September 19, 2019
USW Video Team Travels in North Dakota to Capture Spring Wheat Harvest
Originally published September 11, 2019
North Dakota’s farm families have a remarkable choice of crops to grow. Canola, dry edible peas, flaxseed, oats, barley, sunflowers and even soybeans are all options. Yet most farmers in North Dakota’s north central “Drift Prairie” would identify themselves first as wheat growers — hard red spring (HRS) wheat growers to be specific. Read the full article here.
______________________________________________________________________________
Wheat Farmers Call on Congress to Pass USMCA Trade Agreement
Originally published September 12, 2019
The U.S. wheat industry is speaking out boldly on the need to pass the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) this year. Speaking at a widely attended rally sponsored by Farmers for Free Trade on Capitol Hill, Ben Scholz, a wheat farmer from Lavon, Tex., said agriculture and wheat farmers desperately needs a win in trade and “passing the USMCA will put us in the right direction.” Read the full article here.
______________________________________________________________________________
Trade Service Helps Tip the Scales to U.S. Wheat in South America
Originally published September 16, 2019
One of the most important ways U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) works directly with overseas buyers is answering questions and resolving issues in purchasing, shipping or using U.S. wheat through regional and country offices, trade delegations to the United States, regular crop and market condition updates, quality surveys and other activities. Two recent examples in South America confirm that USW’s face-to-face interaction with customers and its direct influence on purchase decisions. For an influential flour miller buying group in Chile, personally observing the U.S. supply system convinced the group to purchase U.S. wheat again. And for a large miller and wheat foods producer in Ecuador, consistent trade service led to a first-time U.S. wheat purchase. Read the full article here.
______________________________________________________________________________
Taiwan Mission Signs Letters of Intent for U.S. Wheat Purchases
Originally published September 17, 2019
By Dalton Henry, USW Vice President of Policy
Representatives from the Taiwan Flour Millers Association (TFMA) are in Washington, D.C. this week to sign letters of intent for the purchase of wheat and other U.S. grown commodities over the next two years. The trip is part of a biennial Agricultural Trade Goodwill Mission that takes TFMA delegates to both D.C. and major wheat-producing states. During their trip, the delegation is also making stops in Oklahoma, South Dakota and Idaho to meet with farmers, grain handlers and state officials before returning to Taiwan. Read the full article here.
______________________________________________________________________________
USW Hosts Overseas Customers at Annual NCI Grain Procurement Course
Originally published September 18, 2019
By Claire Hutchins, USW Market Analyst
U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) believes customer engagement, supply chain transparency and accessible global market information are the building blocks for robust relationships with U.S. wheat customers. Every year, USW partners with the Northern Crops Institute (NCI) at North Dakota State University (NDSU) in Fargo, N.D., to offer NCI’s annual Grain Procurement Management for Importers Course. Read the full article here.
Photo Courtesy of the Northern Crops Institute
______________________________________________________________________________
Recent News Releases from USW
Taiwan Goodwill Mission Signs Letter of Intent for U.S. Wheat Purchases
______________________________________________________________________________
“New drought tolerant traits have helped corn acres expand [and cut wheat area]. In looking at the adoption … drought tolerant corn traits, since 2012, have been planted at a faster rate by farmers than herbicide tolerant traits when they were released. As a smart farmer in Leoti told me, ‘These drought tolerant corn varieties look more like drought resistant.’” — Justin Gilpin, Executive Director, Kansas Wheat
______________________________________________________________________________
Rain Slows Spring, Durum Harvest. The North Dakota Wheat Commission reported on Sept. 17 that very little harvest progress was made in the hard red spring (HRS) and northern durum region over the last week as precipitation was widespread. The U.S. HRS crop is now 76 percent harvested, up only 5 percent from last week. Durum harvest is even farther behind. With the wet conditions, quality on the remaining crop is a concern, but will be highly dependent on maturity level in the crop. Read more on Sept. 20 in the USW Harvest Report at https://www.uswheat.org/market-and-crop-information/harvest-reports/.
Modern Bread Wheat Benefits from “Synthetic Hexaploid Wheat.” In a new study, scientists have found that genome segments from a wild grass are present in more than one in five of elite bread wheat lines developed by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). Scientists at CIMMYT and other research institutes have been crossing wild goat grass with durum wheat since the 1980s, with the help of complex laboratory manipulations. The new variety, known as synthetic hexaploid wheat, boosts the genetic diversity and resilience of wheat, notoriously vulnerable due to its low genetic diversity, adding novel genes for disease resistance, nutritional quality and heat and drought tolerance. Read the full article here.
Trade Deal to Come? The Wall Street Journal recently reported that President Trump has notified Congress that the U.S. and Japan are prepared to enter a limited agreement that would lower some tariffs and set terms of digital trade. Pres. Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced in August that they had reached an agreement in principle to lower agricultural tariffs and industrial tariffs. The two sides said they expected to sign the deal at the United Nations General Assembly this month. By sending formal notification to Congress, Mr. Trump can now sign such an agreement. The congressional letter did not spell out the terms of the deal.
Register for the 2019 World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue International Symposium. The 2019 Symposium theme, “Pax Agricultura: Peace Through Agriculture,” will serve as an opportunity to take stock of the current state of global agriculture and food security. Learn more and register here.
Source: U.S. Wheat Associates