USW/NAWG Gather in Ohio for 2023 Joint Fall Board Meeting
USW Board Member Gary Wilson, left, a wheat farmer from Jenera, Ohio, who also serves as Chair of the Ohio Small Grains Marketing Program, chats during the USW/NAWG Joint Fall Board Meeting in Cincinnati.
U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Board Members, staff, and wheat farmers from around the country are gathered in Cincinnati, Ohio for a Joint Fall Board Meeting with the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG).
“It’s an honor to have both organizations get together in Ohio and discuss issues facing the entire wheat industry and come up with ideas for the future,” said USW Board Member Ray Van Horn, a wheat farmer from Mt. Gilead, Ohio, and a Past Chair of Ohio Corn and Wheat. “The interaction and the work to move the wheat industry forward is encouraging.”
A Busy Time
For USW, the Fall Meeting comes at a busy point in the year. USW’s Crop Quality Seminars are underway at locations around the world. Staff, consultants, and partners are presenting details of the 2023 Crop Quality Report to customers throughout November.
“While we are taking care of business here in Ohio, others are spread out in different parts of the world sharing important information about the U.S. wheat crop,” said USW Vice Chair Clark Hamilton, who is leading the Fall Board Meeting in absence of USW Chairman Michael Peters. “Having been a part of the Crop Quality Seminars in past years, I’ve seen and understand the great work that USW staff do to provide information to our customers. Our staff also listens to our customers during the seminars to maintain the good relationships we have in international markets.”
USW’s Wheat Quality Committee meets during the USW/NAWG Joint Fall Board Meeting in Cincinnati.
A Full Agenda in Ohio
The meeting in Ohio features several USW committee meetings during the week, with the Board of Directors meeting scheduled for Friday. A full agenda for the Board Meeting includes updates on the global wheat market, discussions on the new Farm Bill and funding priorities and issues affecting trade.
“We only get to do this a few times a year, meet in person and discuss all the work U.S. wheat has done to this point in the year and the work the lies ahead,” said Hamilton, an Idaho wheat producer. “The Fall Board Meeting always gives us kind of a road map to what the priorities are in the year ahead. It’s a solid look at 2024 and what the plans are on behalf of U.S. wheat farmers.”
