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Dependable People: A Spotlight on the California Wheat Commission

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: California Wheat Commission
Member of USW since 1994

Location: Woodland, Calif.
Classes of wheat grown: Hard Red Winter (HRW), Hard White (HW), Soft White (SW), Durum
USW Leadership:  Roy Motter, 2014/15 Chairman

Wheat is an important part of farming economics in California both as a valuable rotational crop and a primary crop. The California Wheat Commission’s (CWC) mission is “to support research that improves California wheat quality and marketability, and to develop and maintain domestic and international markets for California wheat.”

USW Past President Alan Tracy visited 2014/15 Chairman Roy Motter on his farm in California in 2015.

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

Since wheat is a global commodity, U.S. pricing is tied to the ups and downs of the global marketplace. A strong export market leads to a higher market value and potentially a higher premium for California wheat. While flour milled from California wheat has many coveted qualities for baking, pasta and tortilla manufacturers, any pricing premium will be a percentage over the U.S. market. Due to the competition of other high value crops in California, bolstered global wheat prices influence additional planted and harvested acres of wheat. U.S. Wheat Associates unites wheat growers to work together for our common good. As wheat growers, we have all benefited from our membership and USW’s staff working on trade policy, opening new markets and strengthening relationships both domestically and globally to grow our industry.

How have California wheat farmers recently connected with overseas customers?

California wheat farmers connect with overseas customers in USW meetings. California also hosts customers from various mills as part of California Wheat Commission’s training courses. This face to face interaction and learning is the best way for us to build strong relationships with our customers.

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

  • The California Wheat Lab offers milling, baking, pasta making and other flour-based product training. We partner with Andrea Saturno and Marco Fava to offer a pasta course in Spanish.
  • CWC is currently working on creating a targeted artisan baking product course for white and whole grain flours.
  • In collaboration with the University of California-Davis (UCD), CWC developed a new preferred variety list for hard white and hard red wheat and is developing a list for durum wheat. Also, in collaboration with UCD, we have released varieties with high fiber, high yellow pigment and increased protein content. Breeding for high nutrient density wheat crops continues to be a priority for the breeding program, in addition to quality and yield improvements.

Learn more about the California Wheat Commission on its website here and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin.

Past Chairman Roy Motter and his family’s California wheat farm were featured in a USW profile series on sustainability practices. View the profile here.

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

CWC Executive Director Claudia Carter at the California Wheat Lab.

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The Future of Plant Breeding Depends on Sound Science-Based Policy

By Shelbi Knisley, USW Director of Trade Policy

New breeding technologies are forecast to offer many promises for consumers, producers and the environment. Plant Breeding Innovations (PBI) is a term defined by the International Seed Federation as, “the constantly evolving ideas and practices which enhance the field of plant breeding. Today’s innovations in plant breeding are developed using sophisticated science and technologies including cell biology, gene mapping and marker-assisted breeding.”

Benefits

Unlike GMOs, gene editing technologies such as CRISPR and TALENs represent a breeding method in which precise changes are made to an organism’s genome, changes that many of which may also occur naturally in nature. These technologies do not require insertion of a “foreign” gene into the plant variety being developed.

Gene editing and other PBIs show excellent potential to improve food safety and affordability. Calyxt is a commercial organization that has developed a gene edited soybean offering the health benefits of zero trans-fat and reduced saturated fat oil. The company is also developing a high fiber wheat variety that could help many consumers meet recommended dietary fiber needs. Gene editing can also assist in reducing food waste. Intrexon (now known as Precigen) used this technology to create non-browning lettuce, which would extend its shelf life.

Producers are expected to see economic and environmental benefits from these innovations by using fewer crop protection inputs to grow more food on the same amount of land leading to less environmental impact – something an increasing number of consumers have shown they care about as well.

Global Regulations

Many countries are formulating policies on these new technologies. In mid-May the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) released revised rules on biotechnology. Under these rules, USDA stated that “gene edited products may be exempt from strict regulation so long as no “plant pest” is present, and the products could be produced through traditional breeding methods.”  Two other regulators, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), are expected to release their regulations in the future.

Japan has stated it will not label or regulate genome edited products as genetically engineered products. Some other countries that have put in process methods of regulating these new technologies are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, and Canada, with various ways of monitoring, such as consultative process or trait-based approaches. Alternately, the European Court of Justice ruled in June 2018 that gene editing would be regulated like GMOs.

To ensure that these new breeding techniques can fulfill their potential, wide-ranging benefits, governments should rely on sound science to develop policies. If unproven fears lead to highly regulated policies, the risk of disruption in international trade will be increased unnecessarily.

Collaboration

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) regularly discuss breeding technologies and track how various governments are planning to regulate those products through our joint Wheat Breeding Innovation Committee. Any gene edited wheat varieties are expected to be several years away from commercialization. During that time, USW and NAWG will continue to work hand in hand with all sectors of the wheat value chain to ensure growers have access to technology and that our international customers can continue to count on access to the highest quality wheat in the world.

More information about how USW and NAWG support new plant breeding techniques  through science-based policies can be found here.

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Wheat Export Market Development Goes Virtual – For Now

Despite the different roles or distances between us, all the people around the world in the story of U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) share an unspoken connection, not only through U.S. wheat, but also through our shared values of growth, hard work and family.

Today, those connections may have been physically broken by concern for our health during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the effort to keep those bonds strong continues thanks to the miracle of the Internet.

USW has adapted before to circumstances that kept our representatives apart from overseas customers. Our regional office in Mexico City used online tools to successfully conduct virtual Crop Quality Seminars with Venezuelan customers since 2015.

With forethought that looks uncanny today, USW Director of Information Services Terry Herman in 2019 installed the latest collaboration software from Microsoft that has become a lifeline to customers who initially were very concerned that the pandemic would disrupt the flow of wheat from the United States. USW quickly put the new tool to work to help reassure customers that the U.S. wheat store would stay open.

USW Singapore Biscuit/Bakery and Noodle Technologist Ivan Goh presented a webinar on “SRC as a Quality Control Tool” to a Philippine food company May 21, 2020, one of many such online presentations USW is now conducting to stay in touch with its customers

“It was very important to have the ability to connect personally, even if it was through virtual meetings,” said USW Vice President of Overseas Operations Mike Spier. “With the restrictions and a new wheat crop coming there were lots of questions about supply to answer. I don’t think you can ever replace the value of face-to-face meetings but being able to quickly turn to online tools that allow us to see and hear each other sure helps to reinforce the relationships.”

Using its new platform, for example, USW Manila has conducted an online meeting with more than 50 Philippine flour millers to discuss current supply and demand factors. The tool helped USW reach out to flour millers across Sub-Saharan Africa. USW Santiago is holding almost daily meetings on the platform with customers in several South American countries

In April, USW Singapore worked with a local partner to conduct a two-hour webinar on cookie and cracker production featuring USW Bakery Consultant Roy Chung for 194 baking industry professionals from key U.S. wheat markets including the Philippines and Indonesia. A second webinar to South Asian customers in May focused on cake production. USW Santiago and USW Cape Town also partnered with Kansas Wheat to hold virtual trade teams that featured harvest progress, early crop quality and price expectations, and online video discussions with farmers live from their fields.

These are only a few examples of how USW, with support from its state wheat commission members, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, farmers and other industry organizations, is working to secure the trusted partnerships they have built with overseas customers – even in the midst of such an unexpected disruption.

 

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Wheat Industry News

Recent news and highlights from around the wheat industry.

Speaking of Wheat: “We go that extra step to take care of the ground because we’re excited when it produces better. It’s a family heritage thing. This is what my grandparents did, they passed it down to my father and now it’s going to be passed down to me and I want to pass it on to my children.” – Kyler Millershaski, Kleeman/Millershaski Farms, Lakin, Kan. Hear more from Kyler about his family’s story here.

Congratulations Colleagues. We are fortunate to have devoted, loyal colleagues at U.S. Wheat Associates (USW). This month, Vince Peterson and Mina El Hachimi are celebrating 35 years with the organization. Peterson is USW President in the USW Headquarters Office in Arlington, Va., and El Hachimi is Senior Administrative Consultant in the USW Casablanca Office. Thank you, Vince and Mina, for your service to our organization, U.S. wheat farmers and our customers.

USW Submits Export Plan to FAS. USW submitted its latest Unified Export Strategy (UES) plan to USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) on June 8, 2020. Funding is not guaranteed, and each year USW Vice President of Planning and Programs Jennifer Sydney and USW’s overseas offices work for several months to create this comprehensive U.S. wheat export plan.

World Food Prize Announces 2020 Laureate. Dr. Rattan Lal of Ohio State University, a native of India and a citizen of the United States, will receive the 2020 World Food Prize for developing and mainstreaming a soil-centric approach to increasing food production that restores and conserves natural resources and mitigates climate change. See more about Dr. Lal and The World Food Prize here.

Idaho Wheat Commission Executive Director Retires. After 18 years at the helm of the Idaho Wheat Commission (IWC), Blaine Jacobson will end his leadership tenure in June. Jacobson spent a decade as chairman of the joint USW and National Association of Wheat Growers Food Aid Working Group. We wish him a long and happy retirement. Former USW Santiago Marketing Manager Casey Chumrau will become IWC’s Executive Director. Read more.

Early Bird Registration for Spring Wheat Yield Contest. 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.

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Dependable People: A Spotlight on the Kansas Wheat Commission

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: Kansas Wheat Commission
Member of USW since 1980

Location: Manhattan, Kan.
Classes of wheat grown: Hard Red Winter (HRW); Hard White (HW)
USW Leadership: Adrian J. Polansky, 1985/86 Chairman; Joe Berry, 1996/97 Chairman; Ron Suppes, 2007/08 Chairman

The Kansas Wheat Commission represents “farmers investing in their future.” The grower-funded and governed advocacy organization works to secure a future for Kansas wheat in the global market. International trade, research, export system studies and continually improving wheat varieties are how Kansas wheat remains competitive in the world market. Through a voluntary two cent check-off on every bushel of wheat produced, Kansas wheat growers enhance their productivity and profitability.

USW 2007/08 Chairman Ron Suppes (L), a wheat farmer from Kansas, passes the gavel to Michael Edgar, a wheat farmer from Arizona.

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

Kansas wheat farmers support USW because of the technical expertise and trade assistance they provide to export customers, whose purchases account for about half of the wheat grown in Kansas each year. Much of this wheat is transported by rail to Mexico or to the Gulf of Mexico for export. Mexico is a growing market for Kansas wheat because of free trade policies, population and economic growth and a comparative advantage in transportation logistics.

Gary Millershaski, a USW director and Kansas wheat farmer, was featured along with his family recently in this video, “Stories from the Wheat Farm – The Next Generation in Kansas.”

How have Kansas wheat farmers recently connected with overseas customers?

Each year, international customers travel to Kansas to learn more about the crop, the U.S. wheat grain production and marketing system and the farmers that grow the wheat they buy. These trade teams usually consist of procurement agents, flour millers and executives. They come to Kansas to get a first-hand look at each new crop as it nears the end of its growing season. They discuss the U.S. grading and inspection system to learn how to write their specifications to receive the best product at the most efficient price.

In addition, Kansas wheat farmers and members of the Kansas Wheat staff travel with USW to participate in buyers’ conferences and on USW board teams. We speak at events for international buyers and work with the IGP Institute to provide training to customers.

Kansas wheat farmer Jay Armstrong (R) participated on the 2018 USW Board Team that traveled to South Africa and Nigeria. He is pictured here in a South African wheat field. Read more about this trip here.

A USW Trade Delegation from Nigeria visited in Kansas in 2012. Kansas Wheat has a long history with the Nigerian milling industry and typically hosts customers from there each year.

A USW Sub Saharan Trade Delegation visiting Kansas in 2019.

This year, trade teams look different with current travel restrictions, so Kansas Wheat is reaching out to have virtual discussions with international customers. In June, we are hosting Zoom® meetings with customers from Brazil and Sub-Saharan Africa. While these buyers will not be able to set foot in a Kansas wheat field, they will get the latest information about the 2020 Kansas hard red winter (HRW) and hard white (HW) winter wheat crops, get an early report on grade and non-grade factors, get a live report from a Kansas wheat field, talk to a farmer, and visit with a grain trade representative. There will be a question and answer session for all participants.

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

Wheat harvest in Kansas is just beginning. This year’s crop has had some struggles, from drought conditions last fall, to continued spring drought in the southwest and north central parts of the state, to a damaging April freeze. While the quantity of the crop will likely be slightly lower than normal, the test weight and protein of this year’s crop will likely be above average. There will be enough wheat to meet our customers’ needs.

Kansas Wheat CEO Justin Gilpin (center) gives guests a tour of the Wheat Genetics Resource Center. Learn more about wheat research and breeding here.

The Kansas Wheat Innovation Center (KWIC) was built by the Kansas Wheat Commission, through the Kansas wheat check-off, to get improved wheat varieties into the hands of farmers faster. It represents the single largest research investment by Kansas wheat farmers in history. The KWIC was built on land owned by Kansas State University and is leased to the Kansas Wheat Commission for 50 years. Construction was completed in November 2012. Four new greenhouse bays were completed in spring 2018. Construction of a wheat quality lab housed in the KWIC will be completed this summer.

The KWIC is also home of the world-renowned Wheat Genetics Resource Center (WGRC). The WGRC has established a national and international network to conduct and coordinate genetic studies in wheat. The WGRC has also been recently designated as a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center. This is the first I/UCRC focusing on plant sciences. The NSF Center is a collaboration between private wheat genetics companies and public universities including Kansas State University, Colorado State University and Washington State University. The goal is to leverage the wide genetic diversity of wheat to improve modern varieties.

Learn more about the Kansas Wheat Commission on its website here and on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

In 2019, Kansas wheat farmer Brian Linin testified on behalf of U.S. wheat farmers on the importance of the grain inspection system for U.S. export markets. Read more.

Past USW Chairman and Kansas wheat farmer Ron Suppes spoke at an event for the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba.

Kansas wheat farmer Justin Knopf is featured in USW’s sustainability profiles here.

Past USW Chairman and Kansas wheat farmer Ron Suppes (green shirt), joined USW on its “Food Aid Learning Journey” to Tanzania in 2017. Read more about this trip here.

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Commercial U.S. Wheat Export Sales Top USDA Estimate

By Claire Hutchins, USW Market Analyst

Despite challenging market factors, U.S. wheat exports for marketing year (MY) 2019/20, which ended May 31, totaled 26.9 million metric tons* (MMT) (988 million bushels), ahead of USDA’s export volume estimate of 26.4 MMT (970 million bushels). That is 4 percent ahead of MY 2018/19 and 10 percent greater than the 5-year average of 24.4 MMT (897 million bushels).

Commercial sales of all classes of wheat in MY 2019/20 exceeded 2018/19 levels in part from favorable market factors including abundant exportable supplies, strong harvest qualities, and competitive export prices at the beginning of the marketing year.

This offset such bearish factors as a strong U.S. dollar, competitor’s advantages, difficult winter wheat planting conditions, significant delays to the spring wheat and durum harvests, uncertainty about U.S. trade policies, and recent challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Throughout the year, even in the face of the pandemic restrictions on meetings and travel, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) representatives were able to sustain a strong level of service and information flow to its customers, with support from its state commissions members and USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service export market development programs.

Hard Red Winter. Significantly greater production and attractive export prices buoyed hard red winter (HRW) exports year-over-year. Total 2019/20 HRW exports came in at 10.2 MMT (375 million bushels), 9 percent ahead of last year. According to USDA, higher yields due to cool, moist conditions during the 2019 growing season more than offset decreased planted area. HRW production increased 26 percent in 2019/20 to 22.7 MMT (834 million bushels). The average HRW export price in the first two months of MY 2019/20 fell 4 percent from the year prior to $233/MT. Increased exports to Mexico, the largest market for HRW, Taiwan, Indonesia, Brazil and Colombia more than offset reduced exports to Nigeria, Japan, Iraq and Egypt. Sales to Mexico totaled 2.61 MMT (95.9 million bushels), the highest on record and 22 percent more than last year. Sales to Nigeria, the second largest market for HRW, fell 11 percent from last year to 1.01 MMT (37.1 million bushels). HRW sales to China picked up in 2019/20 to 302,000 MT (11.1 million bushels) compared to the zero metric tons sold in 2018/19.

Hard Red Spring. Total hard red spring (HRS) commercial sales of 8.0 MMT (294 million bushels) were 12 percent greater than last year and 36 percent greater than the 5-year average of 1.45 MMT (53.3 million bushels). Exportable supplies were relatively stable year-over-year as higher beginning stocks in 2019/20 cushioned reduced production. Commercial sales to the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Vietnam, the top five export markets for HRS, all outpaced 2018/19 sales. HRS sales to China for delivery in 2019/20 at 146,000 MT (5.36 million bushels) were more than 4 times greater than the quantity sold for delivery in 2018/19.

Soft Red Winter. Soft red winter (SRW) sales fell 27 percent on the year to 2.45 MMT (90.0 million bushels) as reduced exportable supplies supported export prices. USDA estimates 2019/20 SRW production fell 17 percent from last year to 6.50 MMT (239 million bushels). The average SRW export price for 2018/19 was $217/MT, but for almost the entire second half of the marketing year, SRW futures prices were higher than HRW futures. Exports to 8 out of the top 10 SRW markets fell below 2018/19. Sales to Mexico, the top market for SRW, fell 11 percent from last year to 815,000 MT (29.9 million bushels). Price sensitive buyer Egypt made no SRW purchases in MY 2019/20. Sales to Colombia, the fourth largest market for SRW, increased 11 percent year-over-year to 288,000 MT (10.6 million bushels).

White Wheat. Total commercial sales of soft white (SW) and hard white (HW) wheat of 5.37 MMT (197 million bushels) were slightly less than last year but still 14 percent ahead of the 5-year average of 4.69 MMT (172 million bushels). HW sales represent about 4 percent of the total. Sales to 3 of the top 5 white wheat markets fell below 2018/19. Sales to Japan, the second largest market for white wheat, fell 21 percent from last year to 701,000 MT (25.8 million bushels). Sales to the Philippines, the top market for white wheat, increased 14 percent from last year to 1.51 MMT (55.5 million bushels).

White Wheat Sales

Note that USDA reports both SW and hard white (HW) in its U.S. White Wheat commercial sales. HW represents about 4% of total White Wheat sales.

Durum. USDA reported 2019/20 durum sales at 965,000 MT (35.5 million bushels), nearly double last year’s figure and 70 percent greater than the 5-year average on significantly increased European Union (EU) imports. EU durum production fell 14 percent year-over-year on sharply lower harvested area, prompting greater imports from the United States. Italian imports of U.S. durum nearly tripled last year’s import volume at 672,000 MT (24.7 million bushels).

*Slight adjustments will be made when final commercial sales data is published on June 11.

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Stories from the Wheat Farm – The Next Generation in Kansas

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 Kleeman/Millershaski Family: Gary Millershaski started farming with his father-in-law Earl Kleeman in 1992 and his sons Jeremy and Kyler joined the operation four years ago. Sadly, Earl passed away in 2019, but not before he proudly helped harvest what was one of the family’s best wheat crops in years. Kyler Millershaski is excited to build on his family’s legacy as the next generation on the farm.

Location: Lakin, Kansas
Classes of Wheat Grown:  Hard Red Winter (HRW) and Hard White (HW)
Leadership:
Gary Millershaski: Past President, Kansas Association of Wheat Growers; Kansas Wheat Commissioner; USW Director
Kyler Millershaski: Vice President, Kansas Association of Wheat Growers 

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Vietnam Reduces Tariffs on Wheat and Other Agricultural Products

The Government of Vietnam recently revised Most Favored Nation (MFN) tariff rates on several imported agricultural products, including wheat. This decision reduces Vietnam’s tariff on imported U.S. wheat (excluding durum) from 5 percent to 3 percent and will take effect July 10, 2020.

The reduced tariff is welcome news to U.S. wheat producers in part because it helps make U.S. wheat more competitive in Vietnam’s growing wheat market. There is, however, more work to be done because Vietnam pays no tariffs at all on most of their imports as a result of a series of preferential trade agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), of which the United States is not a member.

Elimination of tariffs on U.S. wheat would benefit the growing Vietnamese milling industry and its customers. Despite the tariffs, their imports of U.S. hard red winter (HRW), soft white (SW) and hard red winter (HRW) wheat imports reached a market share of almost 13 percent in marketing year 2019/20, the largest level in five years. Vietnam currently imports an average of more than 2 million metric tons per year.

In addition, although phytosanitary restrictions sometimes limit exports, the Vietnamese flour milling and wheat foods industry look to U.S. wheat for consistent supply and quality, while USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service work to alleviate non-tariff and tariff barriers.

According to the MFN principle of the World Trade Organization (WTO), these MFN tariff rates will apply to all Vietnam trading partners with whom Vietnam has no preferential arrangements in place (such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) trade agreement, of which the United States is not a member). Although its name implies favoritism toward another nation, MFN denotes the equal treatment of all countries.

In addition to U.S. wheat, Vietnam’s tariff reductions apply to milk and dairy products, fresh apples, grapes, dried grapes (raisins), frozen potatoes, almonds (in shell), walnuts (in shell), chilled pork, and ethanol. Additionally, the MFN tariff rate for frozen pork has been temporarily reduced from 15 percent to 10 percent, from July 10 until Dec. 31, 2020.

 

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Wheat Industry News

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. 

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Dependable People: A Spotlight on the North Dakota Wheat Commission

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: North Dakota Wheat Commission
Member of USW since 1980

Location: Mandan, N.D.
Classes of wheat grown: Hard Red Spring (HRS); Durum
USW Leadership: James Ole Sampson, 1980/81, USW’s first Chairman; Cecil Watson, 1992/93 Chairman; Alan Lee, 2003/04 Chairman; Brian O’Toole, 2015/16 Chairman.

The North Dakota Wheat Commission (NDWC) works to sustain and expand use of wheat grown by North Dakota farmers by creating worldwide market opportunities through efforts including opening overseas markets, reinforcing consumption of grain foods, developing new wheat varieties and influencing international import and export policies. Wheat producers fund these programs with a checkoff of a penny and a half on each bushel sold.

NDWC Commissioner David Clough congratulates 2015/16 USW Chairman Brian O’Toole, a wheat farmer from North Dakota, at the 2016 Summer Board Meeting in Fargo, N.D.

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

Many variables drive wheat prices globally and export market share. Some of these variables, such as global production, quality impacts from adverse weather, political and economic trends, or “black swan” events like COVID-19 can dramatically affect trade flows and prices. USW provides the network to help react to those larger forces, drive needed policy changes in trade or market tangibles, and tweak the little things that can add up to a big difference in the final sale. Every wheat producer wants to build the optimum market share and the highest local price within the global competitive environment, but we cannot do market development as a single state. USW helps ensure we are reaching out to current and potential customers on an individual basis, by promoting the wheat grown on individual farms through the synergies only achieved from a collective marketing force across multiple states and producers.

Our board members consider USW to be the “boots on the ground” to promote our high quality HRS, durum and other U.S. wheat classes.

In recent years, the value of USW marketing programs and staff, have become even more important, in our perspective, due to the consolidation and shift in major export companies. Most now source their wheat from multiple origins and promote their sales on that basis. USW helps customers find the best source and class of U.S. wheat for their needs. They help provide the real picture of what U.S. produced wheat can provide to customers, and help trouble shoot any challenges customers may have in accessing or utilizing wheat from the United States.

Without the government programs that once existed to support U.S. wheat exports more effort is needed to educate customers on the higher value and reliability of U.S. wheat, in the face of intense price competition. The reputation that the U.S. has as a premium source of wheat, is largely due to the day-to-day activities of USW. Investment in export market development will always be a priority for North Dakota wheat producers since we rely on export markets for slightly more than half of our annual production of HRS and roughly 40 percent of our durum.

USW Director of Communications Amanda Spoo (middle) with past NDWC Commissioner David Clough and his wife Aileen on their farm during the 2018 Spring Wheat Tour.

How have North Dakota wheat farmers recently connected with overseas customers?

Traditionally, North Dakota hosts trade delegations from various countries every summer. Our producers enjoy these teams as an opportunity to visit with customers face-to-face. Our customer educational program involves an extensive overview of our wheat breeding and quality research programs, current crop prospects or harvest quality, risk management strategies, and visits to a local elevator and wheat farm family. We strive to showcase the unique qualities of our wheat, and build a trust and a relationship with customers, assuring them that North Dakota producers are committed to raising some of the best wheat in the world, designed with the customer in mind.

Last fall, Commissioners Greg Svenningsen and Philip Volk attended the Japan Buyers Conference and various other commissioners have participated in USW board travel, meeting key customers around the world and USW staff. Producers return from board travel with a new understanding of key customer markets and a keen appreciation for USW staff working overseas on their behalf.

The Northern Crops Institute (NCI) Grain Procurement course, held since 1983, has also been a great opportunity for producers to interact with customers with USW sending key participants.

Currently, NDWC is exploring and enacting efforts, along with USW, to interact with customers on a virtual platform. This is needed with the current travel restrictions worldwide and may offer additional opportunities to reach more customers within a country or region.

NDWC Commissioner Phil Volk and his family were featured in a USW video shoot during their 2019 spring wheat harvest.

What’s happening lately in North Dakota that overseas customers should know about?

Producing a quality product is a source of pride for North Dakota wheat farm families. NDWC contributes about 40 percent of its budget to research, prioritizing investment on customer needs – specifically end-use quality. Our board understands the need to maintain HRS and durum quality to continue to meet customer demands. Wheat is grown all over the world, and many customers can source general quality wheat from closer points of origin. Our wheat needs to provide special, inherent quality attributes that cannot be sourced elsewhere. The consistent, and strong track record of export sales to many traditional customers attests to the benefits this focus on quality has brought to our producers. Our board members and other producers involved in Commission activities have genuine enthusiasm for growing quality wheat for customers, once they learn more about customer needs and meet customers in person.

Learn more about the North Dakota Wheat Commission on its website here and on Facebook.

Current and past NDWC commissioners at the 2016 USW Summer Board Meeting in Fargo, N.D.

 

NDWC Administrator Neal Fisher at the 2017 USW World Staff Conference in Estes Park, Colo.

 

 

 

NDWC Commissioner Phil Volk and North Dakota wheat farmer (far left) participated on the 2019 USW South Asia Board Team trip to the Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia.

 

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