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TPP-11 Puts U.S. Wheat Exports at Risk

ARLINGTON, Virginia — U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) are expressing concern that a revised Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) that excludes the United States puts overseas demand for U.S. wheat at serious risk.

“On January 23, 2017, President Trump announced the United States would pull out of the TPP. The announcement today that the eleven remaining TPP members have concluded talks on a revised deal without us sends a discouraging signal to our long-time wheat importing customers in Japan,” said Ben Conner, USW Director of Policy.

Japan imports an average of 3.1 million metric tons of U.S. wheat every year. After full implementation of the new TPP, Japan’s import tariffs on Canadian and Australian wheat would drop by about $65 per ton.

“That would put U.S. wheat producers at a total price disadvantage of more than $200 million per year from TPP alone,” Conner said. “As the agricultural community warned when the President made the announcement, withdrawing from TPP was shortsighted and unnecessary, and now U.S. wheat farmers could take the hit.”

“As expected, the remaining members of TPP are moving forward without the United States,” said Gordon Stoner, NAWG President and a wheat grower from Outlook, Mont. “If nothing else, this announcement should serve as a rallying cry for farmers, ranchers and dairy producers calling for the new trade deals we were promised when the President walked away from TPP. The heat needs to be turned up on the administration and on trade negotiations with Japan. An already stressed agriculture sector needs the benefit of free and fair trade now.”

The so-called TPP-11 countries include Canada and Australia, which are major competitors to the United States in the Japanese wheat market. Other TPP countries with rapidly growing demand for imported wheat include Mexico, Vietnam, Malaysia, Chile and Peru, Singapore, Brunei and New Zealand round out the remaining TPP partner countries

 

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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. 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 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 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.

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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USW Worries Steel Industry Demands Could Disrupt Trade and Threaten National Security

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) sounds an alarm today in reaction to the Department of Commerce’s announcement that it has submitted to the White House the results of its Section 232 investigation of the national security implications of steel imports. Done at the prodding of a large segment of the U.S. steel industry, the investigation and its potential results likely ignore the disastrous implications for other U.S. sectors from extreme trade protections for commonly traded steel.

The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) national security exception from normal trade rules has traditionally been narrowly defined for truly exceptional products deemed necessary to maintain essential security interests. There is a good reason for this cautious approach, respected by virtually every country: common usage of it would undermine decades of carefully negotiated trade rules that foster peaceable global trade. These types of restrictions on a commonly traded product like steel blows that exception apart.

Global trade rules were pioneered by the United States after World War II precisely to avoid the types of protectionist trade policies that exacerbated tensions leading to the global conflict. Since national security exceptions are self-declared and unenforceable, the United States using that exception as a loophole could lead to a major breach in the system of global trade rules with unpredictable consequences.

Specifically, USW believes that there is no greater national security interest for a country than being able to feed its people, which is best achieved through open markets. If the United States restricts steel imports under a national security claim, some countries may use the same pretense to restrict imports of U.S. wheat and other agricultural products.

“While we don’t yet know the contents of Commerce’s recommendations to President Trump, if they’re anything like what the steel industry has proposed, we hope the President will do the right thing and reject it,” said USW President Vince Peterson. “Under the pretense of asking for fair trade, the steel industry is looking for sweeping protection, and that threatens to undermine the global trade rules that have helped keep our country secure and our farmers competitive.”

The steel industry supplied about two thirds of the domestic market in 2017 and has nearly 150 existing trade remedies in place against imported steel products. Section 232 is a different type of remedy that could allow unprecedented and sweeping trade restrictions that disregard carefully negotiated WTO rules. While it may target Chinese steel in part, China did not even break the top 10 sources of U.S. steel imports in 2017.

“The domestic steel industry already has more protection in place than any other industry so there is no reason to blow up trade rules to restrict imported steel,” said USW Chairman Mike Miller, a farmer from Ritzville, Wash. “As a farmer, I know that I always have to work hard to stay competitive; if steel companies can’t do that with dozens of trade remedies already in place, maybe they should look for solutions that address the real problems instead of just restricting trade.”

To view USW’s previous statement on the Section 232 investigation, click here.

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.

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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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Catherine Miller Joins U.S. Wheat Associates as Programs and Planning Coordinator

ARLINGTON, Virginia — U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) welcomes Catherine Miller to its Arlington, VA, headquarters office staff as Programs and Planning Coordinator effective January 2, 2018. In this role, Miller will support programs by coordinating trade teams and short course programs with USW’s overseas offices and state wheat commissions. She will also support planning with its annual Unified Export Strategy (UES) review process. She will report to Vice President of Programs and Planning Jennifer Sydney.

“Catherine’s enthusiasm for the agricultural industry will be an asset to our work at USW,” said Sydney.

Miller joins USW after graduating cum laude from Auburn University 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 and is currently a sustaining member of the National Charity League, having volunteered more than 150 hours.

USW is the wheat industry’s export market development organization working to promote all six classes of U.S. wheat 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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Commodity Organizations Support Science-Based Trade Regulations at WTO Ministerial

ARLINGTON, Virginia — U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and members of the U.S. Grains Council (USGC), U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC), USA Rice, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), the National Sorghum Producers (NSP) and the National Barley Growers Association (NBGA) welcomed a joint statement issued this week from 17 countries participating in the 11th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, emphasizing the importance of supporting farmer access to the full range of tools and technologies available and opposing regulatory barriers lacking sufficient scientific justification.

“Having in mind the importance of transparency and predictability to international trade, we call on all Members to strengthen the implementation of the WTO SPS [Sanitary and Phytosanitary] Agreement by reinforcing the work of relevant international standards organizations and ensuring the scientific basis of SPS measures is sound,” the statement reads.

“The development and application of sound SPS measures is needed to support farmers’ choice in tools that can expand agricultural production and facilitate access to food and agricultural products, and also to safeguard human, animal and plant health.”

Government officials from Kenya, Uganda, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Chile, Canada, Colombia, Argentina, and the United States delivered remarks in favor of the joint statement of understanding on Dec. 12, 2017, during a side event to the main WTO meetings.

Representatives from the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA), the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA), the International Soy Growers Alliance and MAIZALL, an international maize alliance, also provided supporting comments.

The statement demonstrates global support for all farmers and the tools and innovations they need to protect their crops from devastating diseases and destructive pests while delivering safe food sustainably to the world’s consumers. The signatories take a step forward in calling out countries that undermine farmer choice through regulatory barriers that are not scientifically justified.

Recognizing the “central importance of risk analysis to assess, manage and communicate risks of concern associated with pesticide use in order to protect public health while enabling the safe use of pesticides and facilitate trade in food and ag products,” these countries remained committed to expanding knowledge and capacity for developing countries in pesticide maximum residue levels (MRLs). Ultimately, common understanding will help facilitate bilateral and multilateral efforts to assess and manage risk concerns in a more scientific, transparent and harmonized manner.

Read the full statement here.

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.

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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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Lighthizer Defends U.S. Agriculture at WTO Ministerial

ARLINGTON, Virginia — U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) thanks U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer for his efforts to defend U.S. agriculture against attempts to weaken the World Trade Organization (WTO) rules on domestic support in agriculture. The Buenos Aires Ministerial would be a failure if the trade liberalizing mission of the WTO were to take a massive step backwards through a permanent exemption for market price supports for certain major agriculture producers.

India and other countries have attempted to create a permanent loophole for certain types of price support programs associated with state-run stockpiling programs. These types of price supports can be highly trade distorting, violating both WTO rules and the spirit of trade liberalization that the organization is meant to embody.

Worse, by holding the entire trade negotiating system hostage to demands to weaken commitments on agriculture, these countries are undermining the WTO and exacerbating the institutional challenges it faces.

Domestic support negotiations are a non-starter for U.S. agriculture without market access liberalization. For example, India’s bound tariff rate on wheat is 100 percent, giving it more than enough policy space to restrict all wheat imports. U.S. tariffs are much lower in virtually all products. To be clear, USW does not object to holding public stocks for food security, which is critical for all countries. Public stockholding has always been included in the Agreement on Agriculture’s “Green Box” of non-trade distorting support, but with the recognition that administered prices (i.e. price supports) should be properly notified considering their potential to distort trade. There is no such restriction on purchases for public stocks using market prices.

U.S. farmers are firmly committed to open markets and continuing productive negotiations at the WTO and other forums to improve the global trading system. Giving in to misguided attempts to weaken the system while holding hostage all other negotiations is a recipe for failure far greater than the lack of a ministerial declaration in Buenos Aires. U.S. agriculture needs a strong, vibrant WTO, but WTO rules needs to be strengthened, not weakened. If the only outcome in agriculture at the Buenos Aires ministerial were to be the creation of a massive, permanent loophole for the most trade distorting programs, the ministerial would be a failure.

Last week, U.S. Wheat Associates and 13 other agriculture organizations sent a letter to USTR in advance of the ministerial.

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) is the industry’s market development organization working in more than 100 countries. Its 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 are funded by producer checkoff dollars managed by 17 state wheat commissions and USDA Foreign Agricultural Service cost-share programs. For more information, visit www.uswheat.org or contact your state wheat commission.

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Nondiscrimination and Alternate Means of Communications
USW prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities based on 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, Other Farm Organizations Outline Priorities for WTO Ministerial

ARLINGTON, Virginia — The World Trade Organization will hold its Eleventh WTO Ministerial Conference Dec. 10 to 13, 2017, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and 13 other U.S. farm organizations urged the United States to defend the interests of U.S. agriculture. Specifically, the letter describes industry stances on public stockholding and domestic support, while underscoring the importance of an effective dispute settlement mechanism for agriculture.

First addressing attempts to weaken the WTO Agreement on Agriculture by exempting price support programs tied to public stock procurement, the letter said “Market price support is one of the most trade distorting forms of domestic support for agriculture. Relaxing price support disciplines for certain countries could lead to a much more distorted global marketplace.”

The letter pointed out a closely related challenge in the push for new domestic support commitments.

“It is surreal to witness attempts to negotiate new domestic support commitments when so many countries have flagrantly ignored current commitments,” the organizations wrote. “Any domestic support outcome should carefully target the deficiencies in the system that led to such enormous abuses.” The groups also credited Ambassador Lighthizer for addressing this problem through the dispute settlement case against China on its non-compliant price support programs for wheat, corn and rice.

Finally, the farm organizations expressed strong support for the WTO dispute settlement system and its crucial role addressing some of the major challenges in agricultural markets. They pointed to much improved global trade rules for agriculture following the creation of the WTO and negotiation of new free trade agreements. The groups also expressed concern that U.S. actions to block WTO Appellate Body appointments indefinitely could prevent resolution of current cases and discourage new ones that might benefit U.S. agriculture.

The following organizations signed the letter: American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Barley Growers Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, National Sunflower Association, U.S. Canola Association, U.S. Dry Bean Council, U.S. Grains Council, U.S. Soybean Export Council, U.S. Wheat Associates, USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council, USA Rice Federation

Full text of the letter is posted below.

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.

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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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Observing Pacific Northwest Wheat Quality Effort Builds Future Opportunity

Even though Japan has imported more than half of its annual milling wheat needs from the United States for many decades, the market requires constant attention in an increasingly competitive world wheat trade environment. U.S. wheat farmers are doing that in part by building relationships with future senior managers in Japan’s milling industry.

With the support of U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and export market development programs administered by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, the Washington Grain Commission (WGC) and the Oregon Wheat Commission (OWC) hosted a team of four Japanese flour milling managers and the managing director of the Japanese Flour Millers Association Oct. 8 to 12, 2017. These managers are from companies that produce almost 80 percent of all the flour consumed in Japan. The visit reinforced the ways in which the entire U.S. supply chain is working to constantly improve the quality, performance and value of the wheat these customers need.

“This was an excellent team,” said WGC CEO Glen Squires. “They were looking at our wheat and supply system with the perspective of having more authority and responsibilities in their positions.”

“Producing and exporting high quality wheat is no accident,” said USW Vice President and West Coast Office Director Steve Wirsching. “It is a process that requires tremendous investment and effort by a team of wheat breeders and cereal scientists. We showed these millers that farmers in the Pacific Northwest have invested heavily in varietal development that is paying dividends.”

That message came through quite clearly.

“Our visit with the wheat breeders at Washington State University and with the staff at the Western Wheat Quality Laboratory was a very good reminder that there is much work being done to develop new and improved varieties of both soft white and club wheat development,” said Mr. Koji Ishizuka, Manager, Quality Control and Assurance Group, Nisshin Flour Milling Inc.

Club, a sub-class of soft white, is an essential component of the Western White wheat blend that Japan buys more of than any other importers. Mr. Ishizuka and the rest of the team also visited the HighLine Grain facility in East-Central Washington, which draws a significant amount of club wheat from area farmers.

With additional stops in Washington, including time with USW Chairman and Ritzville, Wash., wheat farmer Mike Miller, and to grain handling systems in Portland, Ore., the team essentially followed wheat from production to export. In Portland, the millers met with the Japanese Importers Association, OWC staff, WMC and Overseas Merchandise Inspection Company (OMIC). Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) inspector Kim Harper put on a mini-grain grading seminar to demonstrate how the federal agency objectively certifies the integrity of wheat relative to the buyer’s contract as it is loaded on a vessel.

“The skill of the inspectors and their ability to identify potential issues with wheat is reassuring,” Mr. Ishizuka said.

According to the Japanese Flour Millers Association, per capita annual wheat consumption has grown sharply, from 56.7 pounds in the 1960s to 73 pounds today as the Japanese diet has become more diversified. Japanese consumers now spend more of their income on bread products than rice.

The Japanese domestic milling and baking industries are highly advanced and fully automated, and demand consistently high-quality wheat. They must address concerns from an increasingly sensitive consumer base on issues such as pesticides, allergens and biotech products. However, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry (MAFF) carries out milling wheat purchases and sells the wheat to Japanese flour mills. The managers on this team will be in position to provide periodic information to the MAFF officials on their needs, based on the strict characteristics their bakery customers demand. The Japanese grain trade acts as intermediaries between MAFF and overseas sellers, and OMIC USA, in Portland, OR, provides testing and inspection services.

“This visit will help these managers better understand how U.S. farmers and the export system can deliver uniformly high-quality wheat and help them make more informed purchase decisions,” said Wataru “Charlie” Utsunomiya, USW Country Director for Japan, who led the team.

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.

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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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Wheat Growers Organizations Dispute Corker’s Food Aid Position

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In remarks to the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) on Oct. 19, 2017, Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) stated that he has talked to farmers and that farmers “do not care” about U.S. in-kind food aid.

“I don’t know what farmers Senator Corker is talking to because I can assure you wheat farmers care a lot about in-kind food aid,” said Dighton, Kan., wheat farmer Ron Suppes. “In 2016, U.S. government donations of milling wheat that helped feed food insecure populations or were monetized by NGOs to fund local food security projects, reached a level that would be equal to a top ten export market.”

“Sen. Corker’s call to eliminate in-kind food aid donations in favor of all cash gifts is an extreme position, shared by AEI, a group that regularly attacks farm programs and farmers,” said Gordon Stoner, a wheat farmer from Outlook, Mont. “In-kind food aid and monetization are still important tools for delivering greater food availability and easing local market price volatility.”

In June 2017 at a House Committee on Agriculture hearing, Suppes testified on food aid and a trip to Tanzania where he saw development programs that utilized wheat.

“I saw first-hand how food aid can also generate goodwill with other countries,” he said. “By encouraging agricultural development in countries like Tanzania, we’re ultimately spurring economic growth, which means Tanzania is more likely to be a stronger trading partner in the future. And the tangible presence of U.S. wheat in that equation is a symbol that cash can’t match.”

In fact, one of the goals of the U.S. PL-480 food program is to get food to the places where it is needed most. Over time, this program has also had beneficial effects for U.S. farmers. The Philippines and Taiwan are countries that once received in-kind food aid from the United States. Today, both markets are major importers of U.S. wheat and other food ingredient commodities.

“U.S. Wheat Associates and NAWG believe time-honored U.S. food aid programs have been engines of peace, food security and local capacity building in countless countries around the world,” said Stoner. “In-kind food donation and monetization should remain a vital part of America’s tradition of global generosity.”

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About U.S. Wheat Associates
USW’s mission is to “develop, maintain, and expand international markets to enhance the profitability of U.S. wheat producers and their customers.” USW activities in more than 100 countries are made possible through producer checkoff dollars managed by 18 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 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.

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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U.S. Wheat Associates to Close Cairo Office, Continue Regional Market Coverage from Rotterdam, Casablanca

ARLINGTON, Virginia — Continuing a strategic effort to increase resources in wheat import market segments with the best potential for growth and returns for the farmers it represents, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) has announced it will close its office in Cairo, Egypt, on December 1, 2017. USW is the export market development organization for the U.S. wheat industry with funding from 17 state wheat commissions and USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.

“Closing our Cairo office was a difficult decision because it affects four colleagues who have been very dedicated to our mission for many years,” said USW President Vince Peterson. “The closure is most certainly not a reflection of our very good staff, as they have remained committed and hardworking even though the market dynamics of the region have changed. Everyone in our organization thanks them for their service and wishes them all the best in the future. USW is now working through the process to help with these transitions.”

Peterson said USW saw a need to begin adjusting its activities in the Middle East and North Africa several years ago as the supply of significantly lower priced wheat from Russia increased. The organization eliminated a Cairo-based marketing position in 2014. This allowed USW to add an experienced technical specialist in its Casablanca, Morocco, office. In 2016, USW shifted regional management for the Middle East operations to its office in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Peterson noted that USW will continue to provide trade service to government wheat buyers in Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region on a targeted basis.

“Our colleagues in Rotterdam and Casablanca will also promote U.S. high performance hard wheat classes and soft wheat classes in specific markets. This includes private buyers, millers and food companies that serve a growing demand for higher value bread products, cakes and confectionary products in the Middle East,” Peterson said. “In addition, these changes will help us increase future marketing capabilities in higher value Asian and Latin American markets.”

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.

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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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Wheat Growers Call for New Trade Agreements

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) strongly urge the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to pivot from re-negotiating existing free trade agreements (FTAs) to negotiating new deals, as repeatedly promised by President Trump as a candidate and since taking office.

The United States and Korea yesterday pledged to begin negotiations on aspects of the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS). While the wheat industry does not in principle object to modernizing trade agreements, such as the ongoing negotiations to update NAFTA, KORUS is the United States’ most recent trade agreement and is barely a quarter of the way through full implementation. It also passed with strong bipartisan support in Congress after being negotiated under two separate administrations.

“While we disagreed, the President made clear that he did not support the Trans-Pacific Partnership. We were promised a series of bilateral trade agreements in its place,” said NAWG CEO Chandler Goule. “USTR has limited resources — it is time to get past plowing the same fields and start opening ground in new markets. Right now, we are standing around watching the world pass us by on trade agreements.”

USW and NAWG recently weighed in against withdrawal from KORUS for fear of market disruptions and concern that the United States will lose leverage and incentives to get good trade deals in the future.

“I’m glad to see we’re not making any rash decisions about withdrawing from trade agreements, but we need to see more than that,” said USW President Vince Peterson. “In the decade since KORUS was negotiated we have no new trade agreements and zero additional market access for wheat farmers. The Administration has committed to ‘do no harm’ for agriculture, but we think there is harm in not negotiating new agreements.”

The United States has not completed any new trade agreements and withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership since KORUS was signed in 2007. Over the same period, wheat export competitors have been significantly more active in signing new FTAs:

Argentina: Israel, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Egypt, Colombia.

Australia: Chile, Brunei Darussalam, Burma, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Peru, China.

Canada: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Peru, Colombia, Jordan, Panama, Honduras, Korea, Ukraine, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam.

European Union: Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Korea, Moldova, Georgia, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Madagascar, Mauritius, the Seychelles, Zimbabwe, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Cameroon, Ukraine, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Canada.

Russia: Belarus, Moldova, Tajikistan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam

Ukraine: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Montenegro, European Union.

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About U.S. Wheat Associates
USW’s mission is to “develop, maintain, and expand international markets to enhance the profitability of U.S. wheat producers and their customers.” USW activities in more than 100 countries are made possible through producer checkoff dollars managed by 18 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 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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