May 3, 2018
Wheat Tour Scouts Expect Sharply Lower 2018/19 Production
By Stephanie Bryant-Erdmann, USW Market Analyst
This week I joined the annual Wheat Quality Council (WQC) Hard Red Wheat (HRW) Tour for an early survey of the new crop. Each year, participants gather in Manhattan, Kan., and spend the next two and a half days in small scout teams, randomly stopping at 14 or more fields in a full day along the same routes followed for many years. The teams measure yield potential, determine an average for the route and estimate a cumulative average for the day when all the scouts come together in the evening. Last year, tour participants faced snow and muddy fields. This year, the snow is a distant memory, as fields on days one and two were all bone dry. A violent storm rolled through central Kansas on Day 2, which cut some scouting short, but brought much needed moisture to the wheat fields. Read the full article here.
Delinquency, Obfuscation and Transparency at the World Trade Organization
By Ben Conner, USW Vice President of Policy
In an ominous, smoke-filled room, the black wings of a hundred crows scatter to the rafters at the sound of a fist pounding at the head of an ancient table. A menacing voice demands to know how the poor soul cowering at the other end has failed to submit notifications on Current Total Aggregate Measurement of Support for over a decade. Utter silence pervades the room except for the subdued voice of a distant translator speaking into a headset. The cowering soul, finally comprehending the question, hurriedly vows that notifications will cover the table before the rooster awakens the dawn.
If only.
Read the full article here.
IGP Institute Capitalizes on Resources and Location to Provide Hands-on Training
By Amanda J. Spoo, USW Assistant Director of Communications
Global demand for wheat food grows stronger every year, making exports vitally important to U.S. wheat farmers. As the export market development organization for the U.S. wheat industry, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) works to help wheat buyers, millers, bakers, wheat food processors and government officials understand the quality, value and reliability of all six U.S. wheat classes. USW relies on its successful working relationships with world-class educational partners that, through courses, workshops and seminars, enhance the technical and trade service assistance to help separate U.S. wheat from its competitors. One of those partners is the IGP Institute, in Manhattan, Kan. Read the full article here.
Photos courtesy of the IGP Institute
The Long, Hard Road to Export More U.S. Farm Prodcuts is Filled with Potholes
By Jonathan H. Harsch, Agri-Pulse, Excerpted with Permission
Editor’s note: This is the third in a new series of Agri-Pulse in-depth stories dealing with the challenges and opportunities for U.S. agriculture when it comes to selling more commodities and value-added products to overseas customers. This article was sponsored by funding from the National Association of Wheat Growers, U.S. Wheat Associates, Washington Grain Commission, North Dakota Wheat Commission and Idaho Wheat Commission. Read the full article here.
USW staff demonstrating wheat quality to Filipino bakers.
Joe Sowers, USW Regional Vice President to the Philippines and Korea.
“Sometimes there’s a perception that these trade visits are all fun and no work, but I’m here to tell you, every second of our day was packed with meetings. It was hectic, but I was reassured to see how efficiently USW works on behalf of growers. I want to thank the WGC and USW for allowing me to go on this trip. It gives me the knowledge and experience to excel at my job. This once-in-a-lifetime experience will help me tell wheat’s story as it moves from the fields of Eastern Washington to flour mills an ocean away.” — Michelle Hennings, Washington Association of Wheat Growers Executive Director. Read the full story here.
May is World Trade Month. “As World Trade Month begins, we recognize the vital role trade plays in supporting U.S. agriculture, rural America, and our economy,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “America’s farmers, ranchers, foresters, and producers feed, fuel, and clothe our nation and the rest of the world. Since day one I’ve said I’m a grow-it-and-sell-it kind of guy, and I’m proud of the progress we make each day serving our customers, selling our products around the world, and working to protect and preserve our agricultural interests.” Learn more and follow the conversation by following the hashtag #WorldTradeMonth. Read the full story here.
Source: U.S. Wheat Associates