HRS Archives - U.S. Wheat Associates

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Chilean Milling Group Returns to U.S. Wheat

The marketing year 2018/19 hard red winter (HRW) and hard red spring (HRS) wheat crops offered excellent milling and baking quality, and therefore more value, than in previous years. U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) representatives in South America invited two representatives of an influential buying group in Chile to participate in a trade team visit to the United States in June 2018. This group had not purchased U.S. wheat, relying instead on Canadian spring wheat, so USW was pleased that the trade team included two executives from the buying group who had never participated in such a visit to observe the U.S. wheat production and supply system.

In Portland, OR, the participants made contacts with new Pacific Northwest grain traders and observed the FGIS grain inspection process. In Nebraska, hosted by the Nebraska Wheat Board, the team saw public wheat breeding research at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and in North Dakota they learned about new crop U.S HRS quality.

As the tour progressed, USW saw more and more interest from the participants. They learned that lower moisture U.S. wheat offers good value in their milling processes. They saw how they could use inspection data to get maximum return from their wheat import contracts. They talked to farmers and elevator operators who showed how quality is maintained throughout the supply chain.

In September 2018, the buying group told USW it was considering purchasing a full cargo of U.S. wheat and requested additional crop quality data to support and facilitate the decision. USW shared the quality data from the new harvest and past years and discussed the excellent buying opportunities. In April 2019, the buyer purchased 30,000 metric tons (MT) of U.S. HRW to mill into bread flour and soft red winter (SRW) to mill into cookie and pastry flour. The mill manager who traveled to the United States also expressed interest in purchasing soft white (SW) from the Pacific Northwest. With funding from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Market Access Program (MAP), USW provided trade and technical service to open that opportunity. And to continue the long-term process to build sales to the buyinggroup, USW invested Agricultural Trade Program (ATP) funds to send the same manager to participate in the Hard Red Spring Wheat Quality Tour in North Dakota in July 2019.

With a more sustained effort focused on replacing Canadian supplies and funded by MAP, ATP and the Foreign Market Development program, USW anticipates continued growth from this influential buying pool and throughout South America.

January 9, 2020/by Erica Oakley

Bakery Workshop, hard red spring, HRS, Korea, Philippines, soft white, SW, Taiwan, U.S. wheat, U.S. Wheat Associates, U.S. wheat exports Hard Red Spring, Hard Red Winter, Soft White

USW Reaches Across Regions to Help Build Wheat Exports to The Philippines

USDA Foreign Agricultural Service cooperator U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) is using Foreign Market Development (FMD) program and the Market Access Program (MAP) funds to help expand demand for U.S. wheat in the Republic of the Philippines in part by introducing new products from North Asian countries.

Over the years, USW has built a team of very effective end-product technical experts in Korea and Taiwan. These are very sophisticated but somewhat mature U.S. wheat markets. The still growing Philippines market is hungry for new product ideas. USW decided to share its product and technical knowledge across regions in several ways.

In March 2018, for example, USW worked with a large flour mill in Cebu, Philippines, to plan a customer appreciation learning visit to observe innovations in the Korean baking industry. USW’s representatives in Seoul set up meetings for the team of 19 customers at sophisticated Korean bakeries where they saw new products and formulations, made with flour from U.S. hard red spring (HRS) and hard red winter (HRW) wheat, baking methods and processes.

USW chose that milling customer for this activity knowing that Bakery World 2018, the first bakery trade show in Cebu was scheduled for October 2018 where the organization would be very visible on behalf of U.S. wheat farmers. At the show with more than 6,000 bakers and allied industry representatives, USW Korea Country Director CY Kang presented a look at bakery trends in Korea. USW Korea Food and Bakery Technologist David Oh demonstrated production methods for five different types of breads currently popular in the Korean market. USW Manila Bakery Consultant Gerry Mendoza made a presentation on bakery operations.

With additional support from three state wheat commissions, USW also hosted 30 Philippine managers at a noodle production workshop presented by USW in Taiwan. USW demonstrated how milling U.S. soft white (SW) wheat yields both high quality cake flour and higher protein “clear” flour that is ideal for bright white noodles.

Using Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) funding, USW’s Manila and Seoul offices collaborated on a Korean Bakery Workshop held in Seoul, South Korea from June 16 to 22, 2019. USW designed the workshop as a service to 30 additional Philippine bakers and millers to familiarize them with Korean products, formulations and production methods.

The return to U.S. farmers from the long-term, diverse activities in the Philippines is increasing. From a volume of about 2.0 million metric tons (MMT) in marketing year 2011/12, U.S. wheat imports reached more than 3.0 MMT in 2018/19 and the Philippines imported more U.S. SW and HRS than any other country that year.

August 10, 2019/by Erica Oakley

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First Bulk Vessel Docked in Myanmar Carries U.S. Wheat

Many years of work conducting trade service and technical support in South Asian countries like Burma (Myanmar) showed USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) cooperator U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) there was a growing opportunity to compete with nearby Australian wheat supplies. Knowing two deep-water ports were opening in Myanmar in 2019, USW intensified its activities. In mid-May 2019, FAS representatives were on hand to welcome the first vessel to dock at one of the ports loaded with 22,000 metric tons (MT) of high-quality U.S. hard red spring (HRS) wheat purchased by a local flour mill.

With funding from the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) program, USW has provided technical and trade servicing to mills and bakeries in Myanmar for more than 20 years. With the ability only to take container loads, U.S. wheat had to compete with less expensive supplied shipped mainly from Australia. Still, its political situation was changing and consumer purchasing power was growing.

To lay the groundwork for U.S. wheat bulk shipments to customers in Myanmar, USW hosted a workshop on FGIS inspection and certification in marketing year 2017/18 for milling companies and government officials. USW separately brought in a private trading company and the FAS staff in Rangoon to brief the Myanmar Plant Protection Department (PPD) about the bulk U.S. wheat export supply system. The briefing provided information that helped increase the confidence in purchasing and handling U.S. bulk wheat shipments.

Technical training continued with seven individuals from Myanmar baking companies who participated at their companies’ expense in three USW-sponsored baking courses at the UFM Baking School in Bangkok, Thailand between May and July 2018. In a survey about their participation, these customers said they planned to demand flour produced from U.S. HRS wheat in their processing plants. And in December 2018, USW Bakery Consultant Roy Chung made a technical service call on a milling and wheat food processor in Myanmar to provide additional information on the potential value in milling U.S. HRS for bread flour and blending for other products.

From many years of trade service and a recent annual investment of about $100,000 in MAP and FMD funds, U.S. wheat exports to Myanmar grew from 26,300 MT in 2017/18 to about 65,000 MT in 2018/19 (including 48,700 MT of HRS) and returned about $14.6 million to farmers from Minnesota to Washington state and members of the U.S. wheat supply chain. With Australia suffering its third year of drought and low wheat production, and on-going trade and technical support from USW, the outlook remains strong for U.S. wheat demand in Myanmar.

May 5, 2019/by Erica Oakley

Noodles are the staple product in South Korea that represent more than 50 percent of Korean wheat food consumption. For many years, manufacturers have preferred Australian wheat to produce noodle flour, and specifically “Australian Noodle Wheat” that helps produce an end product with the color favored by consumers. USDA Foreign Agricultural Service cooperator U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) is addressing the competitive advantage and increasing market share by providing technical service funded by the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development (FMD) program.

Every year since 2015, the USW Seoul Office conducts a Korean Noodle Flour Development short course at the Wheat Market Center (WMC) in Portland, Ore., and a Noodle Flour Blending Seminar in Seoul to demonstrate the advantages of blending with U.S. wheat.

Representatives from one noodle manufacturer and two mills from Korea attended the 2017 course, where they researched flour blends using an increased percentage of U.S. wheat flour in instant noodle products. The participants concluded that using more U.S. wheat still allowed them to maintain the preferred product color and quality while reducing input costs. Blends include varying percentages of flour from U.S. soft white, hard red spring and hard red winter wheat classes.

In December 2017, USW shared the course results and reviewed quality parameters with Korean noodle manufacturers and flour millers. A highly regarded local expert presented information on quality parameters affecting noodle flour functionality. Because of this, one company said that they intend to use HRS for a new end-product line in 2018. Another company reported that they increased U.S. wheat percentage in their noodle formulation from 50 percent in CY15 to 90 percent in CY17, and is also using U.S. wheat flour in their export product portfolio, which increased by 20,000 metric tons (MT) in CY17. And a third company reported that they also increased U.S. wheat in their blends in CY17, absorbing 10,000 MT of additional U.S. wheat flour. All participants reported that the seminar provided a valuable opportunity to share information on improving noodle quality.

Despite lacking a single U.S. wheat class with optimal noodle quality, USW’s efforts — funded by state wheat commissions, MAP and FMD — have helped secure a 20 percent share of the wheat imported for the Korean noodle market. The top four instant noodle manufacturers in South Korea consistently now use more than 45 percent U.S. wheat, up from less than 25 percent in 2009.

May 1, 2018/by Erica Oakley

The popularity of non-traditional baked goods like chewy breads, cookies and fluffy cakes is rapidly growing in the People’s Republic of China. To help build a preference for flour from U.S. wheat classes among aspiring Chinese baking companies, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service cooperator U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) has expanded its technical capabilities through staffing and an exceptional training activity.

USW hired Dr. Ting Liu in September 2016 as Technical Specialist to provide support and training to demonstrate the performance of U.S. wheat in the new baked goods as well as traditional Chinese wheat based products. Dr. Liu works from USW’s Beijing office and regularly travels across China to provide baking demonstrations, technical seminars and promote practical application of U.S. wheat performance results. Staff administrative expenses for Dr. Liu and her experienced marketing colleagues in China are supported by the Foreign Market Development (FMD) program with development activities funded by the Market Access Program (MAP).

Because there is intense interest in professional baking expertise, especially in scaling up industrial sized operations, USW decided to invest some of its activities funding to send Dr. Liu to the 192nd Baking Science and Technology course at AIB International in Manhattan, Kan., from January through May 2018. This is an internationally respected, 16-week program combining science, hands-on lab work and baking tradition in its course work. With her expertise in food science and cereal chemistry, Dr. Liu was well prepared for this training — but she far exceeded expectations.

Dr. Liu represented herself, USW and the U.S. wheat farmers she represents with distinction, earning honors as the course’s top student and an “Excellence in Laboratory Leadership” award for her participation in the course. Now she will apply this advanced knowledge to effectively stress that flour which performs its intended functions enables Chinese bakers to produce higher quality, better tasting wheat foods, and that U.S. wheat flours are essential ingredients on which bakers can rely for consistent results.

Though China’s centrally planned food and trade policies create substantial barriers to export growth, the increased ability to train the industrial bakeries that must meet consumer demand is pulling in high protein U.S. hard red spring (HRS) and hard red winter (HRW) wheat for bread products and soft white (SW) for cakes and cookies. In marketing years 2016/17 and 2017/18, China imported an average of 843,000 metric tons (MT) of HRS, 163,000 MT of HRW and 318,000 MT of SW per year, valued at about $324 million per year for farmers and wheat supply participants in the Pacific Northwest and Northern Plains.

May 1, 2018/by Erica Oakley

In Taiwan, wheat consumption has steadily grown while rice consumption has declined. The reason, in no small part, is because USDA Foreign Agricultural Service cooperator U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) has provided expertise, guidance and encouragement to accelerate a cultural shift toward consuming more baked goods.

With funding from the Foreign Market Development (FMD) program helping maintain USW staff in Taipei, USW has been a partner to an innovative milling and baking industry for more than 50 years. That has helped USW identify that the public must be enticed by novelty, nutrition and flavor for Taiwanese wheat consumption to continue growing. Higher end baked items from naturally fermented dough, fancier pastries, confections and Japanese style cakes are becoming the focus of ever more sophisticated tastes.

With activity funding from the Market Access Program (MAP), USW has helped its customers in the milling, baking, vocational training, and education sectors to remain competitive by developing novel baked goods that favor the use of flour milled from U.S. hard red spring (HRS), hard red winter (HRW) and soft white (SW) wheat classes.

One example of how USW is helping sustain the growth in wheat foods is a sour dough baking seminar in October 2017, jointly developed and conducted by a Taiwanese flour mill, Chia Nan University and USW, funded in part through MAP. A total of 100 participants from southern Taiwan, including university professors, technology high school teachers, bakers as well as hotel and catering company chefs, attended the day-long seminar. The topics included information about why U.S. HRW and HRS wheat classes provide the correct functional flour performance for sour dough baked goods including white and whole wheat bread, bagels, baguettes, etc. The instructors also showed the advantages of U.S. SW flour in sour dough cream cakes and even cheese corn soup. A survey showed that all participants found value in the seminar and that they would strongly consider developing new sour dough products or incorporate the products into their baking curriculums.

Helping wheat consumption grow is particularly important in a market like Taiwan, which imports about 78 percent of its wheat on average from the United States. Five years ago, in marketing year 2013/14 (June 1 to May 31), Taiwan imported 1.28 million metric tons (MMT), of which 1.05 MMT was U.S. wheat. In 2017/18, Taiwan imported 1.39 MMT, of which 1.14 MMT came from U.S. farmers. U.S. wheat export prices vary by class and from year to year, but in 2017/18, USW invested almost $535,000 in FMD and MAP funding and estimates the total value of our exports to Taiwan in 2017/18 was at least $260 million.

May 1, 2018/by Erica Oakley

Chilean Milling Group Returns to U.S. Wheat

USW Reaches Across Regions to Help Build Wheat Exports to The Philippines

First Bulk Vessel Docked in Myanmar Carries U.S. Wheat

USW Training Achievement Supports Long-Term U.S. Wheat Promotion in China

Working to Increase Wheat Consumption in Taiwan

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