Wheat, Sorghum and Rice Growers Observe the Value of Food Aid Programs in East Africa
By Elizabeth Westendorf, USW Assistant Director of Policy Of the more than 1.9 million metric tons (MMT) of international food commodities the United States donated in 2018/19, more than 800,000 MT of it was high-quality milling wheat. Given the important role U.S. agriculture plays in supporting the neediest people around the world, farmers representing U.S. […]
USW Submits Trade Barriers Report with Additional Detail on China and India
By Dalton Henry, USW Vice President of Policy Each year, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) compiles and publishes the National Trade Estimates (NTE) report — a comprehensive report detailing barriers that U.S. exporters, including wheat farmers, face in markets around the world. The first step in compiling the massive report (last year’s […]
Revised China Tariff Quota Rules Could Have a Significant Impact on U.S. Wheat Exports
By Dalton Henry, USW Vice President of Policy While the trade policy headlines from the month of October have mostly been written about a possible “phase one” trade deal between the United States and China, much less has been said about the recently revised and published China Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) rules for importing wheat […]
U.S. Wheat Farmers Welcome New Chinese Imports, Hope for Long-Term Solutions
On Oct. 3, USDA announced that private exporting companies reported export sales of 130,000 metric tons (MT) of U.S. “white wheat” to China. That is welcome news for U.S. wheat farmers. Chinese imports of U.S. soft white (SW), hard red spring (HRS) and hard red winter (HRW) wheat classes to China were trending up but […]
Wheat Farmers Call on Congress to Pass USMCA Trade Agreement
The U.S. wheat industry is speaking out boldly on the need to pass the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) this year. Speaking at a widely attended rally sponsored by Farmers for Free Trade on Capitol Hill today, Ben Scholz, a wheat farmer from Lavon, Tex., said agriculture and wheat farmers desperately needs a win in trade […]
Columbia Snake River System Has a Crucial Role in Moving Grain to Port
Early in 2019, I attended a presentation given by the Executive Director of the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association (PNWA), Kristin Meira. In the audience were farmers eager to hear how U.S. legislators shared their interests regarding the ongoing navigability of the Columbia Snake River System. Open waterways are a crucial and efficient source for U.S. […]
The U.S. Wheat Industry’s Partnership with Japan Adds Perspective to Current Trade Negotiations
There is renewed hope this week that the United States and Japan are making good progress toward a trade agreement that we hope will ensure U.S. wheat can continue competing with Canadian and Australian wheat based on quality, variety and value. Currently, under the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Japan’s effective tariffs on Canadian […]
U.S. Wheat Farmer Testifies on Importance of Grain Inspection System for U.S. Export Markets
Original news release by the National Association of Wheat Growers published here. The Senate Committee on Agriculture held a hearing July 31, 2019, looking at perspectives around reauthorizing the Grain Standards Act. Brian Linin, a wheat farmer from Goodland, Kan., testified on behalf of the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) on the importance of […]
Trade Promotion Assistance Will Support USW Activities in New and Established Markets
Under the Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) program administered by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), U.S. wheat farmers recently welcomed additional support for the effort to build overseas demand for the high-quality wheat they produce. FAS awarded $8.2 million to U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) in cost-share assistance in May 2019 and awarded an additional $2.6 million […]
U.S Wheat Industry Supports International Food Assistance Programs
By Elizabeth Westendorf, USW Assistant Director of Policy “We know that a peaceful world cannot long exist, one-third rich and two-thirds hungry.” – President Jimmy Carter Conflict and population displacement are both on the rise around the world. From war in Yemen to natural disasters in Southern and Eastern Africa, when these events happen, the […]