Milling, procurement, quality assurance and technical professionals from the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam joined U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) staff in North Dakota and Oregon for a Contracting for Wheat Value Workshop in mid-August.
Through classroom instruction, laboratory demonstrations, industry briefings and field visits, the workshop strengthened participants’ understanding of U.S. wheat quality, contracting, logistics and value throughout the U.S. wheat supply chain.
At the Northern Crops Institute (NCI) on the campus of North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota, the workshop focused on wheat quality, supply and demand fundamentals, grain logistics, flour functionality and milling profitability.
The workshop included strategies for adjusting specifications to maximize value while maintaining end-use performance. Discussions emphasized evaluating the crop’s functionality by using solvent retention capacity (SRC) values. SRC analysis breaks down a wheat sample beyond protein content to examine the glutenin, gliadin and pentosan characteristics of the flour, and the level of starch damage in the flour. These values describe the flour’s ability to absorb water during the mixing process and its ability to release that water during the baking process. The combined pattern of the four SRC values establishes a practical flour quality profile useful for predicting functionality and how flour products conform to specifications.
“The bake tests shine a spotlight on functionality,” said Adrian Redondo, USW baking technologist, who accompanied the team. “By evaluating how flour performs in actual products, participants can move beyond specifications alone and see firsthand how quality impacts consistency, performance and overall value.”
The group also discussed the market dynamics and current pricing relationship between U.S. hard red spring (HRS) and hard red winter (HRW) wheat. USW staff reviewed the supply and demand factors influencing both classes, including protein availability, dark, hard and vitreous (DHV) kernel content and overall crop quality.
Tours of the NDSU greenhouse, an agronomy business and a HRS farm further highlighted investments being made in wheat breeding, production, grain handling, and quality preservation throughout the supply chain.
“Our conversations about current market dynamics and crop availability and outlooks are prime examples of how Contracting for Wheat Value workshops reinforce the importance of evaluating wheat based on more than the basic specifications,” said Tyllor Ledford, USW assistant regional director for South and Southeast Asia, who accompanied the team. “Together, these discussions reinforced the workshop’s central theme of contracting for wheat value by evaluating performance, availability and total cost rather than relying solely on traditional protein specifications or evaluating the value of the wheat based on the contract price alone.”
The conversations continued as the group moved from Fargo to Portland, Oregon, where the workshop shifted focus to export logistics, grain inspection, transportation and ocean freight. One highlight was a tour of the Columbia Export Terminal (CET), where workshop attendees observed grain receiving, inspection, storage, blending and vessel-loading operations serving Asian customers.
The group also spent time discussing the Cu-Sum (Cumulative Sum) sampling method. During the loading of an export grain vessel, USDA’s Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) follows a uniform loading plan for sampling and inspection, based on a shipment of grain broken down into sublots to assess the uniformity of quality, called Cu-Sum. The method allows FGIS inspectors to inspect the grain as the vessel is loaded, remove sublots that do not meet specifications from the vessel loading and certify the entire lot of grain is within uniform quality tolerances.
Overall, the Contracting for Value Workshop strengthened the team members’ understanding of wheat quality evaluation, contracting strategies, market dynamics and the U.S. export system. By providing direct engagement with stakeholders throughout the supply chain, the program reinforced confidence in the reliability, transparency and value of U.S. wheat while strengthening relationships with key milling customers across South and Southeast Asia.