As explained in last Wheat Letter, USW’s trade team efforts help build productive relationships between customers and the farmers that produce the world’s most reliable supply of high quality wheat. Two of these teams — from Taiwan and South Korea — have back-to-back visits to the United States in July.
First, four Taiwan milling executives arrived in the United States on July 6 and are making stops in North Dakota, Nebraska, Oregon and California until July 15. The team is looking for firsthand information on wheat breeding, transportation and inspection as well as specific class updates in each state.
“This visit will help us demonstrate the quality of the U.S. HRS, HRW and SW wheat these millers want in order to produce flour for healthy wheat foods,” said USW Country Director Ronald Lu, who is accompanying the team. “The millers are also looking forward to learning more about U.S. hard white (HW) wheat. They currently only import Australian white wheat that is specifically positioned for use in noodle flour and they hope to encourage farmers and grain handlers in the United States to produce more HW.”
Next, five South Korean milling executives — collectively responsible for about 50 percent of South Korean wheat imports — will travel to Montana, Washington and Oregon July 12 to 19 for insight on not only current crop conditions, but also how high quality is maintained throughout the grain chain.
“Korean consumers want the best quality for their food as well as an increasing variety. As a result, flour specifications are becoming more complicated,” said Chang-Yoon Kang, USW country director based in Seoul, South Korea, who will travel with the millers. “It is very important that these millers see the current wheat crops they will buy and gain a better understanding of what the wheat chain, from the farm to the export elevator, does to ensure U.S. wheat quality.”
Both of these teams foster the connection between influential wheat buyers and the farmers that grow the wheat they purchase year in and year out. With the assistance of state wheat commissions and educational partners, as well as funding from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, USW organizes about 10 of these teams each year to build trust and maintain confidence in the U.S. wheat production and marketing system.
Source : uswheat.org