The USW North Asia Board Team pauses for a photo at the Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port, a major international trade port located south of Seoul, South Korea. The Board Team is made up of wheat farmers from Kansas, North Dakota and Montana, along with USW Director of Communications Julia Debes. This part of the journey was hosted by USW Country Director in South Korea Channy Bae (second from right). Photo credit: U.S. Wheat Associates.
Farmers from Kansas, North Dakota, and Montana are visiting mills, bakeries and noodle makers in South Korea and Taiwan this week to kick off what sets up to be another busy trade team season for U.S. Wheat Associates (USW).
Technically, the USW North Asia Board Team, led by USW Director of Communications Julia Debes, is not a trade team. That designation is reserved for customers from around the world who come to the U.S. to visit farms and wheat industry partners. From April to November, USW is expecting at least 15 of those teams to visit more than a dozen states.
The USW Board Team is taking the opposite approach taking farmers to their customers.
“It was a pleasure to welcome the Board Team from major wheat-producing states to Seoul – I believe this visit provides an important opportunity for the team to better understand the overall value chain in Korea,” USW South Korea Country Directory Channy Bae said after leading the team on visits March 9 and 10. “The farmers were able to see how high-quality U.S. wheat is imported, milled, and ultimately used in foods such as instant noodles and bread. The visit also offers a valuable chance to learn more about the diverse needs of Korean millers, bakers, and noodle manufacturers for U.S. wheat.”
The Board Team traveled to Taipei, Taiwan on March 11.
Schedule Fills Spring and Summer
A South American Aquaculture Trade Team is scheduled to visit Kansas, Washington and Alabama April 19-25. That will be followed by the arrival of Japanese flour milling executives on April 29. After a stop in Washington, D.C. – including a meeting with USW –the executive members of the Japan Flour Millers Association team will visit Oregon and North Dakota.
Throughout the summer, trade teams made up of buyers and milling staff from South America, South and Southeast Asia, Mexico, China, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South Korea are scheduled to learn about the U.S. wheat supply chain and meet farmers who provide high-quality U.S. wheat.
Helping Farmers Help Their Customers
USW’s trade team effort serves many purposes. The most important purpose is bringing together the people who produce wheat and the people who purchase wheat.
“The goal when organizing trade teams each year is to provide a special opportunity for face-to-face meetings and interactions between farmers and wheat buyers from around the world who want to see how the U.S. supply chain works,” said USW Director of Programs Catherine Miller, who, along with USW’s West Coast Office, works with USW’s overseas offices and state wheat commissions to identify opportunities and put together informative itineraries for each team. “Giving trade teams a full picture is the plan, starting with farmers who produce high-quality wheat. Along with production, a key part of the effort is giving teams a look at how USW and our partners are constantly improving production practices. We also show them how wheat moves from field to export facility. Our state wheat commissions and our partners in the U.S. wheat industry play a key role in helping make the trade team season a success.”
All Six Classes of U.S. Wheat
USW invests funding from USDA Foreign Agricultural Service export market development programs to bring several trade teams of overseas customers and stakeholders to the U.S.
Visiting wheat-producing states connects customers with farmers as well as state wheat commissions and industry partners that co-sponsor local visits. The goal is the same for USW and partners: to promote the reliability, quality, and value of all six U.S. wheat classes to customers around the world.
Read more form USW here.