From Harvest to Shipment: Promoting U.S. Wheat Abroad

While harvest is underway in many parts of the nation, U.S. Wheat Associates is still promoting American wheat to overseas buyers.

By Glenn Vaagen

Groups from Ecuador, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines will be in the U.S. to observe harvest in wheat fields across rural America.  Ralph Loos, communications director for U.S. Wheat Associates, said it’s important to get buyers into the field to see what’s going on firsthand.

“The part about the producers, the farmers in the field, is the most important part, because our customers from all of these countries, to them, that’s what’s most important,” Loos noted.  “They want to be able to see the field. They want to see how the wheat is produced. Even the ones who’ve been here before, they always look forward to seeing the combine run and to being able to hold the wheat crop in their hands.”

Tours Move From The Field To Shipment

The overseas buyers get a look at everything when they’re in the U.S.

“We kind of give them a broad look at the whole process, so we’ll show them the field and the golden waves of grain. We’ll show them the actual harvest, when possible. That’s always weather permitting and crop progress permitting. If it’s ready to be harvested, they like to see it. We’ll take them to the local elevator in the small towns all around our wheat states,” Loos said.  “We’ll take them to the elevator to show how a farmer delivers his grain and what that process looks like. We’ll even, when possible, show that wheat being loaded on a train and headed toward either the Gulf or the Pacific Northwest, wherever the wheat is headed.”

Tours Include A Stop In The Classroom

The wheat education doesn’t stop there either.

“We also take them to different plants, facilities, our own wheat milling facilities, which are similar to what they have back home, to show them our processes,” Loos added.  “We take them to Kansas State University’s International Grains Program. Sometimes they’ll go to a class to learn about milling the different classes of U.S. wheat, so we give them that look, and we’ll take them to bakers and bakeries. The goal is to give them ideas for new products that they can use for U.S. wheat.”

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