Recent news and highlights from around the wheat industry. 

Speaking of Wheat: “We see this transaction as the latest example of how working together and using technology to solve challenges can improve trade, as well as traceability, food safety, nutrition and more.” – Jennifer Davidson, Trade Execution Lead, Cargill, discussing a cross-continent wheat trade transaction on a blockchain platform. 

BLOG: Earth Day Celebrates 50 Years by Observing Climate Action. This year marked the 50th anniversary of Earth Day celebrated on April 22, 2020. The theme for Earth Day 2020 was climate action. Read the National Association of Wheat Growers’ (NAWG) recent blog highlighting some of the ways wheat growers are working to curb the effects of climate change. 

Corteva Opportunity: Genome Editing for Crop Improvement. As part of their effort and commitment to building strong partnerships, Corteva is inviting scientists from academic and nonprofit research institutions to submit brief, non-confidential proposals for gene edits that have the potential to improve wheat, maize (corn), soybeans, canola or sorghum. The application deadline is May 31, 2020. Click here for complete details. 

Farm Foundation Supports Young Farmers. The Young Farmer Accelerator Program is aimed at helping young farmers grow their knowledge, experience and network. The program will engage young farmers in a year-long series of interactive learning and networking experiences, focused on gaining a deeper understanding of a wide variety of agriculture, agribusiness and government issues.  

2020 National Wheat Yield Contest Entry Deadlines. The National Wheat Foundation is accepting entries for “Greater Grain. The National Wheat Yield Contest.”  The deadline for winter wheat entries is May 15 and the spring wheat entry deadline is August 1, with an early registration deadline of June 15. 

Subscribe to USW Reports. USW publishes a variety of reports and content that are available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts, the weekly Price Report and the weekly Harvest Report (available May to October). Subscribe here. 

Follow USW Online. Visit our Facebook page at for the latest updates, photos and discussions of what is going on in the world of wheat. Also, find breaking news on Twitter, video stories on Vimeo and more on LinkedIn. 

Recent news and highlights from around the wheat industry. 

Speaking of Wheat: “Our satellite vegetation greenness model suggests near-trend [yield] potential, largely due to a Great Plains crop that is in good shape as it emerges from dormancy,” – Jude Kastens, PhD, Research Associate Professor at the Kansas Applied Remote Sensing Program (KARS) located at the University of Kansas.  

USDA and USTR Announce Continued Progress on Implementation of U.S.-China Phase One Agreement: On March 24, 2020, the USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced continued progress in the implementation of the agriculture-related provisions of the U.S.-China Phase One Economic and Trade Agreement. The Agreement entered into force on February 14, 2020, and the recent actions described below build upon the actions announced by USDA and USTR on February 25 and March 10. 

Catlyxt Launches New Website Showcasing the Power and Possibility of Plants: Calyxt, a plant-based technology company, is doing what farmers and plant breeders have been doing for hundreds of years: choosing the best crops and breeding them to make stronger, more sustainable plants. A company release suggested the new website demonstrates a “company at the forefront of accelerated plant breeding with a focus on wellness and sustainability.” Visitors can also now access assets including sales sheets, seed variety technical specifications, as well as new videos and photos. 

A New Twist on Take and Bake Month: March is Bake and Take Month, but in these unprecedented times, sharing baked goods with friends isn’t as easy. Marsha Boswell offers ideas like handwritten notes, kid-drawn pictures and more to accompany baked treats dropped on a neighbor’s doorstep, in this week’s Kansas Wheat Scoop. 

National Ag Day: A Celebration of Wheat: Farmers only make up 1.3% of America’s labor force, yet they have an enormous impact on feeding the world. This can be attributed to the advancements and improvements of plant technologies and farm management practices that started with Dr. Norman Borlaug in the Green Revolution. On March 24, National Ag Day, the National Wheat Foundation recognized the importance of wheat farmers and programming that helps improve our crop.

2020 National Wheat Yield Contest. On February 18, the National Wheat Foundation (NWF) officially opened the 2020 National Wheat Yield Contest. Farmers can submit entries in winter wheat and spring wheat with subcategories for dryland and irrigated. NWF is accepting entries for winter wheat from April 1 and May 15, and entries for spring wheat from June 15 to August 1. 

Northern Crops Institute Online Pasta Course Open. The Northern Crops Institute announced a Pasta Production and Technology course to be offered online, April 28 to 30. For more course information and to register, click here.  

Subscribe to USW Reports. USW publishes a variety of reports and content that are available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts, the weekly Price Report and the weekly Harvest Report (available May to October). Subscribe here.  

Follow USW Online. Visit our Facebook page at for the latest updates, photos and discussions of what is going on in the world of wheat. Also, find breaking news on Twitter, video stories on Vimeo and more on LinkedIn. 

Recent news and highlights from around the wheat industry.

Speaking of Wheat: “Innovation in agriculture and food is the key to global food security; the world has to stop farming with systems that my grandfather gave up on 125 years ago. Innovation is an imperative — and it’s not just needed [in the United States], but around the world.” Ambassador Kip Tom, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome and a seventh-generation farmer from Indiana.

Congratulations. Andrés Saturno and his wife Berenice “Bere” recently welcomed their first child, a baby boy, Alessio Massimiliano Saturno Ramos, 7 lbs, 9 oz, on February 19, 2020. Andrés is a Technical Specialist in the USW Santiago Office. Everyone is healthy and doing well.

China Lifts Some Trade Barriers in ‘Phase One.’ China has begun making policy changes and will soon be accepting applications for tariff exemptions as part of its agreements under the “phase one” trade pact with the United States, the Trump administration announced Tuesday, February 25. Imports of a wide variety of commodities will be eligible, including wheat, soybeans, pork, corn, whey, oranges, cherries, sorghum, soy oil and beef. Read more here.

Coronavirus Could Prevent China from Meeting $80B Agriculture Trade Pledge. With the phase one trade deal with China in effect for just under three weeks, agricultural experts fear the coronavirus outbreak will impede China’s ability to buy a promised $80 billion in farm goods from the United States over the next two years. Read more here.

Ancient Wheat Genome Reveals Clues to the Agricultural Past. A museum sample of a 3,000-year-old Egyptian crop plant yields genomic information that helps researchers track the plant’s domestication and migration reports “The Scientist.” The museum wheat, which carbon dating showed was from between 1130 and 1000 BC, was genetically much more similar to modern domesticated varieties than to modern wild ones, suggesting that the plant lineage the samples came from had already been domesticated. Read more here.

2020 National Wheat Yield Contest. On February 18, 2020, the National Wheat Foundation (NWF) officially opened the 2020 National Wheat Yield Contest. Farmers can submit entries in winter wheat and spring wheat with subcategories for dryland and irrigated. NWF is accepting entries for winter wheat from April 1 and May 15, and entries for spring wheat from June 15 to August 1.

Farmers Join Forces for Sustainability and Responsible Climate Policy. The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) joined twenty farm and ranch groups representing millions of U.S. farmers and ranchers to launch Farmers for a Sustainable Future (FSF), a coalition committed to environmental and economic sustainability. This coalition will serve as a primary resource for lawmakers and policymakers considering climate policies. FSF’s guiding principles call for policies that support science-based research, voluntary incentive-based conservation programs, investment in infrastructure, and solutions that ensure vibrant rural communities and a healthy planet. Read the group’s recent release here.

Oklahoma Governor’s Wheat Challenge. The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture (ODA), working with the Oklahoma Wheat Commission (OWC) and the Oklahoma State University (OSU) Wheat Improvement Team recently featured the first ever State of Oklahoma’s Governor’s Wheat Challenge in an event at the ODA headquarters March 3. Wheat industry representatives welcomed Governor Kevin Stitt and Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell as they checked on respective wheat plots planted in their names last November in front of the agency’s headquarters, and to get an update from OWC Executive Director Mike Schulte on the marketing and research aspects of Oklahoma’s wheat industry. Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Ms. Blayne Arthur called it “a very exciting day for Oklahoma’s wheat industry,” with a friendly competition between the Governor and Lt. Governor spotlighting two newer wheat varieties developed by the Wheat Breeding Team led by Dr. Brett Carver of OSU. The wheat plots will be harvested and evaluated for flour and baking qualities. Read more here.

IGP Institute Milling Courses. The IGP Institute in Manhattan, Kan., has announced a series of milling courses in its upcoming summer schedule, including two Buhler-KSU Executive Milling courses (one in English and on in Spanish), as well as an IAOM-KSU Introduction to Flour Milling course. Click here to register and for more information on these courses.

Subscribe to USW Reports. USW publishes a variety of reports and content that are available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts, the weekly Price Report and the weekly Harvest Report (available May to October). Subscribe here.

Follow USW Online. Visit our page at https://www.facebook.com/uswheat for the latest updates, photos and discussions of what is going on in the world of wheat. Also, find breaking news on Twitter at https://twitter.com/uswheatassoc and video stories on Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/uswheatassociates.

Recent news and highlights from around the wheat industry.

Speaking of Wheat: “Wheat farmers and Mexico’s wheat buyers are very glad to see the cloud of uncertainty lifted from our trade relationship. Replacing NAFTA without harm to the wheat trade relationship was a priority for all of us – mission accomplished.” – Doug Goyings, USW Chairman and Wheat Farmer from Paulding, Ohio, noting one of the benefits of the U.S., Mexico, Canada Agreement signed into U.S. law last week by President Trump.

Our Sincere Sympathy to former USW colleague Pam Leckie Wiese and the family of former USW Regional Vice President, Sub-Sahara Africa, Ed Wiese who passed away at age 71 on Jan. 25, 2020, in Florida.

Japanese Perceptions of Gene Editing. A team of Japanese researchers surveyed Japanese experts and the public about their perceptions of the benefits, risks, and value of using gene editing in Japan. A partial summary of results suggested that molecular biology experts had higher benefit and value perceptions, as well as lower risk perceptions regarding new technologies. Although the lay public tended to have more favorable attitudes toward gene editing than toward genetic modification, such differences were much smaller than their perceived differences between conventional breeding and genetic modification. Read more in Nature Communications Journal. Click here to read USW positions on plant breeding innovation.

California Wheat’s Claudia Carter Interviewed. Claudia Carter, Executive Director of the California Wheat Commission, was recently featured in an episode of the “Regenerative Agriculture Podcast.” Originally from Ecuador, Claudia leads research around the marketability of California wheat and helps to develop and maintain domestic and international markets for this commodity. She describes her educational journey in cereal sciences, and her focus on the durum quality parameters that processors need to develop a good pasta. Claudia and the host also discuss biofortification, the process of breeding wheat varieties for a specific nutritional profile. Listen to the podcast here.

Wheat All About It! Speaking of podcasts, Washington Grain Commission (WGC) publishes a very informative weekly podcast all about wheat and the wheat industry in the Pacific Northwest. Click here to listen to the latest episodes. You may also subscribe to “Wheat All About It!” on iTunes and other podcast apps like Stitcher, Pocket Cast, Overcast and Radio FM, or download multiple episodes from the WGC website at wagrains.org.

EPA Evaluation of Glyphosate. In January 2020, after receiving and considering public comments on the glyphosate proposed interim decision, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the interim decision for registration review. As part of this action, EPA continues to find that there are no risks of concern to human health when glyphosate is used in accordance with its current label. EPA also found that glyphosate is unlikely to be a human carcinogen. EPA is requiring management measures to help farmers target pesticide sprays to intended pests, protect pollinators, and reduce the problem of weeds becoming resistant to glyphosate. Read more here.

U.S. Flour Miller Invests in Wheat Quality. Grain Craft, the largest U.S. independent flour miller, has increased its commitment to improving wheat quality with another gift to the Kansas Wheat Commission Research Foundation (KWCRF). The gift will build upon previous support of research to improve wheat quality and yield through proper fertility management. “Preliminary results from the research indicate there is a strong correlation between proper fertility management of wheat by farmers and not only the quantity, but quality of the protein produced,” according to Dr. Romulo Lollato, Wheat Production Extension Specialist at Kansas State University in Manhattan. Read more here.

Subscribe to USW Reports. USW publishes a variety of reports and content that are available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts, the weekly Price Report and the weekly Harvest Report (available May to October). Subscribe here.

Follow USW Online. Visit our page at https://www.facebook.com/uswheat for the latest updates, photos and discussions of what is going on in the world of wheat. Also, find breaking news on Twitter at https://twitter.com/uswheatassoc and video stories on Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/uswheatassociates.

Recent news and highlights from around the wheat industry.

Speaking of Wheat: “Over the last five years or so, U.S. wheat producers have shouldered many challenges and continued to produce the highest quality, most wholesome milling wheat in the world, as they have done for decades. We do not yet know if positive shifts in market and trade factors will provide the economic boost they need. But in that hope, our team at USW will be watching how they affect the markets – and how that will affect our overseas customers.” – Vince Peterson, President, U.S. Wheat Associates.

From Wheat Fields to Trade Deals. On Dec. 26, 2019, Ohio Farmer magazine profiled USW Chairman Doug Goyings. Here is the opening of the story: When something needs doing, Doug Goyings isn’t the type to pass a job off to someone else. When he needed fields drained, he figured out how to mount a trencher on a tractor and started installing drain tile. When his house needed to be rewired, he rewired it. When a windstorm wrecked his grain legs and bins, he and his family rebuilt them. And, when wheat buyers around the world need a little encouragement to buy U.S. wheat, Goyings gets on an airplane, flies off to meet with potential buyers and tells them about his farm, his family and the superior quality of U.S. wheat. “They all like to know it comes from a family farm,” he says. “Around the world, it’s that way.” Read the entire article here.

Congratulations to Cassidy Marn. The Montana Department of Agriculture has selected Cassidy Marn as the new bureau chief for the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee (MWBC), which is a long-standing state wheat commission member of USW. Cassidy has served as MWBC’s Trade and Marketing Manager since 2010 and has developed many important relationships with USW staff and overseas wheat buyers.

USW Welcomes New CEO at Oregon Wheat Commission. The Oregon Wheat Commission (OWC) and Oregon Wheat Growers League (OWGL) have selected Amanda Hoey as chief executive officer of both organizations. She replaces Blake Rowe who plans to retire soon. OWC is a long-standing state wheat commission member of USW. Amanda comes to the new position after serving as executive director of the Mid-Columbia Economic Development District. She grew up on a dryland wheat farm in Wasco County, Ore.

Who’s Who in Private Wheat Breeding. Successful Farming magazine recently posted an article on its agriculture.com website that profiles the technology companies that are breeding wheat seed for commercial sales in the United States. Much of the certified wheat seed in this country are “public varieties,” financed by farmers through checkoff funds administered by state wheat commissions and bred at land grant universities. The Successful Farming article asserts that private companies, for the most part, still believe that wheat is a viable cropping option for U.S. farmers. Read the entire article here.

NCI Pasta Production and Technology Course. This course at the Northern Crops Institute April 28 to 30, 2020, introduces participants to the fundamental and applied aspects of pasta production and quality through lectures, demonstrations and hands-on processing. Grain and ingredient quality, specifications and processing variables and their impact on final pasta product quality are presented in detail. The course focuses primarily on traditional dry durum-based pasta; however, non-traditional ingredients and fresh pasta are also covered through lectures and demonstrations. Read more and register for the course here.

IGP Grain Procurement and Purchasing Course. Two sections of the IGP-KSU grain procurement and purchasing course will be offered to enhance grain industry professionals’ ability to purchase U.S. grains and commodities with greater effectiveness. The basic course will be held April 20 to 24, 2020, and the advanced course will be offered April 28 to May 2. Participants have the option of attending a supply chain field trip April 24 to 27 and may take both sections of the course concurrently. Read more and register for the courses here.

Subscribe to USW Reports. USW publishes a variety of reports and content that are available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts, the weekly Price Report and the weekly Harvest Report (available May to October). Subscribe here.

Follow USW Online. Visit our page at https://www.facebook.com/uswheat for the latest updates, photos and discussions of what is going on in the world of wheat. Also, find breaking news on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/uswheatassoc and video stories at https://www.youtube.com/uswheatassociates.