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U.S. Wheat Associates Welcomes Japan’s OK of U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement

A Statement from Vince Peterson, President, U.S. Wheat Associates:

“Approval of the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement is one of the most important trade policy victories in many years for U.S. wheat farmers and their customers in Japan. U.S. Wheat Associates appreciates the swift consideration of the agreement by Japan’s National Diet and offers its thanks again to our trade negotiators and USDA officials who understand why it was so vital to see U.S. wheat exports gain equal footing again with competing supplies from Canada and Australia.”

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’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 the USW website at www.uswheat.org.

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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.

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Joint Statement – U.S.-Japan Tariff Agreement Confirms Equal Access for U.S. Wheat

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The text of the U.S.-Japan tariff agreement signed today in Washington, D.C., confirms that the agreement will provide imported U.S. wheat the same preferential advantage that is now given to Canadian and Australian wheat under the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Japan’s legislature must approve the agreement before it is implemented.

“As we hoped, the text confirms that the agreement will put U.S. wheat back on equal footing with wheat from Canada and Australia when it is implemented,” said U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) President Vince Peterson, who attended the event at the White House. “In addition, Japan has agreed to open country specific quotas for U.S. wheat and wheat product imports. The Trump Administration and negotiators for both countries clearly understood what was at stake for U.S. wheat farmers and made sure to have our backs in this agreement.”

NAWG President Ben Scholz, far left, flanked by USW President Vince Peterson welcome the signing Oct. 7, 2019, of the U.S.-Japan Tariff Agreement at the White House.
Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead

“NAWG is thrilled to be present during the signing of the U.S.-Japan tariff agreement, a major milestone for wheat growers,” said National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) President and Lavon, Tex., farmer Ben Scholz. “We would like to thank staff and leaders at USTR, USDA, and the Administration for working with the wheat industry as this agreement nears the finish line.”

As USW and NAWG noted when President Trump and Prime Minister Abe announced the tariff agreement last month in New York, Japan’s effective tariff on imported U.S. wheat will drop to the same level Japanese flour millers now pay for Canadian and Australian wheat. Since the CPTPP agreement entered into force last December, market factors have kept U.S. wheat competitive. Without this new agreement, however, U.S. wheat imports would have become less and less cost competitive to the point that Japan’s flour millers would have no other choice than to buy more of the lower cost wheat from the CPTPP member countries.

U.S. wheat represents about 50 percent of all the wheat Japan imports each year, currently valued at more than $600 million. That volume represents more than 10 percent of total annual U.S. wheat exports, generally benefiting all U.S. wheat farmers and specifically farmers from the Pacific Northwest to the Northern and Central Plains states.

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About U.S. Wheat Associates
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’s Foreign Agricultural Service. For more information, visit our website at www.uswheat.org. 

About NAWG
NAWG is the primary policy representative in Washington D.C. for wheat growers, working to ensure a better future for America’s growers, the industry and the general public. NAWG works with a team of 20 state wheat grower organizations to benefit the wheat industry at the national levels. From their offices in the Wheat Growers Building on Capitol Hill, NAWG’s staff members are in constant contact with state association representatives, NAWG grower leaders, Members of Congress, Congressional staff members, Administration officials and the public.

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Joint Statement – U.S.-Japan Tariff Agreement is a Good Deal for Wheat Farmers and Their Customers

Washington, D.C. – The tariff agreement signed today by U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe is a most welcome deal that will keep exports of U.S. wheat flowing to a very large and crucial market for U.S. farmers.

“This agreement puts U.S. wheat back on equal footing with wheat from Canada and Australia that currently have a tariff advantage under a separate trade deal,” said U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Chairman and Paulding, Ohio, farmer Doug Goyings. “We applaud the negotiators from both countries who worked very hard to reach an agreement that is so important to wheat farmers and to their flour milling customers in Japan.”

“Resolving trade issues like this and building new opportunities for our wheat and other agricultural products is absolutely needed at a time when wheat farmers are dealing with another year of low prices and a depressed farm economy,” said National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) President and Lavon, Tex., farmer Ben Scholz. “We are very grateful for the efforts that the staff and leaders at USTR and USDA put in to reach this agreement.”

When the tariff agreement is implemented, Japan’s effective tariff on imported U.S. wheat will drop to the same level Japanese flour millers now pay for Canadian and Australian wheat. Since the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) agreement entered into force last December, market factors have kept U.S. wheat competitive. Without this new agreement, however, U.S. wheat imports would have become less and less cost competitive to the point that Japan’s flour millers would have no other choice than to buy more of the lower cost wheat from the CPTPP member countries.

In addition to matching the Canadian and Australian tariff schedule for U.S. wheat, Japan has agreed to open country specific quotas for U.S. wheat and wheat product imports.

In 1949, the Administrator of the Oregon Wheat Commission, Mr. E. J. Bell, and two other wheat representatives first traveled to Japan to learn more about this potential market. Over 70 years, U.S. wheat farmers continued to build a relationship with the Japanese milling and wheat foods processing industry. Today, the industry relies on U.S. soft white wheat to produce the highest quality cakes and pastries, and hard red spring and hard red winter wheat classes to produce dozens of different bread products demanded by Japan’s discerning consumers.

U.S. wheat represents about 50 percent of all the wheat Japan imports each year, currently valued at more than $600 million. That volume represents more than 10 percent of total annual U.S. wheat exports, generally benefiting all U.S. wheat farmers and specifically farmers from the Pacific Northwest to the Northern and Central Plains states.

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About U.S. Wheat Associates 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’s Foreign Agricultural Service. For more information, visit our website at www.uswheat.org.

About NAWG
NAWG is the primary representative in Washington D.C. for wheat growers, working to ensure a better future for America’s growers, the industry and the general public. NAWG works with a team of 20 state wheat grower organizations to benefit the wheat industry at state and national levels. From their offices in the Wheat Growers Building on Capitol Hill, NAWG’s staff members are in constant contact with state association representatives, NAWG grower leaders, Members of Congress, Congressional staff members and the public.

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USW President Urges USTR to Help Protect Wheat Exports to Japan Through Trade Negotiations

WASHINGTON, D.C. — When the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) enters into force Dec. 31, 2018, Japan will grant preferential access to wheat export countries that are in the agreement. This has the potential to slash sales to a crucial market for U.S. wheat farmers. That is why U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) President Vince Peterson today urged the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to seek a rapid solution to this vulnerability through trade negotiations with Japan.

Testifying Dec. 10 at a USTR public hearing and through written testimony, Peterson thanked the Trump Administration for making negotiations with Japan a priority and explained the risk to wheat export sales without a quick U.S.-Japan agreement.

The CPTPP will grant preferential access to Canadian and Australian wheat exports, he said, by reducing the effective tariff on their wheat. Eventually, this reduction will be about $70 per metric ton, or 45 percent below the current effective tariff applied to U.S. wheat. Because Japan has no obligation to change this tariff reduction schedule, Peterson said it will likely shut most U.S. wheat exports out of the Japanese market and undo decades of market development work.

“U.S. Wheat Associates has had an office in Tokyo for more than 60 years,” he said. “We have invested countless hours and millions of hard-earned farmer dollars and federal export market development program funds building this market. During that time, the Japanese milling industry has become an indispensable partner for U.S. wheat farmers.”

Peterson added that over the last five marketing years, Japan is the largest, most reliable and valuable market for U.S. wheat and consistently returns almost $1 billion per year to U.S. wheat farmers and the grain trade.

“All that is at risk without a U.S.-Japan agreement that quickly ends the preference Canada and Australia gain as members with Japan of the CPTPP,” Peterson said. “We thank you for understanding the plight of these farmers, who already face severe trade disruptions in other markets.”

Looking ahead, Peterson added, “U.S. wheat farmers and Japan’s flour milling industry hope that we can maintain provisional equivalence for U.S. wheat imports while our two countries conduct ongoing, good faith negotiations. And we urge the Administration to act quickly to save our market in Japan.”

For more information about what is at stake for U.S. wheat farmers under the CPTPP agreement, visit the USW website at https://www.uswheat.org/policy/trade-negotiations/ and click on “Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).” Use this link to access USW’s written submission to the USTR on trade negotiations with Japan.

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. For more information, visit our website at www.uswheat.org.

 

Vince Peterson, President, U.S. Wheat Associates.

 

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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.

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U.S. Wheat Associates Welcomes Formal Trade Talks with Japan

ARLINGTON, Virginia — U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) is excited to hear that the Trump Administration and the Japanese government are taking formal steps toward trade negotiations. The announcement today to “further expand trade and investment between the United States and Japan in a mutually beneficial manner” has the potential to eliminate a dangerous vulnerability for U.S. wheat farmers.

 

Over the years, Japan has purchased more U.S. wheat than any other country, but also imports wheat from Canada and Australia, which are members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) along with Japan. Once ratified, this agreement will include a gradual reduction of Japan’s effective tariffs on milling wheat imported from TPP member countries. While U.S. wheat farmers have excellent and longstanding relationships with Japanese millers, the higher tariffs on U.S. wheat would force them to purchase significantly more Canadian and Australian wheat within a few years of the new agreement’s implementation. That is a result no U.S. wheat grower can afford, and we are hopeful that the Administration will address this problem as an early achievement in the negotiations.

 

In addition to addressing this specific problem for wheat, we appreciate the emphasis on free, fair and rules-based trade. These negotiations are a positive sign that the United States is again moving toward a comprehensive agreement with Japan and, hopefully, with other countries in the Pacific region and around the world. That would benefit U.S. agriculture and the entire U.S. economy.

 

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. For more information, visit our website at www.uswheat.org.

 

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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.

 

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NAWG and USW Welcome Attention on Trade Policy Risks and Opportunities

Washington, D.C. — The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) appreciate the Senate Agriculture Committee holding its “Perspectives on U.S. Agricultural Trade” hearing Sept. 13, 2018, focused on the Trump Administration’s trade agenda. The organizations are encouraged that Chairman Roberts and Ranking Member Stabenow, as well as the members of the Administration who testified today, recognize the challenges farmers face in weathering today’s unique trade policy environment.

 

“We commend the leadership for holding this hearing and we were glad to hear the Administration witnesses acknowledge there is legitimate anxiety in farm country about the impact of retaliatory tariffs on our products,” said Jimmie Musick, NAWG President and a wheat grower from Sentinel, Okla. “We see opportunity for our members from the strong resistance to China’s unfair trade policies. We also recognize the risk to farm income continues to grow the longer this confrontation with China continues and we call on the Administration to do all it can to resolve the dispute as quickly as possible. Finally, we’re grateful to Ambassador Doud for making the grain grading disparity with Canada a top priority in NAFTA.”

 

“In our successful partnership with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, state wheat commissions and U.S. Wheat Associates have worked for many decades to develop markets in China, Mexico, Japan, Europe and dozens of other countries,” said Chris Kolstad, USW Chairman and a wheat grower from Ledger, Mont. “Wheat growers depend on export markets to support wheat prices and we want the Administration to succeed in breaking down trade barriers. We’re also glad that Ambassador Doud and Under Secretary McKinney both noted the importance of negotiating new agreements that work for our farm families and for our overseas customers.”

 

NAWG and USW look forward to final approval of the renegotiated agreement with Mexico that maintains duty free access to its crucial wheat market. The organizations are also encouraging the Administration to rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership or quickly negotiate a trade agreement with Japan that keeps U.S. wheat on equal footing with competing supplies from Canada and Australia.

 

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About NAWG
NAWG is the primary representative in Washington D.C. for wheat growers, working to ensure a better future for America’s growers, the industry and the general public. NAWG works with a team of 22 state wheat grower organizations to benefit the wheat industry at state and national levels. From their offices in the Wheat Growers Building on Capitol Hill, NAWG’s staff members are in constant contact with state association representatives, NAWG grower leaders, Members of Congress, Congressional staff members and the public.

 

About U.S. Wheat Associates

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’s Foreign Agricultural Service. For more information, visit our website at www.uswheat.org.

 

Nondiscrimination and Alternate Means of Communications
In all of 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.

 

 

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Wheat Organizations Continue to Support an End to Trade War as Administration Offers Help for Farmers

ARLINGTON, Virginia — The Trump Administration announced today that it would provide $12 billion to help farmers cope with the results of the current trade dispute ignited by new U.S. tariffs.

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) are glad that the Administration recognizes farming as a risky business and acknowledges that farmers need help to manage the additional risk from its trade policies. However, our concerns still lie in a lengthy trade war that will cause long-term, irreparable harm to U.S. agriculture. We urge the Administration to recognize this self-inflicted damage and to end the trade war immediately as well as to work within the rules-based trading system in partnership with like-minded countries to address serious problems in the global economy.

While tariffs aren’t the answer, the wheat industry greatly appreciates the Administration’s efforts to push back on China’s unfair trade practices through dispute settlement cases at the World Trade Organization. The policies being challenged hurt U.S. farmers and have undermined trust in the rules-based trading system. President Trump understands that the farm economy is struggling and is working to improve the livelihoods of growers across the country through these efforts.

 

Agriculture needs strong trading partners, so we also encourage the Administration to rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership and finalize NAFTA negotiations so that the U.S. Trade Representative can focus on new trading partners that will be as important as ever. These actions will have lasting benefits to wheat growers across the country.

To repeat, this damage is self-inflicted, so the Administration is right to take steps to address it, but the next step should be ending the trade war. We will also be closely engaged with Administration officials as the details of the announcement made today are developed.

 

About U.S. Wheat Associates

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’s Foreign Agricultural Service. For more information, visit our website at www.uswheat.org.

 

About NAWG
NAWG is the primary representative in Washington D.C. for wheat growers, working to ensure a better future for America’s growers, the industry and the general public. NAWG works with a team of 20 state wheat grower organizations to benefit the wheat industry at state and national levels. From their offices in the Wheat Growers Building on Capitol Hill, NAWG’s staff members are in constant contact with state association representatives, NAWG grower leaders, Members of Congress, Congressional staff members and the public.

 

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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.

 

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The Trump Administration Can Prevent the Threat of Wheat Export Losses Under CPTPP

ARLINGTON, Virginia — Implementation of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) without the United States is a time bomb set to demolish more than 60 years of hard work by multiple generations of U.S. farm families to develop a large and loyal market for U.S. wheat in Japan. The U.S. government has the power, however, to defuse this device and avoid an unnecessary and costly disaster.

Today, Japan became the second country to ratify the CPTPP, which could be implemented in early 2019 after six of the 11 countries that signed the agreement have ratified it. This development comes on the same day the United States and China escalated a trade war that has already imposed harm on U.S. wheat growers, potentially compounding the difficult economic conditions further. Canada and Australia, which are major competitors to the United States in the Japanese wheat market, are also parties to the agreement, meaning implementation would put U.S. wheat farmers at a severe disadvantage in our second biggest wheat market.

Once implemented, the agreement calls for incrementally discounting the effective import tariffs that Japanese flour millers pay for imported Australian and Canadian milling wheat from about $150 to about $85 per metric ton (MT). Imported U.S. wheat effective tariffs would remain at about $150 per MT.

Sources within the Japanese milling industry estimate this disadvantage would force them to start looking at alternatives to U.S. wheat and cut average total imports of western white, dark northern spring (DNS) and hard red winter (HRW) wheat by more than half — from about 3.1 million metric tons (MMT) per year to 1.35 MMT per year or less. If nothing changes before the effective tariff schedule is fully implemented, U.S. wheat farmers and the U.S. grain trade will essentially be writing a $500 million check every year to Australian and Canadian farmers.

U.S. Wheat Associates and the National Association of Wheat Growers call on the Trump Administration to end this threat by taking the bold but necessary steps toward joining the CPTPP or engaging in bilateral negotiations. We see no other way to stop a situation that we believe will cut already unprofitable cash wheat prices even further.

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About U.S. Wheat Associates
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’s Foreign Agricultural Service. For more information, visit our website at www.uswheat.org.

About NAWG
NAWG is the primary representative in Washington D.C. for wheat growers, working to ensure a better future for America’s growers, the industry and the general public. NAWG works with a team of 20 state wheat grower organizations to benefit the wheat industry at state and national levels. From their offices in the Wheat Growers Building on Capitol Hill, NAWG’s staff members are in constant contact with state association representatives, NAWG grower leaders, Members of Congress, Congressional staff members and the public.

Nondiscrimination and Alternate Means of Communications
In all of 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.

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New Tariffs Could Jeopardize Administration’s Bilateral Trade Agenda

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) is once again disappointed that its repeated warnings about the consequences of the Section 232 investigations on steel and aluminum have been ignored and some of our closest allies and trading partners have been hit with new tariffs.

“It is dismaying to see that common sense has not yet prevailed in preventing these protectionist measures,” said Vince Peterson, President of U.S. Wheat Associates. “We’ve spent decades in critical markets like Mexico, Japan, Europe, and others because we’re committed to a lasting trading relationship between their milling and processing sectors and our farmers. If this Administration isn’t careful decades of efforts by our farmers could be wasted.”

If this approach doesn’t change, USW worries that the ambitious bilateral trade agreement agenda, which was promised and which we all look forward to, will never get off the ground because no country will be willing to take the political risks needed to negotiate an agreement with the United States.

The Department of Commerce is also in the process of a new Section 232 investigation on imports of automobiles and parts, the value of which far exceeds steel and aluminum imports, and primarily affects major wheat export markets like Mexico, Japan and the European Union, as well as Canada.

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.

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Nondiscrimination and Alternate Means of Communications
U.S. Wheat Associates prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities 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.

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Japanese Flour Milling Executives Visit United States at a Pivotal Time

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Country Director Wataru “Charlie” Utsunomiya traditionally brings a team of senior executives from Japan’s flour milling industry to the United States to get an early look at each year’s wheat crop and establish professional connections with farmers, grain traders and other industry representatives. This year’s team arrived April 28, 2018, in Portland, Ore., at a good time to discuss many factors that affect the long, productive relationship between the Japanese milling industry and U.S. wheat.

Having just celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Japan Flour Milling Association (JFMA) in January 2018 in Tokyo, USW, the Oregon Wheat Commission (OWC) and the Washington Grain Commission (WGC) were pleased to welcome the team of six JFMA members and the organization’s new executive director Mr. Yasuo Sasaki.

“It is difficult to express how much we value our partnership with Japan’s flour millers, Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the rest of its wheat foods industries,” said USW President Vince Peterson at the anniversary event. “We have developed a deep level of trust by maintaining an open dialogue with them. That has been so important to our mutually beneficial, long-term trading relationship, and we confirmed our commitment to continue our partnership in that spirit.”

Trade policy and how it affects that relationship was among the topics of discussion for the trade team with wheat commission representatives and USW in Portland and later in Washington, D.C.

Because the United States withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), U.S. wheat imported by Japan may be subject to a significantly higher effective tariff amount compared to wheat from Canada and Australia under the new Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement signed March 8, 2018, by eleven countries. Japanese President Abe’s meeting with U.S. President Trump to discuss trade and other topics in mid-April also provided context to the 2018 trade team visit.

“It is important to maintain and develop the good relationship Japan has had with the U.S. wheat industry for more than 60 years,” Mr. Sasaki said. “To that end, we hope the United States will return to the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, and we were encouraged by the joint announcement by USW and the National Association of Wheat Growers supporting that goal.”

Discussion of U.S. wheat quality is an important part of any trade team agenda, but there was a very special event for this team on May 2 at Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman, Wash.

Mr. Sasaki and WGC CEO Glen Squires signed a letter of intent to develop club wheat varieties through more technical exchange at a ceremony with U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Washington state Agriculture Director Derek Sandison, WSU President Kirk Schulz, USDA Agricultural Research Service and WSU researchers, university officials, WGC board members and USW Chairman Michael Miller.

Club wheat is a sub-class of soft white (SW) wheat that represents up to 20 percent of a blend with SW designated at Western White wheat. Japan imports more club wheat than any other country.

Mr. Sasaki and WGC Chairman Gary Bailey noted the important benefits they expect to come from this agreement to continue improving the white club varieties needed to make the flour demanded by Japan’s sophisticated baking and wheat foods industry.

“We truly appreciate your efforts to develop a stable supply of good quality wheat for Japan,” Mr. Sasaki said at the ceremony.

Trade, innovative plant breeding and other policy topics were on the agenda during the team’s visit to Washington, D.C., from May 3 to 5. The executives met with senior staff at the USW Headquarters office in Arlington, Va., and with milling industry colleagues at the North American Millers’ Association and their own diplomatic officials at the Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C., before returning to Japan.

The entire U.S. wheat industry is fully committed to enhancing the bond with customers in Japan and around the world that has helped us all weather many challenges and will continue to be a basis for open and productive partnership well into the future.

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Nondiscrimination and Alternate Means of Communications
U.S. Wheat Associates prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities 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.

 

 

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