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Stories from the Wheat Farm – Committed to Stewardship in Washington

U.S. wheat farm families grow six distinct classes of wheat across the diverse landscape of the United States. Those farmers take great care in producing the highest quality wheat in the most sustainable ways possible to honor their family legacies and to ensure greater value for their customers at home and abroad. Behind the world’s most reliable supply of wheat are the world’s most dependable people.

The Bailey Family and LM Farms: After starting his career at a major farm lending institution, Gary Bailey left to join his family’s farm full-time in 1989, working alongside his parents and two brothers. He wanted to be a part of the legacy that his parents started and to give his children the same kind of upbringing that he had. Today, Gary works the farm’s 4,500 acres alongside his brother Mark and his niece Erin, the next generation.

Location: St. John, Washington (Whitman County)
Classes of Wheat Grown:  Soft White (SW); White Club
Leadership: Gary Bailey: Chairman, Washington Grain Commission; USW Director; Director, St. John Grain Growers (Whitgro); Local Advisory Committee, Northwest Farm Credit Services; Member, Washington State University Land Legacy Committee; and Director, St. John Telco.

 

View other videos and stories in this “Stories from the Wheat Farm” series:

The Next Generation in Kansas
Loving the Work in Ohio
Living with Purpose in North Dakota
A Passion for the Land in Oklahoma
Committed to Wheat Quality in Oregon
Embracing the Agricultural Lifestyle in Montana

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Dependable People: A Spotlight on the Nebraska Wheat Board

For 40 years, U.S. wheat farmers have supported U.S. Wheat Associates’ (USW) efforts to work directly with buyers and promote their six classes of wheat. Their contributions to state wheat commissions, who in turn contribute a portion of those funds to USW, qualifies USW to apply for export market development funds managed by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Currently, 17 state wheat commissions are USW members and this series highlights those partnerships and the work being done state-by-state to provide unmatched service. Behind the world’s most reliable supply of wheat are the world’s most dependable people – and that includes our state wheat commissions.

Member: Nebraska Wheat Board
USW Member since 1980

Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Classes of wheat grown: Hard Red Winter (HRW), Hard White (HW), Hard Red Spring (HRS)
USW Leadership: Ervain J. Friehe, 1986/97 Chairman; Daniel Gerdes 1997/98 Chairman; Dan Hughes, 2013/14 Chairman.

The mission of the Nebraska Wheat Board is to increase both domestic and foreign consumption of wheat and wheat food products through marketing and research, as well as to help develop and maintain both domestic and international export markets for the Nebraska wheat producer. The Nebraska Wheat Board will accomplish this by investing the wheat check-off in research, international and domestic marketing, policy development, publicity and education. The Nebraska Wheat Board was one of the first state wheat commissions in existence. The Board has paved the way for trade delegations, international baking schools, national policy reform and the establishment of USW. Today, Nebraska Wheat continues to improve research, influence international and domestic trade policy and promote the wheat crop through education and consumer outreach. This year, the Nebraska Wheat Board celebrates 65 years and would like to thank all of our domestic and international customers for their continued support.

2014/15 USW Officers, including Past Chairman Dan Hughes, seated left.

Why is export market development important to Nebraska wheat farmers and why do they continue to support USW?

Of the wheat produced in Nebraska each year, 50 percent is exported through the Pacific Northwest or the Gulf of Mexico or by rail to Mexico. Nebraska hosts one to two USW trade delegations each year from all over the world. Through these trade delegations, U.S. wheat customers can see how the crop is produced in a healthy, sustainable way. Likewise, the farmers learn what their customers want and how they can adopt practices to meet the growing demand. USW is at the forefront of overseas development. The network of people that promote USW is vast and their enthusiasm for promoting U.S.wheat continues to develop markets for our farmers’ product. With so much of our wheat reaching overseas customers, it is extremely important for Nebraska’s wheat farmers to support USW’s export market development.

How have Nebraska wheat farmers recently interacted with overseas customers?

Even though these unprecedented times have limited travel and canceled conferences, Nebraska Wheat has put international relations as our top priority. In place of hosting trade delegations, the Nebraska Wheat team is producing video of locations in the state that each delegation would typically visit. From highlighting the research done at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL), witnessing how grain is inspected at the elevators, and capturing the beauty of wheat harvest across the state. Nebraska Wheat Board members look forward to sharing these videos around the world and then visiting with customers to answer questions after they have “visited” each tour stop. Along with these videos, each week the Nebraska Wheat office sends reports to international offices and past trade delegation visitors to keep them updated on Nebraska wheat progress.

A 2017 USW Regional African Trade Delegation visited Bob Delsing’s farm in Nebraska. Delsing is currently a director on USW’s board.

What is happening lately in Nebraska that overseas customers should know about?

  • UNL wheat breeder Dr. Stephen Baenziger was recently awarded a $650,000 grant for hybrid wheat research.
  • USDA recently announced that it is hiring an additional small grains geneticist to be located at UNL to focus on Fusarium head blight research.
  • Harkamal Walia, UNL Associate Professor, discovered a gene from wild wheat that has the potential to improve drought tolerance in cultivated wheat.
  • There has been a resurgence of HRS wheat being grown in Nebraska. Currently, producers in the state grow HRW, HW and HRS.

Learn more about the Nebraska Wheat Board on its website here and on Facebook and Twitter.

Kent Lorens, a wheat farmer from Nebraska (middle) participated on the 2019 board team to Spain, Portugal and Morocco. He’s pictured here with farmers from Montana and Wyoming at Institut de Formation de l’Indstrie Meunière (IFIM) in Morocco, while touring the training mill, where the team saw equipment sponsored by U.S. Wheat Associates. Read more about his experience here.

Nebraska Wheat Board Executive Director Royce Schaneman at the 2020 USW Winter Board Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Four generations of Nodlinski’s (from 3 years old to 102) stand for a picture during the 2020 wheat harvest on the 4th of July on their family farm in Perkins County. The Nebraska Wheat Board publishes weekly crop updates here.

2013/14 Chairman Dan Hughes, a wheat farmer from Nebraska (L) congrats 2014/15 Chairman Roy Motter, a wheat farmer from California (R) on his year of service.

2013/14 Chairman, Dan Hughes and his wife Josie.

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Virtual U.S. Spring Wheat Update Signals a Variable, But Likely Average 2020 Crop

The North Dakota Wheat Commission (NDWC) and the North Dakota Grain Growers Association (NDGGA) brought the 2020 U.S. hard red spring (HRS/DNS) wheat crop to domestic and international stakeholders on July 28 via a “Virtual Hard Red Spring Wheat Pre-Harvest Update” on the Zoom platform.

Presentations from NDWC, farmers and university experts painted a picture of a variable crop across Montana, North and South Dakota and Minnesota that is about three weeks away from the height of harvest. Crop conditions run the gamut from excellent yield and quality potential to thin drought and heat stressed pockets and even water-logged fields in eastern production areas. The experts who reported on the crop generally agree that USDA’s current HRS yield forecast of 46.6 bushels per acre (bu/a) is “optimistic,” but should end up close to the long-term average yield of 45 bu/a.

Dr. Joel Ransom, North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension Agronomist, told an estimated 211 participants on the virtual update that  farmers will see many good fields this year, but few will have “their best crop ever.” NDSU’s spring wheat breeder Dr. Andrew Green explained that farmers in the state are paying close attention to end-use qualities as well as yield potential when selecting varieties – and in their management.

“Functional quality and yields in North Dakota’s spring wheat production have both increased overall the past several years,” Dr. Green said. “We are seeing that higher yields and better quality are not mutually exclusive.”

In the Virtual HRS Pre-Harvest Update, Dr. Andrew Friskop, Extension Plant Pathologist, NDSU, described symptoms of a wheat disease called bacterial leaf streak to help farmer participants identify the disease. NDWC Market Development and Research Manager Erica Olson did a great job managing the challenges inherent in today’s virtual meetings.

Dennis Haugen farms in east central North Dakota and showed the participants a field with an estimated yield potential of around 75 bu/a.

“The problem in this area is that it has been so wet since last year, many fields were never planted,” he said, describing conditions that also prevail along the Red River in North Dakota and across the river into Minnesota.

“Northwest Minnesota has received up to three times our normal annual rainfall since 2019, so it was very challenging to get spring wheat seeded,” said Dr. Jochum Wiersma, Extension Small Grains Specialist at the University of Minnesota’s Crookston station. “In the fields that were planted, we are going to see yield loss and lower protein levels – if they can be harvested. We are asking for dry weather until November in our area.”

Planting conditions were better in South Dakota and farmers were able to seed 815,000 acres of spring wheat, which is 35 percent more than in 2019, said Reid Christopherson, Executive Director of the South Dakota Wheat Commission. The HRS harvest there is already about 10 percent complete.

Relatively cool conditions with good moisture has the Montana HRS crop in very good shape overall with the potential for high yields and good quality protein. Sam Anderson, Industry Analyst & Outreach Coordinator for the Montana Wheat & Barley Committee, reported that among spring wheat states, Montana has the highest rated crop conditions at 80 percent good to excellent.

NDWC Administrator Neal Fisher, NDGGA Executive Director Dan Wogsland and Wheat Quality Council Executive Vice President Dave Green each expressed thanks to all the participants and the folks who planned and managed the virtual pre-harvest update, and offered sincere hope that participants in the 2021 Wheat Quality Council’s spring wheat tour will be back in their vehicles checking fields along the traditional routes.

 

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Wheat Industry News

Recent news and highlights from around the wheat industry.

Speaking of Wheat: “I hope in another century our future generations look back at our world and see how we worked to improve it for all for them. And I hope that despite farming changes and progress, wheat remains growing in farm fields.” – Katie Pinke, Publisher, Agweek. Read more.

USW Past Chairman Awarded Dr. James R. Miller Award. Jason Scott, a Maryland wheat farmer who served as USW’s 2016/17 Chairman, was recently awarded the Dr. James R. Miller Award during Maryland’s 22nd Annual Commodity Classic, held virtually this year. This award recognizes an individual for their contributions to Maryland’s grain industry. Scott, who has been on the Maryland Grain Producers board for 16 years and has served in several leadership positions, works alongside his family growing wheat, corn, soybeans, malt barley, and sweet corn for processing, as well as selling seed for Pioneer. Learn more about Scott and the award here.

USW recommends a visit to the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) YouTube channel to see a series of presentations on how plant breeding innovations like gene editing can positively address continuing access to safe and affordable nutrition – despite new and evolving threats to our global food security. Visit the channel 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 is August 1. Learn more here. 

USW expresses sympathy to the family and friends of Dr. Owen J. Newlin, a U.S. grain industry pioneer who passed away recently. During and after his career with Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Dr. Newlin actively supported: ballot initiatives to create state corn checkoff programs; initiating overseas industry missions to educate future farmer leaders; and defending the USDA/FAS Foreign Market Development program, a source of funding for USW export market development. Read more in this statement from U.S. Grains Council.

Cereal Science Events Calendar. Every month, cereal scientist M. Hikmet Boyacioglu, Ph.D., compiles an industry calendar of events. Click here to see the mid-July 2020 calendar. To receive the calendar, please write to Dr. Boyacioglu at [email protected].

BASF and PowerPollen collaborate in research on hybrid wheat. BASF and PowerPollen® have signed an agreement to further develop and apply the company’s patented pollen preservation and application technology to improve cross-pollination and enhance BASF’s proprietary wheat program. Read the joint statement here.

Study Finds Whole Grains Lower Risk of Diabetes. Researchers found consuming one or more servings a day of whole grain cold breakfast cereal was associated with a 19 percent lower risk of becoming diabetic. Read more about the study here.

Registration Underway for Three September IAOM-KSU Milling Courses. IAOM has joined with Kansas State University’s IGP Institute to offer a variety of milling courses, which will be held in Manhattan, Kan. Register for these classes 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.

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Meet the USW Technical Experts: Andrés Saturno – A Family Legacy of Milling Innovation

Name: Andrés Saturno

Title: Technical Specialist

Office: USW South American Regional Office, Santiago

Providing Service to: Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru

Though raised in Carialinda, Venezuela, located in the mountains of Naguanagua, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Technical Specialist Andrés Saturno and his two brothers grew up with Italian and Spanish influences from his parents and grandmother. Bread was a big part of their table, and Saturno learned how to make many different kinds.

“Our daily consumption of wheat breads included close to twenty bollitos, which are French-style rolls, and two pan campesinos, a Spanish-style artisan bread,” Saturno said. “I also have made my favorite dish, gnocchi, from my grandmother’s recipe.”

Throughout his younger years, Saturno and his father, Andrea, a professional miller, worked on presentations related to wheat flour for his school science fairs. Saturno said their best presentation compared the properties of wheat gluten with other cereals. For this, they produced and displayed rice flour bread “that looked like a stone” and “beautiful wheat flour bread.”

Like Father, Like Son

In Saturno’s childhood, the group of mills where his father worked as the general manager and as the first Director of the Latin American School of Milling, known as ESLAMO, also made quite an impression.

“I was always fascinated to see the trains loaded with wheat entering the mill where my father worked,” Saturno said, “and with the analysis equipment in the ESLAMO milling school that USW had originally donated.”

After high school, Saturno was undecided if he wanted to be a mechanical engineer or a chef, but his father’s career influenced him to major in milling engineering. Saturno decided to attend Universidad Panamericana Del Puerto, where his father had started the milling engineering major, and he took great interest in the specific food processes and engineering behind milling.

Andrés (far right) with his father, Andrea (middle right), and his brothers in 2004.

“My dad has always been an example for me as a person and as a professional,” Saturno said. “Everyone said good things about him, and that influenced me even at school.”

Building a Career

During his time at the university, he honed his skills at ESLAMO and gained more experience with wheat, flour, baking, and pasta analysis. Saturno said that his time at the university and ESLAMO gave him the theoretical and practical tools to understand and solve problems in the milling process.

Andrés and his classmates at the ESLAMO milling school.

After graduation, Saturno’s first job was at a durum mill owned by a pasta factory. Saturno learned about milling semolina, pasta production, and how to operate a mill built in the 1950s. Saturno then worked at a food consulting company installing milling equipment and accessories and various other agro-industry equipment in animal handling facilities and feed plants. While working for the food consulting company, he had the opportunity to return to his university to teach milling.

“It was the most beautiful job I had,” Saturno said. “I still have communication with my students. Nothing is more rewarding than teaching.”

Building on his work at an older, established mill, Saturno moved to Honduras to work as the head of milling production in a brand-new flour mill. While there, Saturno learned how to grind U.S. soft red winter (SRW) wheat and produce flour for products like tortillas by blending different wheat classes.

Here, Saturno is providing in-plant technical service for a customer in Brazil.

The Right Fit

During Saturno’s time in Honduras, USW worked with its state wheat commission member organizations in the Pacific Northwest to develop and fund a new technical specialist position based in its South American regional office in Santiago, Chile. Changes in regional markets significantly influenced the need to add technical expertise in flour milling and blending. Someone with that experience and good communication skills would be needed.

During the search in early 2018, Casey Chumrau, who at the time was serving as USW Marketing Manager in the South American region, and is now executive director for the Idaho Wheat Commission, reached out to Andrea Saturno, who had been working with USW as a milling consultant since 2013, to ask about potential candidates.

“Turns out, his son, Andrés, was looking for a new job,” Chumrau said. “Since we had been working with Andrea, I knew we would have to be extra diligent in vetting his son to avoid any bias,” Chumrau said. “From the first contact, however, Andrés was extremely professional and showed a lot of potential. We knew he had the passion and personality to do the job,” Chumrau added. “Once Mark Fowler (USW Vice President of Global Technical Services) confirmed Andrés had the technical knowledge, we offered him the job.”

“I loved the idea of working with many different mills and processes where wheat is involved,” Saturno said. “I received the call for the job with USW, and at that moment, I said, ‘I can’t lose this chance.’”

With USW/Santiago, Saturno’s role is to work closely with customers and technical staff in South America to provide training, technical advice, and ongoing support to millers. To accomplish this, Saturno creates seminars and technical classes for the South American region to build relationships while providing valuable information and skills to USW customers.

“Andrés has extensive soft skills and excellent relationships with regional customers and his team,” Claudia Gomez, USW Senior Marketing Specialist in the USW Santiago Office, said. “He also provides important technical knowledge in milling and very good speaking skills to [present] various technical information to our clients.”

USW Brazilian Technical Trade Delegation to the United States on a visit to ADM Milling.

“Andrés’ expertise has allowed our customers to get the best out of our wheat during the cleaning, conditioning, and milling processes,” Miguel Galdós, USW Regional Director, South America, said. “Through post-sale activities, Andrés has collaborated with different mills in the region, creating confidence and loyalty with the technical staff of our customers.”

Technical Service

Saturno’s work helps USW Santiago provide services and training on all six U.S. wheat classes to customers in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru. Financial support for his activities comes from state wheat commissions in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon and USDA/Foreign Agricultural Service export market development programs.

Some examples of his work include utilizing the Quality Samples Program (QSP) to introduce hard red winter (HRW) and hard red spring (HRS) wheat to a Chilean mill and soft white (SW) wheat to a mill in Colombia, leading a USW-sponsored team of Brazilian flour managers on a visit to the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service Soft Wheat Laboratory in Wooster, Ohio, and on tours of wheat research facilities at Kansas State University and Texas A&M University.

Andrés co-led a QSP and milling seminar at Molino La Estampa in Chile with his father, Andrea Saturno, and USW colleague Casey Chumrau (now Idaho Wheat Commission Executive Director). The La Estampa QSP activity encouraged the mill to import 4,500 metric tons (MT) of HRW and 1,000 MT of SRW. 

“In previous years, USW was an institution that, although it had an office [in Santiago], there was no local contact to turn to in case of technical doubts,” said Maria Ines Velarde, Lab Manager, Molino La Estampa, Santiago, Chile. “The change in strategy that we have seen the last years, which included the arrival of Andrés Saturno, has meant that USW and La Estampa got closer, and that created ties and trust that allow us to have key and reliable information to make decisions at the right time.”

With Saturno as a technical specialist, USW can now give customers in the South American region more complete customer service.

Traveling with USW Santiago colleagues. (L to R) Andrés Saturno, Osvaldo Seco, Casey Chumrau and Miguel Galdos.

“This helped us widen our service area spectrum for our clients,” Saturno said. “Now we give constant technical attention to the personnel of laboratories, bakeries, milling, marketing, post-sale technicians, buyers, and owners of the mills.”

Saturno’s passion for the industry, experience in technical training, and ability to communicate with his customers has earned the respect not only of his customers but also of his colleagues.

“Andrés has contributed strong technical knowledge in the milling process, which has been a great value for all our regional customers, giving them the necessary technical support to obtain the best return from our wheat,” Galdós said.

“In addition to being a professional milling expert, Andrés is one of the best people in the world,” Chumrau said. “He truly wants each mill to be successful and doesn’t need any of the credit. He is a team player, a dedicated employee, and a great colleague. Andrés is and undoubtedly will further the mission of USW representing U.S. wheat farmers and their products.”

Andrés and his wife, Berenice, at an ALIM conference in Mexico.

Andrés and his son, Alessio Massimiliano Saturno Ramos, born on February 19, 2020.

By Dylan Davidson, USW Communications Intern

Editor’s Note: This is the ninth in a series of posts profiling U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) technical experts in flour milling and wheat foods production. USW Vice President of Global Technical Services Mark Fowler says technical support to overseas customers is an essential part of export market development for U.S. wheat. “Technical support adds differential value to the reliable supply of U.S. wheat,” Fowler says. “Our customers must constantly improve their products in an increasingly competitive environment. We can help them compete by demonstrating the advantages of using the right U.S. wheat class or blend of classes to produce the wide variety of wheat-based foods the world’s consumers demand.”

Header Photo Caption: Andrés (far right) at a USW milling seminar in Fortaleza, Brazil with fellow USW staff, Peter Lloyd (second from left) and Miguel Galdos (second to right).

Meet the other USW Technical Experts in this blog series:

Ting Liu – Opening Doors in a Naturally Winning Way
Shin Hak “David” Oh – Expertise Fermented in Korean Food Culture
Tarik Gahi – ‘For a Piece of Bread, Son’
Gerry Mendoza – Born to Teach and Share His Love for Baking
Marcelo Mitre – A Love of Food and Technology that Bakes in Value and Loyalty
Peter Lloyd – International Man of Milling
Ivan Goh – An Energetic Individual Born to the Food Industry
 Adrian Redondo – Inspired to Help by Hard Work and a Hero
Wei-lin Chou – Finding Harmony in the Wheat Industry

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A Legacy of Commitment – Finding a Connection Through the Wheat Fields

Reprinted with Permission from Agweek, July 10, 2020, by Katie Pinke. 

Wheat acreage in 2020 is the lowest since records began in 1919, another year marked by a global pandemic.

I read and then heard the AgweekTV report that the 44.3 million acres of planted wheat acres in 2020 are the lowest since records started being kept in 1919, according to the June U.S. Department of Agriculture acreage report. As a wheat farmer’s daughter who currently lives and works where five generations have farmed, the year 1919 flashed before me. I thought of what and who was on the farm then.

1919. The second year of a global health pandemic, a flu impacting a third of the world’s population, more than 500 million people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mortality was higher in children ages 5 and under, ages 20-40 and 65 years or older. You can walk rural cemeteries to see the impact of the flu pandemic of 1918-19 and know it impacted your ancestors and their communities.

Wheat harvest in North Dakota, circa 1919.

1919 was also the timeframe my great-grandfather, Oscar Huso Sr., had completed the building of a large new farmhouse for his wife, Joyce, and she was expecting their first child. The family stories that have been passed down to me were that Joyce became sick with the flu that killed an estimated 675,000 Americans. The baby Joyce was carrying died.

In the “Yesteryears” of the local Aneta (N.D.) Star July 2, 2020, edition it reads that my great-grandfather and his wife have the sympathy of the community in the loss of their infant daughter. Funeral services were held. She was buried at the local cemetery. “Mrs. Huso, who has been quite ill, is recovering very nicely.”

Except, Joyce didn’t recover. She remained sickly, and in 1922, she died. I was told the residual effects of the flu held on. She lost two babies and then eventually weakness and sickness took her life. She was about 30 years old. My great-grandfather was about 38 years old.

I know he planted wheat and kept farming, alone, in the five-bedroom farmhouse he built for his late wife and children he never raised.

I think of my great-grandfather who I never met and the brokenness he felt in those years. I connect those feelings to the silent suffering millions are experiencing now through a different but somewhat similar global health pandemic.

And here I am, on the farm where my great-grandpa grieved.

Not far from the farm Joyce grew up on was a single woman in her 30s, Signa, farming and living with her mother. Signa certainly was not thinking marriage or children were in her future, I imagine. But Oscar Sr. came courting and calling to the same area, only this time his love was Signa. He asked for her hand in marriage, presenting her with a platinum diamond ring, and in 1924 they were married.

Signa gave birth to my grandfather, Oscar Jr., in the five-bedroom farmhouse in 1925. The story my grandpa told me as a child was his father had a fear of pregnancies and hospitals, so even though area communities had local hospitals for childbirth by the 1920s, he was born at home, on the farm.

My grandpa wasn’t eating and thriving after being born. Signa’s Norweigian immigrant mother, Kirsti, an area midwife and widowed farmer, came to help. Kirsti fed my infant grandfather a milk mush on a rag to help him along in his early days of life. It worked. Oscar Sr. and his wife Signa raised my grandfather and his two sisters on the farm, realizing his long-awaited family dreams.

My grandpa lived almost all of his lifetime on the farm, minus his years of military service and college. His wife, Nola, my grandmother, remains living in the farmhouse built during the pandemic of 1918-19.

While I am told Signa never spoke of Joyce, a painting of Joyce’s always remained hung on a living room wall. My grandmother said he knows Oscar Sr. and Joyce’s wedding photos are in the house, and she’s going to find them for me. My great-great-aunt Iris, one of the oldest living Americans at age 114, has told me in past years Joyce was her first-grade teacher and remains the most beautiful woman she’s ever seen.

Katie Pinke and the next generation of her family visited Silent Hill Cemetery, rural Aneta, N.D. to find the gravestones talked about through family stories. (Katie Pinke/Agweek)

I drove to the rural cemetery this week with my daughters, niece and nephew, walking to Joyce’s gravestone, which is placed next to the one engraved with “Baby 1919 and Baby 1920.” Life on our family farm wouldn’t look like it does today if Joyce lived a long, full life. I paid my respects, explaining to the kids the details I’ve been told of the loss and family farm connection they have to her and the babies.

Then we passed green fields of wheat as we drove back to the farm, just down the road from where Oscar Sr.’s original farmhouse stands tall. We’re better off today in a global health pandemic than Oscar Sr. and Joyce were in 1919. I am a grateful wheat farmer’s daughter. I hope in another century our future generations look back at our world and see how we worked to improve it for all for them. And I hope that despite farming changes and progress, wheat remains growing in farm fields.

Pinke is the publisher and general manager of Agweek. She can be reached at [email protected], or connect with her on Twitter @katpinke.

 

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Tight Exportable Supplies, Elevation Capacity Prop Up SRW Export Prices

By Claire Hutchins, USW Market Analyst

The inverted spread in export prices for U.S. soft red winter (SRW) and hard red winter (HRW) that has appeared occasionally recently settled into the market in early July. What is happening to fuel this situation?

First, there are limited exportable supplies of SRW along the Mississippi River due to lower planted area in key states. That lower supply of SRW is also competing for export elevation capacity in the Center Gulf with increased export demand for soybeans and corn. U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) believes these two factors could continue to support Gulf SRW export prices in the coming weeks.

Source: USW weekly Price Report

Between June 26 and July 17, Gulf SRW free on board (FOB) prices increased 16 percent to $239/MT.

With planted area down 13 percent and 12 percent in two key SRW-producing states, Illinois and Missouri, respectively, the recent harvest did little to improve exportable supplies of SRW. The SRW harvest in states tributary to the Mississippi River feeding into Center Gulf export terminals, was “a flash in the pan” said one grain exporter.

“We don’t have abundant supplies up and down the Mississippi River and rail rates are just too high for it to make sense to pull SRW supplies inland from the Midwestern states,” said another trader.

A swift uptick in export demand for U.S. soybeans and corn is limiting export elevation capacity out of the Center Gulf, which adds support to nearby Gulf SRW export prices. According to U.S. grain traders, customers may have difficulty finding export capacity for “grocery boats” (vessels containing multiple commodities or multiple classes of wheat) out of the Center Gulf for nearby deliveries which supports SRW export prices.

Soybeans. “A lot of customers are surprised by the fact that export capacity is filling up so quickly with soybeans,” said one industry contact. The reason, however, is no surprise: China’s dramatic increase in U.S. soybean purchases this year compared to previous years. According to USDA, China bought 1.49 million metric tons (MMT) of U.S. soybeans between May 28 and July 9 for delivery in 2019/20. That is nearly 35 percent more than the 959,000 metric tons (MT) China purchased over the same period in 2019. U.S. soybean sales to all destinations, between May 28 and July 9, reached 4.15 MMT, nearly double the volume over the same period in 2019.

Source: USDA FAS Export Sales data as of July 9, 2020

Corn. Between May 28 and July 9, total U.S. corn export sales, to all destinations, reached 3.65 MMT, more than double the volume sold over the same period in 2019. Export sales to Mexico, the largest market for U.S. corn, reached 815,000 MT during the previously noted 2020 period, nearly quadruple the total volume sold in 2019. Between July 2 and July 9, USDA reported China bought 768,000 MT of U.S. corn, its largest weekly purchase since October 2011.

Source: USDA FAS Export Sales data as of July 9, 2020

It is interesting to note that Gulf SRW FOB prices for August delivery are currently more than all HRW prices from the Texas Gulf. As of July 17, USW reported that HRW ordinary FOB for August delivery was $216/MT and HRW 11 percent protein (on a 12 percent moisture basis) was $220/MT compared to $239/MT for SRW.

Photo above: A grain barge headed downstream on the Mississippi River.

 

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Dependable People: A Spotlight on the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee

For 40 years, U.S. wheat farmers have supported U.S. Wheat Associates’ (USW) efforts to work directly with buyers and promote their six classes of wheat. Their contributions to state wheat commissions, who in turn contribute a portion of those funds to USW, qualifies USW to apply for export market development funds managed by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Currently, 17 state wheat commissions are USW members and this series highlights those partnerships and the work being done state-by-state to provide unmatched service. Behind the world’s most reliable supply of wheat are the world’s most dependable people – and that includes our state wheat commissions.

Member: Montana Wheat and Barley Committee
Member of USW since 1980

Location: Great Falls, Mont.
Classes of wheat grown: Hard Red Winter (HRW), Hard Red Spring (HRS), Durum
USW Leadership:  James E. Jenks, 1984/85 Chairman; Richard Sampsen, 1995/96 Chairman; Leonard Schock, 2006/07 Chairman; Janice Mattson, 2009/10 Chairperson; Chris Kolstad, 2018/19 Chairman.

The mission of the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee (MWBC) is to protect and foster the health and prosperity of the Montana wheat and barley industry by encouraging scientific research to improve production and quality; maintaining current markets; promoting new market development; and serving as an educational and informational resource.

2018/19 Chairman Chris Kolstad from Montana (R) passes the gavel to 2019/20 Chairman Doug Goyings from Ohio.

Why is export market development important to Montana wheat farmers and why do they continue to support USW and its activities?

Montana exports most of its wheat to partners around the world. Wheat production in the state is logistically advantaged to efficiently fill shuttle trains with hard red spring (HRS) and hard red winter (HRW) bound for the Pacific Northwest (PNW) ports. Montana’s wheat is often considered as improver classes because it offers strong functional characteristics. The extreme summer heat and extreme winter cold together are conducive to growing excellent small grains with high protein. Montana wheat is desired by quality-conscious customers, making the Pacific Rim our largest market. Market development efforts are very important to Montana farmers and USW plays a key role in identifying potential markets and maintaining existing markets. Our farmers have invested in these efforts since 1967 when our committee was formed, and our very low checkoff refund rate shows Montana farmers understand the value of these efforts.

Montana wheat farmer and USW Director Denise Conover traveled with USW to Tanzania and Kenya in November 2019 to learn more about food aid programs and wheat monetization. Read more.

How have Montana wheat farmers recently connected with overseas customers?

MWBC hosts upwards of 100 overseas trade team visitors each year. Our farmers love hosting trade delegations and are quick to open their homes to our guests. Showcasing a way of life that often spans many generations is a great point of pride for Montana farmers, and discussions on best practices and planting decisions often lead to 3-hour dinners and forming long-term connections. Montana farmers view our overseas customers as an extended family.

Current circumstances are transforming the way we reach customers, including taking part in weekly updates and virtual meetings hosted by USW. MWBC is being proactive in our efforts as the uncertainty associated with the pandemic has brought challenges. However, our farmers are not slowing down. They are working their hardest to continue to supply the market with the highest quality wheat in the world.

A USW 2019 trade delegation from Japan visiting a farm in Montana.

What is happening lately in Montana that overseas customers should know about?

  • We are developing a video series that creates a virtual trade delegation experience and focuses on what a visitor would learn and experience if they were visiting Montana in person. The series will tour the Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) certified State Grain Lab with a look at the grading process and factors that set Montana wheat apart, and feature a farm tour to present crop rotation, precision agriculture and other sustainable practices.
  • Montana State University (MSU) has done an excellent job keeping research projects moving forward during the pandemic and is hiring a new endowed chair and HRS wheat breeder. Montana farmers invest over $2 million every year in wheat and barley research.
  • MSU wheat breeding programs continue to focus on quality, traits like low PPO and increased stability and developing durum varieties.

Montana farmers would like to thank USW for their continued efforts in developing and maintaining overseas markets. Without these efforts a lot of us would not be able to do what we love out in “Big Sky Country.” Many Montana farmers have hosted overseas visitors traveling with USW and have made lifelong friendships and memories because of it. Those experiences have outlasted cultural, political and historical differences over the last 50+ years for MWBC.

Learn more about the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee on its website here and on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

 

A trade delegation of Japanese executive millers visited 2018/19 USW Chairman and Montana wheat farmer Chris Kolstad on his farm in 2019.

Janice Mattson, a wheat farmer from Montana, was USW’s first female chair in 2009/10. She was also featured in a 4-part series about the U.S. wheat supply chain system in 2014. View that series here.

 

Al Klempel (L), a wheat farmer from Montana, traveled with USW to Spain, Portugal and Morocco on a board team trip in 2019. The team is pictured here with equipment sponsored by U.S. Wheat Associates at the IFIM milling school in Casablanca. Read more.

Leonard Schock, 2006/07 USW Chairman and a Montana wheat farmer presented at the 2016 North Asia Marketing Conference in Guam.

 

2018/19 USW Chairman Chris Kolstad, a wheat farmer from Montana, and NAWG President, Ben Scholz, a wheat farmer from Texas, represented the U.S. wheat industry at the 2017 National Association of Farm Broadcasting Trade Talk event.

 

 

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State Organizations to Host Virtual HRS/DNS Pre-Harvest Update July 28

As harvest time approaches for the 2020 U.S. hard red spring (HRS/DNS) wheat crop, domestic and international customers are anxious to get the latest crop information.  With many in-person meetings and events put on hold this year, including the Wheat Quality Council’s Annual Spring Wheat Tour, many of our friends and customers will miss the opportunity to see the crop’s potential first-hand.

But as everyone has done in this new COVID-19 world, the North Dakota Wheat Commission (NDWC) and the North Dakota Grain Growers Association (NDGGA) are bringing the crop to stakeholders by hosting a virtual HRS/DNS update on Tuesday, July 28, at 9:00 a.m. Central Daylight Time. The meeting will be hosted on the Zoom application. To register, visit https://ndwheat.com/events/2020VirtualHardRedSpringWheatPreHarvestUpdate/.

With Wheat Quality Council Tours like this one from North Dakota in 2016 cancelled, North Dakota wheat grower groups are hosting a virtual HRS/DNS pre-harvest update July 28.

Representatives from NDWC, NDGGA, farmers and wheat commissioners from Minnesota, Montana and and South Dakota will report on crop conditions, production and quality potential and other important issues that have affected this HRS/DNS crop. Extension experts will provide agronomic and disease updates, and producers will provide video and personal observations of crop conditions and maturity levels throughout the spring wheat region.

Here is the updated agenda:

Welcome

  • NDWC and NDGGA

Wheat Quality Council Update

  • Dave Green, Wheat Quality Council

Spring Wheat Overview

  • NDWC

North Dakota Update

  • Joel Ransom, North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension
  • Andrew Green, NDSU Spring Wheat Breeder
  • Field Reports from ND Producers

Montana Update

  • Cassidy Marn, Montana Wheat & Barley Committee
  • Field Reports from Montana producers

South Dakota Update

  • Reid Christopherson, South Dakota Wheat Commission
  • Field Reports from South Dakota producers

Minnesota Update

  • Charlie Vogel, Minnesota Wheat Research and Promotion Council
  • Jim Anderson, University of Minnesota
  • Jochum Wiersma, University of Minnesota
  • Field Reports from Minnesota producers

2020 Disease Outlook

  • Andrew Friskop, NDSU Extension

Wrap up and Questions

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Wheat Industry News

Recent news and highlights from around the wheat industry. 

Speaking of Wheat: “A completed USMCA finally gets us past the uncertainty and that is welcome news to U.S. wheat growers. Especially as we now see an opportunity for U.S. negotiators to take this as a gold standard agreement and launch negotiations with other countries, where U.S. wheat growers face tariff and non-tariff barriers.” – Doug Goyings, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Chairman and a wheat farmer from Paulding, Ohio.

Hybrid Wheat Grant to University of Nebraska-Lincoln Researcher. P. Stephen Baenziger, professor and Wheat Growers Presidential Chair in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, received a three-year grant from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture program to develop distinct germplasm pools to support the development of hybrid wheat. Read more.

USMCA Enters into Force. On July 1, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement officially replaced NAFTA. USW welcomes the agreement as crucial to maintaining the free flow of wheat from the United States to our Mexican customers and help farmers who may wish to trade across the Canadian border. Read more. 

Wheat Foods Council Publishes Educational Video Content. The Wheat Foods Council focuses on developing educational and promotional nutrition resources on wheat food products that reach health and nutrition professionals, opinion leaders, media and consumers. Recently the Council has added several new videos to its available resources. View these videos on its YouTube here and additional content on its website 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.

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.

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