U.S. Wheat Associates’ (USW) Mexico City Office brought six milling representatives from Latin America to learn about the U.S. hard red winter (HRW) crop and meet Kansas wheat farmers during the 2025 Wheat Quality Tour.

Organized by the Wheat Quality Council, the annual tour covers all of Kansas and requires the work of many volunteers from the state’s agricultural community.

“This tour is an excellent opportunity for U.S. customers from Mexico, Central America and Venezuela to get out into the fields and see Kansas wheat production firsthand,” said USW Assistant Regional Director Stephanie Bryant-Erdmann. “The first day in Manhattan, Kansas, is always valuable because participants learn about the different growing conditions that exist across the state and the different challenges Kansas farmers face during each growing season. Then the participants get out into the fields and apply that knowledge in a practical way.”

Pamela Rubio, Programs and Communications Assistant in USW’s Mexico City Office, and USW Market Analyst Tyllor Ledford joined the team on the tour. USW used Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP) funding for Central America and Venezuela participants, and Market Access Program (MAP) funds for the Mexico representatives on the tour.

Bryant-Erdmann applauded Dave Green, Executive Director of the Wheat Quality Council, for the job he does organizing the tours and managing participants. She also credited the tour’s drivers – volunteers from across the U.S. wheat industry – for leading participants to wheat fields across the Plains.

USW Secretary-Treasurer Gary Millershaski hosted part of the tour on his farm near Lakin, Kansas. The USW Officer and his son, Kyler, later met up with the entire delegation at a meeting in Wichita.

“We raise wheat because that’s what we do,” Millershaski told the group. “It’s what our family has always done, and we take great pride in it.”

Part of the tour also visited Chris Tanner’s farm near Norton, Kansas.

“The visit was incredibly valuable — for both of us,” said Tanner. “When people from the wheat and milling industry come to the farm, it’s a meaningful experience for them. They get to see firsthand where the product begins.”

Source: U.S. Wheat Associates, June 30, 2025, https://uswheat.org/wheatlette...