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National Milling Federation Congratulates U.S. Wheat Associates on 40 Years

Behind the world’s most reliable supply of wheat are the world’s most dependable people. Those people, from U.S. Wheat Associates staff to the state wheat commissions and U.S. wheat farm families to the many hands along the U.S. supply chain, and finally our overseas customers – are all a part of our story. Despite the different roles or distances between us, all of the people in our story share an unspoken connection, not only through U.S. wheat but through our shared values of growth, hard work and family. We appreciate the many congratulatory messages and well wishes from our friends and customers from all over the world.

Message from Mr. Moulay Abdelkader, President, National Milling Federation, Morocco:

“The celebration of the 40th anniversary of U.S. Wheat Associates provides an opportunity to honor the historic relationship between our two institutions! For over three decades, the National Milling Federation (NMF) and U.S. Wheat Associates have been forging strong cooperation and partnership relations, which were rewarded in 1993 by the construction of and equipment for the Milling Training Institute (IFIM), dedicated to the training of Moroccan and African milling technicians, with a vision to improve the industry’s overall level of expertise. The Institute’s graduates have now reached more than 500, working in … [North] Africa and the Arabian Gulf countries.

Not to mention the efforts made by U.S. Wheat Associates for the implementation of the Miller Outreach Program (MOP), which has made it possible to finance the functioning of IFIM by providing paid services to milling industry professionals, and the annual allocation of U.S. wheat for the IFIM pilot mill practical sessions.

U.S. Wheat Associates is continuing its efforts to support the NMF’s work in promoting and upgrading the Moroccan milling industry, particularly by sponsoring the “Grain & Milling Expo” trade show (formerly IFIM’s technical sessions), and by organizing training seminars for industry professionals.

We look forward to further strengthening our bilateral relations and remain the partner of U.S. wheat in the Maghreb and West Africa… long live the U.S. Wheat Associates!”

Mr. Moulay Abdelkader, President, National Milling Federation, Morocco.

In March 2018, USW/Casablanca Milling and Baking Specialist Tarik Gahi (second from right) evaluated the mill streams from U.S. wheat donated to IFIM by USW through the Quality Samples Program administered by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Gahi is an IFIM graduate.

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Dependable People: A Spotlight on Minnesota Wheat Research & Promotion Council

For 40 years, U.S. wheat farmers have supported U.S. Wheat Associates’ (USW) efforts to work directly with buyers and promote their six classes of wheat. Their contributions to state wheat commissions, who in turn contribute a portion of those funds to USW, qualifies USW to apply for export market development funds managed by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Currently, 17 state wheat commissions are USW members and this series highlights those partnerships and the work being done state-by-state to provide unmatched service. Behind the world’s most reliable supply of wheat are the world’s most dependable people – and that includes our state wheat commissions.

Member: Minnesota Wheat Research & Promotion Council
USW Member since 1980

Location: Red Lakes Falls, Minnesota
Classes of Wheat Grown: Hard Red Spring (HRS), Hard Red Winter (HRW)
USW Leadership: Don Loeslie, 1989/90 Chairman; Bruce Hamnes, 2000/01 Chairman; Rhonda K. Larson, 2019/20 Secretary-Treasurer (slated for 2021/22 Chairman)

The Minnesota Wheat Research & Promotion Council builds opportunities for farmer profitability working to enhance wheat research and promote wheat in the marketplace.

(L to R): Michael Peters, Oklahoma; Rhonda Larson, Minnesota; Darren Padget, Oregon; Doug Goyings, Ohio; Vince Peterson, USW.

Why is export market development important to Minnesota wheat farmers and why do they continue to support USW?

Like most of the country, more than half the wheat grown in Minnesota is exported. Developing and maintaining wheat export markets is vital to improving farm profitability.

“We produce more wheat in Minnesota than can be consumed by Minnesota, so overseas customers are essential customers for our wheat farmers,” said Charlie Vogel, Chief Executive Officer.

Scott Swenson (second from left), a farmer from Minnesota, participated on the 2018 USW Board Team that traveled to China and Taiwan.

How have Minnesota wheat farmers recently interacted with overseas customers?

Minnesota has proudly hosted many trade teams over the years and are excited to continue to elevate this effort in the future. Most recently, Minnesota hosted a team from Africa that visited the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, toured the CHS Export Terminal, met with Riverland Ag regarding storage in Duluth, wheat farms and elevators throughout Northern Minnesota.

“Most of our interaction with overseas customers has been possible because of U.S. Wheat Associates and the Northern Crops Institute,” said Vogel. “This face to face interaction is where we have a chance to tell our story and demonstrate the value and quality of Minnesota Wheat to our customers.”

In 2017, a USW Regional African trade delegation visited farmers in Minnesota.

What is happening lately in Minnesota that overseas customers should know about?

University of Minnesota wheat breeders and private breeders are increasing their emphasis on improving wheat quality in our varieties. They are making strides in improving yield that helps farmers, but at the same time, elevating the level of quality wheat we’re able to provide. Historically, HRS wheat in Minnesota produces a high protein product and a high-quality baking experience.

“Minnesota growers are by far the most progressive people I’ve ever worked with in terms of weighing economic, environmental and consumers demands,” said Vogel. “They look beyond the farm gates, to a bigger picture of the customers we serve around the world.”

Learn more about the Minnesota Wheat Research & Promotion Council on its website and on Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

Greg LeBlanc (fourth from right), a farmer from Minnesota, participated on the 2016 USW Board Team that traveled to Japan and Korea.

Minnesota representatives Mark Jossund (second from left) and Kevin Leiser (third from left) at the 2016 USW Board of Directors Summer Meeting.

Minnesota Wheat CEO Charlie Vogel with USW Market Analyst Claire Hutchins and South Dakota Wheat CEO Reid Christopherson at the Northern Commodity Transportation Conference in Bloomington, MN, in March 2020.

 

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A Legacy of Commitment – Evolution of a Public-Private Partnership

By Steve Mercer, USW Vice President of Communications

Wheat farmers in post-World War II United States were producing more wheat than ever before. So, to improve marketing opportunities, they organized and reached out to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for help. These visionary state wheat leaders ultimately formed two regional organizations to coordinate export market development: Western Wheat Associates and Great Plains Wheat Market Development Association.

In the third of a series on the “Legacy of Commitment,” Wheat Letter offers historical perspective on how changes in federal programs, global market factors and relationships drew Western Wheat Associates and Great Plains Wheat ever closer together and led to the establishment of one export market development organization – U.S. Wheat Associates.

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change, that lives within the means available and works cooperatively against common threats.” – Charles Darwin

In 1959, foreign currency funds were building in several countries that were buying U.S. wheat under U.S. Public Law 480. The funds could only be used for export market development.

USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) told Great Plains Wheat Market Development Association (GPW) it was time to step up their efforts. And when Western Wheat Associates (WWA) was founded, FAS told its leaders that the agency wanted to move wheat to overseas markets regardless of their potential for becoming cash customers.

“It is interesting to note that FAS, being the banker of market development funds, has had an influence on our internal policies from the very first meeting,” wrote WWA CEO Richard K. Baum in his report The First Twenty Years.

As the history of organized, public-private export market development of U.S. wheat evolved, these three partners would find themselves adapting to many changes and threats at home and abroad. Though the relationships at times were tested – and there was what Baum termed a “healthy and friendly competition” between WWA and GPW – the spirit of cooperation remained strong.

Regional Focus

The formation of regional export promotion organizations by state wheat farmer leaders was a logical outcome of circumstances in the 1950s.

In Kernels and Chaff, A History of Wheat Marketing Development, Marx Koehnke noted that soft red winter (SRW) grown east of the Mississippi River had been the most exported U.S. wheat class because it was more accessible to export points. Overseas buyers were not getting the quality they needed to make bread from SRW. Koehnke also wrote that hard red winter (HRW) grown in the Great Plains and “needed by the foreign buyers” was going into government surplus stockpiles. With support from FAS, GPW was established specifically to promote HRW and hard red spring (HRS) in Europe and Latin America served by Gulf, East Coast and eventually Great Lakes ports.

With soft white (SW) production concentrated in Pacific Northwest states, a region gifted with natural export tributaries, it was logical for WWA to focus on promoting SW in Asian wheat markets. Even as state wheat commissions in Oregon, Washington and Idaho were organizing WWA, however, discussions with GPW leaders revealed an interest in promoting HRW in Asian markets, too.

GPW and WWA signed a Memorandum of Understanding in May 1959 to share expenses equally for export development programs in the PL 480 markets of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Koehnke wrote this agreement “was a coordination of joint efforts to expand the total market for U.S. wheat…and was to continue through the years.”

Photo from “Kernels and Chaff; A History of Wheat Market Development.”

Dealing with Resistance

A bit of early resistance to coordinated market development appeared after GPW identified in 1961 the growth of bread and roll consumption in Japan. Even though the higher protein wheat grown in the Plains was needed to meet that demand, Kernels and Chaff indicates that the organization sensed some reluctance on WWA’s part to have GPW participate in the Japanese market. The reasons for this alleged “reluctance” are not recorded, although in hindsight PNW farmers had opened and developed this market and WWA’s leaders may have had strong feelings of ownership.

The spirit of cooperation prevailed and in return for promoting hard wheats in Japan, GPW invited WWA to participate in European and South American market activities to identify potential demand for SW wheat. A committee to help coordinate all wheat export market development activities was also formed with members from WWA, GPW, the domestic export grain trade, and the domestic U.S. milling organization (which was likely selling bread flour to Japan at the time). In addition, WWA gained agreement from GPW to represent the interests of both organizations in Washington, D.C. FAS strongly supported such cooperation – support that, to Baum at least, indicated FAS was “already pushing for a merger of GPW and WWA.”

The cooperation on promoting HRW and HRS in Asia was tested over the next several years because of the cost constraint to move these U.S. classes to ports and to Asian markets. There were proposals by Plains farmer organizations to increase the existing U.S. government subsidy on wheat exported from Gulf ports, and to reduce rail rates on wheat moving from the Plains to West Coast ports. The WWA board of directors opposed these proposals “without similar reductions from states closer to the West Coast.” Ultimately, WWA’s board created a transportation committee that worked out agreeable solutions with GPW.

By maintaining frequent contact and coordination, customizing ways to represent all regionally produced wheat in markets designated in their separate marketing agreements with FAS, GPW and WWA developed a steady collaboration. For example, they worked together to try to gain representation at PL 480 planning meetings and International Wheat Agreement negotiating sessions, observing that there was not enough representation from people well-versed in wheat production and trade. Together they also supported FAS in resisting calls from other U.S. farm and business organizations to reduce PL 480 program funding. By 1971, both organizations and USDA were celebrating the fact that Japan was the first overseas customer to import an annual volume of U.S. wheat valued at $1 billion and now including more HRW and HRS than SW .

Photo from “Kernels and Chaff; A History of Wheat Market Development.”

The Waring Report

In the mid-1960s, FAS sponsored a team to evaluate the work of GPW and WWA. Fred Waring, a retired USDA auditor, led the team on visits to Europe, Asia and the Middle East to review specific activities and confer with U.S. ag officials, importers and others engaged in wheat trade. The so-called Waring Report recommended many changes to improve and strengthen market development. In terms of activities, the report suggested that detailed plans with clearly defined and measurable goals, objectives and activities be developed, and recommended emphasizing trade and technical services customized for each market.

In addition, the report suggested that one organization focused on U.S. wheat export development should be developed.

Kernels and Chaff notes that GPW and WWA responded to the evaluation “by agreeing to the general observations and recommendations.” Specific responses are not carefully recorded but in 1965, GPW was surprised to learn that the Nebraska Wheat Commission (NWC) intended to end its membership in the organization and join WWA. Koehnke wrote that NWC cited several issues leading to its decision including “resistance to recommendations in the Waring Report…a tendency to avoid cooperation with WWA…and a perceived belief among GPW staff that FAS gave WWA preferred treatment.”

After GPW reviewed and reorganized its operations, NWC returned to membership in the organization, but maintained its membership with WWA. In some ways NWC’s actions offered the first signs that circumstances in the global wheat market were changing. As new states formed commissions, more of them joined both GPW and WWA, whittling away at regional views of how best to promote the wheat their farmers were growing.

Stronger Together

Once again, there is little specific insight into why the concept of combining U.S. wheat farmer groups into one organization continued to be put forward. In 1967, at a meeting of the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG), a committee to study the feasibility of combining NAWG, GPW and WWA was formed. No change was made but it appeared the committee continued to meet. In 1971, Baum and Koehnke recorded that WWA authorized funding to evaluate the merits of merging WWA, GPA and NAWG. Koehnke wrote that of mutual concern to GPW and WWA was pressure from FAS to increase the portion of producer funding for export market development. Looking back, the dramatic effects of the huge U.S. wheat purchases by the Soviet Union probably put merger talks on hold for many years.

Adjustments to accommodate market factors continued without a merger. In about 1972, WWA assumed all responsibility for promoting all U.S. wheat classes in Asia and GPW assumed the same responsibility for Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Separate agreement with FAS continued but this meant that, for example, GPW would bring potential customers on trade team visits to the Pacific Northwest to learn more about SW wheat production and value. The circumstances were drawing GPW and WWA even closer together.

Gene Vickers was a cereal scientist who worked for many years for both WWA and GPW. Photo from “Kernels and Chaff; A History of Wheat Market Development.”

Plans Revived

In Kernels and Chaff, Koehnke wrote that enthusiasm among farmer leaders for a merger of GPW and WWA seemed to grow during 1976. Merger plans and joint committee work were “revived.” In conjunction with NAWG’s annual meeting in Hawaii in January 1977, GPW and WWA held a joint meeting, billed as “Meeting Your Customers Half Way,” that included 220 Japanese executives and representatives from many other Asian countries. At separate discussions during these meetings, the farmer leaders identified several advantages of a merger including “greater efficiency, avoiding duplication of efforts, greater strength in obtaining federal funding, and expansion of markets for all classes of U.S. wheat.”

At this meeting, the name “U.S. Wheat Associates” was first proposed for a merged organization.

It is interesting to note that an FAS representative at the meeting said the agency was “neutral on the proposed merger and the decision was up to the producers themselves.” Funding would be based on the merits of proposed projects, the representative said.

Even as they took the time to take care of their own seasonal farm work, enthusiasm among the farmer leaders for a merger remained. Koehnke wrote that GPW took up discussion of a merger proposal and analysis completed by the North Dakota Wheat Commission in December 1978. At GPW’s January 1979 board meeting, WWA presented its own merger plans. That is when the hard work of making the merger a reality really started.

Wheat Letter has attached Koehnke’s detailed description in Kernels and Chaff of the merger actions in 1979.

One Organization

Recently, former Kansas Secretary of Agriculture and Kansas wheat farmer Adrian Polansky, who represented his state on a merger task force as a first-year Kansas Wheat commissioner in 1979, told High Plains Journal that “combining two distinct entities with differing geographical regions, differing market focuses and completely different structures was a large challenge … but the challenges had to be met.” USDA, from then Secretary of Agriculture Robert Bergland to everyone at FAS, now believed the merger should take place.

U.S. Wheat Associates was officially formed at a board of directors meeting on Jan. 12, 1980, in Phoenix, Ariz.

Koehnke summarized the 20-year history of Great Plains Wheat and Western Wheat Associates this way:

“Both Dick Baum [WWA CEO] and Mike Hall [GPW President] had built formidable staffs and organizations which were merged into U.S. Wheat Associates. Both [organizations] were highly respected by FAS and the U.S. wheat industry, from producers to exporters, and by the import trade in many countries over the world. Other exporting countries with wheat boards respected the competitiveness of the U.S. wheat [organizations] and emulated their activities in many areas.”

 

Photo from “Kernels and Chaff; A History of Wheat Market Development.”

 

Photo from “Kernels and Chaff; A History of Wheat Market Development.”

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Sources for this post include:

Read other stories in this series:

Western Wheat Associates Develops Asian Markets
Great Plains Wheat Focused on Improving Quality and HRW Markets
The U.S. Wheat Export Public-Private Partnership Today
NAWG, USW Lead the Way Through Issues Affecting Wheat Farmers

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A Legacy of Commitment – Great Plains Wheat Focused on Improving Quality and HRW Markets

By Steve Mercer, USW Vice President of Communications

Wheat farmers in post-World War II United States were producing more wheat than ever before. So, to improve marketing opportunities, they organized and reached out to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for help. These visionary state wheat leaders ultimately formed two regional organizations to coordinate export market development: Western Wheat Associates and Great Plains Wheat Market Development Association.

In the second of a series on the “Legacy of Commitment,” Wheat Letter offers historical perspective on the founding of Great Plains Wheat and its activities. Additional stories will review how Western Wheat Associates and Great Plains Wheat evolved together into one national export market development organization.

Wheat production on the Great Plains took root in the late-1860s with Mennonite farmers emigrating to the heartland of the United States to escape religious persecution in the Crimea. They planted the hardy, drought-resistant winter wheat seed they carried with them to Kansas and Nebraska, and “Turkey Red” would become the parent for most hard red winter (HRW) wheat varieties well into the 20th Century.

After surviving the infamous “Dust Bowl” of the 1930s, inconsistent quality and yields, and the challenges of a world war, Plains farmers pooled their time, talent and treasure to improve their industry. They established the Western Kansas Development Association in 1947 with a “Farm and Wheat Division” (which later became the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers). Three years later, with knowledge of a similar effort by farmers in Oregon, Nebraska formed the Nebraska Wheat Research Foundation. It was funded by about 300 members who agreed to authorize local elevators to collect one-half of one cent per bushel that would be spent to “help stabilize wheat production.”

Improved agronomics and varieties followed but added to a burdensome wheat surplus in the 1950s. This caught the attention of the U.S. government, which created federally managed grain reserves to help increase cash prices. In 1954, Public Law (PL) 480 was implemented to help expand exports of surplus agricultural products while supporting so-called “friendly” nations as the Cold War intensified.

Yet “there had been no effort to promote wheat exports by growers,” according to Marx Koehnke, author of Kernels and Chaff: A History of Wheat Market Development. The Nebraska Wheat Commission, formed in 1955, changed that as the first Plains state organization to sign an agreement with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) to co-fund and implement export market development activities. They sponsored two teams of government buyers and milling industry representatives from Italy in 1956 and Greece in 1957, who observed wheat production, handling, milling and baking in Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma. The resulting purchases of U.S. wheat encouraged signing of the first regional agreement between Plains farm organizations and FAS to promote U.S. wheat exports in Europe and Latin America.

Photo from “Kernels and Chaff; A History of Wheat Market Development.”

A two-month long survey trip in 1957 to evaluate the market opportunities in Europe by representatives from Nebraska, the newly formed Kansas Wheat Commission and FAS proved to be a pivotal activity. The insight into customer needs gained from that trip formed a basis for export development strategies that U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) still emphasizes more than 60 years later.

In its report, the survey team made these recommendations:

  • Establish a permanent presence in the market (the Nebraska and Kansas wheat commissions opened a U.S. wheat export office in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, in January 1958);
  • Discourage production of “low grade” wheat worldwide;
  • Establish tighter grade specifications for U.S. wheat exports;
  • Make information about the milling and baking quality of wheat in each cargo available to the buyers before arrival.

A survey of South American markets added the recommendation that grower organizations should help wheat buyers, most of whom were government officials, write specifications for U.S. wheat to ensure they receive the best quality at the best value.

Something for Themselves

According to Kernels and Chaff, the Nebraska wheat organizations first discussed a regional organization in 1958. Their contacts at FAS recommended that an organization of Plains states must also promote U.S. hard red spring wheat (HRS). That is why North Dakota farmers were represented at a meeting in Dodge City, Kan., where influential Kansas farmer Herbert Clutter advocated a regional organization so “growers can be in a position to do something for themselves instead of expecting others to do something for them.”

Photo from “Kernels and Chaff; A History of Wheat Market Development.”

With a goal to add more resources from more farmers to export market development, Plains state wheat leaders drafted bylaws and proposed a name for a regional organization. On Dec. 15, 1958, state commissions from Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado made the commitment to form and fund Great Plains Wheat Marketing Development Association, Inc., later shortened to Great Plains Wheat, Inc. (GPW). Over the next 10 years, state commissions from Oklahoma, Texas, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota would join GPW.

The new organization took over already established export promotion offices in Rotterdam and Lima, Peru. A prior agreement with Pacific Northwest (PNW) states Oregon and Washington to promote HRW in Asian markets transferred to Western Wheat Associates (WWA) after it was established in 1959. Garden City, Kan., was selected as the first GPW headquarters office and the organization integrated into a Washington, D.C., office set up by the Nebraska Wheat Growers Association in 1958 to maintain coordinate contact with FAS officials.

The first Chairman of GPW was Lloyd Kontny of Nebraska who led the staff (left) and the first President of GPW was Clifford R. Hope (right), a wheat farmer and former U.S. Congressman from Kansas. In a later restructuring, these titles were switched, and the President was given additional responsibilities for staff and activities. Photo from “Kernels and Chaff; A History of Wheat Market Development.”

Those officials had a big influence on the expansion of GPW’s activities in the early years. With foreign currency funds growing from PL480 sales, FAS strongly encouraged GPW to study broader opportunities in South America, Central America, the Caribbean and in Africa. Of course, the U.S. government wanted to move wheat from reserve stocks into PL480 export markets and that required trade servicing and local support that GPW provided, but FAS also supported GPW’s export development efforts in commercial markets.

Better Quality Needed

No matter where U.S. HRW was being promoted, the issue of quality was a significant constraint. Because U.S. wheat grade standards at the time included much more tolerance for defects, overseas customers had legitimate concerns about imported U.S. supplies. Export supplies often came out of long-term storage and limited oversight of grain inspectors licensed by USDA occasionally created complaints about short sales and out-of-specification cargos.

Based on previous survey work, GPW started collecting samples of U.S. wheat export cargos in Europe and established a wheat and flour testing site in Lima. This yielded information GPW could use to inform grain handlers and government reserve managers about problems. The organization also advocated for expanded storage at U.S. Gulf elevators and for limiting the export of government owned reserve stock wheat to PL480 markets. Progress on such changes was slow, however, and alternative exporters like the Canadian Wheat Board aggressively touted quality relative to U.S. wheat. The general reputation for poor quality persisted. More work needed to be done.

GPW turned to James Doty, one of GPW’s cereal consultants and head of Doty Laboratories in Kansas City, Mo., to start conducting wheat quality analysis on HRW export supplies as the laboratory had been doing for U.S. flour mills. The “Doty Report” on the 1960 HRW crop quality was the first in an annual effort to inform overseas buyers, millers and wheat food processors about each year’s crop, which has expanded to include all six U.S. wheat classes in the annual USW Crop Quality Report.

The first printed promotion of U.S. wheat from 1957. Even before GPW was formed, farmer organizations from Nebraska and Kansas were educating overseas customers about U.S. hard red winter wheat and its benefits. Photo from “Kernels and Chaff; A History of Wheat Market Development.”

The need to build U.S. wheat into a quality supplier grew with market development to Europe, most of Latin America, the Middle East, North Africa, Nigeria and South Africa, and to Asian markets through contracts with WWA. Herbert Hughes, a dedicated wheat leader from Nebraska, who had served as the first Vice President of GPW, was selected to chair a Grain Standards Committee that identified that crucial changes to U.S. wheat grade standards for HRW and HRS were needed to remain competitive in global markets.

According to Kernels and Chaff, Hughes warned the GPW board and staff in 1963 that improving the official standards “is a fight we cannot…and must not lose.”

GPW promoted the changes to country elevators and their farmer customers, farm organizations, local and state officials, and the grain trade, ultimately winning support from Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman. USDA held several hearings on the proposed wheat grade standards. With government export subsidies in place at the time, GPW argued that improved standards would allow the government to adjust the subsidy more accurately.

USDA implemented revised standards in 1964 and adjusted the export subsidy based on grade. The results of a GPW cargo sample study and “reactions of many buyers attested to definite improvement in quality of [exported U.S. wheat]. Compliments were taking the place of complaints…” wrote Koehnke in Kernels and Chaff.

Photo from “Kernels and Chaff; A History of Wheat Market Development.”

Organization Expands with Export Sales

GPW programs were supporting significant export sales growth in Latin America with offices now added in Bogota, Colombia; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Panama City, Panama In 1965, for example, GPW developed mobile demonstrations and school lunch programs that introduced pasta made from HRW to Brazilian children and families. GPW supported a new baking school in Caracas, Venezuela, and baking trade schools in Colombia. Even in the face of tight specifications enacted among members of the European Economic Community U.S. HRW and HRS continued flowing to the port of Rotterdam to be offloaded to barges and smaller vessels for delivery to European customers. Trade service and technical assistance to developing markets in Africa from a GPW office in Rome initially. Coverage of the Middle East shifted from an office in Beirut, Lebanon, to Cairo, Egypt.

In addition to its local market development support, GPW invested significant effort in general promotion of U.S. HRW and HRS wheat as well as reports back to the farmers and state organizations who directed and co-funded its activities. Brochures, wheat sample cards and a series of films about U.S. wheat were produced. Printed newsletters translated to local languages kept customers informed about U.S. and global wheat market supply and demand factors and a magazine called The Great Plainsmen informed stakeholders at home about progress.

GPW leaders and staff, like their counterparts at WWA, had to operate within the parameters of active government policies and regulations for most of its existence. For example, they fought through the battle of the “Great Grain Robbery” by the Soviet Union and advocated for more transparency and information from USDA to help farmers and their overseas customers that helped lead to weekly commercial sales reports. Their testimony about the critical need for more oversight of export grain inspection informed the Grain Standards Act of 1977 that established the Federal Grain Inspection Service and independent certification of export specifications.

Tried…and Tried Again

With more than 800 names identified in the Kernels and Chaff book index and hundreds of export market development activities in dozens of countries, a complete survey of Great Plains Wheat, Inc., achievement in this space would be almost impossible. Marx Koehnke summarized the experience well.

“Ideas were tried and rejected, and tried again, before success was achieved…Many problems had to be solved; but with a spirit of compromise…and a determination to succeed, a viable organization was formed. By collaboration with its sister WWA and of course with FAS, many successful projects were accomplished.”

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Sources for this post include:

Read other stories in this series:

Western Wheat Associates Develops Asian Markets
Evolution of a Public-Private Partnership
The U.S. Wheat Export Public-Private Partnership Today
NAWG, USW Lead the Way Through Issues Affecting Wheat Farmers

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Dependable People: A Spotlight on the Oregon Wheat Commission

For 40 years, U.S. wheat farmers have supported U.S. Wheat Associates’ (USW) efforts to work directly with buyers and promote their six classes of wheat. Their contributions to state wheat commissions, who in turn contribute a portion of those funds to USW, qualifies USW to apply for export market development funds managed by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Currently, 17 state wheat commissions are USW members and this series highlights those partnerships and the work being done state-by-state to provide unmatched service. Behind the world’s most reliable supply of wheat are the world’s most dependable people – and that includes our state wheat commissions.

Member: Oregon Wheat Commission
USW Member since 1980

Location: Portland, Oregon
Classes of wheat grown: Soft White (SW), Hard Red Spring (HRS), Hard Red Winter (HRW)
USW Leadership: William L. Hulse, 1981/82 Chairman; Stan Timmermann, 1993/94 Chairman; Darren Padget, incoming 2020/2021 Chairman

The Oregon Wheat Commission works to enhance the profitability of Oregon wheat growers by communicating, educating, assuring markets and conducting and stimulating research. Oregon grows primarily soft white (SW) wheat in the vast expanses of Eastern Oregon, and in the lush Willamette River Valley.

Photo from “Kernels and Chaff; A History of Wheat Market Development.” Read more about this history here.

Why is export market development important to Oregon wheat farmers and why do they continue to support USW?

About 10% of Oregon wheat is used domestically, therefore most of our marketing efforts are focused on overseas markets. Oregon SW wheat is low-moisture with excellent milling results, providing a whiter and brighter product for making Asian-style noodles. It is also ideal for exquisite cakes, pastries and other confectionery products.

With closer proximity to Pacific Rim markets and their high importance to Oregon wheat growers, our state is also home to the USW West Coast Office, as well as the Wheat Marketing Center — the education and research bridge connecting growers and customers.

How have Oregon wheat farmers recently interacted with overseas customers?

Oregon Wheat was proud to help host a recent reception welcoming Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF). The group came to Portland to commemorate the successful conclusion of the trade negotiations and to renew its connection with the U.S. wheat industry.

Mr. Yusaku Hirakata, MAFF, and Darren Padget, Oregon wheat farmer and USW 2019/20 Vice Chairman.

Many of our Oregon representatives travel throughout the year to various trade missions as well as host customers in our state.

What is happening lately in Oregon that overseas customers should know about?

  • Commitment to Quality: Oregon Wheat continues to invest in research and development in wheat breeding programs, at Oregon State University and the USDA-ARS Western Wheat Quality Laboratory, focusing on high quality wheat varieties to support our customers and the end use of our wheat product.
  • A Focus on Long-Term Sustainability: Pacific Northwest published Best Management Practices and our growers’ production practices involve a high use of certified seed and agronomic practices to meet quality and sanitary-phytosanitary (SPS) requirements.
  • Leading Innovations: Investment into the Resilient Dryland Farming Initiative (RDFI) at the Columbia Basin Ag Research Center supports adaptation of farming practices in low rainfall areas.
  • Supporting the Multi-Modal Transportation System: Oregon Wheat continues efforts to maintain and enhance critical infrastructure, with a particular focus on the Columbia-Snake River dams. The Columbia Snake River System is the nation’s single largest wheat export gateway and each year nearly 10% of all U.S. wheat exports move by barge on the Snake River. In partnership with Idaho, Montana and Washington, Oregon Wheat is highlighting the importance of the river system’s navigation to our federal and state partners. View the Oregon Wheat Growers League website for more information.

Learn more about the Oregon Wheat Commission on its website here and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Oregon Wheat commissioner Jason Middleton (United Grain Corporation) and USW Vice President of Communications Steve Mercer at the 2020 Introduction to Flour Milling short course at the IGP Institute.

A Contracting for Wheat Value Delegation from China at Darren Padget’s farm.

Oregon Wheat commissioner Walter Powell (white shirt, middle, back row) participated on the 2019 South Asia Board Team to the Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia.

USW led five representatives of the Taipei Bakers Association and three officials from Taiwan’s Department of Public Health on a trade team to Oregon in late April 2018.

Attendees from the 2016 USW Latin America Buyer’s Conference visited Darren Padget’s farm.

USW Director of Communications Amanda Spoo visited Darren Padget’s farm in October 2019 to lead a video shoot that will focus on U.S. wheat farm families and the U.S. wheat supply chain.

Jeff Newtson says precision agriculture helps his family produce a more consistent soft white wheat crop for overseas buyers. Jeff’s father, Bob Newtson, has served on the USW Board of Directors for several years. Learn more about their production here.

Outgoing Oregon Wheat CEO Blake Rowe presenting at the 2018 USW Latin American Buyer’s Conference in Brazil.

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Taiwan Flour Millers Share a Long History with U.S. Wheat Farmers

Behind the world’s most reliable supply of wheat are the world’s most dependable people. Those people, from U.S. Wheat Associates staff to the state wheat commissions and U.S. wheat farm families to the many hands along the U.S. supply chain, represent an industry that is always changing. But many of the overseas customers USW works with overseas can also say the same. Despite the different roles or distances between us, all of the people in our story share an unspoken connection, not only through U.S. wheat but through our shared values of growth, hard work and family.

These connections are a part of our story.

TONY YI-CHUEN HSU
Taiwan Flour Mills Association (TFMA); Taiwan

“Through the years, U.S. Wheat Associates has been a faithful and trustworthy partner and friend to TFMA. Every year, USW shares the latest milling technology and innovative baking skills, and monthly harvest and quality reports. Moreover, our millers and customers have the greatest of trust in U.S. wheat, and we are grateful for the support from USW. With a rich and long history in Taiwan’s milling industry, we are proud to provide the service to our customers with the support from our dear friends at USW. Please accept our heartiest congratulations on your 40th anniversary.”

2019 Taiwan Goodwill Mission in Washington, DC.

TSUNG-YUAN (JOHN) LIN
General Manager Assistant, Ta Fong Flour Mill, Taiwan

“U.S. wheat has always been the major source [of information] for us to produce quality flour. As the third generation, I am proud that our mill has expanded to three mills, not only supplying flour to local stores, but also creating a livelihood for local citizens. In 2019, my wife and I were hosted by U.S. wheat farmers and staff in Oregon, Washington and Idaho prior to joining the Taiwan Good Will Mission. Bill Flory of Idaho and others were wonderful hosts and I realized that all farmers are so family oriented. The [production of] good quality of wheat is passed from one generation to another.”

Ta Fong Flour Mill 70th Anniversary Celebration

In Washington with Washington Grain Commission staff in a soft white (SW) wheat field.

HSIN HONG KUO
Chairman of the Board, Hong Ming Flour Mill, Taiwan

“Open for over 70 years, Hong Ming Flour Mill is the third largest in Taiwan. I have been in the business more than 30 years and am the second-generation owner. We received a government award in 2018 for producing high quality flour for the Taiwan baking and Chinese flour products industries. I have traveled to the United States several times with Taiwan Flour Millers Association and on the Taiwan Good Will Mission. We visited Idaho, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon and Washington to discuss wheat quality with U.S. wheat farmers. I am very supportive of USW programs and attend the annual Crop Quality seminar every year.”

2005 Taiwan Goodwill Mission in Idaho.

2017 USW Board Delegation visiting Hong Ming Mill in Taiwan.

Additional stories from other TFMA members are shared here.

Discover more stories about the connection between U.S. wheat farmers and their customers.

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Retired Washington Wheat Farmer Reflects on Traveling with U.S. Wheat Associates as Chairman

Behind the world’s most reliable supply of wheat are the world’s most dependable people. Those people, from U.S. Wheat Associates staff to the state wheat commissions and U.S. wheat farm families to the many hands along the U.S. supply chain, and finally our overseas customers – are all a part of our story. Despite the different roles or distances between us, all of the people in our story share an unspoken connection, not only through U.S. wheat but through our shared values of growth, hard work and family. We appreciate the many congratulatory messages and well wishes from our friends and customers from all over the world.

A letter from Randy Suess, retired Washington wheat farmer, 2011/12 USW Chairman:

“I had the opportunity of a lifetime traveling with U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) to many countries and visiting with U.S. wheat buyers, millers and bakers. My thanks go out to those people who made us feel so welcome in their countries.

Traveling to Yemen with Dick Prior1 was quite an eye-opener. Our customers were so delighted to have a farmer there who grew the wheat they milled. I received several invitations to come back and stay with their families. In Salif, I received a stainless steel can filled with honey as a gift. Since it had an open lid, I was not going to be able to take it on the plane with me, so we gave it to our taxi driver. He was overwhelmed to receive it, as honey is extremely rare and valuable in Yemen.

In Yemen, people buy sacks of wheat at the store, and take them to the local corner mill to be ground into flour. 

I always enjoyed visiting cookie factories in Guatemala. They always sent us out the door with grocery bags full of the products they made. I brought these products home with me and shared with other U.S. wheat farmers at meetings. They looked identical to products in the United States but tasted different. Many thanks to those bakers, who were so proud of their products made from U.S. wheat grown in the Pacific Northwest.

Tom Mick2 and I traveled with Mark Samson3 to Bangladesh, which was the second largest food aid recipient in the world. Traffic was a nightmare with thousands of bicycle rickshaws mixed in with a lot of buses and a few cars, so our appointment with 15 flour millers was delayed by over three hours. We did not expect the millers to be still be waiting, but they were. We thanked them for their patience and were surprised at their interest in learning more about the U.S. wheat industry, and how to contract for wheat based on specifications.

The Bangladesh shot is of pastries made within their country, mainly using wheat obtained through food aid.

The Philippine flour millers are the most gracious and accommodating hosts. I was fortunate enough to be there for the 50th anniversary of having an office for U.S. wheat export market development (first as Western Wheat Associates, followed by USW) in their country. They always showed up in large numbers to attend our presentations on supply and demand, and crop quality.

It was an honor to be invited to dinner with Philippine flour miller Norman Uy and his family after one of our presentations. His son Stevie is taking over the mill and was in a group that visited my farm the following year.

(L) Stevie Uy visits Randy’s farm in Eastern Washington with a trade delegation from the Philippines; (R) Norman Uy accepts a framed photo from Randy at the 2012 anniversary event in the Philippines.

While my thanks go out to the buyers, millers and bakers of our wheat around the world, none of it would be possible without the work of our dedicated overseas staff. People like Takeo Suzuki4, who was in the Tokyo office. Takeo was a tireless worker on our behalf, who had many contacts in the industry. If you ever had the chance to travel with him, you had to almost run to keep up with him. I will be forever grateful for his service to our industry. I had the distinct honor of traveling with so many during my eleven-year tenure on the USW board. I started writing down all their names but decided to just thank them as a group for their dedication. While faces have changed over the years, I still see their commitment to providing the world’s most reliable choice of wheat.”

1Dick Prior, retired in 2012 as USW Regional Vice President, Middle East, East and North Africa, in Cairo, Egypt, after serving 22 years managing wheat export market development in the region.

2Tom Mick served eight years as USW Regional Vice President, South Asia, in Singapore, and two years as USW Director of Overseas Operations in Washington, D.C. He retired as CEO of the Washington Grain Commission in 2012.

3Mark Samson served as assistant director of Western Wheat Associates (now U.S. Wheat Associates) in Washington, D.C., as administrator of the Idaho Wheat Commission and USW regional vice president for South Asia in Singapore and regional vice president for Europe, the Middle East, East and North Africa in Cairo,Egypt, and Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

4Takeo Suzuki served as USW Country Director, Tokyo, until his death in 2007.

Randy Suess on his farm in Washington.

The bread delivery in Eritrea has Dick Prior taking a look at the small loaves of bread made from soft white wheat, as it is being delivered on bicycles.

The Malaysia bread town was a factory selling breads and all kinds of sweets, that was set up for tours. Over 30,000 kids were bused in each year to go through their tour.

USW 2011/12 Officers (L to R): Randy Suess (WA), Chairman; Dan Hughes (NE), Secretary-Treasurer; Darrell Davis (SD), Vice Chair; Don Schieber (OK), Past Chairman.

 

 

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A Legacy of Commitment – Western Wheat Associates Develops Asian Markets

By Steve Mercer, USW Vice President of Communications

Wheat farmers in post-World War II United States were producing more wheat than ever before. So, to improve marketing opportunities, they organized and reached out to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for help. These visionary state wheat leaders ultimately formed two regional organizations to coordinate export market development: Western Wheat Associates and Great Plains Wheat Market Development Association.

In the first of a series on the “Legacy of Commitment,” Wheat Letter offers historical perspective on the founding of Western Wheat Associates and its activities. Future posts will focus on Great Plains Wheat, and how the two organizations evolved together into one national export market development organization.

Homesteaders in the semi-arid region of eastern Washington state and Oregon slowly started growing wheat to supply flour for mining camps in the mid-1800s. These growers soon found a route to new overseas markets via the Snake and Columbia river system, though not initially to Pacific rim countries. Early histories of the region’s grain trade include news of a full cargo of wheat loaded in Portland, Ore., on a British vessel bound for Liverpool in 1868.

That trade with Britain and domestic West Coast markets continued to grow into the 20th Century. The first indication of Asian market trade dates to 1906 when Japan’s Masuda Flour Milling Co. imported flour from Centennial Mills in Spokane, Wash.

The effort to build greater demand for wheat at home and abroad took wing in 1926 at a meeting hosted by the Oregon Agricultural College extension service in Moro, Ore., where wheat farmers decided to form the Eastern Oregon Wheat League. In 1945, that organization asked its state government to create a wheat “commission” with the power to “tax” each bushel of wheat entering commercial channels to fund wheat promotional activities. The Oregon Wheat Commission (OWC) was established in 1947 (see photo below) and in 1949 sent representatives to Japan who reported “great opportunities for trade,” depending on the ability of Pacific Northwest (PNW) farmers “to establish a productive relationship with flour millers and provide high-quality wheat at a competitive price.”

Photo from “Kernels and Chaff; A History of Wheat Market Development.”

In the book “Kernels and Chaff; A History of Wheat Market Development,” Marx Koehnke wrote that “these Oregonians had established a unique approach to self-help… It was a revolutionary and challenging idea” that “in turn resulted in other states exploring and adopting similar plans.”

In the PNW, Washington state and Idaho soon established their own state commissions and began cooperating with the OWC to promote the region’s soft white (SW) wheat in overseas markets. Surplus U.S. production was poised to meet growing demand for food in a post-war world. Farmers took a key step in 1956 when the Oregon Wheat Growers League opened the first U.S. wheat office in Tokyo. Commissions from Washington state established relationships with India and Pakistan, joined by agreements with the Nebraska Wheat Growers Association and the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).

According to “Western Wheat Associates, The First Twenty Years,” by Richard K. Baum, PNW farm leaders met with farmers from the Plains in early 1959 to discuss establishing working relationships between the regions and export promotion plans. With Plains growers indicating they planned to promote hard red winter (HRW) wheat in “Far East and South Asia markets, if permitted,” the PNW state commissions decided to unify export activities.

In Pendleton, Ore., on April 23, 1959, Western Wheat Associates, U.S.A., Inc., was created. Officers were elected and a board of farmer directors from the PNW states was appointed. Baum was selected to serve as executive vice president, a position later changed to president that he would hold until U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) was formed in 1980. The organization’s headquarters office was established in Portland.

A Different World

In many ways, Western Wheat Associates (WWA) operated for 20 years in a global wheat market and trade policy environment that few in the trade today would recognize. In 1954, for example, the U.S. federal government established Public Law (PL) 480, allowing food-deficient countries to pay for U.S. food imports in their own currencies instead of in U.S. dollars. The law helped the United States create the environment for exports of surplus agricultural products while supporting so-called “friendly” nations as the Cold War intensified.

Under the early PL480 program, the government purchased U.S. wheat and sold it to designated countries including India, Pakistan and South Korea. WWA received matching funds from the PL480 program to help facilitate the transactions, acting in a sense as the U.S. government’s service representative in in those countries.

Wheat supply and price management ruled both international and domestic U.S. wheat policies during WWA’s existence. As early as 1933, wheat exporting and importing countries formed an “International Wheat Agreement” to help “adjust the supply of wheat to effective world demand and eliminate the abnormal surpluses which have been depressing the wheat market” and to stabilize prices. Similar price and supply agreements continued well into the 1990s that were, in effect, efforts to control the international wheat market.

Through the 1960s and into the early 1970s, U.S. policy supported international agreements to export wheat at a “world price” but also attempted to protect farmers and the grain trade from rapid changes in prices. Production quotas were established. Subsidies incentivized farmers not to plant too much wheat or other crops or paid farmers when cash prices fell below minimum levels. Export subsidies were established to allow grain traders to sell at agreed-to world prices with minimal risk.

Even in importing countries that were not designated as PL480 markets, which WWA and the trade referred to as “cash” markets, government agencies were charged with importing food commodities, a situation that put significant weight in the transaction on the per-metric-ton price of U.S. wheat. Much of the early WWA development work in PL480 and “cash” markets focused on introducing wheat foods to primarily rice-eating cultures.

Even before WWA was formed, PNW wheat farmers were working with Japanese officials to introduce bread to school lunch programs, allowing Japanese children to enjoy the taste and nutrition of a new type of food. Photo from U.S. Wheat Associates archive.

Building the Case for U.S. Wheat

Sales of U.S. wheat continued to increase as WWA expanded its staff and activities. Eventually, wheat farmer organizations from Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado and Texas became members of WWA or contracted with WWA to represent their wheat supplies. Working under contract with the U.S. government and Great Plains Wheat (GPW), WWA developed markets in Asia for the SW class grown in the PNW, for hard red spring (HRS) grown in Montana and North Dakota, and HRW grown in the Plains states. Great Plains Wheat (GPW) had a similar cooperator relationship with USDA as WWA and its state wheat organization members, representing their interests in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

WWA worked from offices in Tokyo, Delhi, Karachi, Manila and eventually Taipei, Singapore and Seoul. Limited records of specific activities make it difficult to list the many market development activities implemented by WWA over the years. In addition to introducing wheat foods, more familiar trade activities included: participation in trade shows; sending trade delegations of farmers and government representatives to overseas markets to promote U.S. wheat and to evaluate market potential; and bringing buyers and flour millers to the PNW and Northern Plains.

A luncheon at the American Club in Tokyo in April 1971 with USDA and Japanese officials and WWA representatives commemorated the Japanese purchase of more than 100 million bushels (more than 2.7 million metric tons) of U.S. wheat. Photo from “Kernels and Chaff; A History of Wheat Market Development.”

The work certainly had unique challenges that WWA had to maneuver. For example, the organization and its state members worked with the U.S. government to improve grade standards for U.S. wheat in the 1960s. Information from customers, especially from Japan, about high levels of sprout damage were shared with growers, wheat breeders and other researchers. WWA even took dock worker union leaders to Asian markets to demonstrate the broad economic effects of U.S. wheat trade. All these efforts and more were focused not only on building demand, but also on building a case that customers could count on the U.S. wheat export supply system.

In 1975, U.S. President Gerald R. Ford met with a joint meeting of WWA and GPW in Vail, Colo., and discussed the wheat leaders’ approach to longshoreman labor negotiations. Photo from U.S. Wheat Associates archive.

It was government intervention, however good intentioned, that greatly endangered the reliable reputation of the United States as a grain supplier. In 1972, the Soviet Union took advantage of U.S. government guarantees of low wheat export prices and a politically motivated offer of credit guarantees to quickly purchase massive volumes of U.S. wheat. The Soviet purchases coincided with low production in other exporting countries and created a supply shock that literally doubled world wheat prices in just a few weeks. Established customers such as Japan were unprepared for the supply and price problems that followed. Interventions continued in the 1970s including an embargo on U.S. soybean exports to Japan and the U.S. grain export embargo following the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1980.

Yet, the farmers who established WWA and the people the organization hired to represent their interests persevered. The legacy they, and the people who started and ran GPW, created lived on through WWA’s existence and continues even today through U.S. Wheat Associates and its 17 state wheat commission members and board of directors.

Photo from “Kernels and Chaff; A History of Wheat Market Development.”

WWA’s Richard K. Baum captured the enduring spirit of the organization as he wrote to his board about “The First Twenty Years” of WWA.

“It has been my privilege, and an unusual one at that, to have served throughout this entire period as chief executive officer of Western Wheat Associates. Many of our staff people have also served for 18 and 19 years. Our personnel record is a stable one. Our employees, particularly those overseas, feel they are a part of a close-knit family and work as hard for you wheat producers as they would if this were their own business.”

“Those of us who have worked with you [farmers] believe fully in the goal of obtaining a fair return to the farmer for his investment, management and labor. We admire his dedication and unselfish service. We believe your leadership as evidenced by these past board Chairman have been outstanding.”

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Sources for this post include:

Read other stories in this series:

Great Plains Wheat Focused on Improving Quality and HRW Markets
Evolution of a Public-Private Partnership
The U.S. Wheat Export Public-Private Partnership Today
NAWG, USW Lead the Way Through Issues Affecting Wheat Farmers

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Dependable People: A Spotlight on the Ohio Small Grains Checkoff

For 40 years, U.S. wheat farmers have supported U.S. Wheat Associates’ (USW) efforts to work directly with buyers and promote their six classes of wheat. Their contributions to state wheat commissions, who in turn contribute a portion of those funds to USW, qualifies USW to apply for export market development funds managed by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Currently, 17 state wheat commissions are USW members and this series highlights those partnerships and the work being done state-by-state to provide unmatched service. Behind the world’s most reliable supply of wheat are the world’s most dependable people – and that includes our state wheat commissions.

Member: Ohio Small Grains Checkoff
USW Member since 2010

Location: Delaware, Ohio
Classes of wheat grown: Soft Red Winter
USW Leadership: Doug Goyings, 2019/20 Chairman

The Ohio Small Grains Checkoff identifies opportunities to add value to Ohio’s small grains crops, including wheat, barley, rye and oats. Checkoff programs focus on exports, water quality, research, education and promotion, domestic demand and consumer outreach. We base our work on the belief that exports are vital for Ohio’s farmers and the state’s economic development.

2018/19 Chairman Chris Kolstad from Montana (R) passes the gavel to 2019/20 Chairman Doug Goyings from Ohio.

Why is export market development important to Ohio wheat farmers and why do they continue to support USW and its activities?

Ohio farmers value overseas markets for grain. We produce a quality product that is affordable and meets the demand from a growing world. We must continue developing relationships with overseas buyers and U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) helps to accomplish that task for Ohio farmers.

Ohio is a soft red winter (SRW) wheat state. The nature of SRW is ideal for baking pastries, cookies, crackers and soft breads. With Mexico’s demand for SRW, with Brazil being another huge market, Ohio’s production is very important to our overall export strength for this commodity.

A trade delegation from Brazil visiting Stover Farm in Shelby, Ohio in 2019.

How have Ohio wheat farmers recently connected with overseas customers?

From hosting international trade missions on Ohio farms, to participating in foreign trade missions, Ohio farmers continue to help build relationships that will lead to open and honest communication with potential buyers of our wheat. USW is one of our most critical partners in these efforts – connecting our growers with the consumers they serve around the globe.

Most recently, Mexico’s third largest wheat milling operation sourced equivalents to rail car units from Ohio. We stand ready to support the international demand, especially to our closest neighbors.

What’s happening lately in Ohio that overseas customers should know about?

  • The Ohio Small Grains Checkoff is organizing an “Ohio Wheat Profitability Summit”. The goal is to increase planted acres by sharing research and practices that drive profit for SRW.
  • Ohio’s wheat farmers are on the front lines in addressing water quality issues in Ohio and the Great Lakes region. We believe our growers, and our products, provide tremendous value to efforts to reduce nutrient loading into the lakes. Our growers are actively supporting the H2Ohio effort which is driving higher adoption of best management practices on our fields.
  • Ohio Small Grains staff and board members are participating in the Wheat Quality Council’s meetings in Wooster, Ohio, with the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Soft Wheat Quality Laboratory. The Ohio delegation will network with researchers, millers, and bakers during the event. In addition, they will provide a session to discuss challenges in Ohio wheat production.

Learn more about Ohio Small Grains Checkoff  on its website here and on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Several Ohio wheat farmers at the 2020 Wheat 104 reception during the USW-NAWG Joint Winter Board Meeting in Washington, D.C.

USW technical staff at USDA-ARS Soft Wheat Quality Laboratory in 2016.

In 2017, Ohio wheat farmer Rachael Vonderhaar traveled with USW on a board delegation tour to Haiti, Mexico, Chile and Ecuador.

2019/20 Chairman Doug Goyings welcomes attendees to the 2019 USW Japan Buyers Conference.

 

 

 

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Nisshin Flour Milling Inc. Congratulates U.S. Wheat Associates on 40 Years

Behind the world’s most reliable supply of wheat are the world’s most dependable people. Those people, from U.S. Wheat Associates staff to the state wheat commissions and U.S. wheat farm families to the many hands along the U.S. supply chain, and finally our overseas customers – are all a part of our story. Despite the different roles or distances between us, all of the people in our story share an unspoken connection, not only through U.S. wheat but through our shared values of growth, hard work and family. We appreciate the many congratulatory messages and well wishes from our friends and customers from all over the world.

Message from Nisshin Flour Milling Inc.

“Congratulations on the 40th anniversary for the establishment of USW (U.S. Wheat Associates). For the Japanese flour millers including us, stable supply of U.S. wheat to our market is crucial. We appreciate the great contribution of USW playing the role of providing a bridge between U.S. wheat producers and Japanese flour millers for many years.

In order to provide high quality wheat flour to our customers, it is very important for us to have better understanding of wheat crop quality each year, for which USW has given us timely information on crop progress and quality, and opportunities to visit wheat fields and producers for face to face discussion in harvest season.

Such a crop survey at the field enables us to deepen our understanding of not only the crop quality, but also the actual situation of the crop production and distribution in the U.S. market. And by return, we can provide the producers with our customer and consumer needs of which kind and type of wheat the end users are looking for in Japan.

We believe the demand of U.S. wheat would grow even more in the Japanese market as long as we keep supplying good quality wheat flour to our end users. We would appreciate USW‘s continuous assistance for purchasing  high quality U.S. wheat. We would like to continue our long-term partnership for further development in the future.”

Visiting Darren Padget’s farm in Oregon.

Visiting Darren Padget’s farm in Oregon.

Meeting in Washington.

 

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