You are here: / Board of Directors
thumbnail
,

Farmer Directors Elect Mike Spier as Next President and CEO of U.S. Wheat Associates

At their board meeting Nov. 14, 2024, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) directors elected Mike Spier, Vice President of Overseas Operations, as the export market organization’s next President and CEO, effective with the retirement of current President and CEO Vince Peterson on July 1, 2025.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to be elected to this position and grateful to our officers and directors for their trust and confidence,” said Spier. “I am also immensely grateful to Vince Peterson, whose vision and dedication have laid a durable foundation for future success. I look forward to working with my outstanding colleagues, as well as the National Association of Wheat Growers, state wheat commissions, and our industry partners. Together, we will continue to innovate, create new export opportunities, enhance profitability for U.S. wheat growers, and deliver value to customers overseas.”

Mike Spier (right), USW Vice President of Overseas Operations, has been selected to replace Vince Peterson (left) as USW’s next President and CEO on July 1, 2025.

Mike Spier (right), USW Vice President of Overseas Operations, has been selected to replace Vince Peterson (left) as the organization’s next President and CEO, effective July 1, 2025.

The USW President serves at the pleasure of the wheat farmers on its Board of Directors and is responsible for implementing board-directed policies and for managing staff, export market development programs, and finances.

“Mike is well-known and respected by our overseas wheat buyers and the entire domestic industry. He is highly qualified, and I am very pleased the board selected him to lead the organization,” said Peterson, who was named USW’s fourth President in 2017. “With strong support from our board, we have maintained a solid financial position that will give Mike and our talented, hard-working staff a great foundation to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead in the world wheat market.”

Spier is an Oregon native who has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Seattle Pacific University. He started his career in 1992 as an accountant and then a grain merchandiser with United Grain Corporation in Portland, Ore. In 1997, he joined USW as Assistant Director of the West Coast Office. Spier relocated to Cairo, Egypt, in 1998 as USW Assistant Regional Director for the Middle East and East Africa. After four years in Cairo, he transferred to Manila, Philippines, as Assistant Regional Director for South and Southeast Asia. In 2009, USW promoted Spier to Regional Vice President for South and Southeast Asia and transferred him to USW’s Singapore Regional Office. In 2015, Spier transitioned to Columbia Grain International Inc. (CGI) as Assistant Vice President of International Marketing, establishing CGI’s Singapore office for marketing international milling wheat in Southeast Asia. In 2018, he moved to the company’s headquarters in Portland, Oregon to lead CGI’s international wheat marketing desk. In 2019, Spier returned to USW as Vice President of Overseas Operations.

Throughout his career, Spier has gained expertise in grain merchandising, international wheat trading, market analysis, risk management and hedging, logistics, execution, and negotiation of ocean freight contracts. Over his career in the wheat industry, Spier has traveled to more than 50 countries, implementing wheat export market development activities, providing insight into the U.S. and world wheat markets, and assisting buyers with wheat contract terms to meet price and quality expectations.

USW’s mission is to “Develop, maintain, and expand international markets to enhance wheat’s profitability for U.S. wheat producers and its value for their customers.” Its activities are made possible by producer checkoff dollars managed by 17 state wheat commissions and through USDA Foreign Agricultural Service cost-share funding. For more information, visit www.uswheat.org or contact your state wheat commission.

/by
thumbnail

U.S. Wheat Associates 2024/25 Officers Start One-Year Terms

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — The U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) board of directors seated officers for 2024/25 at their annual meeting July 11, 2024, in Oklahoma City, Okla. USW is the export market development organization for the U.S. wheat industry.

At the meeting, the farmer directors recognized the service of 2023/24 Chairman Michael Peters, of Okarche, Okla., who passed the gavel to 2024/25 USW Chairman Clark Hamilton, Ririe, Idaho. Jim Pellman, McClusky, N.D., started his term as Vice Chairman. Gary Millershaski, Lakin, Kan., was seated as Secretary-Treasurer. These officers were elected January 30, 2024, during the USW board’s meeting in Washington, D.C.

Several USW board committees and working groups including Wheat Quality, Wheat Transportation, Long Range Planning, Communications, and Food Aid also met on July 10.

U.S. Wheat Associates’ (USW) mission is to “develop, maintain, and expand international markets to enhance wheat’s profitability for U.S. wheat producers and its value for their customers.” USW activities in more than 100 countries are made possible through producer checkoff dollars managed by 17 state wheat commissions and cost-share funding provided by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. USW maintains 15 offices strategically located around the world to help wheat buyers, millers, bakers, wheat food processors and government officials understand the quality, value, and reliability of all six U.S. wheat classes. For more information, visit www.uswheat.org.

USW Officers 2024/25

Vince Peterson, President and CEO; Michael Peters, Past Chairman; Clark Hamilton, Chairman; Jim Pellman, Vice Chairman; Gary Millershaski, Secretary-Treasurer.

 

2024/25 USW Chairman Clark Hamilton, Ririe, Idaho

 

/by
thumbnail
,

U.S. Wheat Associates Board Elects New Officers for 2023/24 Term

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) board of directors elected new officers for the organization’s 2023/24 (July to June) fiscal year at their meeting Feb. 3, 2023, in Washington, D.C. The board elected Jim Pellman of McClusky, N.D., as Secretary-Treasurer; Clark Hamilton of Ririe, Idaho, as Vice Chairman; Michael Peters of Okarche, Okla., as Chairman; and Rhonda Larson of East Grand Forks, Minn., as Past Chairperson. These farmers will begin their new leadership roles during the USW board meeting in July 2023 in Minneapolis, Minn.

USW is the export market development organization for the U.S. wheat industry.

The 2023-24 USW Officer Team

The 2023-24 USW Officer Team

2023/24 U.S. Wheat Associate Officers. (L-R) Jim Pellman, McClusky, N.D., Clark Hamilton, Ririe, Idaho, Rhonda Larson, E. Grand Forks, N.D., and Michael Peters, Okarche, Okla. These officers will begin their term in July 2023.

“After serving as a director on the U.S. Wheat Associates board representing North Dakota, I believe in the mission of the organization,” Pellman said. “This is an ideal time for me to put my experience to work for wheat farmers beyond my county and state. I’m looking forward to doing what I can to help the organization continue building export demand in a very competitive global market.”

Jim Pellman and his wife, Candace, have two children and grow wheat, barley, canola, corn, and soybeans on the farm they started in 1990 near McClusky, N.D. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics from North Dakota State University, Pellman worked as an ag lender and county supervisor with Farmers Home Administration and then several years as a community banker. He served as Chief and on the board of his community’s volunteer fire department and as chairman of a local non-profit housing organization. Pellman is serving his second, four-year term on the North Dakota Wheat Commission (NDWC), serving as Sheridan County representative since 2014. Pellman is NDWC vice-chairman and is liaison on transportation issues and the North Dakota Rail Council, as representative to the North Dakota Grain Growers Association, and a voting member of the SBARE Wheat Granting Committee.

Clark Hamilton and his wife, Kristy own Hamilton Triple C Farms, a 6,000-acre diversified family farm in eastern Idaho, that they operate with their two sons. They grow four specific wheat classes as well as barley, potatoes, pulses, and alfalfa. Hamilton spent several years serving and representing Idaho wheat and barley farmers as an executive officer of the Idaho Grain Producers Association (IGPA), including one year as president, and has been a board member of Ririe Grain and Feed Cooperative, Inc., for several years. While serving in those roles, he became very familiar with the local, state and national issues impacting agriculture and particularly wheat. He is currently one of five wheat growers appointed as a commissioner on the Idaho Wheat Commission and served as chair of that organization. Hamilton remains active in leadership roles in his church and community.

Michael Peters is a farmer and rancher growing hard red winter wheat and canola, and grazing stocker cattle on wheat. He serves on the Mid-Oklahoma Coop board of directors and on the Plains Partners Coop Board, a division of CHS, and is a member of the Okarche Rural Fire Fighters’ Association Board. He has also served as President of St. John’s Lutheran Church. He currently serves as a Commissioner and Chairman of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission. He has participated in several farm leadership programs sponsored by CHS and the National Wheat Foundation. Peters and his wife Linda have two sons who work with him and his father on their farm.

Rhonda Larson was raised on her family’s Red River Valley farm and engaged full-time in the operation for nearly 30 years. Her father started the farm growing potatoes, wheat and barley. With her two brothers and her son, the third generation on the farm, they currently grow wheat and sugarbeets. Larson has been a board member of the Minnesota Wheat Research & Promotion Council for 17 years; serving as chair from 2010 to 2012. She served on the Wheat Foods Council board and is a long-time member of the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers and the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association. As a USW director, she served on the Long-Range Planning Committee and the Budget Committee. Larson received a bachelor’s degree in public administration and a juris doctor’s degree in law from the University of North Dakota.

U.S. Wheat Associates’ (USW) mission is to “develop, maintain, and expand international markets to enhance wheat’s profitability for U.S. wheat producers and its value for their customers.” USW activities in more than 100 countries are made possible through producer checkoff dollars managed by 17 state wheat commissions and cost-share funding provided by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. USW maintains 15 offices strategically located around the world to help wheat buyers, millers, bakers, wheat food processors and government officials understand the quality, value and reliability of all six U.S. wheat classes. For more information, visit www.uswheat.org.

/by
thumbnail

Minnesota Farmer Rhonda Larson Takes 2022/23 U.S. Wheat Associates Chair

BEND, Ore. — Rhonda Larson, East Grand Forks, Minn., started her year as 2022/23 Chairperson of the U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) board of directors June 8, 2022, at their annual meeting in Bend, Ore.  Michael Peters of Okarche, Okla., took his position as Vice Chairman. Clark Hamilton, Ririe, Idaho, began his year as Secretary-Treasurer. Darren Padget, Grass Valley, Ore., will serve one year as USW Past Chairman. USW is the export market development organization for the U.S. wheat industry.

“I want to thank the entire wheat family for their support,” Larson said to the directors. “We heard here about all the challenges we face. But with your help, I look forward to representing American wheat farmers in overseas markets.”

2020/2022 USW Chairman Darren Padget (R) passes the gavel to 2022/23 USW Chairperson Rhonda Larson at the 2022 USW Summer Board Meeting.

She will soon represent growers at the World Trade Organization’s 12th Ministerial Meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.

Larson has been a board member of the Minnesota Wheat Research & Promotion Council for 17 years, serving as chair from 2010 to 2012. She served on the Wheat Foods Council board and is a long-time member of the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers and the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association.

Honored Service

Padget was honored at a reception June 7, 2022, for his service as USW Chairman, which covered two years because of pandemic travel restrictions.

“Considering Darren’s many years of service it would be hard to measure all the positive things he has done to help wheat farm families here and across the country,” said Oregon Wheat Commission CEO Amanda Hoey.

Previously, Padget held positions on the Oregon Wheat Growers League board of directors and executive committee for seven years, serving as president in 2010. He chaired the Research and Technology Committee for the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and is the Vice Chairman of the Wheat Marketing Center board of directors. He is a commissioner with the Oregon Wheat Commission.

Group photo of the 2022/23 USW Officers

2022/23 USW Officers. (L-R) Michael Peters, Okarche, Okla., Vice Chairman, Darren Padget, Grass Valley, Ore., Past Chairman; Rhonda Larson, East Grand Forks, Minn.; Chairperson; Clark Hamilton, Ririe, Idaho, Secretary-Treasurer; and Vince Peterson, USW President.

USW Vice Chairman Peters serves on the Mid-Oklahoma Coop board of directors and on the Plains Partners Coop Board, a division of CHS, and is a member of the Okarche Rural Fire Fighters’ Association Board. He has also served as President of St. John’s Lutheran Church. He currently serves as a Commissioner and Chairman of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission.

USW Secretary-Treasurer Hamilton served as an executive officer of the Idaho Grain Producers Association (IGPA), including as president, and has been a board member of Ririe Grain and Feed Cooperative, Inc., for several years. He is currently one of five wheat growers appointed as a commissioner on the Idaho Wheat Commission and served as chair of that organization.

U.S. Wheat Associates’ (USW) is to “develop, maintain, and expand international markets to enhance wheat’s profitability for U.S. wheat producers and its value for their customers.” USW activities in more than 100 countries are made possible through producer checkoff dollars managed by 17 state wheat commissions and cost-share funding provided by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. USW maintains 15 offices strategically located around the world to help wheat buyers, millers, bakers, wheat food processors and government officials understand the quality, value and reliability of all six U.S. wheat classes. For more information, visit www.uswheat.org.

/by
thumbnail
,

Clark Hamilton Elected to 2022/23 U.S. Wheat Associates Officer Team

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) board of directors elected new officers for the organization’s 2022/23 (July to June) fiscal year at their meeting Jan. 14, 2022, in Washington, D.C. The board elected Clark Hamilton of Ririe, Ida., as Secretary-Treasurer; Michael Peters of Okarche, Okla., as Vice Chairman; and Rhonda Larson of East Grand Forks, Minn., as Chairperson. These farmers will begin their new leadership roles at the USW board meeting in June 2022. Current Chairman Darren Padget of Grass Valley, Ore., will become Past Chairman at that time. USW is the export market development organization for the U.S. wheat industry.

Group photo of the 2022/23 USW Officers

2022/23 USW Officers. (L-R) Michael Peters, Okarche, Okla., Vice Chairman-Elect, Darren Padget, Grass Valley, Ore., Past Chairman-Elect; Rhonda Larson, East Grand Forks, Minn.; Chairperson-Elect; Clark Hamilton, Ririe, Idaho, Secretary-Treasurer-Elect; and Vince Peterson, USW President.

“I decided to run for office because I sincerely believe that the success and profitability of wheat growers depends on developing and protecting our export markets,” Hamilton said. “Growers have to be involved because our relationships with overseas customers are critical in this increasingly competitive global market where U.S. wheat is rarely the lowest cost source. Going forward, I am going to listen to our customers to ensure USW is adapting to meet their needs. And I am going to listen to USW staff to be sure the Board of Directors is providing the guidance and support they need to carry out the organization’s mission.”

Portrait Clark Hamilton

Clark Hamilton, a wheat farmer from Ririe, Idaho, was elected Jan. 14, 2022, as the next Secretary-Treasurer of U.S. Wheat Associates.

Hamilton and his wife, Kristy own Hamilton Triple C Farms, a 6,000-acre diversified family farm in eastern Idaho, that they operate with their two sons. They grow four specific wheat classes as well as barley, potatoes, pulses, and alfalfa.

Hamilton spent several years serving and representing Idaho wheat and barley farmers as an executive officer of the Idaho Grain Producers Association (IGPA), including one year as president, and has been a board member of Ririe Grain and Feed Cooperative, Inc., for several years. While serving in those roles, he became very familiar with the local, state and national issues impacting agriculture and particularly wheat. He is currently one of five wheat growers appointed as a commissioner on the Idaho Wheat Commission and served as chair of that organization. Hamilton remains active in leadership roles in his church and community.

Michael Peters is a farmer and rancher growing hard red winter wheat and canola, and grazing stocker cattle on wheat. He serves on the Mid-Oklahoma Coop board of directors and on the Plains Partners Coop Board, a division of CHS, and is a member of the Okarche Rural Fire Fighters’ Association Board. He has also served as President of St. John’s Lutheran Church. He currently serves as a Commissioner and Chairman of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission. He has participated in several farm leadership programs sponsored by CHS and the National Wheat Foundation. Peters and his wife Linda have two sons who work with him and his father on their farm.

Rhonda Larson was raised on her family’s Red River Valley farm and engaged full-time in the operation for nearly 30 years. Her father started the farm growing potatoes, wheat and barley. With her two brothers and her son, the third generation on the farm, they currently grow wheat and sugarbeets. Larson has been a board member of the Minnesota Wheat Research & Promotion Council for 17 years; serving as chair from 2010 to 2012. She served on the Wheat Foods Council board and is a long-time member of the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers and the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association. As a USW director, she served on the Long-Range Planning Committee and the Budget Committee. Larson received a bachelor’s degree in public administration and a juris doctor’s degree in law from the University of North Dakota.

Darren Padget is a fourth-generation farmer in Oregon’s Sherman County, with a dryland wheat and summer fallow rotation currently producing registered and certified seed on 3,400 acres annually. Previously, Padget held positions on the Oregon Wheat Growers League board of directors and executive committee for seven years, serving as president in 2010. He chaired the Research and Technology Committee for the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and served on the Mid-Columbia Producers board of directors, for which he was an officer for 10 years. He is a commissioner with the Oregon Wheat Commission.

U.S. Wheat Associates’ (USW) mission is to “develop, maintain, and expand international markets to enhance wheat’s profitability for U.S. wheat producers and its value for their customers.” USW activities in more than 100 countries are made possible through producer checkoff dollars managed by 17 state wheat commissions and cost-share funding provided by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. USW maintains 15 offices strategically located around the world to help wheat buyers, millers, bakers, wheat food processors and government officials understand the quality, value and reliability of all six U.S. wheat classes. For more information, visit www.uswheat.org.

# # #

 

/by
thumbnail
,

U.S. Wheat Associates Board of Directors 2021 Summer Meeting

ARLINGTON, Virginia – Each year farmers across the United States grow enough wheat to fill America’s tables and still have about half their crop to share with the world. To help promote all six classes of American wheat overseas, 17 state wheat commissions provide funding from checkoff programs to U.S. Wheat Associates (USW). Each commission appoints farmers to serve on the U.S. Wheat Associates Board of Directors.

In late June, they traveled to America’s Music City for their summer meeting. Over three days in Nashville, Tenn., the U.S. Wheat Associates Board of Directors met in committee and together to discuss topics like wheat grading standards for hard white wheat, wheat quality improvement and USW’s next budget. USW President Vince Peterson said the decision to hold the annual event in person added a positive lift to the meeting.

“Well, for us, it was a breath of fresh air,” Peterson said. “We’ve had four meetings now during the COVID environment. The first one, a year ago from today, was fully virtual. We went to two hybrid meetings where we had some in-person and some virtual portions, and this was the first back to fully in-person. I think it was a great venue, a great place. I think we rekindled some of that comradery that the industry really thrives on and needs. I think it was a highly successful get-together.”

USW Board of Directors Officers

USW President Vince Peterson, left, makes a point at the USW 2021 Summer Board of Directors meeting in Nashville, Tenn. He is joined by Vice Chair Rhonda Larson of Minnesota and Secretary-Treasurer Michael Peters of Oklahoma.

USW Director Cory Kress, a farmer from southeast Idaho and member of the Idaho Wheat Commission discussed the importance of USW’s effort to build demand for U.S. wheat overseas and how crucial it is to the sustainability of his farm.

“In America, we often forget how blessed we are to produce way more food than we need to feed our own citizens in this country. What that means as a wheat farmer is a good portion of my crop has to end up on somebody else’s dinner table in another country.” Kress said. “I don’t think that’s possible without USW and our partnerships with the various government agencies to promote our products and to ensure they compete with other countries’ products, to make sure that we have a place on their food menu. It’s imperative for the sustainability of my farm that we export a lot of what we produce. Otherwise, we just have no market, no hope to continue on this. It can’t be emphasized enough how important it is that we promote our ag products overseas.”

Idaho farmer Cory Kress at the USW Board of Directors meeting.

Idaho farmer Cory Kress represents the Idaho Wheat Commission as a USW Director.

These wheat industry leaders also monitor and discuss trade policies that have the potential to build or block market access. Neal Fisher, Executive Director of the North Dakota Wheat Commission in Bismarck, N.D., discussed the importance these conversations have on the meeting.

“We’ve seen the settlement of the Airbus-Boeing dispute, for example, which goes right into our wheelhouse in spring wheat, but it’s good for all wheat farmers as well because we have some strong demand there in the UK and the European Union and in Italy and Spain, for example” Fisher said. “But without that, that would shrink away pretty fast. We’re looking for other market access as well as we look forward to the year and the years to come.”

Neal Fisher, Executive Director, North Dakota Wheat Commission at the USW Board of Directors meeting

Neal Fisher, Executive Director, North Dakota Wheat Commission.

The USW Board of Directors plan to meet again in Kansas City, Missouri, this November.

U.S. Wheat Associates’ (USW) is to “develop, maintain, and expand international markets to enhance wheat’s profitability for U.S. wheat producers and its value for their customers.” USW activities in more than 100 countries are made possible through producer checkoff dollars managed by 17 state wheat commissions and cost-share funding provided by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. USW maintains 15 offices strategically located around the world to help wheat buyers, millers, bakers, wheat food processors and government officials understand the quality, value and reliability of all six U.S. wheat classes. For more information, visit www.uswheat.org.

###

/by
thumbnail
,

A Virtual Beginning for 2020/21 U.S. Wheat Associates Officer Team

ARLINGTON, Virginia — The U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Board of Directors seated new officers at a virtual annual meeting July 17, 2020. USW is the export market development organization representing U.S. wheat farmers.

USW officers for 2020/21 are: Chairman Darren Padget of Grass Valley, Ore.; Vice Chairperson Rhonda Larson of East Grand Forks, Minn.; Secretary-Treasurer Michael Peters of Okarche, Okla.; and Past Chairman Doug Goyings of Paulding, Ohio. USW officers were elected to these one-year positions at the January 2020 board of directors meeting in Washington, D.C.

(L to R): Michael Peters, Oklahoma; Rhonda Larson, Minnesota; Darren Padget, Oregon; Doug Goyings, Ohio; Vince Peterson, USW. Photo taken after officer elections at the 2020 USW Winter Board Meeting in January.

“We are all very disappointed that we could not hold our meeting as originally planned in Cincinnati, Ohio, so we could all thank Doug Goyings, his family and the team from the Ohio Small Grains Marketing Board for their dedicated leadership this past year,” Chairman Padget said. “Doug has done a wonderful job as Chairman and I can only hope to meet his example with his help.”

Chairman Padget is a fourth-generation farmer in Oregon’s Sherman County, with a dryland wheat and summer fallow rotation currently producing registered and certified seed on 3,400 acres annually. Previously, Padget held positions on the Oregon Wheat Growers League board of directors and executive committee for seven years, serving as president in 2010. He chaired the NAWG Research and Technology Committee and served on the Mid-Columbia Producers board of directors, for which he was an officer for 10 years.

Vice Chairperson Larson was raised on her family’s Red River Valley farm and has been engaged in the operation full-time for nearly 30 years. Her father started the farm 50 years ago growing potatoes, wheat and barley. With her two brothers and her son, the third generation on the farm, they currently grow hard red spring (HRS) wheat and sugarbeets. Larson has been a board member of the Minnesota Wheat Research & Promotion Council for 16 years and served as chair from 2010 to 2012. She served on the Wheat Foods Council board and is a long-time member of the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers and the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association.

Secretary-Treasurer Peters grows hard red winter (HRW) wheat and canola and winter grazes stocker cattle on wheat. Peters is President of his local CHS Coop Board and is a member of the Okarche Rural Fire Fighters’ Association Board. He has also served as President and on the Board of Elders at St. John’s Lutheran Church. He currently serves as a commissioner and Secretary of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission, is a USW Director and serves as Chairman of the USW Wheat Quality Committee. He has participated in several farm leadership programs sponsored by CHS and the National Wheat Foundation. Peters and his wife Linda have two teenage boys who work with him and his father on their farm.

Doug Goyings’ family has been farming in northwestern Ohio since 1884. Past Chairman Goyings and his family grow soft red winter (SRW) and have hosted numerous trade teams on their farm. He has served in Ohio and national agricultural leadership positions for 37 years. Goyings has been a member of the USW board since 2009 and is a past chairman of the USW Long-Range Planning Committee. He serves as a director for the Ohio Small Grains Checkoff Board, is a past-president of his local Farm Bureau and has served as a director for the Ohio Veal Growers Inc., Creston Veal, Inc. and Paulding Landmark, Inc.

USW’s next Board meeting is currently scheduled to be held jointly with the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) Nov. 3 to 8, 2020, in Phoenix, Ariz.

USW’s mission is to develop, maintain and expand international markets to enhance wheat’s profitability for U.S. wheat producers and its value for their customers in more than 100 countries. Its activities are made possible through producer checkoff dollars managed by 17 state wheat commissions and cost-share funding provided by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.

###

Nondiscrimination and Alternate Means of Communications
In all its programs, activities and employment, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, marital or family status, age, disability, political beliefs or sexual orientation. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USW at 202-463-0999 (TDD/TTY – 800-877-8339, or from outside the U.S., 605-331-4923). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to Vice President of Finance, USW, 3103 10th Street, North, Arlington, VA 22201, or call 202-463-0999. USW is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Darren Padget.

/by
thumbnail

U.S. Wheat Associates Board of Directors Elect Officers for 2020/21

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) board of directors elected new officers for the 2020/21 (July to June) fiscal year at their meeting Jan 17, 2020, in Washington, D.C. The board elected Michael Peters of Okarche, Okla., as Secretary-Treasurer; Rhonda Larson of East Grand Forks, Minn., as Vice Chairman; Darren Padget of Grass Valley, Ore., as Chairman. These farmers will begin their new leadership roles at the USW board meeting in June 2020 when current Chairman Doug Goyings of Paulding, Ohio, will become Past Chairman. USW is the export market development organization for the U.S. wheat industry.

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

“I’m excited. We have a great team here at U.S. Wheat Associates,” Peters said after his election as the next USW officer. “I’m sure there will be many challenges ahead but I’m looking forward to tackling them.”

Peters said being asked to represent Oklahoma wheat farmers in Italy, Israel and Morocco first peaked his interest in the work being done overseas to promote U.S. wheat. “It is very important to for us to build upon those relationships and support to increase overseas demand,” he added.

Michael Peters is a farmer and rancher growing hard red winter wheat and canola, and winter grazing stocker cattle on wheat. Peters is President of his local CHS Coop Board, is a member of the Okarche Rural Fire Fighters’ Association Board. He has also served as President of  St. John’s Lutheran Church. He currently serves as a Commissioner and Secretary of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission. As a USW Director, Peters serves as Chairman of the Wheat Quality Committee. He has participated in several farm leadership programs sponsored by CHS and the National Wheat Foundation. Peters and his wife Linda have two teenage boys who work with him and his father on their farm.

Michael Peters.

Rhonda Larson was raised on her family’s Red River Valley farm and has been engaged in the operation full-time for nearly 30 years. Her father started the farm 51 years ago growing potatoes, wheat and barley. With her two brothers and her son, the third generation on the farm, they currently grow wheat and sugarbeets. Larson has been a board member of the Minnesota Wheat Research & Promotion Council for 17 years; serving as chair from 2010 to 2012. She served on the Wheat Foods Council board and is a long-time member of the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers and the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association. As a USW director, she served on the Long-Range Planning Committee and the Budget Committee. Larson received a bachelor’s degree in public administration and a juris doctor’s degree in law from the University of North Dakota.

Darren Padget is a fourth-generation farmer in Oregon’s Sherman County, with a dryland wheat and summer fallow rotation currently producing registered and certified seed on 3,400 acres annually. Previously, Padget held positions on the Oregon Wheat Growers League board of directors and executive committee for seven years, serving as president in 2010. He chaired the Research and Technology Committee for the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and served on the Mid-Columbia Producers board of directors, for which he was an officer for 10 years.

Doug Goyings’ family has been farming in northwestern Ohio since 1884. Together with his wife Diane, son Jeremy, daughter-in-law Jessica and his twin grandsons, Goyings grows soft red winter (SRW) and has hosted numerous trade teams on their farm. With more than 35 years of experience representing wheat and Ohio agriculture, Goyings has been a member of the USW board while serving as a director for the Ohio Small Grains Checkoff Board since 2009 and is a past chairman of the USW Long-Range Planning Committee. He is also a past-president of his local Farm Bureau and previously sat on the board of directors for the Ohio Veal Growers Inc., Creston Veal, Inc., and Paulding Landmark, Inc.

# # #

Nondiscrimination and Alternate Means of Communications
In all its programs and activities, U.S. Wheat Associates prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, marital or family status, age, disability, political beliefs or sexual orientation. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact U.S. Wheat Associates at 202-463-0999 (TDD/TTY – 800-877-8339, or from outside the U.S.- 605-331-4923). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to Vice President of Finance, U.S. Wheat Associates, 3103 10th Street, North, Arlington, VA 22201, or call 202-463-0999. U.S. Wheat Associates is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

/by
thumbnail

New U.S. Wheat Associates Officers Begin Terms at 2019 Annual Meeting

WHITEFISH, Montana — The U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Board of Directors seated new officers at its annual meeting June 12, 2019, in Whitefish, Mont. USW is the export market development organization representing U.S. wheat farmers.

USW officers for 2019/20 are: Chairman Doug Goyings of Paulding, Ohio; Vice Chairman Darren Padget of Grass Valley, Ore.; Secretary-Treasurer Rhonda Larson of East Grand Forks, Minn.; and Past Chairman Chris Kolstad of Ledger, Mont. USW officers were elected to these one-year positions at the January 2019 board of directors meeting in Washington, D.C.

2019-2020 USW Officers (L to R) Darren Padget, Vice Chairman, Oregon; Doug Goyings, Chairman, Ohio; Chris Kolstad, Past Chairman, Montana; and Rhonda Larson, Secretary-Treasurer, Minnesota.

The board of directors also welcomed representatives of the Alberta Wheat Commission as special guests at their meeting. Geoff Backman, Business Development and Markets Manager, and Gary Stanford, Chairman and a wheat farmer from Lethbridge, Alberta, discussed the Canadian side of the current, shared trade issues. Casey Chumrau, USW Marketing Manager, Santiago, Chile, and a Montana native, updated the directors on new export opportunities in South America.  

Doug Goyings’ family has been farming in northwestern Ohio since 1884. Goyings and his family grow soft red winter (SRW) and have hosted numerous trade teams on their farm. He has served in Ohio and national agricultural leadership positions for 37 years. Goyings has been a member of the USW board since 2009 and is a past chairman of the USW Long-Range Planning Committee. He serves as a director for the Ohio Small Grains Checkoff Board, is a past-president of his local Farm Bureau and has served as a director for the Ohio Veal Growers Inc., Creston Veal, Inc. and Paulding Landmark, Inc.

2019 – 2020 USW Chairman Doug Goyings, Ohio

Darren Padget is a fourth-generation farmer in Oregon’s Sherman County, with a dryland wheat and summer fallow rotation currently producing registered and certified seed on 3,400 acres annually. Previously, Padget held positions on the Oregon Wheat Growers League board of directors and executive committee for seven years, serving as president in 2010. He chaired the NAWG Research and Technology Committee and served on the Mid-Columbia Producers board of directors, for which he was an officer for 10 years.

2019 – 2020 USW Vice Chairman Darren Padget, Oregon

Rhonda K. Larson was raised on her family’s Red River Valley farm and has been engaged in the operation full-time for nearly 30 years. Her father started the farm 50 years ago growing potatoes, wheat and barley. With her two brothers and her son, the third generation on the farm, they currently grow hard red spring (HRS) wheat and sugarbeets. Larson has been a board member of the Minnesota Wheat Research & Promotion Council for 16 years and served as chair from 2010 to 2012. She served on the Wheat Foods Council board and is a long-time member of the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers and the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association.

2019 – 2020 USW Secretary-Treasurer Rhonda Larson, Minnesota

Chris Kolstad is the fourth generation of his family to farm in Montana’s “Golden Triangle” region. He and his wife Vicki have four children, including their son Cary who is a partner in their operation. They grow hard red winter (HRW) wheat, dark northern spring wheat, durum, barley and dry peas. A commissioner of the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee, Kolstad has been a USW director since 2012. He is also a member of the Montana Grain Growers Association and Montana Farm Bureau. He is a regular blood donor and his community leadership includes past service on the local school board, in his family’s church and on the Montana Commission on Community Service.

2018 – 2019 USW Chairman Chris Kolstad, Montana (right), passes the gavel to incoming 2019 – 2020 USW Chairman Doug Goyings, Ohio (left). Kolstad will continue to serve the board over the next year as Past Chairman.

USW’s next Board meeting will be held jointly with the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) Nov. 3 to 8, 2019, in Santa Fe, N.M.

USW’s mission is to develop, maintain and expand international markets to enhance wheat’s profitability for U.S. wheat producers and its value for their customers in more than 100 countries. Its activities are made possible through producer checkoff dollars managed by 17 state wheat commissions and cost-share funding provided by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.

###

Nondiscrimination and Alternate Means of Communications
In all its programs, activities and employment, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, marital or family status, age, disability, political beliefs or sexual orientation. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USW at 202-463-0999 (TDD/TTY – 800-877-8339, or from outside the U.S., 605-331-4923). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to Vice President of Finance, USW, 3103 10th Street, North, Arlington, VA 22201, or call 202-463-0999. USW is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

/by
thumbnail

U.S. Wheat Associates Board of Directors Elect Officers for 2019/20

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) board of directors elected new officers for the 2019/20 (July to June) fiscal year at their meeting Feb. 15, 2019, in Washington, D.C. The board elected Rhonda K. Larson of East Grand Forks, Minn., as Secretary-Treasurer; Darren Padget of Grass Valley, Ore., as Vice Chairman; and Doug Goyings of Paulding, Ohio, as Chairman. These farmers will begin their new leadership roles at the USW board meeting in June 2019 in Montana when current Chairman Chris Kolstad of Ledger, Mont., will become Past Chairman. USW is the export market development organization for the U.S. wheat industry.

Left to right: Darren Padget, Secretary-Treasurer; Doug Goyings, Vice Chairman; Chris Kolstad, Chairman; and Rhonda Larson, Secretary-Treasurer Elect.
Left to right: Darren Padget, Secretary-Treasurer; Doug Goyings, Vice Chairman; Chris Kolstad, Chairman; and Rhonda Larson, Secretary-Treasurer Elect.

Rhonda K. Larson was raised on her family’s Red River Valley farm and has been engaged in the operation full-time for nearly 30 years. Her father started the farm 50 years ago growing potatoes, wheat and barley. With her two brothers and her son, the third generation on the farm, they currently grow hard red spring wheat and sugarbeets.

Larson has been a board member of the Minnesota Wheat Research & Promotion Council for 16 years and served as chair from 2010 to 2012. She served on the Wheat Foods Council board and is a long-time member of the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers and the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association. As a USW director, she served on the Long-Range Planning Committee and the Budget Committee.

Rhonda Larson

“As farmers we need to make a profit and part of the way to do that is to make it a priority to improve wheat quality and continue to bring quality wheat to the world.,” Larson said. “I have always had an interest in being on the U.S. Wheat Associates officer team. My role on the farm has changed and I am now able to dedicate the time necessary to serve. I am humbled by the respect and encouragement I have received from wheat farmers in Minnesota and from the other U.S. Wheat directors and I will do my best to represent them well.”

Larson received a bachelor’s degree in public administration and a juris doctor degree in law from the University of North Dakota. Along with farming, she enjoys reading, swimming, riding horses and spending time with her granddaughter.

Darren Padget is a fourth-generation farmer in Oregon’s Sherman County, with a dryland wheat and summer fallow rotation currently producing registered and certified seed on 3,400 acres annually. Previously, Padget held positions on the Oregon Wheat Growers League board of directors and executive committee for seven years, serving as president in 2010. He chaired the Research and Technology Committee for the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and served on the Mid-Columbia Producers board of directors, for which he was an officer for 10 years.

Doug Goyings’ family has been farming in northwestern Ohio since 1884. Together with his wife Diane, son Jeremy, daughter-in-law Jessica and his twin grandsons, Goyings grows soft red winter wheat and has hosted numerous trade teams on their farm. With more than 35 years of experience representing wheat and Ohio agriculture, Goyings has been a member of the USW board while serving as a director for the Ohio Small Grains Checkoff Board since 2009 and is a past chairman of the USW Long-Range Planning Committee. He is also a past-president of his local Farm Bureau and previously sat on the board of directors for the Ohio Veal Growers Inc., Creston Veal, Inc., and Paulding Landmark, Inc.

Chris Kolstad’s family farm is in Montana’s “Golden Triangle” region. He and his wife Vicki have four children, including their son Cary who is a partner in their operation and the fifth generation of their family to farm. Kolstad grows hard red winter wheat, dark northern spring wheat and durum, barley and dry peas. As a commissioner of the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee, Kolstad has represented his state on the USW board since 2012. He is also an active member of the Montana Grain Growers Association and Montana Farm Bureau. His community leadership includes serving on his local school board, as treasurer for his family’s church and has been a regular blood donor since 1972.

USW’s mission is to “develop, maintain, and expand international markets to enhance wheat’s profitability for U.S. wheat producers and its value for their customers.” USW activities in more than 100 countries are made possible through producer checkoff dollars managed by 17 state wheat commissions and cost-share funding provided by USDA/Foreign Agricultural Service. USW maintains 15 offices strategically located around the world to help wheat buyers, millers, bakers, wheat food processors and government officials understand the quality, value and reliability of all six classes of U.S. wheat. For more information, visit the USW website at www.uswheat.org.

# # #

Nondiscrimination and Alternate Means of Communications
In all its programs, activities and employment, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, marital or family status, age, disability, political beliefs or sexual orientation. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USW at 202-463-0999 (TDD/TTY – 800-877-8339, or from outside the U.S., 605-331-4923). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to Vice President of Finance, USW, 3103 10th Street, North, Arlington, VA 22201, or call 202-463-0999. USW is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

/by

Think Farm Export Programs Don’t Matter? Think Again.

GET THE REST OF THE STORY

DTN Wheat Detail
DTN Corn Detail

2008-2013 U.S. Wheat Associates. All Rights Reserved
Privacy Policy | Non-Discrimination Statement