Diverse Group of U.S. Farmers Visit Cuban Farms, Discuss Future Relationships
U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) is very pleased to see that the grass roots effort to build a lasting, open trading relationship between Cuba is still going strong. Delegates from the U.S. wheat, soybean, corn, poultry, potato, rice, sorghum and barley industries recently traveled to Cuba to meet with Cuban government officials and farmers. Kansas wheat […]
Twenty-Three Pages You Just Cannot Miss
By Ben Conner, USW Vice President of Policy Longtime readers of “Wheat Letter” know that there is a certain time of year when the “Wheat Letter” must be opened. When its content must be consumed with abandon. When one must read an article so important that – despite all the other wonderful “Wheat Letter” […]
Bring the Farm Bill Home
The long run up to the United States midterm election is over and (most) of the votes have been counted. There will be new members of Congress sworn in next January, some that may serve on the committees that focus on agricultural policy. Before then, however, the current Congress has an opportunity to pass the […]
Annual World Food Prize Event Focuses on Nutrition Challenges and Food Production Growth
By Elizabeth Westendorf, USW Assistant Director of Policy In its 2018 Global Agricultural Productivity (GAP) Index, the Global Harvest Initiative has reported that food production growth is not keeping up with the rising population pressures. The past four years, the index has reported a similar trend, and that gap is widening. This is one reason […]
A Wild Trade Ride
By Ben Conner, USW Vice President of Policy U.S. trade policy has been going through a wild ride recently. The current U.S. administration believes that the existing trade architecture is outdated or constricting, and new forms of leverage are needed to achieve its goals. Meanwhile, they have correctly pointed out that some countries seem to […]
The United States and U.S. Wheat Step Up to Address Yemen’s Desperate Food Needs
By Elizabeth Westendorf, USW Assistant Director of Policy The United States has been a leader in helping those in need around the world for more than 60 years. In marketing year (MY) 2017/18, the United States sent approximately 800,000 metric tons (MT) of wheat overseas through international food aid programs, according to U.S. Wheat Associates’ […]
In Spite of Trade Conflicts, U.S. Wheat Farmers Will Not Abandon Customers in China
By Vince Peterson, USW President Chinese Vice Minister of Agriculture Han Jun recently acknowledged the decades of work that U.S. farmers have put into growing the Chinese market for U.S agriculture. He then warned that this market may never come back to where it was if the trade dispute with the United States continues much […]
The Art of the (US-EU) Deal
By Ben Conner, USW Vice President of Policy On July 25, we received excellent news after a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker: the United States and European Union had agreed to work towards a trade deal and hold off on any additional tariffs. Excellent news because […]
The EU Fails to Support Scientific Progress Yet Again
By Elizabeth Westendorf, USW Assistant Director of Policy This week, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on the regulatory status of plants developed through mutagenesis (which includes many modern plant breeding innovations). They determined that these technologies do fall under the jurisdiction of EU laws regarding GMOs. And with that, they landed a […]
Lower U.S. Wheat Futures: An Anomaly and Excellent Opportunity
By Stephanie Bryant-Erdmann, USW Market Analyst There is an old saying: “When there’s blood on the streets, buy property.” Given recent price movements, that could easily be changed to: “When trade policies are in the news, buy wheat.” Since the steel and aluminum tariffs went into full effect for major U.S. wheat customers, […]
