thumbnail

Over the years, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) has described the value of U.S. wheat to overseas buyers, millers and wheat food processors in many ways. We have called it “the world’s most reliable choice.” We have suggested it is “the wheat you want from producers you can depend on.” And we have offered it as “high quality wheat for every need with unmatched service and value.”

What we have said about U.S. wheat is not an empty promise. Through seasons of surplus and scarcity, and wide variability in prices, USW continues to make this case because U.S. wheat farmers have consistently produced abundant supplies of excellent quality wheat that has earned an enduring reputation for reliability and value over many years.

Every year, productive U.S. wheat farm families produce enough wheat to fill dinner tables at home, and still have more than half their crops to share with milling and food industries around the world.

As part of our celebration of 40 years operating as USW, we remain true to the differential value of U.S. wheat in this simple expression: “Dependable People. Reliable Wheat.”

Ultimately, USW believes customers from around the world continue to turn to the United States for wheat because buying it carries less risk. U.S. wheat quality is predictable and the Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS), as an objective third party, certifies that all exported wheat meets import specifications. Their inspectors create a shipping log that is available to the buyer as an additional risk management tool.

The Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS), as an objective third party, certifies that all exported wheat meets import specifications.

The U.S. wheat store also offers six distinct classes that are proven specific, high-quality ingredients for any end-product need. Hard red winter, hard red spring, soft white, hard white, soft red winter wheat and durum each offer inherent quality and functional value.

That is reliable wheat.

Moreover, no other wheat seller does more than the United States to add value to its wheat through customer support. At its very base, this support comes from the farm families who take great care in producing the highest quality wheat in the most sustainable ways possible. They work hard each year to grow their farms, honor their family legacies and to ensure greater value for their customers at home and abroad.

In good years and bad, U.S. wheat farmers have supported USW’s effort to work directly with buyers to answer questions and resolve issues in purchasing, shipping or using their six classes of wheat. Their contributions to state wheat commissions who in turn contribute a portion of those funds to USW, which in turn qualifies USW to apply for export market development funds managed by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.

With USW, buyers also get professional technical assistance, education, information and personalized consulting that help strengthen overseas milling, storage and handling, and end product industries.

The highest quality food for the world demands the highest quality wheat. For 40 years dependable people have made the difference.

Today, we remain fixed on the mission of the farmers who created an enduring legacy of commitment and partnership to provide the highest quality wheat for almost every customer need, backed by transparent pricing, trusted third-party certification and unmatched service before and after the sale.

Those are dependable people.

We invite our customers to join us in celebrating our 40th year as USW. We will continue to share the many ways in which the reliability of U.S. wheat and the dependability of U.S. farmers, USW, and our government and educational partners make a positive difference for our customers all over the world.

 

View video on Vimeo.

thumbnail

By Steve Mercer, USW Vice President of Communications

On January 12, 1980, wheat farmer leaders with Great Plains Wheat and Western Wheat Associates officially merged to become one organization, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW), to focus on building overseas demand for U.S. wheat.

To mark its 40-year anniversary in 2020, USW has launched an outreach effort to recognize and celebrate the people who produce the wheat and their enduring partnerships with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, wheat buyers and wheat food processors around the world.

This anniversary is a platform for us to reinforce our authentic story—that behind the world’s most reliable supply of wheat are the world’s most dependable people. That despite the different roles or distances, all of the people in our story share an unspoken connection through USW and through our shared values of growth, hard work and family.

So, throughout this year, in online media (#USWturns40), new marketing materials and face to face with overseas wheat buyers, we are going to talk about the legacy of commitment from farmers and the important partnerships that are a unique and valuable part of importing U.S. wheat.”

The primary component of the USW campaign is a new page on www.uswheat.org titled “Our Story.” The page includes historical background, and profiles of U.S. wheat farm families and overseas customers. USW also produced a new video that highlights the value created by the entire U.S. wheat export supply system and the service the USW organization offers to flour millers and wheat food processors around the world.

 

 

A significant element of the campaign will describe how previous generations of U.S. farm families organized, invested their time, talent and treasure and reached out to the federal government to build overseas markets for their wheat.

Many of the millers and food processors USW works with overseas are also family-owned and going through the same generational changes as U.S. farm families. That is one reason why we will emphasize past and present connections between our farmers and customers in those stories, through our Wheat Letter blog and in Facebook and Twitter posts.

USW is truly built around its partnerships at home and abroad.

Farmers represented by 17 state wheat commissions work closely with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service through our organization to demonstrate the need for export market development support. Those organizations and the rest of the efficient U.S. supply chain share in the challenges and rewards of wheat trade. The campaign will also demonstrate how the world’s wheat buyers, millers and food processors view their partnership with our organization.

This legacy and those partnerships provide advantages USW believes no other wheat exporting country can provide. They help supply the highest quality wheat for almost every customer need. Pricing is set by market conditions and remains transparent to the buyers. U.S. wheat is backed by trusted third-party certification by the Federal Grain Inspection Service. USW representatives and technical service experts provide unmatched service before and after the sale. Together, these advantages build differential value for our customers.

In many ways, this story built and sustains the culture of the USW organization and it underpins what the U.S. wheat “brand” stands for in the world wheat marketplace.

USW invites U.S. wheat farmers, our state wheat commission members and our overseas customers to visit https://ourstory.uswheat.org/ often and to share their own stories as we continue to update content throughout 2020.