated.......

Fact Sheet: US-Colombia FTA

published 03/22/2011

U.S. wheat industry fact sheet on the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.......

Fact Sheet: US-Panama FTA

published 03/22/2011

U.S. wheat industry fact sheet on the US-Panama Free Trade Agreement.......

Fact Sheet: US-South Korea FTA

published 03/22/2011

U.S. wheat industry fact sheet on the US-South Korea Free Trade Agreement.......

Agriculture Coalition Letter Supporting Colombia and Panama FTAs

published 03/22/2011

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 FTAs

published 03/22/2011

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Lugar released this report on the costs of not passing the Colombia and Panama FTAs.......

U.S. Wheat Industry Urges Ratification of Pending Trade Initiatives

published 03/22/2011

The U.S. wheat industry believes that action should be taken soon on a number of key free trade initiatives. Due to the suspension of the Doha Develo......

U.S. Wheat Industry Supports Korean Free Trade Agreement

published 03/22/2011

Washington, D.C. – The following is a joint statement of Leonard Schock, chairman, U.S. Wheat Associates, and John Thaemert, president, National Ass......

Transpacific Partnership Comments

published 03/22/2011

The attached comments were submitted to the Office of the U. S. Trade Representative in January 2010 via their Federal Register notice for comments.......

Wheat Industry Supports Colombia, Peru FTAs

published 03/22/2011

A team of four wheat producers from Idaho, Minnesota, Nebraska and Washington state representing the U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Board of Directors i......

U.S. Wheat Industry Statement on Doha Negotiations

published 03/22/2011

From U.S. Wheat Associates Chairman Michael Edgar and NAWG President David Cleavinger: "The U.S. wheat industry supports our negotiators’ continual ......

A Frantic Pace Takes Hold in Geneva

published 03/22/2011

Despite the misgivings about the future of the Doha round, negotiators in Geneva are satisfied with the unprecedented pace of negotiations. Some, in ......

Senate testimony on wheat issues in FTAA negotiations

published 03/22/2011

Committee on Foreign Relations United States Senate Jim McDonald, Chairman Wheat Export Trade Education Committee and U.S. Wheat Associates May 20, 2......

The Americas, via the FTAA, can lead the world into the future

published 03/22/2011

Il Congreso Mundial de la Pasta Isla de Margarita, Venezuela October 24, 2000 Panel: The impact of regional integration agreements on the pasta food ......

Passage of U.S.-Peru Free Trade Agreement Good News for U.S. Wheat Producers

published 03/22/2011

Washington, D.C. – The following is a statement from Ron Suppes, chairman of U.S. Wheat Associates, and John Thaemert, president of the National Ass......

Free Trade Area of the Americas (USW backgrounder)

published 03/22/2011

Free Trade Area of the Americas Background January, 2001 USW POSITION: Providing leadership in the creation of the Free Trade Area of the Americas sh......

Free Trade Area of the Americas

published 03/22/2011

FTAA - Free Trade Area of the Americas VI Business Forum of the Americas Submission to the Workshop on Agriculture by Wheat Export Trade Education Co......

FAS Administrator Tim Galvin responds to CWB complaint

published 03/22/2011

Letter from Timothy J. Galvin, Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA: July 24, 2000 Mr. Greg S. Arason President and Chief Executive Offi......

Trade Agreements

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.”

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.