Columbia Snake River System Archives

Proposed Legislation Would Protect Snake River Dams and Export Efficiency

In March, U.S. Representatives Dan Newhouse (R-WA) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) introduced the Northwest Energy Security Act to protect four lower Snake River Dams. Senators Jim Risch (ID) and Steve Daines (MT) introduced a companion bill in the Senate. While the legislation focuses mainly on the benefits of hydroelectric power, protecting the lock and dam system will also preserve efficient barge delivery of U.S. wheat to export elevators in the Pacific Northwest.

These members of Congress and Pacific Northwest wheat leaders provided the following comments about the effort to protect Snake River dams.

Region Cannot Afford to Lose Dams

“The four lower Snake River Dams are integral to flood control, navigation, irrigation, agriculture, and recreation in Central Washington and throughout the Pacific Northwest—to put it simply, we cannot afford to lose them,” said Rep. Newhouse. He also expressed concern regarding the amount of non-scientific information being used to mislead people regarding the dams.

“A comprehensive, scientific process made clear dam breaching on the lower Snake River is completely unnecessary and unwarranted,” said Senator Risch. “With the Northwest Energy Security Act, Congress will ensure the Columbia River Power System continues to provide reliable and clean energy and supports the region’s transportation, agriculture, and irrigation needs.”

River Transportation Essential for Wheat

Grain barge navigation on the Columbia Snake River System is an essential part of a logistical web that moves over half of all U.S. wheat exports to more than 20 Pacific Rim countries including some of the largest U.S. wheat buyers in the world. The Snake River moves more than 10% of all wheat that is exported from the United States. Barging is also the most environmentally sound and efficient mode of transportation in the region, benefiting farmers and overseas buyers by helping keep export basis lower.

This is why U.S. Wheat Associates (USW), state wheat commissions, the National Association of Wheat Growers and state wheat associations strongly support the sustainability and reliability of wheat transportation by barge.

Map of the Columbia Snake River System from Pacific Northwest Waterways Association

Eight Steps Down. Lock and dam systems on the Columbia Snake River System allow barges to efficiently and safely navigate the 222-meter elevation change from Lewiston, Idaho, to export elevators as far west as Longview, Wash.

“The Washington Grain Commission supports continued efforts to maintain the Snake River dams as an essential piece of the larger Columbia River System,” said WGC CEO Casey Chumrau. “Washington farmers rely on the river system to transport more than half of the state’s wheat and access overseas export markets. Barging is the most environmentally sound and economically viable mode of transportation in the region and critical to the competitiveness of Washington farmers.”

“The importance of the four lower Snake River dams to our region’s farmers and rural communities for both transportation and energy production cannot be overstated,” said Bryan Searle, president of the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation. “The science is clear that salmon and dams can co-exist, and therefore we support the Northwest Energy Security Act. The members of the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation thank the sponsors of the bill.”

“The Snake River dams are vital to Washington’s wheat growers,” said Michelle Hennings, executive director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers. “Scientific evidence conducted by the U.S. government has proven that removing the Snake River dams goes against environmental statutes and public interests. Washington wheat growers support any efforts that ensure the dams continue to operate as an integral part of the Columbia River System.”

April 11, 2023/by Steve Mercer

Columbia Snake River System, Exports, Wheat Export Supply System

Rolling on the River: Wheat Export and Marketing Workshop Launches in Portland

For six or seven seconds Monday afternoon, a group of wheat farmers from Idaho were able to imagine pushing 15,000 metric tons of wheat up the river. Maybe the wheat had been harvested in Idaho, or maybe it came from Washington or Oregon or Montana or even the Dakotas. Regardless, the imaginary barges under their control – the tugboat they each got to pilot was real, the barges not so much – were filled with U.S. wheat destined to be loaded on a ship headed for an export market.

The tugboat “driving lesson” was part of the Wheat Export and Marketing Workshop, an annual educational seminar and tour sponsored by the Idaho Wheat Commission and anchored at the Wheat Marketing Center in Portland, Oregon.

Here’s a brief video from the first day of the 3-day workshop:

January 10, 2023/by Ralph Loos

Columbia Snake River System, Wheat Export Supply System

Korean Journalists Visit a U.S. Wheat Industry Open for Business

It was an unusually calm morning at Blown Away Ranch outside Ione, Oregon. Dozens of wind turbines surrounding Deacon and Erin Heideman’s farm operation were still as we pulled up to their tidy, welcoming homestead. A mastiff dog named Duke greeted us first. He was as big as a calf, but quickly let us know we were welcome.

I was travelling in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) with two Korean journalists doing research for an article on how U.S. wheat is developed, grown and transported to flour mills, bakeries and consumers in South Korea. U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and the wheat commissions in Washington, Idaho and Oregon welcomed the opportunity to show these reporters the wholesome, reliable nature of our export supply system.

South Korean flour millers have imported U.S. wheat for more than 50 years. Over the past 10 years, the average import volume is almost 1.3 million metric tons (MMT) per year including soft white (SW) and Western White, hard red spring (HRS), and hard red winter (HRW).

In Washington’s Palouse Country

I met Mr. Changsup Song and Mr. Haewook Kim on a Monday afternoon at the Washington Grain Commission (WGC) office in Spokane, Wash. They had spent the morning learning about the Washington wheat industry with WGC CEO Glen Squires and Vice President Mary Palmer Sullivan. They also saw how up-country elevators like High Line Grain Growers near Cheney, Wash., load train cars with SW wheat bound for river terminals and export elevators.

Wheat and fallow fields in eastern Washington's Palouse Country seen from the peak of Steptoe Butte

Eastern Washington’s Palouse Country (here from atop Steptoe Butte near Colfax, Wash., in October 2022) boasts one of the world’s most ideal places to grow wheat.

On the drive from Spokane to Pullman, Wash., we braved the tight curves on the drive up Steptoe Butte to take in the panoramic view of Washington’s iconic Palouse Country. Here and there we could see the dust from a few farmers still planting winter SW in mid-October. Away from irrigated land around rivers, dry land farmers in the region plant into fields that have lain fallow for a full year to increase available moisture and improve organic matter in the soil.

On the Washington State University (WSU) campus in Pullman, the journalists saw how WGC invests money from wheat farm families in new variety research and development. At the recently expanded breeding lab, Dr. Aaron Carter, Professor, O.A. Vogel Endowed Chair in Winter Wheat Breeding and Genetics, WSU, and Dr. Kim Garland-Campbell, Research Geneticist, USDA-ARS, explained how their work serves both farmers and end-users. Field testing proves the yield potential of each new line. The functional quality of flour from the varieties is first tested in cooperation with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service Western Wheat Quality Laboratory on the WSU campus where Research Biologist Dr. Alecia Kiszonas hosted our tour.

Conventional Cross-Breeding is the mainstay of work done by Washington State University and the USDA-ARS. USDA geneticist Dr. Kim Garland-Campbell showed Korean journalist Haewook Kim (above) research on new Club wheat varieties. Breeding efforts focus on developing cultivars with high yield potential, excellent end-use quality, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stress.

How the Wheat is Moved

Our little team moved on to Lewiston, Idaho, where Song and Kim interviewed Genesee wheat farmer and Idaho Wheat Commissioner Joe Anderson. Their questions focused on the varieties Anderson plants and about the risk management tools available to PNW farmers. A stop at the Lewis and Clark Terminal showed how farmers deliver truckloads of grain that is segregated by protein level, stored and then loaded onto barges for the journey down the Snake River to the Columbia River and export elevators in the Portland, Ore., area. The Port of Lewiston is the most inland port on the U.S. west coast.

Korean journalist Changsup Song photographs soft white wheat being unloaded from a trailer at the Lewis and Clark Terminal in Lewiston, Idaho.

Korean Journalist Changsup Song photographs soft white wheat being unloaded from a pup trailer at the Lewis and Clark Terminal in Lewiston, Idaho.

Our long drive from Lewiston, through Washington State’s Tri-Cities, to Portland featured the truly unique vistas along the Columbia River and the wheat country of northern Oregon.

Korean journalist Kim in front of the Heideman family's wheat seeding rig

Ready to Ride. Journalist Haewook Kim rode with Deacon Heideman as he planted soft white wheat at Blown Away Ranch.

Our visit with the Heideman family gave Song and Kim additional insight into dry-land wheat farming, while enjoying fresh, homemade cake baked with flour from the family’s operation. The chance to ride and talk with Deacon Heideman as he planted soft white wheat was a highlight for the journalists. The photo at the top of this page is from the ranch’s website.

“We are a family farm raising wheat for a global market, working diligently to be sustainable. Our desire is to share our slice of heaven with others while maintaining our farming heritage so that we can pass it to the next generation in a better state.” – The Heideman Family, Blown Away Ranch, Ione, Oregon

Outside of Grass Valley, Ore., USW Past Chairman Darren Padget discussed how PNW farmers help ensure they produce the best quality wheat possible by publishing a Preferred Variety List based on yield potential and functional quality. His family had completed harvest and winter wheat planting by the time our team arrived, but Darren was able to show Song and Kim the operation’s seeding, application and harvesting equipment.

Assuring Quality and Supply

In Portland, Ore., after a briefing with the USW West Coast Office team and the Oregon Wheat Commission, the journalists visited the Wheat Marketing Center, offering an impressive look at how farmers invest a part of their own incomes into demonstrating the diversity and quality of U.S. wheat to domestic and overseas customers.

At the regional USDA Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) office, experienced inspector Jimmy Pan offered a complete demonstration of how the agency independently inspects wheat at vessel loading to certify that the quality of the wheat loaded matches the quality stated in the customer’s import contract.

FGIS inspector Jimmy Pan demonstrates the wheat inspection process to Korean journalists.

Standardized Wheat Inspection. At the FGIS regional office in Portland, inspector Jimmy Pan demonstrated to journalists Kim and Song the process inspectors must follow to certify that wheat bound for overseas customers is the same as what the customers asked for.

Even as the world’s wheat buyers face a lot of uncertainty in today’s market, USW, the farmers we represent and our state wheat commission members were happy to open up our system, processes and quality to these Korean journalists. We believe that transparency contributes to world food security and economic stability.

We also believe Mr. Song and Mr. Kim left the United States with assurance that the U.S. industry will remain an open, dependable supplier of the highest quality wheat in the years ahead.

USW thanks every organization that helped make arrangements for this important team event.

A Korean journalist photographs a wheat export elevator and loading ship on the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon.

Loading SW Wheat. Through the foggy conditions, Korean journalist Changsup Song photographs a vessel being loaded across the Willamette River at the TEMCO LLC export elevator in Portland.

By USW Vice President of Communications Steve Mercer.

October 26, 2022/by Steve Mercer

Columbia Snake River System

Wheat Leaders: Protect Lower Snake River Dams

Washington Senator Patti Murray and Washington Governor Jay Inslee recently announced their recommendations concerning a final Lower Snake River Dams (LSRD) Benefit Replacement Report. Basically, they state their belief that while breaching the dams would help salmon populations, breaching should not occur until economic impacts, including substantial negative effects on the U.S. wheat export system, are mitigated.

The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) responded to the recommendations August 26, reflecting the position of U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and local organizations representing U.S. wheat growers.

“The dams play a vital role in providing a safe, efficient and affordable way for wheat farmers to get their product to market,” said NAWG CEO Chandler Goule. “We are glad the recommendations released by Senator Murray and Governor Inslee recognize the role these dams play in agriculture and acknowledge dam breaching is not feasible at present.

“However, we remain concerned and opposed to breaching as it would be detrimental to wheat growers across the region. Last month, NAWG filed public comments outlining our concerns, whereby other modes of transportation cannot simply replace barging. Wheat farmers move grain most efficiently by using the waterway instead of rail or truck while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. NAWG remains committed to working with our federal partners and stakeholders to meet the challenge of helping facilitate a healthy river ecosystem while supporting wheat growers.”

The Idaho Wheat Commission produced the video story above about the Columbia Snake River System and its irreplaceable role in the Pacific Northwest U.S. wheat production and export system.

USW has also shared the following information about the Lower Snake River dams:

Facts About U.S. Wheat Exports And The Columbia Snake River System

USW Expresses Support For Maintaining Lower Snake River Dams

Report On Replacing The Benefits Of The Lower Snake River Dams Generates Concern

Capital Press Reports On Proposal To Remove Snake River Dams

August 26, 2022/by Steve Mercer

Columbia Snake River System, Hard Red Spring, Hard Red Winter, Soft White, Wheat Export Supply System

USW Expresses Support for Maintaining Lower Snake River Dams

On behalf of the U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Transportation Working Group, we* appreciate the opportunity to provide comments on the draft Lower Snake River Dams Benefit Replacement Report.

The draft report raises serious concerns among U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and its member states. The USW Transportation Working Group (TWG) questions many of the baseline assumptions argued in the draft report. The draft is incomplete because many of the key variables cannot be quantified. The Lower Snake River Dams (LSRD) provide a critical need that moves U.S.-grown wheat to high-value markets around the world. Breaching the dams would have serious economic consequences for producers and grain handlers. Removing the dams also runs counter to achieving climate-friendly goals.

Barging Benefits

USW strongly supports the sustainability and reliability of wheat transportation by barge. The Columbia Snake River System is an essential part of a logistical web that moves over half of all U.S. wheat exports to more than 20 Pacific Rim countries and encompasses some of the largest U.S. wheat buyers in the world. The Snake River moves more than 10% of all wheat that is exported from the United States. Because of the cost savings conveyed by barging grain and examples used in the draft report, we can conclude that farmers save considerably by using the waterway in place of rail or truck and are able to pass on savings to consumers.

The Lower Snake River Dams provide critical needs for wheat farmers, grain handlers, merchandisers, and millers. The draft report clearly outlines the benefits enjoyed by grain handlers, “barging is the lowest-cost option (per ton-mile) for wheat shipping, an additional benefit for Pacific Northwest producers, as they operate on narrow cost margins and use barging to maximize their profit per bushel.” Shifting the current volume of wheat and other grains moving via barge on the LSRD over to rail or truck is not a viable and straightforward solution as portions of the draft study imply. Rail and truck cost significantly more on a per bushel basis, and trucks have distance limitations.

Breaching Increases Transportation Costs

An excerpt from the draft report outlines the literal costs to farmers: “One of the most significant transportation impacts connected with LSRD breaching is shipping costs. Several studies cite shipping prices during scheduled lock outages for maintenance between December 2010 and March 2011 and found that during the outage, over 90% of the grain by volume was shipped by rail and that shippers experienced a nearly 40% increase in shipping and storage costs.” This example shows that railroads will use their power to raise rates when other alternatives, like the river system, are unavailable.

The Port of Lewiston is the most inland port in the U.S, Pacific Northwest. Its placement on the Snake River allows farmers in Idaho and other states to barge their wheat efficiently and affordably. The U.S. competes with six other primary wheat-exporting countries. According to the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), the United States is the third-largest wheat exporter in the world. However, for the U.S. to remain competitive with other wheat exporting nations, export prices must remain competitive. Inland transportation costs are a primary factor in determining the competitiveness of U.S. wheat. Using barges to ship grain is one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways that U.S. wheat farmers stay competitive.

Rail Cannot Make Up Difference

All wheat production zones in the U.S. would be impacted, not just those in close proximity to the Lower Snake River Dams system. The U.S. rail system has some severe issues with service and reliability, and in recent years, tariff costs to move wheat have steadily increased. Adding more volume to the system would raise costs for all farmers and lead to a decline in service for a significant portion of all U.S. wheat producers. This would directly impact U.S. wheat’s global competitiveness as an export market.

Transporting wheat by barge is an environmentally friendly alternative to rail and truck hauling. One four-barge tow can move as much grain as 144 rail cars or 538 semi-trucks. Removing the dams would not only remove clean hydroelectricity but would mandate more significant carbon emissions as grain handlers are forced to rely on railroads and semi-trucks for long-haul delivery to export facilities in Portland and elsewhere.

More Competition Not Less

The draft report provides no sincere considerations for alternative freight, and what suggestions it does make are unrealistic. While railroads and trucks compete with barge companies to move grain, farmers and grain handlers would be held captive without barges as an alternative.

USW supports the Columbia Snake River System and will continue to emphasize its importance in serving wheat buyers worldwide. Breaching of the dams on the Lower Snake River would have a devastating economic impact on wheat production and market competitiveness, not just in the Pacific Northwest Region, but nationally.

*This article represents public comments by the USW Transportation Working Group to the Lower Snake River Dams Benefit Replacement Report submitted July 11, 2022, by working group co-chairs Jim Peterson, Policy and Marketing Director, North Dakota Wheat Commission, and Charlie Vogel, Executive Director, Minnesota Wheat Research & Promotion Council.

July 12, 2022/by Steve Mercer

Columbia Snake River System, Exports, Michael Anderson, Soft White, Wheat Export Supply System

Riding a Tugboat Carrying U.S. Wheat On Its Way to Export

It is 3:00 on a brisk and overcast Tuesday afternoon, and the sun is already low in the sky. I am sitting in the galley of a tugboat — state of the art, I am told. The tugboat has all the amenities any crew would need with five staterooms, a kitchen, a washer and dryer, and even a weight room. There is some tension on board, with a hurry-up-and-wait attitude, when the phone finally rings. The deck mechanic answers and the barge we are waiting on is finally loaded with 1,500 metric tons (MT) of soft white wheat. The motor hums to life, and we start moving, slowly, toward the grain elevator. It is growing dark as two grain barges are tethered together, and we begin downriver from Lewiston, Ida., headed to Portland, Ore. It will be a two-and-a-half-day journey first down the Snake River, connecting to the Columbia River and finally to the Willamette River, to reach our Portland export elevator destinations, about 360 miles.

“This river, in general, is very handsome, except at the rapid, where it is risking both life and property to pass.” – From the Journal of Sgt. Patrick Gass, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Michael Anderson is picture front, left with the crew of the tugboat crew.

We follow the same route that Lewis and Clark took as the “Corps of Discovery” traveled west. The rivers were different in 1805, untamed by today’s intricate system of dams and locks. The eight dams that we will pass through have made it possible to harness the rivers into a major artery carrying U.S. wheat bound for export from farm to port.

The boat rocks side to side on my first night. It is comfortable, but the unfamiliar feeling makes it hard to settle in. Suddenly the boat lurches, and the light outside gets brighter. The first lock, Lower Granite, comes into view from the deck. Two spotlights illuminate our way as we creep up to the lock. Slowly we approach the brightly lit lock and are guided in along a long concrete wall. The force of the shallow water beneath us is the only thing that keeps the tug and barges moving forward. With inches to spare on either side, we have entered the lock. Behind the boat, a gate rises from underneath the water; it is about three feet above the surface when suddenly the gate stops rising, and our boat starts sinking below the surface. It is a rapid movement, but it continues for a long time. The watermark rises above us as we descend below the surface, protected by thick concrete walls. Finally, we stop moving. We are now 100 feet below the level at which we entered the lock. I walk to the front of the boat just in time to see the gates in front, towering above us, start to open, revealing the river ahead, and slowly we make our way out of the lock and down the river.

As a crew member aboard a tug, your day is not a simple “9-to-5.” With one crew on and one off, the day is broken into shifts of six hours each, from 12 to 6 and 6 to 12. The environment shared by the crew is family-like, cooking meals together and watching TV. Only the person driving the boat, the captain or the pilot, is constantly on watch. The deck mechanics jump into action when the boat enters a lock or when we pick up another barge, and this journey is a four-barge tow, meaning four barges being pushed by one tugboat.

From the bridge, the captain has a sweeping view on all sides, and plenty of sophisticated equipment helps him navigate even when we are surrounded by fog, which in the Pacific Northwest is common. Another lock is just ahead. The boat only moves about nine miles per hour. We fit into the lock with precision, again with just a foot on each side to separate us from the massive concrete walls. Unlike the lock last night, this lock is too short to fit the whole tow in at once, but that is nothing out of the ordinary for this crew. Once the barges are tethered in place, the captain skillfully maneuvers the tugboat like a game of Tetris into a tiny space giving the back of the boat just enough room for the lock keeper to close us in. Again, a large iron gate rises from the water behind us, and like an elevator, we start moving down inch by inch. In front is what looks like a massive garage door. The lock opens, revealing the next stretch of the river ahead.

The mechanics of the lock are simple: we are moving down river with the flow of the water, so when we enter a lock, it is full of water. The lock seals behind us, and a valve is released to allow the water to rush out of the lock. The tow itself is being moved to the same level as the river we are moving down. Once the tow is at the same level as the water outside the lock, the valve is closed, and we wait for the massive concrete door ahead of us to open so the tow can move out. It is a similar procedure for ships going upriver against the flow, but instead of the valve releasing water, the valve fills the lock. It takes about 30 minutes to pass through each lock.

The Columbia Snake River System is a superhighway for moving wheat and other agricultural products from farm to market. The barges and rail lines that run on both banks of the Columbia River carry more than 55% of all U.S. wheat bound for export each year. Barges are the most efficient way to move large volumes of grain, making the river system a cost-effective and “green” logistical option. The Army Corps of Engineers maintains the lock system; its history goes back to the 1930s when President Franklin Roosevelt personally inaugurated Bonneville, the first of the eight dams and locks east of Portland.

After about 60 hours on board the tugboat, we arrive in Vancouver, Wash., on the north bank of the Columbia River. We drop off two barges at an export elevator and proceed west again, up the north-flowing Willamette River that bisects Portland. It is my third river in a week, and we are taking the last barge to an export elevator just across the river from the U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) West Coast Office. There is a vessel at berth waiting for the wheat we carry. The crew drops the barge, and me, at the elevator. I walk up a set of metal stairs connected to a hoist and hop off, touching land for the first time since Tuesday. I walk across the river on Portland’s Steel Bridge, under which the wheat from our tow will pass on its way overseas, to my office.

By Michael Anderson, USW Market Analyst

This story was originally published on October 21, 2019.

April 5, 2022/by actualize

Columbia Snake River System, Wheat Export Supply System

Facts About U.S. Wheat Exports and the Columbia Snake River System

The Columbia Snake River System is the network of federal dams and locks on the Columbia River and connected water bodies, including the Snake River. This system enables grain barges to carry wheat 360 miles from Lewiston, Idaho, to export elevators as far west as Longview, Wash.

In marketing years 2019/20 and 2020/21, more than 55% of all U.S. wheat exports* moved through the system by barge or rail. Of the more than 15.0 million metric tons (MMT) of U.S. wheat exported from Pacific Northwest (PNW) export elevators each of those years, an estimated 4.6 MMT arrived by barge.

In addition, an estimated 10% of total annual U.S. wheat exports each year passes through the four locks and dams on the Snake River between Lewiston, the most inland port in the nation, and its confluence with the Columbia River.

Chart shows the amount of U.S. wheat by class that is exported through the Columbia Snake River System

Four Classes of Wheat are exported from PNW export elevators after arriving through the Columbia Snake River System by barge and rail. Source: Federal Grain Inspection Service.

Grain Superhighway

In October 2019, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Market Analyst Michael Anderson shared his experience aboard a four-tow barge moving wheat from Lewiston to western export elevators on the deep-water Columbia River. Eight locks on the system allow barges to safely navigate the nearly 222-meter drop in elevation over that distance.

“The Columbia Snake River System is a superhighway of sorts for moving wheat and other agricultural products from farm to market,” Anderson said. “The ability to move such a large volume of grain efficiently makes the river system a very cost-effective and “green” logistical option. The Army Corps of Engineers maintains the lock system. And its history goes back to the 1930s when President Franklin Roosevelt personally inaugurated Bonneville, the first of the eight dams and locks east of Portland.”

From Way Up River. Wheat is loaded onto a barge tow on the Snake River, the eastern segment of the Columbia Snake River System, near the start of its journey to export.

Earlier in 2019, Anderson noted why barging represents an essential part of the Pacific Northwest (PNW) wheat export supply system, including rail and trucking.

Barge Efficiency

“The rivers can move more volume at once, with greater fuel efficiency,” he wrote. “One barge can carry the same amount of wheat as 35 rail cars or 134 trucks. A barge tow can carry more than one 100-unit train or 538 trucks. And one barge can move a ton of wheat 647 miles per gallon while a truck can only move a ton of wheat 145 miles per gallon.”

The Pacific Northwest Waterways Association (PNWA) also reports that barging is a very safe way to move cargo, with fewer injuries, fatalities and accidental spills than other transportation options.

Economic Value

This system transports four classes of U.S. wheat grown by dependable farmers in 11 states. In addition, some of that wheat and other crops for export markets are irrigated with water from the system. And the dams on the Columbia Snake River System generate 90% of the renewable electric power in the PNW.

Eight Steps Down. Lock and dam systems on the Columbia Snake River System allow barges to efficiently and safely navigate the 222-meter elevation change from Lewiston, Idaho, to export elevators as far west as Longview, Wash.

A Necessary Link

The Columbia Snake River System and other major U.S. river systems truly connect the United States to its trading partners. The river system keeps U.S. wheat competitive by moving higher volumes more efficiently. USW, its state wheat commission members, wheat associations and supply chain stakeholders in the tri-state region of Idaho, Oregon and Washington all support the Columbia Snake River System and will work to see that it continues working for wheat buyers around the world.

* Source: Federal Grain Inspection Service

March 15, 2022/by Steve Mercer

Columbia Snake River System, Exports, Wheat Export Supply System

Moving Wheat Efficiently Through the Columbia Snake River System

In the Pacific Northwest (PNW), wheat can move by barge to export elevators from as far away as Idaho. That is because of the series of eight locks and dams that make safe, efficient navigation possible on one of the leading trade gateways in the United States — the Columbia Snake River System.

The Pacific Northwest Waterways Association (PNWA) notes that over 8.6 million tons of cargo are moved by barge on the inland portion of the system, feeding the deep draft lower Columbia River. The Columbia Snake River System is the top wheat export gateway in the nation.

Serving Asia, Latin America

Idaho exports more than half of its wheat crop each year. The Port of Lewiston on the Snake River, the most inland U.S. port, is uniquely positioned to source that wheat for the six major PNW export elevators serving Asian and Latin American wheat markets. All aspects of the river system are essential for transporting wheat from farm to market. However, barging through the lower Snake River is the most efficient, affordable, and environmentally friendly way to get that wheat to export locations. For context, one 4-barge tow on this river system moves as much cargo as 144 rail cars or 538 semi-trucks.

An estimated 10% of all U.S. wheat exported every year moves through the four locks and dams on the lower Snake River. The Idaho Wheat Commission and its partners recently shared the short video below that tells the story of how the Columbia Snake River System works for the world’s wheat importers, for the U.S. farmers who grow that wheat, and for the people of the Pacific Northwest.

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) will share more information about the crucial role of the Columbia Snake River System in future Wheat Letter posts.

February 1, 2022/by Amanda Spoo

Columbia Snake River System, Rail Transportation, Wheat Export Supply System

How the U.S. Wheat Export System Delivers Quality and Value

Private grain companies in the U.S. wheat export system in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) overcome challenging logistics to deliver wheat that consistently meets contract specifications to buyers around the world. Grain sellers based in Gulf, Lakes and Atlantic ports operate very similar logistical systems to export wheat and other grains.

We are sharing a video and written look at how these successful companies do their work serving U.S. wheat farmers and overseas wheat buyers.

Sourcing Wheat From the Interior

An overseas buyer contracts with an exporter for wheat of specific class, grade, quality and price. It is then up to the exporter to source that wheat and get it loaded at the contracted price.

They do this reliably through a very efficient, system that moves the wheat to market using trucks, barges and rail to the vessel, often within a two-week shipping window.

U.S. wheat export system starts at country elevators.

U.S. wheat export system starts at interior elevators where wheat purchased from farmers is loaded onto train cars for delivery to export elevators.

In the U.S. wheat export system, grain sellers source U.S. wheat supplies from local elevators close to the farms.

Hard red spring (HRS) wheat comes mainly from the Dakotas and Montana. Hard red winter (HRW) wheat originates mostly in Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska and some from PNW states.

Those classes are loaded onto dedicated 110 car unit trains that haul the wheat over the Rocky Mountains and down the Columbia River Gorge to the export elevators.

Farmers deliver much of the soft white (SW) and white club wheat grown in Washington, Oregon and Idaho to grain facilities on the Snake, Columbia or Willamette Rivers where it is loaded onto barges or trains for the ports.

In the U.S. wheat export system, barge transportation is efficient and safe.

In the U.S. wheat export system, barges are the most cost-efficient transportation method. In the Pacific Northwest, wheat can move by barge to export elevators from as far away as Idaho because of the series of locks and dams that make safe, efficient navigation possible on the Columbia-Snake River System.

Because U.S. wheat is graded and segregated by class and quality at every step of the supply system, the export elevator knows they will receive the wheat they need to fill their customer’s contract.

Highly Automated Process

The receiving process at elevators in the U.S. wheat export system is highly automated. Numerous sensors and cameras allow only a few people to unload the wheat very quickly into temporary holding bins segregated by class, grade and quality.

Barges in this tributary can discharge 600 metric tons of wheat per hour. Unit train cars are opened and unloaded in less than 18 hours.

The export elevator’s shipping system is also automated. One person from a control room can select wheat from different storage bins and blend them together to be loaded onto the bulk vessel the buyer has chartered.

But, under U.S. law, that cannot happen until the wheat is inspected to certify that the quality loaded matches the customer’s specifications.

This highly regulated, standardized process is conducted by the USDA’s Federal Grain Inspection Service, or a state inspection agency supervised by and subject to the same standards as FGIS.

FGIS inspection and certification is required by law in the U.S. wheat export system.

FGIS inspection makes the U.S. wheat export system uniquely valuable. A random sample of every sub lot of wheat is broken down into specified quantities by FGIS officials and weighing, inspection and certification is standardized and objective. FGIS inspection data also yields information that buyers can use to get the most value from their tenders.

In this process, a specific amount of wheat is sampled every 15 to 20 seconds as it flows from the elevator into designated shipping bins holding from 1,000 to 2,000 metric tons.

The sample is collected in the FGIS lab at the elevator and the shipping bins remain closed while FGIS inspects each sample.

When the inspectors certify that the sample meets the customer’s contract specifications, FGIS opens the shipping bins, allowing the elevator to load that wheat onto the vessel. If not, the wheat in the shipping bin is returned to the elevator to be re-blended.

Quality Assurance

FGIS saves sub-lot samples from each shipping bin for 90 days in case an issue comes up when the wheat arrives at its destination.

To give the buyer additional quality assurance, about 10 percent of all samples are sent to a national FGIS Board of Appeals and Review to be re-inspected for quality control monitoring.

Those inspections generate valuable data that customers can use to get even more value from their purchases of high-quality U.S. wheat. Your U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) representative can help you make good use of this information as you write your tenders.

In the U.S. wheat export system, grain companies move wheat from inland farms and elevators to deep water ports more efficiently and economically than any wheat supply system in the world.

It is very reassuring to wheat importers that U.S. grain handlers segregate wheat by class and quality, and maintain its wholesome character, while moving wheat from inland farms and elevators to deep water ports more efficiently and economically than any wheat supply system in the world.

Learn More

More information about the U.S. wheat export supply system is available from USW online or from your local representative, including an interactive map of the system, a section on “How to Buy U.S. Wheat” and other resources.

August 30, 2021/by Erica Oakley

Columbia Snake River System, Dalton Henry, Rail Transportation, Wheat Export Supply System

U.S. Farm and Industry Organizations Respond to Dam Breaching Proposal

A coalition of Pacific Northwest (PNW) agricultural and commercial organizations recently responded with serious concerns to a controversial dam breaching proposal that would tear out four dams on the Snake River.

The dam breaching proposal, presented by U.S. Representative Mike Simpson of Idaho, aims to restore fish populations on the river while compensating groups affected by removing the dams. However, in a letter to government officials, the coalition said the plan would decimate U.S. producers’ ability to move wheat and other products to overseas customers and be of questionable environmental benefit.

The National Association of Wheat Growers joined state wheat organizations in Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Montana in signing the letter.

No Dams, No Barges

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) has shared stories about the sustainability and reliability of wheat transportation by barge. The Columbia and Snake Rivers are essential parts of a logistical system that moves more than half of all U.S. wheat exports every year to more than 20 Pacific Rim countries. Wheat loaded on the Snake River makes up 10% of all U.S. wheat exports.

Barge traffic on the Columbia-Snake River System is the most cost-efficient and sustainable connection between U.S. wheat farmers and their customers overseas. And more easily navigable, safe and efficient barge transportation depends on river locks at each of the targeted dams.

Uncertain Results

USW shares the opinion stated in the coalition letter that improving fish populations are important and admirable goals. Still, there is little certainty removing the dams will restore fish populations to a level that would satisfy environmental advocacy groups involved in litigation over the river’s management.

The river system’s current management strikes a balance between all river uses—providing renewable electricity, transportation, irrigation flood control, and recreation. The dam breaching proposal would eliminate nearly all these benefits of the river. It would also subject interior PNW communities to a wide range of environmental and economic impacts.

Barge Traffic Safe for Now

Fortunately, U.S. wheat importers should not worry that the dams are in imminent danger. Members of Congress have not yet written legislation on the dam breaching proposal and it has not attracted much political support.

Hopefully, the proactive and vocal nature of river stakeholders early in this process will highlight the shortcomings of the proposal’s fish recovery portion and the enormous costs for trade, the region and the U.S. Treasury.

By Dalton Henry, USW Vice President of Policy

March 26, 2021/by actualize