GREAT FALLS, Montana — In 2016, the U.S. Wheat Associates will mark 60 years with a marketing office in Japan, so it comes as no surprise that in marketing year 2014/15, Japan was the single largest buyer of wheat from the United States. In the same year, Japan was also the biggest market for U.S. hard red spring (HRS) and soft white (SW) wheat. To learn more about the high quality wheat to which their customers have become accustomed over the past 60 years, a team of managers from Japanese flour mills will visit Oregon, Idaho and Montana Sept. 20 to 26, 2015.
Millers on this team are executives from milling companies representing Japan’s National Cooperative of Millers. The first trade team from this group of millers visited the United States in 2014. USW collaborated with the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee, Oregon Wheat Commission and Idaho Wheat Commission to organize and host this year’s visit.
“These managers will eventually ascend to senior management positions and hopefully take with them an understanding that the United States produces the highest quality wheat for Japan,” said Steve Wirsching, USW vice president and director of the West Coast Office in Portland, OR. “This trade team visit creates an opportunity for us to increase their positive view of U.S. wheat and ensure we can continue to compete in Japan in the future.”
This trade team will bring individuals involved in milling, quality control and marketing to the United States to learn more about the effective wheat export supply chain and give them the opportunity to discuss logistical and quality assurance systems with the people who manage the U.S. wheat supply chain.
The team will travel to Montana to tour shuttle train loading facilities. Other stops include the Central Ag Research Center near Moccasin and Myllymaki Farms outside of Stanford. “Japan has been a great trading partner for Montana high quality wheat and has helped maintain high standards in our varietal breeding program; we are always excited to host visitors and learn from one another,” said Collin Watters, Executive Director of the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee.
Source: Montana Wheat and Barley Committee
