Wheat Industry News
Recent news and highlights from around the U.S. wheat industry.
Speaking of Wheat
“Virtual meetings, conferences and events have allowed USW to remain in close contact with our customers around the world during the past two years, but there’s nothing like riding in the combine with the U.S. farmer as they harvest their wheat; standing in the field of wheat rolling the wheat head between your hands to check the kernels; or breaking bread together, and we are pleased to be able to share these in-person experiences with our customers again.” – Stephanie Bryant-Erdmann, USW Assistant Regional Director, Mexican, Central American and Caribbean Region, during a recent trade team visit from Mexican flour millers to Kansas and other states. Read more here.
Happy 50th Anniversary to the Wheat Foods Council
Its members and supporters celebrated this month at its annual meeting in Charleston, S.C. In the early 1970s, wheat foods were under attack in the United States for containing a high portion of carbohydrates, which many people believed made foods fattening. In May 1972, wheat commissions from Kansas, Texas, Colorado, South Dakota and Nebraska met to create a coordinated response, resulting in the establishment of the Wheat Foods Council. Soon other state wheat commissions, along with milling, baking and other allied industry companies, joined WFC to increase its resources and expand its important efforts. Today, WFC uniquely remains an organization whose membership encompasses the entire wheat foods value chain. Read more here.
Washington Grain Commission Announces Leadership Transition
Glen Squires, CEO of the Washington Grain Commission (WGC), has announced he will retire on November 1. The WGC is pleased to announce that Casey Chumrau will be its new CEO and will begin in mid-September. Chumrau has worked in agriculture and international business for most of her career, promoting the U.S. wheat industry for over a decade. She is currently the executive director of the Idaho Wheat Commission and previously worked for U.S. Wheat Associates in its Arlington, Va., headquarters and in Santiago, Chile. Read the full release here.
Export Promotion Funding a Priority
The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) recently shared its priorities as the U.S. Congress works towards reauthorizing the Farm Bill in 2023. With half of all U.S. wheat destined for export, NAWG recommends doubling the funding for the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) program administered by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) highly values its partnership with NAWG working to ensure U.S. farm families remain economically sustainable to continue meeting the growing global wheat demand.
USW to Fill Director of Communications Position
USW has an opening for a Director of Communications in a hybrid work environment based in its Arlington, Virginia, Headquarters Office. The Director of Communications reports to the Vice President of Communications and helps USW fulfill its mission by working collaboratively to plan and implement producer-focused and market development communications across a range of media; by managing all digital communication touchpoints, including content creation, deployment across the website, social media, email marketing, and other media channels, and performance analysis; and other critical domestic and international communications activities. The job description and application process are posted here.
NAWG Seeks to Hire Communications Intern
NAWG is looking to fill the newly created position of Communications Intern to assist in marketing and communications efforts. The NAWG Communications Intern’s main role is to assist the Director of Communications and Partnerships in implementing organizational communications and marketing strategies. If you, or someone you know, is interested in this opportunity and would like to learn more, find the description and application here.
Nebraska Wheat Board Job Opportunity
The Nebraska Wheat Board (NWB) is looking for a Marketing Specialist to join its team and work on behalf of Nebraska wheat farmers and the industry to communicate and coordinate NWB programs and issues. This position develops communication programs and expands outreach opportunities by managing and coordinating print, radio and television media, and leading the Board’s social media outreach, among other communication projects. Applications close July 7, 2022. Find more information here.
2022 Hard Spring Wheat and Durum Tour
The annual Wheat Quality Council Hard Spring Wheat Tour is scheduled for July 25 to 28, 2022. The tour will provide the first production estimate for the 2022 U.S. hard red spring and durum crops. Tour information and registration are posted here. Customers can follow the tour in real-time by following #wheattour22 on Twitter and keep up to date on the entire U.S. wheat harvest with the weekly USW Harvest Report
Subscribe to USW Reports
USW publishes various reports and content available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts and wheat industry news, the weekly Price Report, and the weekly Harvest Report (available May to October). Subscribe here.
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Visit our Facebook page 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.
