Investing in global relationships

Each November, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) invites representatives from the U.S. wheat industry to personally deliver the latest crop quality analysis to key customers around the world. Featuring detailed presentations on the quality of soft white, hard red winter, hard red spring, and soft red winter wheat, this annual global outreach effort is central to the industry’s commitment to transparency, customer service, and strategic marketing.

This year, Washington Grain Commission (WGC) CEO Casey Chumrau joined the South America Crop Quality Seminar team, participating in five seminars across Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Chile. Each event welcomed approximately 40 participants from major wheat buying companies, including mills and end-product manufacturers, where they learned how favorable weather conditions across key U.S. growing regions resulted in high-quality wheat and ample supply for all U.S. wheat classes.

South American markets are known for their price sensitivity and adaptability. As they strive to optimize cost and performance, buyers in the region are skilled at blending wheat classes and origins. For instance, in addition to using soft wheat for its standard application of cookies, crackers, cakes, and pastries, South American buyers also blend soft wheat with hard wheat for bread production. Because this practice allows buyers to reduce flour costs while maintaining product quality, Pacific Northwest soft white wheat remains a viable and steadfast option — even through fluctuations in demand for traditional soft wheat applications and constraints in storage capacity.

The crop quality testing and reporting process is one of the most significant annual investments made by USW and state wheat commissions. Throughout harvest, country elevators collect and ship samples to specialized laboratories: Wheat Marketing Center for soft white, North Dakota State University for hard red spring and durum, Plains Grains Inc. for hard red winter, and GPAL for soft red winter. USW then compiles the final data into their annual USW Crop Quality Report, which is translated into at least six languages and used as the foundation for seminar presentations. Customers then use this valuable information to help anticipate wheat performance in shipments and make necessary adjustments to their processing and formulations.

While low wheat prices have posed significant challenges for producers, they have created strategic purchasing opportunities for buyers. As of Sept. 18, 2025, the last report before the government shutdown, sales to South America were 19% higher compared to the same date the previous year.

USW’s crop quality reporting and seminars continue to deliver a strong return on this grower-funded investment to Washington wheat growers. The technical support and marketing intelligence provided by USW’s overseas offices ensures visibility, strengthens customer relationships, and measurably increases purchases and uses of all U.S. wheat classes to both existing and emerging markets.