Photo credit: U.S. Wheat Associates.
Milling, procurement, quality assurance and technical professionals from the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam joined U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) staff in North Dakota and Oregon in mid-August for a workshop focused on contracting for wheat value.
The Contracting for Wheat Value Workshop combined classroom instruction, laboratory demonstrations, industry briefings and field visits to strengthen participants’ understanding of U.S. wheat quality, contracting, logistics and value throughout the supply chain.
At the Northern Crops Institute on the campus of North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota, participants examined wheat quality, supply and demand fundamentals, grain logistics, flour functionality and milling profitability.
The workshop also covered strategies for adjusting wheat specifications to maximize value while maintaining end-use performance. Participants evaluated crop functionality using solvent retention capacity, or SRC, values.
SRC analysis provides information beyond protein content by examining flour characteristics associated with glutenin, gliadin and pentosan, as well as starch damage. The four SRC values help describe flour’s ability to absorb water during mixing and release water during baking. Together, the values establish a practical flour quality profile that can help predict functionality and determine how flour products will conform to specifications.
Baking demonstrations provided participants with an opportunity to evaluate how flour performs in finished products and connect laboratory measurements with milling and baking performance.
The group also examined market dynamics and the current pricing relationship between U.S. hard red spring and hard red winter wheat. USW staff reviewed supply and demand factors affecting both classes, including protein availability, dark, hard and vitreous kernel content and overall crop quality.
Tours of the NDSU greenhouse, an agronomy business and a hard red spring wheat farm provided additional insight into investments in wheat breeding, production, grain handling and quality preservation throughout the supply chain.
The workshop then moved to Portland, Oregon, where the focus shifted to export logistics, grain inspection, transportation and ocean freight.
Participants toured the Columbia Export Terminal, observing grain receiving, inspection, storage, blending and vessel-loading operations serving Asian customers. The visit provided an opportunity to see how wheat moves through the export system and how quality is managed before reaching overseas customers.
The group also examined the Cu-Sum, or Cumulative Sum, sampling method used during export grain vessel loading. Under the method, USDA’s Federal Grain Inspection Service follows a uniform loading plan in which a grain shipment is divided into sublots for sampling and inspection.
Cu-Sum sampling allows inspectors to evaluate the uniformity of grain quality as a vessel is loaded. Sublots that do not meet specifications can be removed from the loading process, helping ensure the entire certified lot remains within established quality tolerances.
The workshop provided participants with a broader understanding of wheat quality evaluation, contracting strategies, market conditions and the U.S. export system. By connecting milling and procurement professionals with stakeholders across the supply chain, the program emphasized evaluating wheat based on functionality, availability and total cost in addition to traditional specifications and contract price.
Source: U.S. Wheat Associates, "Beyond the Protein Specs: USW Workshop Highlights Procurement Strategies for Southeast Asian Buyers"