Recent news and highlights from around the wheat industry.

Speaking of Wheat: “Our export markets are critical to U.S. wheat farmers’ bottom lines as they see 50 percent of U.S. wheat exported each year. The grain inspection system is one of our key advantages over our competitors that has helped wheat and other U.S. commodities grow export markets. Our overseas customers value the independent system in place through the Grain Standards Act.” – Doug Goyings, USW Chairman and Paulding, Ohio wheat farmer, in response to the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture’s business meeting to markup the United States Grain Standards Reauthorization Act (GSA) of 2020

Congratulations Colleagues. We are fortunate to have devoted, loyal colleagues at U.S. Wheat Associates, including two that recently celebrated milestones. Ann Murchison, Office Manager, USW West Coast Office, recently celebrated 25 years with USW, while Joe Sowers, Regional Vice President for Philippines and Korea, USW Manila Office, recently celebrated 15 years. Thank you, Ann and Joe, for your service to our organization, U.S. wheat farmers and our customers.

Phase One Deal with China Still Needed. USW joined the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and a coalition of almost 200 other agricultural organizations in a letter reiterating to the Trump Administration the importance of the U.S.-China Trade Agreement for U.S. agriculture and exports. “Today, the world grain and oilseed market is experiencing the greatest oversupply of production since the 1980s, and the United States is facing increasing competition from foreign sources,” the letter stated. Read the letter online here.

2020 National Wheat Yield Contest. On February 18, 2020, the National Wheat Foundation officially opened the 2020 National Wheat Yield Contest! The Contest is divided into two primary competition categories: winter wheat and spring wheat, and two subcategories: dryland and irrigated. The Foundation is currently accepting entries for the Spring Wheat category. The deadline to submit it August 1.

New Virtual Offerings for Women in Agribusiness Event Series. In a pivotal move to ensure event excellence during the changing business climate, the Women in Agribusiness (WIA) Summit series has announced virtual attendance options for its 2020 U.S. and international conferences in July and September.

Open Position in OWGL. Oregon Wheat Growers (OWGL) is looking to fill their Administrative Assistant/Membership Coordinator position. For more details on the job opening and how to apply, visit www.owgl.org/careers!

Subscribe to USW Reports. USW publishes a variety of reports and content that are available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts, the weekly Price Report and the weekly Harvest Report (available May to October). Subscribe here.

Follow USW Online. Visit our Facebook page at for the latest updates, photos and discussions of what is going on in the world of wheat. Also, find breaking news on Twitter, video stories on Vimeo and more on LinkedIn.

Recent news and highlights from around the wheat industry. 

Speaking of Wheat: “There is a societal cost of not using new genome editing techniques or being slow in adoption. We have no time to lose in resolving our shared problems for food and nutrition security.” – Robin Fears, Director, European Academies Science Advisory Council, in a statement calling for reform of European regulation of plant breeding innovations. 

Today We Have Bread. All of us at USW feel very fortunate to continue working virtually, and our farmer board of directors agreed with our staff to share some of that good fortune with others in need. So, USW is donating bread, produced at Uptown Bakery, owned by Master Baker and USW consultant Didier Rosada, to three area food banks. One of the recipients is the food pantry at Columbia Baptist Church in Arlington, Va. Rev. Gregory Loewer recently shared this in a letter thanking USW for the bread donation: “The recipients of your donations were so grateful to receive the bread. I happened to be serving on the team yesterday and when I told the folks waiting in line that ‘today we have bread’ they were delighted.” 

“Killing Before Milling.” North Dakota State University (NDSU) researchers recently received a USDA Food Safety and Defense grant to explore the use of steam pasteurization to reduce pathogens in milled flour. Senay Simsek, NDSU’s Bert L. D’Appolonia Cereal Science and Technology of Wheat Endowed Professor, and Teresa Bergholz, associate professor of microbiological sciences, will work on a project titled “Killing Before Milling: Utilization of Vacuum Steam Pasteurization for Controlling Enteric Pathogens on Wheat.” The three-year USDA grant totals nearly $500,000. Read more about the project.  

Award of Excellence for Dr. Simsek. NDSU’s Senay Simsek has been awarded the NC-213 U.S. Quality Grains Research Consortium 2020 Andersons Cereals and Oilseeds Award of Excellence. Simsek, who has been with NDSU since 2007, leads the HRS wheat end–quality project in the Department of Plant Sciences. Congratulations to Dr. Simsek, who is a frequent collaborator with USW. Read more about the award and Dr. Simsek’s work. 

University of Maryland Professor Puts the UMD Small Grains Breeding and Genetics Program on the Map. Vijay Tiwari, assistant professor in Plant Science and Landscape Architecture at the University of Maryland, recently received the Leadership Award from the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC). This award is given annually to scientists who make a crucial impact in wheat genomics. This year, Tiwari was the sole recipient for his leadership and expertise in Radiation Hybrid mapping or RH mapping, a technique that was used to validate the entire wheat genome assembly. 

2020 National Wheat Yield Contest June 15th Early Bird Registration for Spring Wheat. The National Wheat Foundation officially opened the 2020 National Wheat Yield Contest in February 2020. The Foundation is currently accepting entries for Spring Wheat until Aug. 1 with an early registration deadline of June 15.

Subscribe to USW Reports. USW publishes a variety of reports and content that are available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts, the weekly Price Report and the weekly Harvest Report (available May to October). Subscribe here. 

Follow USW Online. Visit our Facebook page at for the latest updates, photos and discussions of what is going on in the world of wheat. Also, find breaking news on Twitter, video stories on Vimeo and more on LinkedIn. 

Recent news and highlights from around the wheat industry. 

Speaking of Wheat: “We see this transaction as the latest example of how working together and using technology to solve challenges can improve trade, as well as traceability, food safety, nutrition and more.” – Jennifer Davidson, Trade Execution Lead, Cargill, discussing a cross-continent wheat trade transaction on a blockchain platform. 

BLOG: Earth Day Celebrates 50 Years by Observing Climate Action. This year marked the 50th anniversary of Earth Day celebrated on April 22, 2020. The theme for Earth Day 2020 was climate action. Read the National Association of Wheat Growers’ (NAWG) recent blog highlighting some of the ways wheat growers are working to curb the effects of climate change. 

Corteva Opportunity: Genome Editing for Crop Improvement. As part of their effort and commitment to building strong partnerships, Corteva is inviting scientists from academic and nonprofit research institutions to submit brief, non-confidential proposals for gene edits that have the potential to improve wheat, maize (corn), soybeans, canola or sorghum. The application deadline is May 31, 2020. Click here for complete details. 

Farm Foundation Supports Young Farmers. The Young Farmer Accelerator Program is aimed at helping young farmers grow their knowledge, experience and network. The program will engage young farmers in a year-long series of interactive learning and networking experiences, focused on gaining a deeper understanding of a wide variety of agriculture, agribusiness and government issues.  

2020 National Wheat Yield Contest Entry Deadlines. The National Wheat Foundation is accepting entries for “Greater Grain. The National Wheat Yield Contest.”  The deadline for winter wheat entries is May 15 and the spring wheat entry deadline is August 1, with an early registration deadline of June 15. 

Subscribe to USW Reports. USW publishes a variety of reports and content that are available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts, the weekly Price Report and the weekly Harvest Report (available May to October). Subscribe here. 

Follow USW Online. Visit our Facebook page at for the latest updates, photos and discussions of what is going on in the world of wheat. Also, find breaking news on Twitter, video stories on Vimeo and more on LinkedIn. 

Recent news and highlights from around the wheat industry. 

Speaking of Wheat: “Our satellite vegetation greenness model suggests near-trend [yield] potential, largely due to a Great Plains crop that is in good shape as it emerges from dormancy,” – Jude Kastens, PhD, Research Associate Professor at the Kansas Applied Remote Sensing Program (KARS) located at the University of Kansas.  

USDA and USTR Announce Continued Progress on Implementation of U.S.-China Phase One Agreement: On March 24, 2020, the USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced continued progress in the implementation of the agriculture-related provisions of the U.S.-China Phase One Economic and Trade Agreement. The Agreement entered into force on February 14, 2020, and the recent actions described below build upon the actions announced by USDA and USTR on February 25 and March 10. 

Catlyxt Launches New Website Showcasing the Power and Possibility of Plants: Calyxt, a plant-based technology company, is doing what farmers and plant breeders have been doing for hundreds of years: choosing the best crops and breeding them to make stronger, more sustainable plants. A company release suggested the new website demonstrates a “company at the forefront of accelerated plant breeding with a focus on wellness and sustainability.” Visitors can also now access assets including sales sheets, seed variety technical specifications, as well as new videos and photos. 

A New Twist on Take and Bake Month: March is Bake and Take Month, but in these unprecedented times, sharing baked goods with friends isn’t as easy. Marsha Boswell offers ideas like handwritten notes, kid-drawn pictures and more to accompany baked treats dropped on a neighbor’s doorstep, in this week’s Kansas Wheat Scoop. 

National Ag Day: A Celebration of Wheat: Farmers only make up 1.3% of America’s labor force, yet they have an enormous impact on feeding the world. This can be attributed to the advancements and improvements of plant technologies and farm management practices that started with Dr. Norman Borlaug in the Green Revolution. On March 24, National Ag Day, the National Wheat Foundation recognized the importance of wheat farmers and programming that helps improve our crop.

2020 National Wheat Yield Contest. On February 18, the National Wheat Foundation (NWF) officially opened the 2020 National Wheat Yield Contest. Farmers can submit entries in winter wheat and spring wheat with subcategories for dryland and irrigated. NWF is accepting entries for winter wheat from April 1 and May 15, and entries for spring wheat from June 15 to August 1. 

Northern Crops Institute Online Pasta Course Open. The Northern Crops Institute announced a Pasta Production and Technology course to be offered online, April 28 to 30. For more course information and to register, click here.  

Subscribe to USW Reports. USW publishes a variety of reports and content that are available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts, the weekly Price Report and the weekly Harvest Report (available May to October). Subscribe here.  

Follow USW Online. Visit our Facebook page at for the latest updates, photos and discussions of what is going on in the world of wheat. Also, find breaking news on Twitter, video stories on Vimeo and more on LinkedIn. 

Recent news and highlights from around the wheat industry.

Speaking of Wheat: “Innovation in agriculture and food is the key to global food security; the world has to stop farming with systems that my grandfather gave up on 125 years ago. Innovation is an imperative — and it’s not just needed [in the United States], but around the world.” Ambassador Kip Tom, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome and a seventh-generation farmer from Indiana.

Congratulations. Andrés Saturno and his wife Berenice “Bere” recently welcomed their first child, a baby boy, Alessio Massimiliano Saturno Ramos, 7 lbs, 9 oz, on February 19, 2020. Andrés is a Technical Specialist in the USW Santiago Office. Everyone is healthy and doing well.

China Lifts Some Trade Barriers in ‘Phase One.’ China has begun making policy changes and will soon be accepting applications for tariff exemptions as part of its agreements under the “phase one” trade pact with the United States, the Trump administration announced Tuesday, February 25. Imports of a wide variety of commodities will be eligible, including wheat, soybeans, pork, corn, whey, oranges, cherries, sorghum, soy oil and beef. Read more here.

Coronavirus Could Prevent China from Meeting $80B Agriculture Trade Pledge. With the phase one trade deal with China in effect for just under three weeks, agricultural experts fear the coronavirus outbreak will impede China’s ability to buy a promised $80 billion in farm goods from the United States over the next two years. Read more here.

Ancient Wheat Genome Reveals Clues to the Agricultural Past. A museum sample of a 3,000-year-old Egyptian crop plant yields genomic information that helps researchers track the plant’s domestication and migration reports “The Scientist.” The museum wheat, which carbon dating showed was from between 1130 and 1000 BC, was genetically much more similar to modern domesticated varieties than to modern wild ones, suggesting that the plant lineage the samples came from had already been domesticated. Read more here.

2020 National Wheat Yield Contest. On February 18, 2020, the National Wheat Foundation (NWF) officially opened the 2020 National Wheat Yield Contest. Farmers can submit entries in winter wheat and spring wheat with subcategories for dryland and irrigated. NWF is accepting entries for winter wheat from April 1 and May 15, and entries for spring wheat from June 15 to August 1.

Farmers Join Forces for Sustainability and Responsible Climate Policy. The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) joined twenty farm and ranch groups representing millions of U.S. farmers and ranchers to launch Farmers for a Sustainable Future (FSF), a coalition committed to environmental and economic sustainability. This coalition will serve as a primary resource for lawmakers and policymakers considering climate policies. FSF’s guiding principles call for policies that support science-based research, voluntary incentive-based conservation programs, investment in infrastructure, and solutions that ensure vibrant rural communities and a healthy planet. Read the group’s recent release here.

Oklahoma Governor’s Wheat Challenge. The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture (ODA), working with the Oklahoma Wheat Commission (OWC) and the Oklahoma State University (OSU) Wheat Improvement Team recently featured the first ever State of Oklahoma’s Governor’s Wheat Challenge in an event at the ODA headquarters March 3. Wheat industry representatives welcomed Governor Kevin Stitt and Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell as they checked on respective wheat plots planted in their names last November in front of the agency’s headquarters, and to get an update from OWC Executive Director Mike Schulte on the marketing and research aspects of Oklahoma’s wheat industry. Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Ms. Blayne Arthur called it “a very exciting day for Oklahoma’s wheat industry,” with a friendly competition between the Governor and Lt. Governor spotlighting two newer wheat varieties developed by the Wheat Breeding Team led by Dr. Brett Carver of OSU. The wheat plots will be harvested and evaluated for flour and baking qualities. Read more here.

IGP Institute Milling Courses. The IGP Institute in Manhattan, Kan., has announced a series of milling courses in its upcoming summer schedule, including two Buhler-KSU Executive Milling courses (one in English and on in Spanish), as well as an IAOM-KSU Introduction to Flour Milling course. Click here to register and for more information on these courses.

Subscribe to USW Reports. USW publishes a variety of reports and content that are available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts, the weekly Price Report and the weekly Harvest Report (available May to October). Subscribe here.

Follow USW Online. Visit our page at https://www.facebook.com/uswheat for the latest updates, photos and discussions of what is going on in the world of wheat. Also, find breaking news on Twitter at https://twitter.com/uswheatassoc and video stories on Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/uswheatassociates.