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Name: Adrian “Ady” Redondo

Title: Technical Specialist

Office: USW South Asian Regional Office, Manila

Providing Service to: Republic of the Philippines and Korea


Growing up on his grandparents’ small farm in the Philippines province of Batangas, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Technical Specialist Adrian “Ady” Redondo learned that hard work is a great motivator.

“My father was away working in Saudi Arabia, and my mother worked as a midwife, so my three sisters and I spent our childhood helping our grandparents raise chickens and grow rice and corn. I learned that life is hard, and you don’t get to eat if you don’t sweat,” Redondo said. “But my grandparents also encouraged me to do well in school and be successful for them because they had to work on the farm with their parents to make ends meet instead of getting an education.”

The wisdom of grandparents helped set Ady Redondo on a path toward education and a career in food technology. In the top photo, his Grandmother Barbara (right) joined Redondo (far left), his mother Paz, younger sisters Anna Rose and Angelica, and a friend at a Flores de Mayo prayer service at church. In the bottom photo, his Grandfather Miguel holds Redondo surrounded by neighbors and friends. Redondo said his grandfather fought to get him in first grade even though he was too young: “He insisted I was just as smart as everyone in the class…and they accepted me.”

At his elementary school, lessons about a Batangueño hero added inspiration to Redondo’s interest in science.

María Y. Orosa was from the same hometown as Redondo’s mother and was considered the Philippines’ first female scientist. She invented the palayok oven to help families bake without access to electricity and developed recipes for local produce, including a banana ketchup formulation that became a favorite Filipino condiment and cooking ingredient. Orosa also used her knowledge of food technology to help save prisoners in World War II by inventing soyalac, a protein-rich powder from local ingredients, that she smuggled into the prison camps. Then, tragically, Orosa was killed in an Allied bombing raid.

Statue honoring María Orosa, Historical Park and Laurel Park, Batangas Provincial Capitol Complex. Photo copyright By Ramon F. Velasquez.

At home, Redondo had started cooking rice and eggs by the age of seven, and his interest in food and the sciences grew. He was valedictorian of his elementary school class and Salutatorian of his high school class. Once again, his grandparents were the catalyst for his next chapter.

The friendly competition helped fuel Redondo’s very successful high school education and prepared him for an excellent university. On the right, Redondo and his mother, Paz, with classmate May and her mother, Apolinaria, at a high school awards ceremony. On the left, Redondo at his 1997 high school graduation (as Salutatorian) with classmates (L-R) Cecilia, his cousin Norma and Cecil. “I hung out with them at lunch because they always had nice snacks and desserts, and the conversations were fun,” Redondo said.

“My grandparents always talked with respect about someone who graduated in agriculture from the University of the Philippines in the city of Los Baños, an area also known for its hot springs resorts,” Redondo said. “That is where they wanted us to go. When I discovered that the university offered a degree in Food Science and Technology, I knew I had to pass the tough exams and get into the program.”

Part of Redondo’s university studies included collaborative work with Nestlé Philippines, Inc. The company was looking for ways to develop coffee and coffee mixes that aligned the most sensory appeal for Filipino consumers with its international standards. As a student and during an internship at Nestlé, Redondo helped develop “3-in-1” flavored coffee mixes that were launched commercially to Philippine consumers under the Nescafé brand.

Redondo noted that the University of the Philippines is the top university in the country and has generated countless breakthroughs in research and established trailblazing leadership in agriculture, veterinary medicine, and forestry education.

Future food technologists at their 2001 graduation from the University of the Philippines, Los Baños. College buddies (L-R) CJ, Redondo, Ed, and Joel were all student members of the Philippine Association of Food Technologies.

After graduation (which offered a great sense of pride for his grandparents), Redondo took the advice of his Nestlé internship supervisor to gain a wide range of experience inside the Philippines’ thriving food production industry before venturing outside as a sales representative. So, he said the start of his career included “most of the work that a food technologist could see,” including research and development, quality control and assurance, technical service, production management, and technical sales.

“Almost all of that work related to the baking industry,” Redondo said. “I did technical servicing for Sonlie International, a company that distributed LeSaffre yeast in the Philippines, and learned proper commercial baking there under the tutelage of the company’s Head Baking Technician Rolly Dorado, who had served as a baking consultant for U.S. Wheat Associates in the 1980s.”

Redondo also worked as a production supervisor for the food service department of “a local burger chain” and in research and development for a company supplying premixes to Dunkin Donuts franchises in the Philippines.

Toward the Next Generation

His next career move into technical sales for commercial ingredient companies put him on a direct path to his current position in USW’s next generation of technical experts.

“I love to meet people, interact with them, and share what I know while learning from them at the same time,” Redondo said. “I had that opportunity as a technical sales executive at Bakels, a Swiss company that manufactures, sells, and supports high-quality bakery ingredients around the world.”

Redondo joined Bakels Philippines in 2005, where he found great value in the work of a colleague, Gerardo Mendoza, who is now a veteran Baking Technologist with USW/Manila.

Redondo worked with USW Baking Technologist Gerry Mendoza (left) when they both worked in technical sales at a global bakery ingredient company, Bakels.

“I worked with Gerry on provincial accounts, and eventually, I moved to key accounts where I had a lot of success,” Redondo said. “Gerry moved on, and I moved on to a multinational food ingredient company called Ingredion, specializing in modified starches and sweeteners.”

Redondo said his experience at Nestlé opened the door to the technical sales position at Ingredion. Gleaning from Mendoza’s passion for the work and people and his experience at Bakels, Redondo was able to build additional revenue for Ingredion’s Philippines and greater Southeast Asia bakery segment. He was recognized with Southeast Asia Top Sales Awards and “Best Campaigns” for three consecutive years.

“I think this success also came from trying to create additional value for whatever product Ingredion was selling,” Redondo said.

Any Resource Available

Toward the end of the ten years Redondo spent at Ingredion, USW Regional Vice President Joe Sowers was making plans to maintain a high level of technical support to the growing wheat foods industry in the Philippines. USW/Manila’s reputation for employing any resource available to help its customers succeed has helped make the Philippines the top global market for U.S. hard red spring (HRS) and soft white (SW) wheat. A fortunate change in USW’s funding sources helped solidify Sowers’ plan.

“As a result of the trade dispute between the United States and China, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service made additional export market development funding available under the Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) program,” Sowers said. “This allowed us to hire a new Technical Specialist in Manila who could expand our after-sales service while training for a long time with our regional technicians. Fortunately, Gerry Mendoza had someone in mind for the job.”

“I liked working in the commercial food industry, but no matter how well you did, you would only be as good as last month’s or last year’s sales,” Redondo said. “Then, I was able to talk with Gerry and Bakery Consultant Roy Chung during an interview, who told me that success in technical support at U.S. Wheat Associates would be about helping local companies grow while helping farmers in the United States build demand for their wheat. I was all in after that talk.”

“We knew Ady had a solid background in the bakery ingredients industry that gave him the capability and credibility to contribute at a high level to our mission in the Philippines from his first day,” Sowers said. “He has also shown a strong work ethic combined with a pleasant demeanor since he joined our team in June 2019.”

“Right away, I understood that my focus would be on building relationships and serving bakery manufacturers and associations, providing technical support to flour mills, and promoting innovations in baking and quality analysis in the Philippines,” Redondo said.

Character Doesn’t Change

Late on a Friday afternoon, not long after he joined USW, Redondo had the chance to apply that focus to a flour mill that had a question about performance issues with a new U.S. wheat crop shipment. Sowers said Redondo responded immediately and asked to visit the mill Saturday morning to understand the problem better. Coordinating with other USW colleagues and a state-side university expert, Redondo was able to help the customer solve their immediate concerns and change purchase specifications to avoid similar issues in the future.

“Roy Chung likes to say the value of people is in their character; skills can be learned, character doesn’t change,” Sowers said. “Redondo’s willingness to go the extra mile, providing attention outside of office hours, was a solid indication that he would be very successful with our organization.”

That is becoming a hallmark of Redondo’s work. A Philippines baking industry executive recently noted that he is easy to work with and always responsive to the company’s inquiries.

“I am thankful that during this COVID-19 pandemic, Redondo was able to respond to our request for a webinar about Solvent Retention Capacity (SRC) as a measure of flour functionality,” the executive said. “He effectively organized the webinar and gave us new knowledge, proving there is no right time and venue to learn. He is surely adding value to U.S. wheat.”

In addition to “learning the ropes” with Mendoza and Chung, Redondo said he had been actively participating in trade visits, technical support inquiries, and teaching bakery science until the pandemic put restrictions on face-to-face customer interaction.

In October 2019, Redondo (back row, fourth from right) helped Mendoza (seated first on the left), USW Seoul Country Director CY Kang (front row seated, third from left), and USW Seoul Food/Bakery Technologist Shin Hak (David) Oh (front row sitting on the far right) organize and conduct two Baking Workshops on Korean Breads and Cakes to help Philippine bakers diversify product offerings as well as production techniques.

Another opportunity Redondo looks forward to is a Cereal Science Seminar he and Mendoza have created for technical staff at local flour mills.

“This will hopefully give them a better understanding of the quality testing they conduct with wheat and flour,” Redondo said. “And, of course, to help further affirm the superior qualities of U.S. wheat.”

While continuing to help customers and train with his USW colleagues, Redondo looks forward to the future.

“I like the working culture at U.S. Wheat Associates,” he said. “Everyone is so passionate about their jobs. They genuinely work as if they are fulfilling a duty of care for their industry, which is infectious. This really is an organization you can grow in – and it also grows on you.”


By Steve Mercer, USW Vice President of Communications

Editor’s Note: This is the eighth 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.”


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
Andrés Saturno – A Family Legacy of Milling Innovation
Wei-lin Chou – Finding Harmony in the Wheat Industry

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Recent news and highlights from around the wheat industry. 

Speaking of Wheat: Most of the wheat that’s grown in the Pacific Northwest is delivered to the Asian market … I feel lucky that so far the COVID-19 has had very little impact on our operation.” – Matt Wood, a farmer who grows dryland wheat and hay near Helix, Ore., from an Oregon Public Broadcasting story. 

New Look for WGC Website. The Washington Grain Commission (WGC) has rolled out a new design and content on its www.wagrains.org website. The site now provides a direct link to wheat buyers, flour millers and wheat food processors around the world while offering Washington farmers information on its research, marketing and educational priorities. It is also the place to find episodes of the “Wheat All About It!” podcast. 

Nebraska Wheat Board Celebrates 65 Years. The Nebraska Wheat Resources Act was passed in 1955, allocating a fourth of every penny per bushel to create and fund the Nebraska Wheat Board. The board educates and promotes the wheat industry around the state, supporting public and private research; expands Nebraska’s domestic and international wheat markets and advocates for better farm policy on the federal level. Read more about the history of Nebraska Wheat Board here 

 USDA Garden National Wheat Foundation Wheat Exhibit Update. In September 2019, the Farm Journal Foundation installed its “Agriculture Through the Voice of the Farmer” exhibit on the National Mall near the USDA campus. By working with the National Wheat Foundation, the exhibit features a mobile phone guided walking tour of the garden that highlights crops growing in the space, as well as video and audio clips addressing various topics in modern agriculture. The exhibit features video interviews of farmers closely affiliated with the Foundation. Explore the digital garden tour here.  

U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Shares Appreciation for U.S. Wheat Shipments as Part of COVID-19 Response. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, through its Food for Progress program, donated an additional 27,000 tons of high-quality U.S. wheat last week to support Georgia during the novel coronavirus outbreak. This is in addition to the 27,000 tons of U.S. wheat delivered in December. As other countries are banning export of their wheat and grains, the U.S. is finding ways to help by providing more,” says Ambassador Kelly Degnan. Read the Ambassador’s entire message here.  

Facebook Live Highlights U.S. Wheat Associates. USW Vice President of Communications Steve Mercer was featured in a Facebook Live conversation with Conrad Weaver, who produced and directed the “Great American Wheat Harvest” film, on May 4. The conversation focused on the state of the U.S. wheat export supply system, a topic that USW covered in 2013 with a series of videos. Weaver also spoke with National Association of Wheat Growers CEO Chandler Goule about domestic wheat issues on May 11. 

2020 National Wheat Yield Contest Entry DeadlinesThe 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 Twittervideo stories on Vimeo and more on LinkedIn. 

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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: Washington Grain Commission
USW Member since 1980  

Location: Spokane, Washington
Classes of Wheat Grown: Soft White (SW) and White Club, Hard Red Winter (HRW), Hard Red Spring (HRS) and Hard White (HW)
USW Leadership: Wayne Klindworth, 1990/91 Chairman; Christopher Shaffer, 1999/00 Chairman; Randy Suess 2011/12; Mike Miller 2017/18 Chairman

The goal of the Washington Wheat Commission (WGC) when it was chartered in 1958 was “to do as a group what cannot be done alone.” Now, more than half a century later, the organization, known as the Washington Grain Commission since 2009, is none the less committed to developing and improving existing markets for Eastern Washington farmers. The WGC is committed to growing market share in existing, emerging, and new markets around the world. Through promotion, trade, transportation and policy activities, and research on end use qualities, the WGC can carry the wheat legacy first brought by the famed American explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, who, it’s said, planted the first Washington wheat in 1805.

2017-18 USW Officers, including Washington wheat farmer Mike Miler as the new installed 2017/18 Chairman.

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

While around 46 percent of the nation’s wheat crop is exported, upwards of 90 percent of Eastern Washington’s wheat crop heads overseas. About 80 percent of Washington’s production is in soft white wheat, used in sponge cakes, cookies and crackers.

Although we constantly emphasize quality, consistency is just as important as end product manufacturers need a wheat that will perform each and every time in the high throughput environment of modern food manufacturing facilities as well as in more artisan type uses. Having USW’s technical staff overseas is incredibly important. Their ability to troubleshoot problems and provide solutions is one aspect. The other is simply their enthusiasm for wheat sourced from the United States and how they communicate that commitment to customers.

How have Washington wheat farmers recently interacted with overseas customers?

Washington hosts upwards to a dozen trade teams a year from customers located in the Pacific Rim and Latin America. These opportunities not only allow us to educate buyers about the quality and performance of Eastern Washington wheat, they provide a venue for them to see wheat growing in a field in one of the most beautiful growing regions in the world.

With the WGC based out of Spokane, we also can introduce customers to wheat breeders at Washington State University and the Western Wheat Quality Lab in Pullman, where wheat samples are milled and evaluations of their quality tested. We also regularly take them to our nearby shuttle train loading facilities and to barge loading facilities on the Snake/Columbia River System. Due to restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have more recently been keeping touch with our customers with the help of USW, through phone calls, emails, videos, virtual meetings and even through the WGC podcast which has listeners overseas.

WGC CEO Glen Squires (R) with a U.S. wheat customer from Southeast Asia during the 2019 wheat harvest in Eastern Washington.

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

Club wheat, which is a sub class of soft white wheat, has received increased attention thanks to an initiative with the Japanese. Technical exchange between breeders and Japanese milling representatives has helped identify specific end-product quality needs. This kind of cooperation is crucial in terms of getting customers what they want. We also have dialogue with private breeding companies of the absolute necessity of releasing high quality varieties. Our Preferred Wheat Variety brochure helps in that process.

Washington wheat farmers are actively tending to the wheat crop as they do every year to ensure the highest quality wheat is available for our customers. Field work is underway, equipment is being maintained and the crop is being tended in this moment of COVID-19 distancing protocols. Wheat breeders are actively working on new varieties and wheat variety quality testing efforts remain a key focus. The grain handling systems, including the railroads and river barge system, are fully operational as well. There are no delays in providing our overseas customers with high quality grain to meet their needs.

Learn more about the Washington Grain Commission on its website and on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

A 2018 USW Trade Delegation from the Philippines visited the Washington Grain Commission and met with several farmers.

Randy Suess, retired Washington wheat farmer and 2011/12 USW Chairman, traveled to several countries with USW including Yemen where this picture was taken. Read more about Randy’s experiences here.

Tsung-Yuan (John) Lin (R) a U.S. wheat customer from Taiwan in Washington with Washington Grain Commission staff in a soft white wheat field.

Washington wheat farmer Mike Carstensen was a member of the 2018 USW Board team that traveled to North Asia, including to this visit to a Chinese bakery.

 

Washington wheat farmer Gary Bailey was a member of the 2016 USW Board team that traveled to Japan and Korea.

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By Claire Hutchins, USW Market Analyst

U.S. wheat farmers across the Northern Plains are hard at work trying to plant spring wheat for the 2020 harvest. Their efforts depend on widely varying regional conditions so many producers are behind schedule while some have pulled ahead.

USDA’s most recent crop progress report shows total U.S. spring wheat planting at 42 percent complete, slightly ahead of last year but well behind the 5-year average of 63 percent. Cool temperatures, overly wet field conditions and delayed field work from the 2019 harvest are slowing farmers down in northwestern Minnesota, eastern North Dakota and northeastern South Dakota. More favorable conditions are helping farmers progress across other parts of the Northern Plains.

According to USDA, only 40 percent of Minnesota spring wheat is planted, compared to the 5-year average of 67 percent. Most delays are in the northwestern part of the state.

“We’re only 15 to 20 percent planted in northwestern Minnesota where wetter conditions are slowing field work,” said Charlie Vogel, Executive Director of the Minnesota Wheat Research and Promotion Council.

Conditions are similar in eastern North Dakota.

According to Dr. Frayne Olson, Crop Economist and Marketing Specialist at North Dakota State University, eastern North Dakota had a very wet fall and not all of the region’s wheat, canola, corn and soybeans were harvested on time which pushed fall field work into spring 2020.

“Spring weather has remained cool and wet with very few days suitable for field work,” he said.

As of May 10, North Dakota spring wheat is only 27 planted compared to the 5-year average of 63 percent. Overly wet field conditions could drive farmers to opt for “Prevent Plant,” or fallow out, spring wheat acres. Farmers are eligible for crop insurance payments on fields when extreme conditions prevent them from planting the crop by a final, prescribed planting date.

“Even if some fields will be planted past the optimum seeding dates, there is still good yield potential,” Dr. Olson said. “Weather during the growing season will have a major impact on final yields and quality.”

In northeastern South Dakota, wet weather and colder soil temperatures are also delaying farmers’ ability to do spring field work. In this part of the state, farmers are also likely to Prevent Plant a portion of spring wheat acres. USDA estimates South Dakota producers will plant 850,000 acres (about 344,000 hectares) of spring wheat this year.

“At the beginning of the season, I thought we would come in a lot lower than USDA’s number due to overly wet field conditions, but recently, in the central part of the state, dealers sold of out spring wheat seed,” said Reid Christopherson, Executive Director of the South Dakota Wheat Commission. “Overall, we could end up close to USDA’s numbers.”

According to Christopherson, farmers are closely watching the decline in corn and ethanol demand and its impact on corn prices compared to spring wheat.

“Early in the planting window, producers may choose spring wheat over corn. Late in the planting window, they may choose soybeans,” said Christopherson.

Despite challenges in the eastern Northern Plains, spring wheat producers further west and south are making strong progress in the 2020 planting season.

“Warmer, drier weather, better harvest progress in fall 2019 and an earlier start are giving farmers a boost in central-western and southwestern Minnesota,” said Vogel.

About 85 percent of intended spring wheat acres are planted in that part of the state. Vogel estimates Minnesota’s southwestern region could add 50,000 “new” spring wheat acres this year (acres that would traditionally would have gone to either corn or soybeans) as producers explore spring wheat and cover cropping rotational opportunities that could add value to overall farm profitability.

“In the north, we saw record seed corn sales in January, but we have recently seen record seed corn returns so some of those acres will go to spring wheat,” said Vogel.

In late March, USDA estimated Minnesota producers would plant 1.35 million acres (about 546,000 hectares) of spring wheat, down 7 percent year-over-year, if realized. Given recent marketing and price challenges with corn and the interest in new crop rotation systems, Vogel estimates Minnesota producers could actually plant up to 1.44 million acres (about 583,000 hectares) of spring wheat this year, in line with 2019.

In western North Dakota, “Producers are seeing better progress due to warmer, drier conditions,” said Erica Olson, the North Dakota Wheat Commission’s Market Development and Research Manager. Despite the possibility for more Prevent Plant acres in the eastern part of the state, she believes North Dakota spring wheat acres could still reach USDA’s estimate of 6.10 million acres (about 2.5 million hectares) in 2020.

Favorable planting weather in central South Dakota is helping farmers get into the fields and plant more quickly than their peers in the northeastern part of the state. According to USDA, 75 percent of the state’s spring wheat is planted compared to 38 percent last year and the 5-year average of 78 percent.

Dry weather is helping Montana producers work through their spring wheat planting efforts. Though only 50 percent of the state’s spring wheat is in the ground compared to the 5-year average of 62 percent, progress is right in line with last year. Additionally, according to Cassidy Marn, Executive Vice President of the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee, Montana could see more spring wheat planted area than USDA’s initial estimate of 3.30 million acres (about 1.34 million hectares) due to potentially less acres planted to barley in 2020.

“We could easily reach 3.30 million acres this year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we reached 3.40 to 3.50 million acres,” said Marn, which would be up to 1.42 million hectares.

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Behind the world’s most reliable supply of wheat are the world’s most dependable people. Those people, from U.S. Wheat Associates staff to the state wheat commissions and U.S. wheat farm families to the many hands along the U.S. supply chain, represent an industry that is always changing. But many of the overseas customers USW works with overseas can also say the same. Despite the different roles or distances between us, all of the people in our story share an unspoken connection, not only through U.S. wheat but through our shared values of growth, hard work and family.

These connections are a part of our story.


CHARLES HUNG
General Manager, Chia Fha Enterprise Co., Ltd., Taiwan

“Established in 1920, Chia Fha Enterprise has been involved in food business for 100 years and is currently run by its 4th generation. Through USW, we participate in several activities, trade missions and wheat breeding programs to help ensure that U.S. wheat’s market share in Taiwan stays substantial. We work closely with USW staff, like Peter Lloyd on milling technology and developing new technical solutions. By sharing information on quality analysis and assurance, it ensures that both sides of the Pacific are able to communicate and collaborate in developing a deeper relationship for U.S. wheat applications.”

2018 Hard White Wheat seminar at CGPRDI.

UNI-PRESIDENT ENTERPRISE CORP.
Flour Division, Taiwan

“Uni-President Enterprise Corp. is entering its 53nd year in 2020. Wheat varieties and quality characteristics are the key factors that determine the quality of flour. Thanks to the USW Taipei Office, we work together with USW to conduct wheat flour testing every year. Activities like this and the Frozen Dough Seminar in 2019, really benefits our company and helps us to improve the quality of flour and bread manufacturing. Thanks for the support from USW. We look forward to working together to provide better U.S. wheat flour and technology to the Taiwan market for the next 40 years.”

Frozen Dough Seminar at CGPRDI.

LIEN HWA MILLING CORPORATION
Taiwan

“The friendship between Lien Hwa Flour Mill and the U.S. wheat industry started in 1940. At that time, a flour bag with “Sino-US cooperation” in Chinese on it was the collective memory of many Taiwanese. Our founder, Mr. Miao Yu-Siou, made great contributions to the Taiwan flour milling industry, including founding the Taiwan Flour Millers Association and in 1984, establishing the China Grain Products Research & Development Institute (CGPRDI), which USW contributed funds to. Lien Hwa Flour Mill and the Miao family has cooperated with USW for several decades to jointly promote the progress of the Taiwan baking and flour products industry.”

Mr. Miao Yu-Siou receiving an award from U.S. Wheat Associates.

Additional stories from other TFMA members are shared here.

Discover more stories about the connection between U.S. wheat farmers and their customers.

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Kansas Wheat and Kansas State University Research and Extension, in conjunction with the Kansas Department of Agriculture and other industry partners, have announced plans to hold a virtual tour of hard red winter (HRW) wheat in the state May 18 to 21, 2020.

In a news release this week, Kansas Wheat noted that there is always a lot of interest in the condition and yield potential of the new U.S. HRW crop, with particular attention to the Wheat Quality Council (WQC) Hard Winter Wheat Tour in May. That event, conducted annually for the past 50 years aims to give a snapshot of the crop to those who attend, including international buyers, wheat farmers, flour millers and others in the wheat industry.

Unfortunately, with the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, the WQC tour had to be cancelled this year.

While the virtual tour will be based loosely on the familiar WQC concept, there will be no caravans of cars traveling across wheat country. Alternatively, certified crop advisors, extension agents, elevator managers, farmers and others will be in the fields to make observations of the crop and report results publicly on the Zoom video conference platform. Twitter has been a popular way to follow the tour in the pasts and will be again during this virtual tour by following #wheattour20.

The virtual tour will begin Monday afternoon, May 18, at 4:00 p.m. CDT, with an orientation and comments from industry representatives including Aaron Harries, VP of Research and Operations, Kansas Wheat who will provide an overview of crop conditions and this year’s yield formula provided by USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The formula will not be available prior to that time. Dr. Romulo Lollato, Wheat and Forages Production Specialist, Kansas State University, and Jeanne Falk Jones, Multi-County Specialist, Northwest Research-Extension Center, Kansas State University, will discuss this year’s crop and talk about weather challenges, including drought and freeze injury as well as disease pressure such as from stripe rust.

There will be a lot fewer muddy boots on the virtual HRW wheat tour in 2020 as local farmers, extension and industry participants collect data and share it on the Zoom platform. 

As it is in the WQC tour, data will be gathered Tuesday from fields in north central and northwest Kansas. The Day 1 wrap-up meeting Tuesday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. CDT, will summarize the day’s observations and provide an estimated yield potential using the formula provided by USDA/NASS. Day 2 will continue through west central and southwest Kansas, and day 3 will focus on south central and central Kansas. Daily wrap-ups will be provided each afternoon at 4:00 p.m. CDT, with a final crop discussion Thursday afternoon, May 21.

To see more information, view the schedule and sign up to receive invitations to the Zoom discussions, visit https://kswheat.com/virtualtour.

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By Michael Anderson, USW Assistant Director, USW West Coast Office

“Everywhere the grain stood ripe and the hot afternoon was full of the smell of the ripe wheat, like the smell of bread baking in an oven. The breath of the wheat and the sweet clover passed him like a pleasant thing in a dream.” – Willa Cather, O Pioneers!

Heading east out of Portland, Ore., the landscape changes quickly. From the large city you pass through a tapestry of green forest with snow-capped peaks in the distance. Following the Columbia River, the mountains gradually become smaller until opening onto vast open hills carpeted by wheat fields. It is an impressive drive and vastly different from where you started.

For U.S. wheat overseas customers visiting the U.S. Pacific Northwest states with a trade delegation, this is often the journey they take as they travel out to see for themselves where the wheat they purchase is grown and to meet the people who grow it. Every year, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and its state wheat commission member organizations host several trade delegations to facilitate these important connections. A crucial link that tightens the customer relationship, made possible by the long distances traveled, is to connect the customer with the source of their product in the company of the people who work hard to grow it.

Trade teams that visit the United States are often able to observe grain grading and inspection by the Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS). Visits can include interaction with research institutions to see how farmers and their state wheat commissions work closely with breeders to improve wheat varieties. Teams are often able to see the infrastructure that efficiently moves U.S. wheat from the farms to export facilities.

USW led five representatives of the Taipei Bakers Association and three officials from Taiwan’s Department of Public Health on a trade team to Oregon in late April 2019.

Customer Relations

Many U.S. wheat farmers and wheat commissions have made lasting connections with the customers they meet at part of trade delegations to and from the United States. Some have even had the opportunity to host customers they have met overseas here in the United States on their farms. In an interview with KGNC Radio in Amarillo, Tex., Ken Davis, a USW director and a wheat farmer from Grandview, Tex., talked about his experience traveling with USW. On a 2018 visit to Nigeria, Davis, who represents the Texas Wheat Producers Board, met with a team of flour millers and extended an invitation for them to visit his farm. A year later, he picked them up at the airport in Dallas and shuttled them to his farm. For the first time they got to see a wheat field and see the work that goes into growing the product that is crucial to their own livelihood. In the interview, Davis noted that “it is customer relations” that make the difference. That is a refrain I have personally heard often in my time with USW.

This trade team of Chilean flour millers that visited Oklahoma in June 2017 helped increase understanding of U.S. hard red winter wheat quality and how farmers do everything they can to produce the best quality crop.

Michael Peters, a wheat farmer from Okarche, Okla., and the 2020/21 USW Secretary Treasurer-elect representing the Oklahoma Wheat Commission, has his own experience to share. Last summer, at the USW Mexico Wheat Trade Conference, Peters saw a familiar face, César Enríquez, Director of Business Development for Grupo La Moderna in Toluca, Mexico. Enríquez extended an invitation for Peters to attend the opening of their new shuttle train facility. Later that fall, and to his surprise, Peters was there.

U.S. wheat farmers will continue to pursue a higher quality, wholesome and sustainable wheat crop by redefining the state of excellence every growing season. The U.S. wheat export supply system will continue placing an abundant supply of wheat for export, as it has continued to do during the COVID-19 pandemic. USW and its state commission members will also continue working to connect these farmers and the export system to customers around the world, both on their visits to the United States and abroad.


Read other blog posts in this series:
Research and Plant Breeding
Grain Handlers
Exporters, Inspectors and USW Overseas Offices

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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 ActionThis year marked the 50th anniversary of Earth Day celebrated on April 22, 2020The 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 ImprovementAs 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 FarmersThe 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 DeadlinesThe 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 Twittervideo stories on Vimeo and more on LinkedIn. 

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For the first time in its 50-year history, the Wheat Quality Council (WQC) Hard Winter Wheat Tour has been cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 outbreak. U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) knows that its customers around the world look forward to the snapshot of new hard red winter (HRW) wheat crop yield potential the tour provides.

We want our customers to know that plans are being made to conduct a limited, virtual tour of the Kansas wheat crop during the week of May 18. Organizers are working with certified crop advisors, Extension agents, elevators, farmers and others in the field to make yield and quality observations of the crop and share information during the tour.

The organizers and USW will provide more information about the planned virtual hard winter wheat tour as soon as it is available. Stay tuned to #wheattour20 for future updates.

This week in Wheat Letter, USW Market Analyst Claire Hutchins shared information about challenges from freeze damage and increasingly dry conditions to the crop in the Central and Southern Plains. In addition, several state organizations report on new crop progress at the following links:

Colorado – https://coloradowheat.org/category/news-events/winter-wheat-crop-progress-report/

Kansas – https://twitter.com/KansasWheat/

Idaho – https://twitter.com/IdahoWheat

Montana – https://wbc.agr.mt.gov/Home/News

Nebraska – https://nebraskawheat.com/producers/crop-reports/

North Dakota – https://www.ndwheat.com/buyers/cropprogressreport

Oklahoma – https://twitter.com/OSU_smallgrains

South Dakota – https://sdwheat.org/

Texas – https://texaswheat.org/news-events/

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By Claire Hutchins, USW Market Analyst

The condition of the U.S. hard red winter (HRW) wheat crop is not improving. Farmers – and the markets – are concerned about the threats to yield potential from wide-spread April freezes and increasing dryness across a significant portion of the Central and Southern Great Plains.

USDA’s most recent crop condition ratings reflect the weather effects on the 2020-21 winter wheat crop, reducing the total crop rated good to excellent from 62 percent to 57 percent. According to Romulo Lollato, Kansas State University Wheat and Forages Specialist, drought weakens winter wheat’s ability to recover from freeze damage and both conditions challenge winter wheat yield potential. So the change in ratings is focused on the HRW crop, based on the worsening dryness in north central and southwestern Kansas, eastern Colorado and south central Nebraska. And this week, the extent of freeze damage is being monitored carefully in the following states.

Kansas.  Between April 20 and April 27, USDA reduced its Kansas winter wheat rating from 46 good to excellent to 40 percent as localized freezes and expanding dryness threaten crop progress.

“About 50 to 60 percent of the state’s wheat was impacted to varying degrees by freeze damage,” said Lollato. In north-central Kansas, several counties showed varying but considerable freeze damage. According to researchers at Kansas State University, the crop in that region needs moisture soon to help with freeze damage recovery. In parts of central Kansas, late-sown fields, following a soybean crop, showed severe leaf and tiller damage from recent freeze events. In parts of northwestern Kansas, dry soil conditions predisposed plants to freeze damage and in some cases severely damaged fields turned yellow and brown as plant tissue deteriorated. Southwest Kansas is still extremely dry and could impact the crop’s ability to recover from freeze damage. Looking ahead, hot, dry temperatures across the state could further challenge the crop’s ability to recover from freeze damage.

Late-sown fields in north central Kansas showed severe leaf and tiller damage from recent freeze events. Photos courtesy of Romulo Lollato.

Colorado. “Our story is dryness – we need rain,” said Brad Erker, Executive Director of the Colorado Wheat Administrative Committee.

Several weeks ago, USDA rated 54 percent of Colorado’s winter wheat in good to excellent condition. As of April 27, only 37 percent of the state’s crop is in top condition. Moderate to severe drought plagues the eastern third of the state, where the winter wheat is grown. There is little evidence yet that freeze damage has impacted the crop, but reports are still developing. Looking ahead, high temperatures and no moisture in eastern Colorado could continue to pressure the state’s yield potential.

The April 23 UNL Drought Monitor showed a significant expansion of abnormal dryness and severe drought across the Central and Southern Plains, with dry conditions expanding in North Dakota and the Pacific Northwest.

Nebraska. HRW conditions in Nebraska are better than in Kansas and Colorado, with 69 percent of the crop rated good to excellent. However, freezing temperatures impacted wheat across the state. According to Sarah Morton, Agriculture Promotion Coordinator for the Nebraska Wheat Board, temperatures close to 10 degrees Fahrenheit (-12 degrees Celsius) in Nebraska’s southern Panhandle “knocked the wheat back and turned it brown,” slowing growth. Freezing temperatures in southwest Nebraska also burned back the wheat. Adequate soil moisture levels and warmer temperatures in the western part of the state are expected to help the crop recover from recent freezes. On April 23, the University of Nebraska – Lincoln Drought Monitor introduced abnormal dryness into the south-central portion of the state.

Oklahoma. Reports from Oklahoma show significant freeze damage in some of the state’s southwest and south-central counties. Some counties in southwestern Oklahoma reported freeze damage across 40 to 70 percent of the crop. In several extreme cases, some areas in south-central Oklahoma showed freeze damage in virtually every field. The April 23 Drought Monitor expanded areas under abnormal dryness and severe drought in the Oklahoma Panhandle. As of April 27, 62 percent of the state’s HRW is in good to excellent condition, down from 65 percent the week before, with expectations that the condition will continue to deteriorate.

“It’s an extremely challenging time for southwestern Oklahoma producers,” said Mike Schulte, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission.

Header photo courtesy of Romulo Lollato.