A story of partnership, commitment, and service for more than 40 years.

A Strong Legacy

A Legacy of Forward-Thinkers

Wheat farmers in post-World War II America were producing more wheat than ever before. But, they found that meeting demand at home left too much of their bountiful harvests without buyers. So, to improve marketing opportunities for their wheat, they organized by state and reached out to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for help. These visionary state wheat leaders ultimately formed two regional organizations to coordinate export market development: Great Plains Wheat Market Development Association and Western Wheat Associates.

The Great Plains Wheat Market Development Association, chartered in 1958, was tasked with promoting wheat exports from the Plains states, while Western Wheat Associates, formed in April 1959, aimed to expand international markets for wheat from the Pacific Northwest.

"In such a period of instability, the fact that wheat farmers find themselves disposed to help themselves, direct themselves, according to the fine program of the national and state wheat groups, to build and maintain stability in agriculture, is an encouraging note." —Joe Berkely, publisher, High Plains Journal, Feb. 5, 1951

By the 1970s, the industry had grown tremendously and demand for specific classes of U.S. wheat was growing beyond the rather narrow geographic distinctions of the two organizations. USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service suggested one organization would help reduce overlap and assure that overseas buyers were prepared to import the wheat classes they most needed. So, in 1980, Great Plains Wheat Market Development Association and Western Wheat Associates merged to become one organization focused on building overseas demand for wheat: U.S. Wheat Associates.

Today, we remain fixed on the mission of the farmers who created an enduring legacy of commitment and partnership to provide the highest quality wheat for almost every customer need, backed by transparent pricing, trusted third-party certification and unmatched service before and after the sale.

U.S. wheat farm families grow six distinct classes of wheat across the diverse landscape of the United States. Those farmers take great care in producing the highest quality wheat in the most sustainable ways possible to honor their family legacies and to ensure greater value for their customers at home and abroad.

U.S. Farmers

Peters Farms

Peters Farms is a family-owned operation that started when Michael Peters’ great-great-grandfather homesteaded a piece of land in central Oklahoma in the 1880s. Today, Michael farms with his father Fred Peters and his son Tyler. They grow HRW wheat and graze beef cattle on some of that crop over the late fall and winter.

Hard Red Winter

Versatile, with excellent milling and baking characteristics for wheat foods like hearth bread, hard rolls, croissants and flatbreads. HRW is also an ideal wheat choice for some types of Asian noodles, general purpose flour and as an improver for blending.

Peters Farms • Oklahoma

Volk Farm

Philip and Lisa Volk and their five children grow HRS on their family farm in North Dakota that was founded in 1942. Responsibilities are shared among them all, even their youngest who rides along with Mom or Dad during wheat harvest.

Hard Red Spring

The aristocrat of wheat when it comes to “designer” wheat foods like hearth bread, rolls, croissants, bagels and pizza crust. HRS is also a valued improver in flour blends.

Volk Farm • North Dakota

Goyings Farm

“Working hard and going strong” is the theme of wheat harvest at Doug Goyings’ family farm in Ohio. They work from morning to night, harvesting the wheat, baling the straw and planting soybeans in the same fields they had just harvested. Challenging work and long days are made slightly easier when spent doing something that you love surrounded by the people that you love.

Soft Red Winter

SRW is a profitable choice for producing a wide range of confectionery products like cookies, crackers and cakes, and for blending for baguettes and other bread products.

Goyings Farm • Ohio

Bailey Farm

After starting his career at a major farm lending institution, Gary Bailey left to join his family's farm full-time in 1989, working alongside his parents and two brothers. He wanted to be a part of the legacy that his parents started and to give his children the same kind of upbringing that he had. Today, Gary works the farm’s 4,500 acres alongside his brother Mark and his young niece Erin, the next generation.

White Club

White club wheat is a subclass of soft white (SW) and is a low moisture wheat with excellent milling results, and is ideal for exquisite cakes, pastries, and other confectionery products. Club wheat has very weak gluten and is most often exported in Western White, a blend of SW and up to 20 percent club wheat.

Bailey Farm • Washington

Padget Ranches

Padget Ranches sits on the arid Columbia Plateau above the John Day River in Oregon, where Darren Padget’s family has farmed since 1910. Today, Darren farms with his wife Brenda and their son Logan, as well as his dad Dale, a retired wheat farmer who participated in his 67th wheat harvest in 2019. Their dryland wheat and summer fallow rotation currently produces registered and certified seed on 3,400 acres annually.

Soft White

Low moisture wheat with excellent milling results, SW provides a whiter and brighter product for Asian-style noodles and is ideal for exquisite cakes, pastries and other confectionery products.

Padget Ranches • Oregon

Millershaski Farm

In what is now the kitchen of the family farmhouse, Earl Kleeman was born in 1930, the same year his parents bought their farm north of Lakin, Kan. His son-in-law Gary Millershaski started farming with him in 1992 and grandsons Jeremy and Kyler joined the operation three years ago. Sadly, Earl passed away in 2019, but not before he proudly helped harvest what was one of the family’s best wheat crops in years. We honor the legacy of commitment and partnership that Earl and countless other farmers of his generation created to provide the highest quality wheat for almost every customer need.

Hard White

HW receives enthusiastic reviews when used for Asian noodles, whole wheat or high extraction applications, pan bread or flatbreads.

Millershaski Farm • Kansas

Stoner Farms

Gordon Stoner and his wife Bonnie are the fourth generation on the family farm near Outlook, Mont., which celebrated its centennial in 2009. Gordon grows durum and pulse crops on the glacial plains just south of the Canadian border using a no-tillage system that Gordon says has improved his soils, increased yields and helped make the farm far more sustainable. Gordon is a past President of the Montana Grain Growers Association and the National Association of Wheat Growers and currently serves on USDA’s Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee.

Durum

The hardiest wheat, durum has a rich amber color and high gluten content. Hard amber durum (HAD) sets the “gold standard” for premium pasta products, couscous and some Mediterranean bread.

Stoner Farms • Montana

Motter Farm

Roy Motter farms 2,500 acres in the Imperial Valley of California, and while that may be small compared to other U.S. wheat farms, his operation supports three families. Motter has been farming with his two brothers-in-law since the 1970s, and he oversees their wheat production. They grow Desert Durum® wheat, as well as lettuce, Napa cabbage, sweet onions and sugar beets. They also have previously grown sugar cane, alfalfa seed and hay, Sudan grass, melons, tomatoes, Brussel sprouts, artichokes, hard red winter wheat and onion seed.

Desert Durum®

Desert Durum® is a registered certification mark used only to designate durum grown under irrigation in the desert valleys and lowlands of Arizona and California. Hardest of all wheat, durum has a rich amber color and high gluten content. Hard amber durum (HAD) sets the “gold standard” for premium pasta products, couscous and some Mediterranean bread.

Motter Farm • California

Wheat producers contribute a portion of their wheat sales (based on production volume or value) to state wheat commissions, a contract that is called a checkoff, which is managed within the laws of each state.

Currently, 17 state wheat commissions are members of U.S. Wheat Associates and contribute a portion of their checkoff funds to help connect farmers to wheat buyers, flour millers and wheat food processors around the world. In turn, these contributions qualify U.S. Wheat Associates to apply each year for export market development funds from programs managed by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.

State Wheat Commissions

Arizona Grain Research & Promotion Council Phoenix, Arizona

California Wheat Commission Woodland, California

Colorado Wheat Administrative Committee Fort Collins, Colorado

Idaho Wheat Commission Boise, Idaho

Kansas Wheat Commission Manhattan, Kansas

Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board Queenstown, Maryland

Minnesota Wheat Research & Promotion Council Red Lake Falls, Minnesota

Montana Wheat & Barley Committee Great Falls, Montana

Nebraska Wheat Board Lincoln, Nebraska

North Dakota Wheat Commission Mandan, North Dakota

Ohio Small Grains Marketing Program Delaware, Ohio

Oklahoma Wheat Commission Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Oregon Wheat Commission Portland, Oregon

South Dakota Wheat Commission Pierre, South Dakota

Texas Wheat Producers Board Amarillo, Texas

Washington Grain Commission Spokane, Washington

Wyoming Wheat Marketing Commission Cheyenne, Wyoming

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service Washington, D.C.

Today, the original vision our founding members established is fulfilled by the dependable overseas offices that serve our customers all over the world by resolving issues and simplifying the process of importing and utilizing U.S. wheat.

Overseas Offices

Arlington

Beijing

Cape Town

Casablanca

Hong Kong

Lagos

Manila

Mexico City

Portland

Rotterdam

Santiago

Seoul

Singapore

Taipei

Tokyo

The highest quality food demands the highest quality wheat.

For more than 40 years, dependable people have made the difference.

Researchers & Breeders

Farmers & State Wheat Commissions

Grain Handlers

Exporters, Inspectors, & Overseas Offices

Despite the different roles or distances between us, all of the people in our story share an unspoken connection, not only through U.S. wheat but through our shared values of growth, hard work and family.

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Connection

MARIA FERNANDA RODRIGUEZ PAZ

Business Development Manager, Molinos Modernos, Guatemala

“Molinos Modernos is part of the Food Products division of Corporación Multi Inversiones, a fourth-generation family enterprise present in several Latin American countries with more than 90 years of history. Our corporate values are embodied in the acronym REIR, which in Spanish means “to laugh”, and also stands for Responsibility, Excellence, Integrity and Respect, reminding us daily of the importance of "always being happy at work" as our founder Juan Bautista Gutierrez (Don Juanito) used to say. We know and fully believe that the strategic alliance relationship with U.S. Wheat Associates is vital for the growth and development of our company and industry in the coming years.”

BOB DRYNAN

Past Staff for Great Plains Wheat 1974-1980; California Wheat Commission 1982-1993; Wheat Marketing Center 1993-1999

“U.S. Wheat Associates and its legacy organizations have matured over the years. I was the first foreign based flour miller to join the ranks and I brought the buyers' point of view into the equation. Since that time focusing on the buyers' needs has had a big impact on wheat breeding goals, marketing approaches and even marketing methods and export procedures to a far more customer-oriented outlook.”

RON MAAS

Retired Nebraska wheat farmer and Nebraska Wheat Board staff

"In addition to farming with my son in Nebraska, I spent 28 years representing the U.S. wheat industry in Japan and the Philippines. It would require a sizeable book to share all the memories and advances in trade servicing that I witnessed on the staff of Western Wheat Associates. For example, I was present at a post-event social gathering when Japanese officials agreed to open their market to hard red winter wheat in addition to Western White and Dark Northern Spring, demonstrating the importance of developing close relationships that USW representatives continue to do today."

MOULAY ABDELKADER ALAOUI

President, National Milling Federation, Morocco

“The 40th anniversary of U.S. Wheat Associates provides an opportunity to honor the historic relationship between our two institutions! For over three decades, we have been forging strong cooperation and partnership relations with USW, which were rewarded in 1993 by the construction and equipment of the Milling Training Institute (IFIM), dedicated to the training of Moroccan and African milling technicians. USW is continuing its efforts to support our work in promoting and upgrading the Moroccan milling industry. We look forward to further strengthening our bilateral relations and remain the partner of American Wheat in the Maghreb and West Africa... Long live the U.S. Wheat Associates!”

GERMAN ZAPATA

Corporative Purchasing Manager, Grupo Nutresa, Colombia

“Grupo Nutresa sends U.S. Wheat Associates a very special greeting in the celebration of the 40th anniversary. Our staff has participated in USW trade missions, where all learning has been invaluable in the application of our products, and we participate in the Latin America Buyers Conference every two years, where we receive timely information for decision making and can share with experts. We’ve collaborated several times to produce crackers and other cookies with soft white wheat, and USW has also helped us work through several trade issues and to communicate the importance of importing U.S. wheat to the National Government of Colombia, benefiting the entire milling industry.”

CRISTOBAL BORDA

San Cristobal Mill, Chile

“Molinera San Cristobal S.A. is a large family that works in harmony and respect among its employees. Our history dates back to 1916 so we can proudly say that we have completed ‘a century of milling tradition.’ Today we have five wheat mills and a wheat storage plant. We know from experience that in order to develop a flour of excellence it is essential to have wheat of excellence. Our many visits to the United States with U.S. Wheat Associates have allowed us to learn from farmers, their seriousness and dedication to achieve the best possible wheat. One of the most outstanding activities has been the USW Chilean Trade Delegation Tour in 2009.”

FERNANDO ROBLES

Wheat Imports Manager, Grupo La Moderna, Mexico

"Grupo La Moderna began in 1920 and is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year with at least three generations of employees. This is my 27th year with the company and throughout my career, I’ve been inspired by the values our founder, Eduardo Monroy Cárdenas, left as a legacy: work, administration, good faith, loyalty and excellence. I’ve traveled with U.S. Wheat Associates several times, including for the Latin American Wheat Buyers Conference. USW staff have always supported us in resolving our concerns and we have developed excellent bonds of friendship. I also have very fond memories of the excellent attention while visiting Mike and Diana O'Hara at the O'Hara Farm in Montana."

LIEN HWA MILLING CORPORATION

Taiwan

“The friendship between Lien Hwa Flour Mill and the U.S. wheat industry started in 1940. At that time, a flour bag with “Sino-US cooperation” in Chinese on it was the collective memory of many Taiwanese. Our founder, Mr. Miao Yu-Siou, made great contributions to the Taiwan flour milling industry, including founding the Taiwan Flour Millers Association and in 1984, establishing the China Grain Products Research & Development Institute (CGPRDI), which USW contributed funds to. Lien Hwa Flour Mill and the Miao family has cooperated with USW for several decades to jointly promote the progress of the Taiwan baking and flour products industry.”

HSIN HONG KUO

Chairman of the Board, Hong Ming Flour Mill, Taiwan

“Open for over 70 years, Hong Ming Flour Mill is the third largest in Taiwan. I’ve been in the business more than 30 years and am the second-generation owner. We received a government award in 2018 for producing high quality flour for the Taiwan baking and Chinese flour products industries. I’ve traveled to the United States several times with Taiwan Flour Millers Association and on the Taiwan Good Will Mission. We visited Idaho, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon and Washington to discuss wheat quality with U.S. wheat farmers. I am very supportive of USW programs and attend the annual Crop Quality seminar every year.”

Charles Hung

General Manager,Chia Fha Enterprise Co., Ltd., Taiwan

“Established in 1920, Chia Fha Enterprise has been involved in food business for 100 years and is currently run by its 4th generation. Through USW, we participate in several activities, trade missions and wheat breeding programs to help ensure that U.S. wheat’s market share in Taiwan stays substantial. We work closely with USW staff, like Peter Lloyd on milling technology and developing new technical solutions. By sharing information on quality analysis and assurance, it ensures that both sides of the Pacific are able to communicate and collaborate in developing a deeper relationship for U.S. wheat applications.”

UNI-PRESIDENT ENTERPRISE CORP.

Flour Division, Taiwan

“Uni-President Enterprise Corp. is entering its 53nd year in 2020. Wheat varieties and quality characteristics are the key factors that determine the quality of flour. Thanks to the USW Taipei Office, we work together with USW to conduct wheat flour testing every year. Activities like this and the Frozen Dough Seminar in 2019, really benefits our company and helps us to improve the quality of flour and bread manufacturing. Thanks for the support from USW. We look forward to working together to provide better U.S. wheat flour and technology to the Taiwan market for the next 40 years.”

Joe Anderson

Idaho Wheat Farmer, USW Board of Directors

"[Former] Idaho Wheat Commission (IWC) Executive Director Blaine Jacobson thinks I have a knack for building rapport with trade teams. One of those USW teams visiting our farm in July 2018 included Kevin Widjaja with Cerestar Flour Mills from Indonesia. We showed how we select varieties and maintain wheat quality. Then on a USW Board Team in February 2019 I reconnected with Kevin at Cerestar’s mill near Jakarta. It was great to build a lasting relationship with this wheat buyer in a country that is importing more wheat every year."

TSUNG-YUAN (JOHN) LIN

General Manager Assistant, Ta Fong Flour Mill, Taiwan

“U.S. wheat has always been the major source [of information] for us to produce quality flour. As the third generation, I am proud that our mill has expanded to three mills, not only supplying flour to local stores, but also creating a livelihood for local citizens. In 2019, my wife and I were hosted by U.S. wheat farmers and staff in Oregon, Washington and Idaho prior to joining the Taiwan Good Will Mission. Bill Flory of Idaho and others were wonderful hosts and I realized that all farmers are so family oriented. The [production of] good quality of wheat is passed from one generation to another.”

Jason Scott

Maryland Wheat Farmer, 2016/17 USW Chairman

"In 2019, Andres Cabrerizio with Alicorp came to our farm in a trade delegation from Peru. Later that year I was in Lima as part of the USW Crop Quality team and visited Andres at his office where we enjoyed some of Alicorp’s branded cookies. We both look forward to the next chance to meet. I think that the customers really appreciate farmers getting out to their mills and offices around the world. The relationships you build, putting a name and face on the wheat that they are purchasing, are so important."

Nisshin Flour Milling Inc.

Japan

"Congratulations on the 40th anniversary of USW’s founding. For the Japanese flour millers including us, a stable supply of U.S. wheat to our market is crucial. We appreciate the great contribution of USW as a bridge between U.S. wheat producers and Japanese flour millers. We believe the demand of U.S. wheat in the Japanese market will be strong as long as we supply good quality wheat flour to our end users. With help from USW, we would like to continue our long term partnership in the future. "

Tony Yi-Chuen Hsu

Taiwan Flour Mills Association(TFMA), Taiwan

“Through the years, U.S. Wheat Associates has been a faithful and trustworthy partner and friend to TFMA. Every year, USW shares the latest milling technology and innovative baking skills, and monthly harvest and quality reports. Moreover, our millers and customers have the greatest of trust in U.S. wheat, and we are grateful for the support from USW. With a rich and long history in Taiwan’s milling industry, we are proud to provide the service to our customers with the support from our dear friends at USW. Please accept our heartiest congratulations on your 40th anniversary.”

Lin Zhubo

Chairman, Xiamen Mingsui Grains & Oils Trading Co., Ltd., China

"I started my wheat business with my wife in 1999 with 210 sacks of U.S. soft red winter wheat. From that time on, we have had close ties to U.S. wheat. In 2012, holding a USW seminar at our company encouraged us to promote and market our use of U.S. wheat with confidence. USW has since held more technical seminars, and invited us on a company trade delegation to the Pacific Northwest and to participate in training there. We deeply love the grain trade in China that connects farmland and the dining table. It is traditional, but with new opportunities."

Anna-Mart Rust

Procurement Manager, Pioneer Foods, South Africa

“It was wonderful to reconnect with Don Schieber when Pioneer Foods hosted a USW group in 2018 in South Africa. I took Don to a John Deere retailer, to a big agricultural show and to our Stellenbosch Winelands. This day is memorable as I could show Don how farmers and other South Africans live compared with American farmers, as he did when I visited his farm in 2014. We shared our differences but we found we had the same goal — to produce the best wheat and food possible!”

Don Schieber

Oklahoma Wheat Farmer, 2010/11 USW Chairman

“In 2014 a USW trade team visited my farm. I had a great time giving the team members rides in my combine. Anna-Mart Rust with Pioneer Foods in South Africa really enjoyed it and we talked about the differences between our lives. This memorable experience came full circle in September 2018 when I met Anna-Mart again, this time in South Africa on a USW Board Team visit and she took me to a farm equipment dealer and farm show, and hosted me in her home. That kind of connection is so important.”

Dong-Chan Bae

Manager, Samyang Corp., Korea

"One of the most valuable experiences in my life is the close friendships made with USW staff and in the U.S. wheat industry. Thanks to USW, I’ve met so many U.S. farmers who always welcome our delegation with the warmest hospitality. The annual USW Crop Quality Seminar helps me better understand the global wheat market and about wheat and flour quality. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to USW and congratulations on their 40th anniversary. I wish USW and U.S. farmers much prosperity and success forever."

Tom Stroschein

Retired Idaho Wheat Farmer

"The relationships I made with overseas buyers were important to support U.S. wheat export promotion. One year, I was at a golf outing hosted by the Idaho Wheat Commission for visiting Korean flour millers when a fox stole the one of the delegate’s ball! They had fun teasing him about that. So, when I knew I would see that miller in Korea on a trade mission, I brought him a stuffed fox with a golf ball in its mouth. He said it was one of the nicest gifts he’d ever received and kept it displayed in his office."

Stevie Uy

AVP & SBU Head, Flour Division, RFM Corporation, Republic of the Philippines

"RFM Corporation pioneered the regional flour milling industry in 1958. Today, it is one of the biggest food and beverage companies in the Philippines. I am in the 4th generation managing part of the company. I have been to the United States with USW twice. In Washington, Randy Suess took us to a plateau overlooking fields of golden soft white wheat in every direction. U.S. farmers are all proud of their production and heritage. These visits helped me appreciate where our raw materials come from and how much work and risk the farmer must take every year."

Randy Suess

Retired Washington Wheat Farmer, 2011/12 USW Chairman

“I had the opportunity of a lifetime to travel with USW to many countries and visit with buyers, millers and bakers. My thanks to those who made us feel so welcome. The millers are most gracious hosts and always showed up in large numbers at USW events. I was very proud to attend the 50th anniversary of U.S. wheat market development organizations in the Philippines. After one event, Norman Uy and his family honored me by hosting dinner. His son Stevie visited my farm the following year and is now taking over the mill.”