You are here: / Uncategorized
thumbnail
, ,

Yi-I Huang Joins U.S. Wheat Associates; Taiwan Country Director Boyuan Chen to Retire

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) has hired Mr. Yi-I Huang (pronounced “E.E. Huang”) as Country Director for Taiwan, succeeding Boyuan Chen who plans to retire in September 2023.

Color portrait of retiring USW Taiwan Country Director Boyuan Chen.

Boyuan Chen

“Working with Boyuan Chen the past seven years, we have come to rely on his steady disposition and solid leadership,” said Jeff Coey, USW Regional Vice President. “He has been a good ambassador for U.S. wheat and the farmers we represent in Taiwan. His retirement comes sooner than we expected, but we wish him health and happiness.

“At the same time, we are excited to welcome Yi-I Huang to our team in the important Taiwanese market,” Coey added.

Grain Merchandising Career

Huang comes to USW after a fourteen-year career in grain merchandizing at Mitsui & Company, at both the company’s Taipei and Tokyo offices. Mitsui is the parent company of Vancouver Washington’s United Grain Corporation, which is a major grain supplier to several Asian markets.

Portrait of new USW Taiwan Country Director Yi-I Huang.

Yi-I Huang

In addition to his professional experience, Huang is fluent in Mandarin, Taiwanese, Japanese, and English. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agriculture from National Taiwan University in Taipei, and he participated in an international exchange program at Keio University of Tokyo, Japan.

USW has maintained an office in Taipei for more than 50 years, with strong demand for U.S. hard red spring, soft white, and hard red winter wheat from Taiwan’s milling and baking industries. Taiwan has imported an average of more than 1.2 million metric tons of U.S. wheat per year the past five years. U.S. wheat sales to Taiwan in the first two months of marketing year 2023/24 have already reached 452,000 metric tons.

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 Seats New Officers

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — The U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) board of directors seated officers for 2023/24 at their annual meeting the week of July 12, 2023, in Minneapolis, Minn. USW is the export market development organization for the U.S. wheat industry.

Michael Peters, Okarche, Okla., accepted the USW Chairman’s gavel from 2022/23 Chair Rhonda Larson, East Grand Forks, Minn. Clark Hamilton, Ririe, Idaho, now serves as Vice Chair, and Jim Pellman, McClusky, N.D., starts his term as Secretary-Treasurer. This slate of officers was elected in February 2023.

U.S. Wheat Associates Officers for 2023-24.

U.S. Wheat Associates Officers for 2023/24 (Left to Right): Clark Hamilton, Ririe, Idaho, Vice Chairman; Jim Pellman, McClusky, N.D., Secretary-Treasurer; Rhonda Larson, East Grand Forks, Minn., Past Chairperson; and Michael Peters, Okarche, Okla., Chairman. For more information, visit www.uswheat.org.

/by
thumbnail
,

U.S. Wheat Associates Hires Muller as Assistant Director of its West Coast Office

Luke Muller, U.S. Wheat Associates Assistant Director in Portland, Ore.

Luke Muller, U.S. Wheat Associates’ new Assistant Director in its Portland office

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) has hired Luke Muller as Assistant Director of its West Coast Office in Portland, Ore. Muller, who began his new role on May 30, comes to USW with a broad set of skills and experience in agricultural research and economics.

Raised on his family’s wheat, cotton, sorghum, canola, soybean and alfalfa farm in southwestern Oklahoma, Muller has a bachelor’s degree in Plant and Soil Sciences and Agribusiness from Oklahoma State University (OSU). He earned a master’s degree in Agriculture, Food and Resource Economics at Michigan State University (MSU).

Muller worked as a Research Assistant in MSU’s Department of Agriculture, Food, and Resource Economics, where his duties included investigating fungal and insect effect on crops in the Midwest. He also served as a consultant for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome, Italy. His work and study abroad offered an opportunity to see firsthand how other countries develop sustainable food chains through technology, research, and policy.

“Luke’s expertise in agricultural economics, coupled with his understanding of wheat farming and his excellent communication skills, will undoubtedly strengthen our efforts to support and promote the US wheat in the overseas market,” said Steve Wirsching, Vice President, and Director of USW’s West Coast Office.

Muller has been active on the local, state and international levels, serving in leadership roles focused on food security and sustainability.

“I really look forward to helping U.S. Wheat Associates in a variety of ways, and I think my educational background in agriculture and experience in research and farming will help me excel in the role,” said Muller. “My knowledge of agriculture has been shaped by different countries and through peer-reviewed research. But I also have a personal connection to farming.”

/by
thumbnail
, , ,

Wheat Industry Welcomes New Check on India’s Wheat and Rice Subsidy Scheme

ARLINGTON, Virginia – U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) today praised the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) for submitting a counter-notification on India’s wheat and rice subsidies to the WTO April 6, 2023.

The filing on the WTO website can be seen here.

Like another filing on the same commodities in 2018, this U.S. counter-notification shows India does not report the true level of support it provides to its farmers. Unlike the 2018 counter-notification, five other wheat or rice exporter countries joined the United States in this filing: Australia; Canada; Paraguay; Thailand; and Ukraine.

“We appreciate USTR’s continued efforts to highlight India’s trade-distorting wheat subsidies and its lack of transparency,” said USW President Vince Peterson. “We urge USTR to take all necessary steps to ensure India brings these subsidies into compliance with their WTO commitments.”

India’s wheat subsidies incentivize overproduction and discourage farmers from growing other crops. This has led to massive public stocks of wheat that the Indian government has at times dumped onto international markets. The disruption it causes harms farmers in exporting countries and their customers who benefit from stable markets.

Under its WTO commitments, India may provide subsidies equal to no more than 10% of the total value of crop production. In the years covered in the counter-notification, the United States demonstrates through India’s own data that its price support appears to far exceed that limit.

“U.S. farmers understand the importance of supporting producers, but India’s approach of ignoring trade commitments is the wrong way to do it,” said NAWG CEO Chandler Goule. “More transparency is critical to restoring trust in the rules-based trading system, but even more important is for countries to follow through on their commitments.”

USW and NAWG are committed to working with USTR and other government officials to address these challenges and to ensure that U.S. wheat farmers have a fair chance to compete in the global marketplace.

# # #

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 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.

About the National Association of Wheat Growers. 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 level. 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

/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

U.S. Wheat Associates Names Dong-Chan Bae as Country Director in South Korea

Dong-Chan Bae, Country Director USW Seoul Office

Dong-Chan Bae, new Country Director in USW’s Seoul Office in South Korea

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) has hired Dong-Chan Bae as Country Director in the USW Seoul Office in South Korea. Bae, who begins his role on Nov. 1, comes to USW after 25 years with the Samyang Corporation, a diverse South Korean company that includes a food and consumer goods business unit and flour milling operations.

Bae spent two decades as a manager in Samyang’s Grain Procurement Division, where he was responsible for the purchasing of wheat from international markets. He also performed management duties related to the company’s flour milling ventures, and oversaw administration of Samyang offices in New York, Shanghai and Tokyo.

“We are excited to welcome Mr. Bae to the USW team and feel his understanding of the global wheat market will be an asset for our efforts in an important part of the world,” said Mike Spier, USW Vice President of Overseas Operations. “He will play a big part in USW’s mission to develop, maintain and expand U.S. wheat exports to the South Korean market.”

After being part of many collaborations between USW and South Korean importers and millers, Bae said he looks forward to representing the U.S. wheat industry.

“I have always appreciated the work of U.S. Wheat Associates and I plan to use my abilities to continue the success of hard-working U.S. wheat farmers to provide a stable supply of high-quality wheat to South Korea,” he said.

/by
thumbnail
,

Ralph Loos Joins U.S. Wheat Associates as Director of Communications

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW), Arlington, Va., has hired Ralph Loos as Director of Communications. He comes to the organization with nearly 14 years of experience in agriculture communications, serving both the grain and livestock industries. He replaces Amanda Spoo who left USW for another position in July.

“Ralph’s experience working with USDA Foreign Agricultural Service cooperator organizations and his enthusiasm for the marketing communications profession is a great fit for U.S. Wheat Associates,” said USW Vice President of Communications Steve Mercer. “I think the wheat farmers we represent in overseas markets, our state wheat commission members and his colleagues are going to be very pleased with his work.”

Ralph Loos, USW Director of Communications

Ralph Loos, USW Director of Communications

Raised on his family’s farm in southern Illinois, Loos paid his way through college as a newspaper reporter and editor. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications from Southern Illinois University in 2008.

Loos began his ag career as Communications Specialist for the U.S. Soybean Export Council. He then worked as Editor and Communications Manager for the American Sheep Industry Association, where he produced a monthly magazine for sheep producers and helped launch the association’s social media platforms.

In 2015, Loos joined the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) as its Communications Director. Along with creating written content, Ralph worked closely with USMEF staff around the world to produce video segments for the organization’s internal and external audiences.

In August 2021, Loos took a year-long leave from ag communications to work as Communications Manager for a Denver-based healthcare startup that specializes in staffing public health departments and setting up emergency COVID testing and vaccination clinics.

“While I valued the healthcare communications experience, I am happy to return to my roots and look forward to doing what I can to help support the U.S. wheat industry,” Loos said.

A high resolution photo is available for download here.

The U.S. Wheat Associates 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 www.uswheat.org.

/by
thumbnail
,

Brenda Taylor Joins U.S. Wheat Associates as Director of Information Technology

ARLINGTON, Virginia – U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) has hired Brenda Taylor as Director of Information Technology in its Arlington, Va., headquarters office. Taylor is an experienced information technology (IT) manager having worked primarily in a local law firm. USW is the export market organization for the U.S. wheat industry.

 

Portrait of Brenda Taylor

Brenda Taylor

“We are pleased to have Brenda join the USW team,” said USW Vice President of Finance Kevin McGarry. “She brings a wealth of experience and credentials, and we feel she will be a great fit to manage the IT needs of our global organization. Brenda recently earned a master’s degree in cybersecurity, showing initiative in this crucial and ever-changing discipline.”

Taylor is returning to the workforce after serving as IT Manager with Morrison & Foerster, Washington, D.C., where she guided the firm’s technology strategy while leading a team of analysts in three local offices. She has a bachelor’s degree in Decision Science and Management Information Systems and a master’s degree in Applied IT, Cybersecurity from George Mason University.

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 Promotes Catherine Miller

ARLINGTON, Virginia – U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) has promoted Catherine Miller to Director of Programs. Miller joined USW in 2018 as Program and Planning Coordinator and shifted to Programs Coordinator in 2021 to reflect structural changes.

“Catherine has done a great job in managing many of USW’s domestic programs, and she excelled in helping USW transition to virtual programming after the COVID-19 pandemic began,” said Erica Oakley, USW Vice President of Programs. “This promotion recognizes her hard work and dedication to USW and U.S. wheat farmers.”

Portrait Catherin Miller

Catherine Miller, USW Director of Programs.

In this role, Miller will lead program support for coordinating trade teams, short courses and board teams with USW’s overseas offices and state wheat commissions. Miller also works closely with USW’s overseas staff to identify consultant needs and coordinate annual crop quality seminars. Miller will continue supporting USW’s shift toward virtual programs since the COVID-19 pandemic, including an active role in conducting monthly webinars and crop updates.

Catherine Miller joined USW after graduating cum laude from Auburn University in May 2017, earning a bachelor’s degree in agriculture business and economics. A native of Virginia, she gained valuable experience as a Pathways intern for the USDA at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), where she developed reports for USDA-supported activities in Food Safety and Climate Change and worked with the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program. Miller was also an active member of the Agriculture Economics Club at Auburn University

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

Ticker Layout

a:8:{s:8:”location”;a:6:{i:0;a:1:{i:0;a:3:{s:5:”param”;s:9:”post_type”;s:8:”operator”;s:2:”==”;s:5:”value”;s:5:”price”;}}i:1;a:1:{i:0;a:3:{s:5:”param”;s:9:”post_type”;s:8:”operator”;s:2:”==”;s:5:”value”;s:15:”commercial_sale”;}}i:2;a:1:{i:0;a:3:{s:5:”param”;s:9:”post_type”;s:8:”operator”;s:2:”==”;s:5:”value”;s:13:”supply_demand”;}}i:3;a:1:{i:0;a:3:{s:5:”param”;s:9:”post_type”;s:8:”operator”;s:2:”==”;s:5:”value”;s:12:”crop_quality”;}}i:4;a:1:{i:0;a:3:{s:5:”param”;s:9:”post_type”;s:8:”operator”;s:2:”==”;s:5:”value”;s:7:”harvest”;}}i:5;a:1:{i:0;a:3:{s:5:”param”;s:9:”post_type”;s:8:”operator”;s:2:”==”;s:5:”value”;s:12:”trigonoticia”;}}}s:8:”position”;s:6:”normal”;s:5:”style”;s:7:”default”;s:15:”label_placement”;s:3:”top”;s:21:”instruction_placement”;s:5:”label”;s:14:”hide_on_screen”;s:0:””;s:11:”description”;s:0:””;s:12:”show_in_rest”;i:0;}

/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