The official publication of the Kansas Wheat Commission and the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers
FEBRUARY 2015
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Why is Kansas called the Wheat State? Remotely Capturing Wheat’s Potential Monsanto Executive Tours Kansas Wheat Innovation Center Industry News
Rediscover WHE AT | February 2015 1
Volume 2 • Number 2 www.rediscoverwheat.org The official publication of
In This Issue :
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1990 Kimball Avenue Manhattan, Kansas 66502 (785) 539-0255
KAWG MEMBERSHIP $100 per year
EDITOR
Marsha Boswell • mboswell@kswheat.com
ASSISTANT EDITOR/DESIGNER Nicole Lane • laneinicole@gmail.com
CONTRIBUTORS
Julia Debes • juliadebes@gmail.com Jordan Hildebrand • jhildebrand@kswheat.com
CEO
Justin Gilpin • jgilpin@kswheat.com
KAWG OFFICERS
PRESIDENT Gary Millershaski • Lakin
VICE PRESIDENT Michael Jordan • Beloit
SECRETARY/TREASURER Kenneth Wood • Chapman IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT David Schemm • Sharon Springs
KWC OFFICERS
CHAIRMAN Scott Van Allen • Clearwater VICE CHAIRMAN Jay Armstrong • Muscotah SECRETARY/TREASURER Brian Linin • Goodland IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN Ron Suppes • Dighton
Rediscover Wheat is published by the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers (KAWG) and the Kansas Wheat Commission (KWC), 1990 Kimball Avenue, Manhattan, Kansas 66502, twelve times per year. Contents of this publication may not be reprinted without permission.
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Rediscover WHE AT | February 2015
Busy mom brings home baking perspective to Kansas Wheat Test Kitchen
5 Speak for Wheat! Become a spokesperson 6 Baking is a family affair 7 Fortified grain foods protect babies 8 Remotely capturing wheat's potential 10 Learning about on-farm grain storage and handling 11 Recipe: Celebration Cupcakes with Champange Frosting 12 News from the National Association of Wheat Growers 17 Recipe: Chocolate Yogurt Cake 18 News from U.S. Wheat Associates 25 Wheat Foods Council member update 27 Resolve to get healthier 28 Monsanto Executive addresses food security,
Why is Kansas called the Wheat State?
tours Kansas Wheat Innovation Center
30 Maltby Market Analysis 36 Upcoming Events
Why is Kansas called the Wheat State? by Nicole Lane
O
n January 29th Kansas celebrated the 154th anniversary of its statehood. When the first settlers roamed the prairies of the territory, they probably never imagined that the land they were in would one day become known as the “Wheat State.” The first wheat crop in Kansas was grown at the Shawnee Methodist Mission near Fairway in Johnson County in 1839. Production spread westward as the territory was settled eventually becoming a state in 1861. In the beginning, wheat didn’t grow well in Kansas. Initially, the spring wheat varieties grown on the plains suffered because of the hot, dry summers. Yields were low and many doubted that wheat would ever be able to grow successfully in this challenging climate. In 1874, Russian Mennonite immigrants introduced Turkey Red wheat to Kansas. This hardy variety was planted in the fall and could withstand Kansas' cold and dry winters. The new wheat could take advantage of the moisture that arrives in the winter and early spring and then be harvested in early summer. This introduction revolutionized the wheat industry in Kansas, and Turkey Red wheat is now the ancestor to all Hard Red Winter Wheat varieties grown across the plains today.
T. C. Henry, a pioneer of the Kansas wheat industry during its formative years, predicted that "winter wheat will doubtless be the great staple of our country" and encouraged farmers to plant winter wheat. A combination of his advocacy and a series of disasters plaguing spring wheat and corn cemented winter wheat into the history books of Kansas. He helped build the foundation for what is now called the “breadbasket of the world.” Kansas wheat farmers have survived many challenges to maintain Kansas as the “Wheat State.” The 1930s brought the Dust Bowl to the Great Plains and the Great Depression took its toll on farmers. In addition to the drought, leaf rust attacked the crop of 1935, making a wheat farmer’s survival even harder. At this time the United States was a net importer of wheat and feed grains. When the government passed the Bankhead-Jones Agricultural Research Act, doubling the federal support for research and extension work on the farm, things started to get better. The technological boom that followed in the 1940’s allowed producers to move from horses to tractors and adopt technological practices.
Technology and improved varieties increased production and added interest in agricultural exports. These changes moved the United States from an importer of wheat to a net exporter with Kansas leading the charge. Kansas continues to be one of the largest producers of wheat in the U.S., and is the largest flour milling state in the union. The Kansas wheat industry is a vital part of Kansas’ economy contributing about $3.6 billion to the economy in 2013 and by supporting about 30,000 Kansas jobs. In 1886 Kansas wheat farmers grew wheat on 68,000 acres, reaping only 19 bushels per acre. In 2014, wheat producers harvested 8.8 million acres, earning 38 bushels per acre. With all this wheat, Kansas produces a lot of bread. 36 billion loaves of bread could be baked with the wheat grown in Kansas each year. That’s enough to feed everyone in the world for two weeks! Rediscover WHE AT | February 2015 3
Busy mom brings home baking perspective to Kansas Wheat Test Kitchen
by Julia Debes
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ulene DeRouchey has her own test panel for her baking experiments – her three children. And, in her new role as nutrition educator assistant for Kansas Wheat, Julene has many products for them to judge. “I love baking and trying new recipes,” Julene said. “I bring the busy mom and home baker perspective.” Julene is no stranger to Kansas Wheat. In fact, she started as an intern with the Kansas Wheat Commission, even before she started her studies in human ecology and mass communications at Kansas State University in 1997. After working for an agricultural Internet start-up and then in K-State Research and Extension, Julene stayed home to raise her children. But, she never stopped promoting wheat, serving as a Speak for Wheat spokesperson. “It is really about the people that you meet,” Julene said of the spokesperson team. “We all think on the same wavelength when it comes to educating consumers about the wheat industry and promoting home baking.” One of Julene’s first tasks as an intern was to fill orders for the annual Kansas Wheat commission recipe books. As a spokesperson, she started testing recipes for the National Festival of Breads, having her family try the results. She also coordinated the prior National Festival of Breads’ Share 4
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Our Strength bake sales, which raised money for programs that help feed hungry children. Now, her primary responsibility is to help Cindy in the test kitchen, including evaluating the hundreds of recipes entered in the 2015 National Festival of Breads. “I enjoy reading through the entrants’ techniques and their stories,” she said. “It is fun to see what trendy flavors and ingredients people are using, like kale, chia seeds and agave syrup.” With photos required for this year’s recipe contest, Julene said, “It is helpful to see how their products look and try to re-create it in our test kitchen.” In addition to testing recipes for the National Festival of Breads, Julene is also working through the older annual recipe books to update ingredients, add nutritional information and take photos for the National Festival of Breads website and social media. She remarked that she now has to switch between her home baking style and a professional baking mindset. As a result, she said she is more precise with her techniques in the test kitchen as well as making finishing touches. “Grocery shopping has become exciting,” after working at Kansas Wheat, she said. “I love using Kansas ingredients and being able to introduce my family to new foods and flavor trends.”
Cindy and Julene run an efficient and innovative test kitchen, partially because they have known each other since Julene was a 4-Her in Pottawatomie County, where Cindy raised her family and was a 4-H bread leader. In fact, Cindy’s daughters would often trade County Fair 4-H Foods awards back and forth with Julene and her sister over the years. Julene’s specialty? A chocolate layer cake. “She has always been a mentor I have looked up to,” Julene said. “Now I feel blessed to work alongside Cindy in the test kitchen.” Her family may enjoy tasting her experiments at home, but judging from the delicious aroma wafting from the Syngenta “Speak for Wheat” test kitchen, Kansas Wheat staff is sure not to miss out. And with both Julene and Cindy working together, the 2015 National Festival of Breads will be bigger and better than ever before.
Speak for Wheat!
by Julia Debes
Share your story through the Kansas Wheat spokesperson program
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o you enjoy sharing your farm story? Are you known for that special baked good in your hometown? Do you love teaching people of all ages about wheat production, nutrition and home baking? If the answer to any of those questions is yes – consider joining the Speak for Wheat spokesperson program sponsored by Kansas Wheat and participating in educational programs from classroom demonstrations to Wheat Safaris to Ag Day events – not to mention the National Festival of Breads coming in June. Kansas Wheat is looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help spread the good word on wheat to Kansas and the world. Speak for Wheat spokespersons are kept up-to-date on the nutritional importance of wheat foods, related consumer information and preparation of wheat foods in addition to receiving weekly news releases and the latest educational materials available. “The Speak for Wheat program has been very effective and successful for Kansas wheat producers,” Cindy Falk, Kansas Wheat nutrition educator, said. “Each of our spokespersons has a personal connection to wheat through farming, teaching or a background in nutrition. And all are passionate about sharing those experiences with others.” Falk speaks from experience as she joined Kansas Wheat as a volunteer spokesperson when the
Speak for Wheat program began in 1986. Twelve volunteers were recruited by Sharon Davis, then Kansas Wheat Commission nutritionist, to share information about wheat across the state through food preparation demonstrations and talks on nutrition and wheat marketing. Since then, the program has grown to more than 30 spokespersons. The Speak for Wheat program is divided into three teams: Nutrition, Field to Table and Production and Research. Spokespeople are reimbursed for demonstration expenses and mileage. The Nutrition Team provides wheat nutrition and wheat foods demonstrations to consumers on the goodness of grains in a diet. Audiences include family and consumer science classrooms, 4-H and FFA groups, state extension personnel, health and food fairs and the State Fair. The Field to Table Team presents programs on how wheat is grown and processed into wheat foods. Audiences include classroom presentations, Ag Day pizza parties, farm days and AgriLand at the State Fair. The Production and Research Team communicates production
and research messages to farm and urban audiences. Audiences include producer meetings, farm show exhibits, wheat plot tours and first purchaser events. This team also monitors perceptions of production agriculture online through article comments, blogs and other responses. Help your friends, family and neighbors rediscover their love of wheat or learn something new by contacting Cindy Falk at cfalk@ kswheat.com or 785-539-0255 for more information. Not yet convinced? Check out the experiences of current Speak for Wheat spokespersons Melanie Eddy, Betty Kandt, Julene DeRouchey and Donna Keyser. Spokesperson Requirements: • Assist in a minimum of six programs or exhibits per year. • Attend one training session a year. • Use approved Kansas Wheat sources of information. • Use own technology equipment. Rediscover WHE AT | February 2015 5
Baking is a family affair F
or Melanie Eddy of Syracuse, wheat is more than a crop. She and her wheat farmer husband Kent have turned service to the wheat industry into a family adventure. When she first started demonstrating breads in 1986, she remembered setting her baby on end of the table and the bread on the other. At the State Fair one year, she recalled putting her four children to nap under a desk in an airconditioned office so she could butter bread samples to hand out in the Kansas Wheat booth. In the years following, Melanie has demonstrated making, shaping and baking bread in grade school classrooms, 4-H foods classes, the State Fair and many more as a Speak for Wheat spokesperson. “I think we raise a wonderful product and we should promote it,” Melanie said. “I teach almost every day in one manner or another.”
Becky Wallace, a family and consumer science agent in Hamilton County, wrote this description of one of Melanie’s demonstrations in 2000: “A couple of weeks ago, she worked with nine youth (9 to 11 year olds) in their 4-H foods class. The kids had a ball. There was flour all over and lots of noisy excitement and terrific breads when they were done. Many had never worked with bread dough before and they loved it. Melanie explained all the steps so thoroughly, yet simply so the kids would understand. The noise and chaos didn’t phase her one bit!” Some of Melanie Eddy’s favorite memories include baking with her own four children, although children across the state have learned from her demonstrations. Melanie, who didn't bake bread until after she was married, said she loves teaching how to make “fancy” breads – shaped breads, tea rings and others. She is proud that her own children – a ag geneticist, a food scientist, a farmer and a podiatrist – all have taken these agricultural lessons with them into adulthood. “My children have learned the wheat story and are helping promote it,” she proudly said, sharing that some of her favorite family photos are of her children covered in flour.
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by Julia Debes
Sadly, Melanie said that with fewer home economists, increasing educational requirements and more extracurricular activities, the request for bread baking demonstrations has declined. To reach those audiences, she called for more folks to join as spokespeople, particularly those that are young, enthusiastic and have connections to their local 4-H programs and school districts. But, when asked about using an assistant for her own demonstrations, she cheerfully replied, “That’s my husband. He is really good help.” Kent served as a Kansas Wheat Commissioner for six years. The couple is also the only individual members of the Wheat Foods Council, an industry organization dedicated to education consumers about the healthfulness of wheat in the diet. “There are so many fad diets, we need a national organizations to respond to the strange claims and bad press,” she said. “They do a really good job.” Melanie continues to demonstrate baking, cooking and sewing, sometimes now with a second generation of students. On the farm, her youngest son is now working with her husband on their dryland operation on the border of Colorado.
Fortified grain foods protect babies
by Julia Debes
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he most powerful tool for preventing neural tube defects is actually quite simple – enriched grains fortified with folic acid. As part of Healthy Baby Month and National Birth Defects Prevention Month, the Grain Foods Foundation has partnered with the Spina Bifida Association to spread the word about the important role folic acid in the diet plays in helping protect unborn children. This is especially important in early weeks of pregnancy when the woman may not know she is pregnant but when neural tube defects, like spina bifida, develop. Grain Foods Foundation Scientific Advisory Board member and registered dietician Sylvia Melendez-Klinger explained, “Folic acid is a B vitamin that helps cells grow and develop, which is why it’s so important for a healthy pregnancy and preventing spina bifida. The single biggest step a woman can take is to prevent spina bifida from occurring is consuming enough folic acid before getting pregnant.” According to Grains for Your Brain, “if women consumed the recommended amount of folic acid, up to 70 percent of neural tube defects could be prevented.”
added to flour as part of the milling process. Today, enriched grains – including white bread, tortillas, pasta and cereal – have twice the folic acid as whole grains and are the top source of folic acid for women of child-bearing age. Sadly, however, a recent Grain Foods Foundation survey showed 51 percent of Americans are unaware of this important health benefit. Despite low awareness, the prevalence of neural tube defects was reduced by 36 percent in just five years as the result of fortification and the trend continues downward. That is why the Centers for Disease Control named flour fortification as one of the top 10 public health achievements of the first decade of the 21st century. On a final note, as forty percent of pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, ensuring the diet has a steady supply of folic acid is important, no matter whether a woman is trying to have a child or not. According to the Spina Bifida Association and the Grain Foods Foundation, “Expectant mothers, even those who don’t know it yet, can help protect their babies simply be eating the foods they love.”
In 1998, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration mandated that enriched grain foods be fortified with folic acid, meaning folic acid is Rediscover WHE AT | February 2015 7
Remotely capturing wheat's potential by Julia Debes
Color is Key The key to Singh’s research is NDVI – normalized difference vegetative index. This algorithmically derived score from 0 to 1 indicates plant health and even yield potential. For example, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, bare rock will have a very low NDVI value whereas tropical forests will have a higher NDVI value. NDVI, or normalized difference vegetative index, indicates plant health. The greener the wheat appears, the higher the yield potential. Additionally, if a wheat plant is heat stressed, it will reflect lower amounts of near infrared light. For wheat, the greener the plant appears, the higher the potential yield. But green is not the only important color Singh measured. While near-infrared light cannot be seen by human eyes, it is an important indicator of a plant’s reaction to heat stress. The less infrared light reflected by the plant, the more the plant is stressed. Daljit Singh, K-State doctoral student in plant pathology, is studying how small unmanned aerial systems, or drones, can help wheat researchers identify higher yielding, more heat and drought tolerant wheat lines faster.
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t's invisible to the human eye, but measured in microseconds, and helping shape the future of Kansas wheat varieties. Sounds like science fiction, but research funded by the Kansas Wheat Alliance is using near-infrared light measurements to dramatically speed up the process of selecting higher yielding, more heat and drought tolerant wheat lines. Daljit Singh, K-State doctoral student in plant pathology, is part of a research team led by Dr. Jesse Poland. Using a point-and-shoot camera connected to a small unmanned aerial system (sUAS), commonly referred to as a drone, Singh is demonstrating how to save both time and money in selecting which experimental lines to advance to the next potential wheat variety. 8
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Singh and his team capture both the greenness and this invisible measurement using an off-theshelf, point-and-shoot camera, but one that has been modified to detect infrared light instead of red light. Using a mathematical formula, Singh and his team
can turn these measurements into an NDVI index. Wheat breeders can then use this data to determine which experimental lines have the most heat tolerance, drought tolerance and yield potential. If Time Is Money, sUAS Saves Both The data is invaluable, but so is the time savings from using a sUAS to take measurements. Singh explained a survey of the K-State variety trials takes just four to 10 minutes, compared to an entire day needed for a human worker to manually take the same measurements, plus the cost of wages. According to the research proposal: “We could reduce field data collection time requirements from thousands of hours to dozens of hours. Traditional field measurements are measured in minutes per plot, spectroradiometer readings can be acquired in seconds and airborne spectral readings per plot can be acquired in microseconds.” The variety trials are measured a few times a week, depending on the weather. Singh explained that the sUAS will typically take 100 to 200 images for each field survey depending on flying speed and height. Singh explained that to make a quality NDVI, the images need a 70 to 80 percent overlap. With each image stitched together and every pixel georeferenced, the research team has a complete image of the variety trials and each line’s individual NDVI.
This is the second year of the sUAS research project, but the first where Singh is collecting large amounts of data. Wheat researchers collaborated with others in K-State’s mechanical engineering (Dr. Dale Schinstock and Kyle McGahee), plant pathology (Dr. Kevin Wang and Mark Lucas) and agronomy (Dr. Steve Welch and Nan An) departments in the first year to determine which vehicles, cameras and triggering systems would work best of the research project and made appropriate adjustments. Where the first vehicles were flown manually, the sUAS now follows a GPS coordinated flight path. And the first sUAS had commercial software, but the team switched to an open source system where they could adjust the programming – and make repairs – themselves. “There was a log of trial and error in the first year, but things are coming together,” Singh said. “So far, it looks good.” In the third year of the project, Singh hinted the team may fly the sUAS multiple times per day. Or, the team could obtain larger vehicles that could handle a heavier payload of more sophisticated cameras. With the work of Singh and his team, the potential for sUAS technology to benefit wheat farmers through a quicker release of improved varieties seems a little less like science fiction every day.
Building on Prior Trials This sUAS (drone) has a point-and-shoot camera attached. When flown on a GPScoordinated path across the wheat variety trials, it takes 100-200 images that Singh and the team use to measure the green and near-infrared light reflected by each plot.
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Learning about on-farm grain storage and handling IGP Institute Partners with GEAPS to offer distance trainings for Kansas Wheat producers regarding grain storage and handling.
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roducers are always looking for ways to increase efficiency and safety around the farm to help maximize profit. To help meet that end goal, Kansas farmers may want to participate in some of the upcoming on-line trainings offered by Kansas State University and Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS). Two of these trainings highlight ways to design and operate grain aeration systems and quality management systems for agriculture storage. The third training focuses on safety in grain handling. “With the increase of on farm storage in regard to both the number of producers storing on the farm and the capacity of onsite grain silos, these trainings are relevant because they offer innovative ways for farmers to
manage grain inventory,� says Mark Fowler, IGP Institute associate director. Following is a brief description of the courses. Registration for these trainings closes February 3 with the courses being conducted on-line from Feb. 9 to March 13. The cost for the training is $640 for GEAPS members and $815 for non-members. To register visit the GEAPS website at www.geaps.com. GEAPS 521: Aeration System Design and Fan Operational Management
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This course teaches the basic principles of designing and operating grain aeration systems to maintain grain quality during storage. GEAPS 530: Quality Management Systems for Bulk Materials Handling Operations Learn about quality management systems and how they are used in agricultural storage environments. GEAPS 544: Preventing Grain Dust Explosions This course provides an overview of what causes grain dust explosions, how to prevent them and the potentially disastrous consequences of explosions.
Celebration Cupcakes with Champange Frosting Ingredients
Cupcakes 1 (16.5-ounce) box dry vanilla cake mix 3 large egg whites 1 cup sparkling champagne, room temperature 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 tablespoon colored sprinkles (optional) Frosting 3 cups confectioners’ sugar 7-ounce container marshmallow crème ½ cup butter-flavored shortening ½ teaspoon vanilla ½ cup sparkling champagne, room temperature
Directions
Cupcakes Preheat oven to 350° F. Line two standard-size muffin pans with 24 paper cupcake liners. Blend cake mix, egg whites, champagne, and oil in a large bowl at low speed until moistened (about 30 seconds). Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in sprinkles. (optional) Pour batter in pans and bake 17-20 minutes. Cupcakes are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely then frost with Sweet Champagne Frosting.
Kansas Wheat Commission Test Kitchen Note: Folding in colored sprinkles gives cupcakes a confetti-like appearance. Frosting With an electric mixer, blend together confectioners’ sugar, marshmallow crème, shortening, and vanilla. Add enough champagne to reach desired frosting consistency. Use a spreader or decorative tip to frost cooled cupcakes.
Nutrition Information
Makes 24 cupcakes.
One cupcake (using three egg whites rather than whole egss) provides approximately 192 calories; 1 g protein; 23 g carbohydrates; 0 g dietary fiber; 7g fat (1 g saturated); 0 mg cholesterol; 0 mcg folate; 0 mg iron and 372 mg sodium.
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News from :
NAWG Weekly Updates January 8, 2015 New Congress Begins In early January, the 114th Congress was sworn in on Capitol Hill, beginning the new session. Both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees see new leadership in Chairmans Conaway (R-TX) and Roberts (R-KS). The Senate, now with republican majority, will have a new Majority Leader in McConnell (R-KY) and Speaker Boehner (R-OH) will continue to serve the House. Senator Roberts becomes first to Chair House & Senate Agriculture Committees Senator Pat Robert has been selected to serve as the Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee for the 114th Congress. During his time in the House of Representatives, Roberts served as the Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. Senator Roberts is the only Member of Con12
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gress to serve as Chairman of both committees. The Senate passed organizing resolutions establishing the committee membership and leadership for the 114th Congress. FSA Announces New Yield Data for Safety Net Calculations On December 22, the Farm Service Agency announced that new information was accessible to farmers to update program payment yields as a tool in their decision making process of protections offered by the Agricultural Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs. FSA Administrator Val Dolcini stated, “this is the first time that many producers have been able to update yields since 1986.” Producers are encouraged to contact their local FSA county office to see if data is available for them, as this information will be available only to the producer associated with the crop insurance records.
January 15, 2015 House Passes Regulatory Reform Bill The House of Representatives approved H.R. 185, the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2015 in early January. The legislation is first in what is expected to be a year of congressional activity addressing regulatory burdens. H.R. 185 requires that government agencies select the least costly option when developing a regulation. The bill sponsor former House Agriculture Committee Chairman and current Chair of the Judiciary Committee Bob Goodlatte stated, “The effects of excessive government regulation are real for the American people. The regulatory burden for each American household adds up to $15,000.” He went on to add, “The bill passed by the House of Representatives reforms the Executive Branch and the problem of overreaching federal regulation.” Congress is expected to address additional regulatory reform efforts during the 114th Congress.
EPA Selects New Agriculture Advisor The Environmental Protection Agency announced that Ron Carleton will be the next Agriculture Counselor to the EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. Carleton returns to Washington, D.C., from Colorado where he has been the deputy agriculture commissioner for the state. Prior to working in Colorado, Carleton served as the Representative John Salazar’s chief of staff and also held several other positions on Capitol Hill over the last 30 years. Carleton replaces Alison Wiedeman who has been serving in the position in an acting capacity since the departure of Sarah Bittleman last year. NAWG Staff Attends AFBF and TCAP Meetings NAWG staff traveled to San Diego, California, in January to attend both the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual convention as well as the Triticeae Coordinated Agricultural Project (TCAP) annual meeting. Staff attended several workshops and speaker sessions during the AFBF convention. Topics covered included the upcoming Food and Drug Administration policy, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), big data, and Precision Agriculture, in addition to Farm Bureau events such as the annual Farm Bureau Trade Show, Young Farmer and Rancher competitions and policy meetings. At the TCAP meeting, NAWG and state staff listened to wheat and barley researchers present work from the last year as part of the grant and discuss how the TCAP program could be improved in future years. TCAP,
USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture $25 million grant to develop new varieties of wheat and barley, merges two large communities of U.S. breeders: barley and wheat breeders, previously funded by the BarleyCAP and the WheatCAP programs respectively. As a result, researchers, breeders and educators across 21 states, from USDA and 55 universities compose the TCAP consortium. Secretary Vilsack Talks Farm Bill Victories at AFBF Convention At the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 96th Annual Convention, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack took time to list the accomplishments that USDA has made in implementing the farm bill. The Secretary shared that the USDA is aggressively implementing the 2014 farm bill through more than 556 events, 428 demonstrations of web-based tools and over 60,000 direct mail pieces. Vilsack encouraged producers to make important decisions regarding the farm bill’s policies “as soon as they are ready” to avoid “funneling of these decisions in late March.” If the majority of producers wait until the last minute, it could create “significant staff and potential technology issues,” says Vilsack. Winter Wheat Seedings Decline, Total Wheat Stored Increases, Price Per Bushel to Rise U.S. farmers have planted about 40.5 million acres of winter wheat for harvest in 2015, down 5 percent from a year earlier, according to the USDA. About 29.5 million acres of red winter wheat were sown, down 3 percent the
previous year, USDA said. Some 7.5 million acres of the soft red winter variety were planted, down 12 percent. White winter wheat seeded area totaled 3.48 million acres, up 2 percent. Seeding began in August and by the end of September was well ahead of the five-year average; fieldwork was mostly complete by the middle of November. In a separate report, titled World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, USDA said the average farm price for wheat will be $6.10 a bushel for the 20142015 marketing year, up from $6 projected in December and down from $6.87 in the previous season. See the report and more at http:// www.agri-pulse.com/US-winterwheat-seedings-down-5-percentfrom-year-ago-01122015.asp, courtesy of Agri-Pulse.
January 22, 2015 President’ s State of the Union Address Focuses on Trade President Obama gave his sixth State of the Union speech to Congress this January. The President briefly paid homage to his home state of Illinois for its “rich farmland.” Although agriculture was not a central theme, and he proceeded to touch on a few issues relevant to wheat growers. Trade, as a major topic in the President’s State of the Union Address, drew bipartisan praise. POTUS asked both Republicans and Democrats to pass Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) to “protect American workers, with strong new trade deals from Asia to Europe that aren’t free, but fair.” With TPA passage, the timely advancement in trade talks, such as Trans-Pacific Partnership, would be possible. Rediscover WHE AT | February 2015 13
The passage of TPA would help the eventual passage of two major trade deals currently being negotiated, the TPP with Asian-Pacific nations and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) with the European Union. NAWG supports comprehensive TPP and T-TIP agreements that would provide improved market access and would include ambitious language on modern trade issues. President Obama also encouraged congress to end the embargo with Cuba, a move that is supported by the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba (USACC), of which NAWG is a member, to improve agriculture trade between the two countries. He encouraged support of evidence-based science in climate change talks that, among many possible outcomes, could help with “dangerous droughts” and “hunger around the globe.” President Obama stated, “95 percent of the world’s customers live outside our borders, and we can’t close ourselves off from those opportunities.” NAWG Comments on the Conservation Stewardship Program NAWG submitted comments on the interim final rule for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). CSP was revised in the 2014 Farm Bill and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking official action to implement those changes. CSP is a popular program for wheat growers, but the administration of the program has been complicated by additional paperwork and requirements for participation. NAWG stressed the need to work with producers on the administrative requirements and to make sure 14
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there are additional conservation enhancements that producers can use in the program. NAWG’s comments can be found at http:// www.wheatworld.org/wp-content/ uploads/NAWG-Comments-onCSP.pdf. NWF Responds to NPR Food Blog About Gluten-Free Diets NPR’s food blog, The Salt, posted an article highlighting the negative externalities those who have joined the gluten-free diet craze are causing for those with celiac disease, who must avoid gluten regardless of preference. NWF responded to the issue on their blog, The Word on Wheat, agreeing that the fad diet has created a stigma for both the wheat industry and the one percent of the population who suffer from celiac disease. The misinformation that has been spread about gluten has led to negative connotations about the healthiness of wheat and wheat products. In fact, modern nutritional science has proven that wheat provides essential nutrients for a person’s diet, and is usually healthier than gluten-free meal options, which often add more fat, sugar and sodium to make up for the lack of consistency and taste. Winter Wheat Conference in D.C. At the end of January wheat growers from across the country convened for the annual Winter Wheat Conference in Washington, D.C. Meetings began on Wednesday, January 28, and concluded on Saturday, January 31. The NAWG board meetings were held in conjunction with U.S. Wheat Associates at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill and featured
an array of committee meetings and policy discussions by the leadership and members of both organizations. Ranking Member Peterson Announces Democrat Membership House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Colin Peterson announced the 19 democrats who will serve on the Committee in the 114th Congress. The members are: Collin Peterson (MN-7) David Scott (GA-13) Jim Costa (CA-16) Tim Walz (MN-1) Marcia Fudge (OH-11) Jim McGovern (MA-2) Suzan DelBene (WA-1) Filemon Vela (TX-34) Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-1) Ann Kuster (NH-2) Rick Nolan (MN-8) Cheri Bustos (IL-17) Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-1) Pete Aguilar (CA-31) Stacey Plaskett (VI-AL) Alma Adams (NC-12) Gwen Graham (FL-2) Brad Ashford (NE-2)
January 30, 2015 Rep. Robert Gibbs Awarded Wheat Leader of the Year Award Ohio Representative Robert “Bob” Gibbs was selected for the 2014 Wheat Leader of the Year Award by the NAWG, at the annual Wheat Industry Winter Conference in Washington, D.C. NAWG president, Paul Penner, a farmer from Kansas, presented Rep. Gibbs the award in Rep. Gibbs’ office.
“Last year was a big year for wheat, and I feel honored to present the award to Representative Gibbs. We thank him for his leadership and look forward to his continued leadership in 2015,” said Penner. The Wheat Leader of the Year Award is given annually by NAWG to one member of Congress, regardless of party affiliation, whose philosophy and record demonstrate their commitment to the wellbeing of America’s wheat farmers. The Wheat Leader of the Year Award is the wheat industry’s highest legislative honor.
NAWG Files Comments on Neonicotinoids At the end of January, NAWG submitted comments to EPA regarding the use of neonicotinoids by wheat farmers. EPA was accepting comments on a study, which concluded that there is no benefit to soybean production from the use of neonicotinoids. In their comments, NAWG supported the continued us of neonicotinoids by wheat producers, reminding that it is the only EPA approved and labeled product for wheat to treat certain pests.
A study Assessing the Value of Neonicotinoids in North American Agriculture by AgInformatics found that if wheat growers did not have the use of neonicotinoids, the increased cost per planted acre would be $2.76 for winter wheat and $1.97 for spring wheat. EPA is currently reviewing the insecticide class of neonicotinoids, but the release of the specific study for comment in the Federal Register was an unusual step. A copy of the NAWG letter can be found at http://www.wheatworld.org/wp-content/uploads/ NAWG-comments-to-EPA.pdf.
Senate Holds Hearing on Positive Train Control The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on rail issues, including Positive Train Control (PTC) as well as tank car rules. During the hearing, Chairman John Thune (R-ND) emphasized while some improvements have been seen, there is much work remaining to improve overall performance. Sen. Thune also mentioned that he plans to introduce a bill that includes reforms to the STB later this year. The discussion also focused on how the rail industry is investing in capacity, especially in the northern tier through North Dakota and Montana, toward ports in the Pacific Northwest, from where a majority of exported wheat ships. NAWG frequently works on rail policy through Congressional outreach as well as through the STB. NAWG leaders and staff currently participate in BNSF’s Ag Rail Business Council and are looking to engage in similar discussions with leaders of other railroads that ship throughout the nation.
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The Word On Wheat: NWF Blog Makes a Case for Biotech Recently, an article in the St. Louis Dispatch examined whether or not the wheat industry is ready for biotechnology traits being researched by many public private partnerships, including a Monsanto research program noted in the article. The National Wheat Foundation responded to the story by making a case for biotech use in wheat. Innovation and collaboration in wheat research is necessary to meet production challenges in an economically viable, environmentally sound manner. As farmers continue to grow more on less land and with fewer resources, wheat produc-
tion needs to be both efficient and profitable for it to continue to be planted by farmers around the world. NAWG President Speaks at Garden City Farm and Ranch Show NAWG president, Paul Penner, spoke to a group of growers Saturday in Garden City, Kansas, at the Garden City Farm and Ranch Show. The Show is an annual event that features a variety of agriculture related vendors, farm equipment demonstrations, special interactive sessions with agriculture experts, and the ag outlook for 2015, in addition to other events.
Chairman Conaway Announces Subcommittee Assignments Late January, Agriculture Committee Chairman, K. Michael Conaway (R-TX), announced subcommittee assignments for the 114th Congress. “I look forward to working with this very talented team of proven leaders,” Conaway said. “Their diverse backgrounds will be of great value to the Committee as we work to promote a strong production agriculture system and vibrant rural America.” A complete list of the Subcommittee assignments can be found at http:// growingms.com/news/2015/01/ chairman-conaway-announces-subcommittee-assignments/.
Innovation to Feed the Future: A Case for Biotech Use in Wheat National Wheat Foundation Blog Post Feeding the future is more than just producing enough food for a growing global population, expected to reach 9 billion people by mid-century. It’s also a conversation about sustainability, innovation, environmental stability, economics, nutrition, acceptance of agriculture, and more.
and innovation. The study concluded that research conducted to control the wheat disease known as stem rust during 1961-2009 has added 6.2 million tons annually to world wheat harvests, or enough wheat to satisfy almost the entire annual calorie deficit of subSaharan Africa’s undernourished population.
There was recently an article in the St. Louis PostDispatch that looked at whether or not the industry was ready for biotechnology use in wheat production. We believe there is a case for biotech wheat, and here’s why.
Additionally, a decline in wheat production has obvious concerns down the food chain. Wheat farmers are not the only ones who will feel the effects of wheat getting pushed to marginal acres to make room for other crop commodities with greater investment returns. The milling, baking and food industries, for which wheat is an important ingredient, are well aware of the long-term implications of continued reduction in wheat production.
Wheat is the most widely planted commodity, worldwide, as well as a staple part of the global population’s diet. However, corn and rice have surpassed wheat in production (tonnage) in the last 20 years. Since 1994, corn yields have increased approximately 67 percent in the United States alone, while spring and winter wheat yields have increased half that amount, approximately 35 percent, in the same time frame. A 2013 joint study conducted by scientists from the University of Minnesota, CSIRO, the University of Sydney, the University of Queensland and CIMMYT emphasized the need for continued wheat research 16
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As farmers continue to grow more on less land and with fewer resources, wheat production needs to be both efficient and profitable for it to continue to be planted by farmers around the world. Innovation in wheat is viable – and necessary – both environmentally and economically speaking. Let’s not stall forward progress for innovation and collaboration by the public and private sectors to enhance wheat research.
Chocolate Yogurt Cake Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour 1 ½ cups sugar ½ cup unsweetened cocoa 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup plain Greek yogurt 3 eggs 2/3 cup canola oil 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla Favorite Chocolate Frosting 1/3 cup melted shortening ½ cup unsweetened cocoa ¼ teaspoon salt 1/3 cup milk 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract ½ teaspoon almond extract 3 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar
Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans.* Using electric mixer, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt in large mixing bowl. Add yogurt, eggs, oil and vanilla. Beat at low speed until well mixed, 2-3 minutes. Divide cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Run a knife through the cake batter to eliminate any air bubbles. Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Cool on wire rack for 20 minutes. After the cakes are cooled, carefully flip pans over to remove cake. To create a four-layer cake: Use a sharp serrated knife or cake leveler to evenly split the cakes in half. Place a flat edge cake piece on cake platter. Spread thin layer of frosting on cake. Top with other half of cake. Spread another thin layer of frosting on this cake layer. Continue this process until all layers are in place. Using a circular hand motion, spread frosting evenly all over cake. Decorate with toasted nuts or as desired.
Frosting Combine melted shortening, cocoa and salt; then add milk, vanilla and almond extracts. Gradually blend in sugar. Mix until smooth and creamy. Add more sugar to thicken or milk to thin. Kansas Wheat Test Kitchen Note *Prepare cake pans using baking spray with flour. To create a smooth, even cake surface, trace the baking pans onto a paper towel. Cut out the paper towel circle and place it in the bottom of the cake pans. Then spray with baking spray. Bake as directed above. Gently peel paper towel off after cakes have cooled.
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News from : January 15, 2015 U.S. Winter Wheat Seeded Area Reflects Supply, Prices By Casey Chumrau, USW Market Analyst USDA released a trio of reports this week showing how farmers reacted to weather conditions, relatively high U.S. wheat supplies and relatively low farm gate prices last fall when they seeded winter wheat. Planted area for hard red winter (HRW) and soft red winter (SRW) is down while soft white (SW) winter seedings increased following a shorter Pacific Northwest crop in 2013/14. USDA’s quarterly Grain Stocks report revealed lower than expected 2014/15 U.S. consumption, which appeared as increased U.S. carry-out stocks in USDA’s monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report (WASDE). Next, the agency’s annual Winter Wheat Seedings report showed winter plantings for the 2015/16 U.S. harvest fell 5 percent from the previous year to 40.5 million acres (16.4 million hectares), including relative declines for two of the three winter wheat classes. The Grain Stocks report showed 41.5 million metric tons (MMT) of wheat was in U.S. storage bins as of Dec. 1, 2014, up 3 percent from the prior year. Following a recent 18
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trend, increased on-farm storage indicates that farmers who have the option are holding their wheat for higher prices. On-farm stocks of 12.9 MMT are up 28 percent from a year ago. The report also revealed lower domestic disappearance than analysts had expected for September to November. The WASDE report reflected the lower domestic consumption by reducing total projected 2014/15 wheat use by 89,000 metric tons to 32.2 MMT. As a result, the U.S. carry-out stocks estimate increased by the same margin to 18.7 MMT. If realized, carry-out stocks would be 16 percent greater than 2013/14 but still below the five-year average of 21.2 MMT. The Winter Wheat Seedings report is the first official glimpse at the 2015/16 U.S. wheat crop potential. Estimated acreage was lower than last year and below analyst expectations. At an estimated 29.5 million acres, HRW seedings would be 3 percent lower than last year but slightly more than the five-year average of 29.3 million acres. USDA reports wheat acres dropped significantly in five of the top seven HRW producing states. Seedings in Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Oklahoma and Texas collectively fell 950,000 acres, a 4 percent drop from 2014/15. A combined increase year over year in Nebraska and
South Dakota helped offset the decline. According to USDA estimates, HRW acres accounted for 73 percent of total winter wheat acres planted for the 2015/16 crop. Unfavorable conditions at planting time may have contributed to the drop in Kansas and other states. Kansas Wheat CEO Justin Gilpin told the Associated Press that cold weather and dry soils in the late fall kept some farmers from planting more wheat. SRW wheat seeded area decreased an estimated 12 percent to 7.50 million acres with acreage dropping in nearly every SRW state. If realized, it would be 6 percent below the five-year average and the fewest SRW acres planted since 2010/11. USDA estimates seedings in Illinois and Missouri fell a combined 26 percent, down 420,000 acres from last year. Following a drought that cut SW yields in the Pacific Northwest states of Washington and Oregon, farmers there seeded 3 percent more acres of SW winter wheat compared to 2013/14. In Washington, the top white wheat producing state, acreage increased an estimated 100,000 acres to 1.8 million. In Oregon, a 30,000-acre increase offset a decrease in Idaho of the same number. USDA estimates total white winter wheat seeded area at nearly 3.48 million acres, up 2 percent from last year.
Regarding global wheat trade, USDA estimates that exportable supplies from Russia will decline by 2 MMT for 2014/15 (through May 2015) as a result of the government’s decision to impose export duties effective February 1, 2015 (see article below). USDA’s January forecast for 2014/15 U.S. wheat exports was unchanged at 25.2 MMT. Pattern of Unnecessary Government Intervention Undermines Russia’ s Role in World Trade By Vince Peterson, USW Vice President of Overseas Operations World wheat consumption set a new record in 2013/14 of 713 MMT, the sixth new high in the last 10 years. The only way to meet this demand is for more of the world’s surplus wheat to move from its origin to deficit destinations. In fact, world wheat trade has increased some 50 MMT per year in the past 10 years. USW has estimated that in the next 35 years, by the year 2050, global wheat trade may need to reach or even exceed 225 MMT in order to supply a growing population with improving economic opportunity.
In December, the Russian government announced that beginning February 1, 2015, all wheat exports would be levied an export tax at the rate of 15 percent plus €7.50 per MT (with a minimum tax imposition of €35.00). Together with coincidental concern over the Russian winter weather, the announcement of these new taxes helped push global wheat prices rapidly through a 30 percent increase. At today’s export values of approximately $260 FOB, the tax calculation would imply an export tax of nearly $48 per MT added to the price of any wheat exported from Russia. The inescapable fact is that Russia and other countries in the Black Sea region have become critical wheat suppliers to many logistically close markets in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and East Africa. Lower prices (partly reflecting lower quality), small size vessels in some cases and increasing export capacity have drawn nearby wheat importers to the Black Sea. Normally, this would
be a positive story of how increasing regional supplies are meeting increased world demand. However, looking back through the headlines of recent history, a darker story emerges. Five times in just the past seven years, the Russian government has restricted or threatened to limit access to exportable wheat supplies, sometimes even cutting across existing contracts. Each time, the markets responded with a correspondingly sharp price rally (see chart). These are not just isolated, sensational headlines. Governmental intervention has unexpected, real-life consequences. While repeated interference by the Russian government has not been the only stimulant, intervention greatly magnified temporary supply shortages into full-blown price and supply crises. The result, of course, has forced buyers to seek alternative supplies at artificially high prices. Yet, drawn in by cheaper prices that Russian exporters must offer
Countries that depend on imports to provide food security to their people need reliability in that supply. The last thing they need is market disruptions and their inevitable price swings. Sadly, the government of Russia has once again fallen back into a troublesome pattern of disruption that has consistently imposed unnecessary economic hardships both on Russian farmers and on many of the world’s most vulnerable buyers and consumers. Rediscover WHE AT | February 2015 19
to rebuild demand, importers have been relatively forgiving, opting to quickly return each time to Black Sea supply sources after the export restrictions were lifted. However, Egyptian Minister of Supply, Khaled Hanafi may have revealed a crack in that tolerance on December 29 in public remarks about the latest Russian export taxes. “Egypt has alternatives and would accept offers based upon dependability as well as cost, quality and timing,” he said. Food security is clearly among the top priorities for Minister Hanafi, and he must have reliable supply partners to deliver it. We take the Minister’s words seriously and believe that he expressed a sense of frustration shared by many importers. The U.S. government long ago learned from experience that disrupting export grain trade only brings logistical problems and potential economic catastrophe for every segment of the market, including farmers. Fortunately, we said ‘no more.’ Short of a massive, and highly unlikely, crop failure, by law the only way to block U.S. grain exports is through a presidential declaration of national emergency. Importantly, a national emergency does NOT include short-term, fundamental rises in wheat prices. Further, export taxes are expressly forbidden by the U.S. Constitution. Russia need not be an island unto itself, continually throwing up walls to exporters and importers as the means of managing domestic supply and prices — stifling growth of its own agricultural sector in the process. Someday, 20
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Russia may benefit from embracing open markets and free trade rather than continually rushing in and out of the marketplace on a political whim. For example, opening trade would ensure that, even in times of a particularly short wheat crop, supplies would freely move into Russia from surrounding countries or from surplus areas abroad and quickly balance and quell any concern about local food supplies. Russia’s government should be in a position of confidence to be able to assure its citizens that no Russian is going to suffer in the face of rising wheat prices without imposing that suffering on other dependent nations. A failure to accept this reality may well doom Russia’s export-oriented agricultural economy and many dependent importing nations to another decade of this continual feast or famine turmoil.
Cuba (USACC) came together in the new year following the Obama Administration’s unexpected shift in U.S. policy on Cuba. Then on January 15, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sweeping changes in trade regulations that represent another very encouraging step toward opening the Cuban market.
In the meantime, the U.S. wheat industry offers reassurance in the fact that our doors are open for business 365 days per year. In our collective efforts to offer and efficiently supply the widest range of the highest quality wheat in the world, we are able to live up to our claim as the world’s most reliable supplier.
“In 1998, the Kansas Wheat Commission, the North Dakota Wheat Commission and other states donated 20 metric tons of flour to Cuba,” Tracy said. “USW facilitated that shipment and Cuban bakers loved it! As soon as U.S. legislation allowed it in 2002, we began to make sales and reached up to half the Cuban market. However, that tapered off to zero in 2011 because the Cubans got frustrated with us… and our competitors found their way back in there. With changes in U.S. law, we think there is pent up demand for high-quality U.S. wheat in Cuba that will help lift farm gate prices at home. USW and NAWG know there is a lot of work to do, and only Congress can end the embargo, but we look forward to working with the Ad-
U.S. Wheat Organizations Join Coalition to Re-Establish Trade Relations with Cuba USW and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) have joined more than 30 other U.S. food and agriculture organizations in forming a coalition that seeks to advance trade relations between the United States and Cuba and end the embargo policy. The U.S. Agriculture Coalition for
“We are still analyzing the effect the new regulations may have on wheat trade with Cuba,” said USW President Alan Tracy. “Our initial read is that new rules related to banking relationships, timing of payment for imports and more liberal rules on vessel logistics are the kind of regulatory change we hoped to see.” Tracy was one of several industry leaders who addressed the media at a news conference introducing USACC on January 8, 2015, in Washington, DC.
ministration, Congress and other groups to foster trade with Cuba.” USACC is now organizing a “Learning Journey to Cuba” for coalition members. This would be the first major U.S. business delegation to Cuba since President Obama’s announcement. USACC notes that the Cuban government welcomes this initiative and it expects final approval soon. USW Board Team Heads to Taiwan, Philippines USW Market Analyst Casey Chumrau, two U.S. wheat farmers and a state wheat commission administrator visited Taiwan and the Philippines after briefings in Portland, Oregon, on January 15. This USW Board Team includes Leonard Schock, a wheat farmer from Vida, Montana, a past USW chairman and a current USW
director representing the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee. Robert Delsing, a wheat farmer from Hemingford, Nebraska, is representing the Nebraska Wheat Board. Mary Palmer Sullivan, Vice President of the Washington Grain Commission, is representing farmers from her state.
USW Leadership Changes in Asia
USW Board teams are intense, regional visits that help educate USW board members and state wheat commissioners about the day-to-day work of USW’s overseas offices. Additionally, board teams help build personal connections between our overseas customers, the farmers who grow our high value wheat and other industry stakeholders.
Matt Weimar is named Regional Vice President for South Asia and will relocate to USW’s regional office in Singapore after many years of service in Hong Kong as Regional Vice President for China. In addition to supervising staff and directing strategic planning and activities in USW’s 32-nation South Asia region, Weimar will continue to supervise USW activities in China and Taiwan. He will be assisted by Joe Sowers who is promoted to a new position as Assistant Regional Vice President. Sowers will continue to work from USW’s office in Manila, Philippines, but with new responsibilities now including supervisory and marketing support for USW activities in Korea.
Updates and photographs of their travels are availabe on the USW Facebook page at www.facebook.com/uswheat.
USW announces changes to its leadership team in Asia following the departure of Regional Vice President Mike Spier who recently joined Columbia Grain as Southeast Asia Representative.
“Both Matt and Joe have earned the trust of their customers and colleagues over many years of work on behalf of U.S. wheat farmers, and we are confident they will be very successful in their new positions,” said USW Vice President of Overseas Operations Vince Peterson. “Not wanting to squander his 30 years of work in China, Matt will stay engaged with customers there.”
Leonard Schock (Montana) shares photos of his wheat farm with HsinHong Kuo, General Manager of Hong Ming Enterprise Co. and Taiwan Flour Millers Association board member.
Weimar started with USW as country director in the Beijing office in 1987 and was assigned as regional director in 1993 in the Hong Kong office. Weimar hails from a wheat and cattle ranch Rediscover WHE AT | February 2015 21
near Arlington, Oregon, where he worked in his family’s business and helped manage adjacent wheat and cattle ranches. Weimar received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural and resource economics from Oregon State University in 1982, graduating with high honors after being named both outstanding undergraduate and senior in OSU’s College of Agriculture. His other work experience includes marketing livestock feeds and supplements for Loomix, Inc., and value-added product promotion in Asian markets for the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Sowers joined USW in 2005 as a market analyst in Washington, DC, and earned a promotion to senior market analyst before moving to the USW office in Mexico City as assistant regional director with responsibility for Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America. In 2011, he accepted his most recent post as assistant regional director for South Asia in Manila. He earned a bachelor’s degree in agronomy and a master’s degree in agricultural economics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. From 2000 to 2004 Sowers analyzed global grain and oilseed markets with the economic consulting firm, Global Insight, stationed in Philadelphia and Barcelona, Spain. USW Hires New Technical Representatives USW has added two new technical service representatives to its overseas staff. Shin Hak (David) Oh joins as Food/Bakery Technologist in the USW office in Seoul, Korea, and Tarik Gahi joins as Milling and Baking Technologist serving markets in the Middle 22
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East and North Africa from the USW office in Casablanca, Morocco. “I am delighted to welcome Shin Hak to our team in Korea,” said Chang Yoon Kang, USW country director. “He has excellent skills and experience in research and product development that will be very valuable to our Korean customers and U.S. wheat farmers.” Most recently, Oh was a senior researcher and bakery section leader with SPC Group, Korea’s leading bakery and confectionary products company. His work focused on bread products including ingredients and improvers. Oh developed a commercially successful sugar-free white pan bread and served on a team that implemented Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) food safety management systems. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in food and biotechnology from Korea University and Seoul National University respectively, and he successfully completed bakery and sanitation courses at AIB International, Manhattan, Kansas. “Tarik Gahi is a professional miller who is well prepared to expand our technical assistance to flour mills, bakeries and biscuit manufacturers in this region,” said Ian Flagg, USW regional director for the Middle East and North Africa. “His work will focus on reinforcing the superior enduse characteristics of U.S. wheat through service and in-house milling and baking activities.” Gahi is a 2002 graduate of IFIM, the Moroccan Milling School, who worked as a shift miller at
Al Ghurair Food Group in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 2002 to 2008. He then became a milling operations manager for Seaboard West Africa Limited in Freetown, Sierra Leone, before returning to his native Morocco as head miller/operations manager at Moulins Fassia. Gahi will apply a wide range of experience managing bread and durum wheat milling lines and related baking operations in his new position with USW. Wheat Industry News The Ohio Small Grains Marketing Program (OSGMP) welcomes Stacie Seger as communication manager. The OSGMP works to improve wheat production, wheat qualities and to strengthen markets for wheat in Ohio as well as wheat export markets. Our sympathy to the family and friends of Robert S. French, a grain merchandiser with ADM, who passed away unexpectedly in late December. He started his career as a grain merchandiser in Portland, Oregon. Wheat Innovation Takes Wing. Daljit Singh, a Kansas State University plant pathology doctoral student is using an unmanned aerial system, or drone, and near infrared photography to identify more productive experimental wheat lines. This should help researchers move promising lines into development and to farmers’ fields faster and more efficiently. Read more in a report by Kansas Wheat at bit.ly/1BqM05O. USW, Here and There. Policy Specialist Elizabeth Westendorf and Programs and Planning
Assistant Stephanie Bryant-Erdmann are in Manhattan, Kansas, participating in the IGP Institute Introduction to Flour Milling short course. On January 17, Vice President of Planning Jim Frahm, Vice President of Overseas Operations Vince Peterson and USW Secretary-Treasurer and Maryland wheat farmer Jason Scott traveled to Spain to start USW’s annual planning process. There will be additional planning meetings at the Arlington, Virginia, headquarters and in Vietnam.
January 29, 2015 USW Insists on Uninterrupted Grain Inspections Official U.A. export grain inspection procedures are well documented and uniform. Export elevators often receive an inspection report on each truck, rail car or barge delivered to their facility. The Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) inspects wheat again at vessel loading as an independent, third party. Its sub-lot inspection system assures buyers that the quality loaded matches the quality stated in the contract. Last year, unfortunately, circumstances related to a labor dispute disrupted official grain inspection services at an export elevator in the Pacific Northwest. Citing the “extremely troubling precedent” being set, 22 national, regional and state agricultural producer, commodity and agribusiness organizations, including U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG), urged USDA to take immediate action to restore official grain inspection and weighing services at the Port of Vancouver, Washington.
That effort and pressure from several other sources helped end the dispute and restore official inspection and weighing operations. However, wheat farmers, including those serving on USW’s board of directors, want the government to provide assurance against the potential for similar problems in the future. At its October 30, 2014, meeting in New Mexico, the USW board endorsed the following resolution concerning the interruption in service: WHEREAS the U.S. Department of Agriculture is mandated under the U.S. Grain Standards Act to provide official inspection and weighing services for exports of U.S. grains and oilseeds. THEREFORE be it resolved that U.S. Wheat Associates urges in the strongest terms that FGIS take whatever actions are necessary to immediately restore Official grain inspection and weighing service wherever and whenever it is disrupted, either by immediately replacing absent inspectors with FGIS Official personnel or with inspectors from available qualified providers, including other designated or delegated Official Agencies. In January, USW President Alan Tracy shared that resolution in a letter to Larry Mitchell, Administrator of USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration and FGIS. “U.S. wheat producers fully support the important mission of USDA/FGIS and believe that the service provided is paramount to keeping wheat competitive in the international market now and in the future,” Tracy said. “We insist
that uninterrupted service be delivered in a timely manner on demand by the grain industry.” The U.S. wheat industry will continue to prove it is the world’s most reliable choice for wheat supplies and will be aggressive in its efforts to ensure that our market remains transparent and open. Trends Affecting Farmers — and Wheat Buyers AgWeb (www.agweb.com), a respected and widely read U.S. website, published a story that contemplated trends that might have the biggest effect on agriculture in 2015 and beyond*. Dwight Koops, president of a Kansas-based agricultural supply company, identified how these trends might affect U.S. farmers. However, these trends also have implications for grain buyers and end-users around the world. “Technology is being inserted into the base model of almost everything required to put a crop in the ground” and to harvest that crop, Koops said. In this case, he referred to a trend based in digital technology that helps farmers dramatically improve productivity, map their fields, more precisely apply fertilizer and crop protection products, seed crops at variable rates and use less irrigation to maximize yield potential. By learning more about the adaptation of precision technology in U.S. agriculture, anyone who buys, mills or processes wheat will appreciate the advantages it brings. Koops also noted a trend toward new, biological solutions in weed, insect and plant disease control. Sustainability, defined in
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this way, is an increasingly influential value among consumer around the world. Not only are U.S. wheat farmers producing more wheat, they are doing so in ways that are more sustainable than ever before. Technological progress even offers the potential for continued reductions in inputs and water use. The immense amount of information farmers are generating — known now as “Big Data” — is another of Koops’ trends. For the farmer, maintaining privacy and finding ways to put that data to work in the field is the immediate need. He said this would be important not only as a way to continue improving productivity, but also to comply with another trend: increasing farm production regulations. New and increasingly more complex regulations are pressing farmers to track the origin of all commodities and products grown for consumption,” Koops said. “The technology and paper trail that this will require will vastly change how and what gets accomplished on a typical farm operation in the future.” As a result, the supply chain might be in a better position to handle identity-preserved grains while downstream grain users might be better prepared to track supplies back to a source. Again, the benefit would be reduced risk, but the cost of regulatory compliance to producers and consumers might create a heavy burden as well. Finally, Koops said increasing demand for food is a trend that “trumps all the rest. If the population of the world does hit nine 24
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billion people by 2050,” he said, “the demand to supply enough food, fiber and energy to supply the world will be a daunting task.” *Source: “5 Agriculture Trends Worth Watching,” By Ben Potter, “AgWeb,” Jan. 22, 2014, http://www.agweb.com/article/ 5-agriculture-trends-worthwatching-NAA-ben-potter/ Winter Wheat Conference Underway Leaders of the wheat industry were in Washington, DC, January 28 through February 1, for the annual Winter Wheat Conference. This event brings together staff and farmer directors of USW, NAWG and the National Wheat Foundation, as well as staff from state wheat commissions, state wheat associations, and other U.S. wheat stakeholders. Trade Promotion Authority Would Help Open Global Wheat Trade A blustery winter storm greeted trade representatives meeting in New York for talks on the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). At the same time, shifting political winds in the United States may provide calmer conditions for TPP and other pending trade negotiations. There is a growing bipartisan call for Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which would allow for Congressional consideration of FTAs without amendment. The Obama Administration has also stepped up its push for TPA with the President calling on both parties to grant him TPA in his recent State of the Union address. TPA would be a signal to trading partners that Congress supports
U.S. trade negotiators and would not back away from key points of negotiation. As the most planted and traded agricultural commodity in the world, wheat is an integral part of the global market. The free flow of wheat between countries contributes to jobs and food security — reason enough to remove trade barriers that increase costs or hinder the competitive positions of producers, sellers, buyers and consumers. In addition to TPP, the United States is also pursuing free trade with the European Union through the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations. These two agreements would lower barriers to U.S. wheat exports in several key markets. “U.S. wheat farmers believe they can compete in the world market on quality and value,” said USW Vice President of Policy Shannon Schlecht. “In some cases, other wheat suppliers have greater market access because of competing FTAs. Granting TPA would be a major step forward to level the trade playing field and eventually provide more access to U.S. wheat and other agricultural products.” Wheat farmer leaders on the USW and National Association of Wheat Growers boards passed a joint resolution in November 2013 that supported “passage of trade promotion authority as an essential tool for negotiating market opening free trade agreements.” That resolution remains strong today, and wheat farmers hope that the winds of change continue to blow toward a more open global trade environment.
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Monsanto Executive and 2013 World Food Prize recipient addresses food security by Lindsey Elliott, Global Food Systems Communications Team
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n the next 35 years, farmers will have to produce more food than the world has produced in its history, a challenge some are calling the greatest challenge we’ve ever faced. However daunting it may seem, Robert Fraley is optimistic. Fraley, the executive vice president and chief technology officer for Monsanto Company who was part of a team of scientists to first genetically modify plants, spoke at the inaugural Henry C. Gardiner
Lecture at Kansas State University on January 26, 2015. Fraley addressed the challenges facing agriculture in the coming decades and the resources needed to achieve food security. “What excites me is a world in which we are smart about our innovation and take a bold step forward and use science,” Fraley told the packed audience at McCain Auditorium. Farmers, which account for less than 1 percent of the population,
Justin Gilpin, CEO of Kansas Wheat (left), and Robert Fraley, executive vice president and chief technology officer for Monsanto Company (right), tour the greenhouse at the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center before the Henry C. Gardiner Lecture. 28
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are expected to feed more than 9 billion people by 2050, while facing limited resources and changing climate conditions. Despite the challenges that lie ahead, Fraley points out that the agricultural industry has already made advances in increasing production because of two major breakthrough areas: biology and information technology. Technology Changes Crop Production “I know I'm expected to say genetically modified organisms are the answer to everything, but I think the most remarkable story is how our technology has changed the way we produce crops,” Fraley said. That technology now enables easier and more extensive management of fields and advances in biology change how scientists breed crops. Fraley says accessibility to technology also is changing the game for smallholder farmers, which account for more than 90 percent of agricultural production. In India, seven out of 10 farmers now have a cellphone, which Fraley says is a tool that gives them access to markets, credit and agronomic information.
However, he doesn’t leave GMOs out of the equation for feeding a larger population. Fraley points out that these organisms, designed to withstand factors like climate and pests, have been consumed for 20 years and every major scientific body and regulatory agency in the world has concluded GMO products are safe. He says the misunderstanding about their safety comes from lack of scientific education for the general public. “The biggest mistake Monsanto made was they were excited about the product and spent all their time talking to farmers and didn't talk to the public,” Fraley said. “The combination of complexity
and misinformation was never addressed, and now Monsanto is trying to do a better job of directly informing the consumer about these products because people want to know where their food comes from.” However, education about farming practices is not only a job for Monsanto, Fraley said. He encouraged the audience — filled with students, farmers and the general public — to educate the other 99 percent of the population not involved in farming. About 1,000 people attended the first Henry C. Gardiner lecture, established in honor of the Kansas State University graduate who was a visionary leader in the U.S.
cattle industry. The purpose of the lecture series is to bring leaders in the global food systems from throughout the world to present their views and provide a forum for open discussion. “As the first lecture in the series, it was a spectacular success,” said John Floros, dean of the College of Agriculture. “The presentation was in depth where it needed to be but broad enough that anyone can understand these agricultural issues. The questions from the audience were tough but thoughtful and Fraley did a good job answering those questions respectfully. I hope to follow up next year with another speaker as compelling.”
Rediscover WHE AT | February 2015 29
Hello Kansas Wheat.
Maltby Market Analysis by Dan Maltby
An old grain man told me two things: 1. Rain makes grain, and well, I forgot what the other was. He said a lot of things… Anyways, for the record, I know this means nothing, but some of you guys recently received a little moisture…
And not just in Wheat Country, but Corn and Bean Country too. And just in time…this past Wednesday, Lanworth, the satellite weather data salesman company, issued their first USA 2015/16 corn and bean yield estimates, and production estimates. They posted a 166.6 corn yield, with a 13.4 billion crop, and beans yielding 45.2 and producing 3.83 billion bushels. I’d say from the looks of that weather map, those are pretty fair estimates… Charts and discussions follow, with the goal of giving you useful information to help you with your business. My disclaimer remains the same: these are my sometimes rapidly changing opinions; the markets are quite treacherous; and past performance is no guarantee…dm
Kansas Wheat market update #155 danmaltby.riskmgmt@gmail.com 01/30/15 pg. 1 30
Rediscover WHE AT | February 2015
IF we take Lanworth’s corn production estimates, we can back into their corn planted and harvested acres ideas, and IF we assume demand is steady (not stagnant, but steady; there is a difference…), and do some cipherin’ like Jethro did for Uncle Jed… we can come up with a corn balance sheet that might look like this: CORN USA year planted harvested yield production supply exports total use carryout stox/use USA $ farm price
2006/07 78.3 70.6 149.1 10,531 12,510 2,125 11,207 1,304 11.6% $3.04
2007/08 93.5 86.5 150.7 13,038 14,362 2,437 12,737 1,624 12.8% $4.20
2008/09 86.0 78.6 153.9 12,092 13,729 1,849 12,056 1,673 13.9% $4.06
2009/10 86.4 79.5 164.7 13,092 14,774 1,980 13,066 1,708 13.1% $3.55
2010/11 88.2 81.4 152.8 12,447 14,182 1,834 13,055 1,128 8.6% $5.18
2011/12 91.9 84.0 147.2 12,360 13,516 1,543 12,527 989 7.9% $6.22
2012/13 97.2 87.4 123.4 10,781 11,932 731 11,111 821 7.4% $6.89
2013/14 95.4 87.5 158.1 13,829 14,686 1,917 13,454 1,232 9.2% $4.46
1/12/2015
2014/15 90.6 83.1 171.1 14,216 15,472 1,750 13,595 1,877 13.8% $3.65
Lanworth guess
2015/16 88.0 80.7 166.6 13,445 15,347 1,750 13,600 1,747 12.8% $4.01
And if we look at a Dec 15 corn chart, we see that the market is … trading the $4.01. or worse.
While some market participants believe…the corn market will rally this spring to insure corn acres get sufficiently planted on time and in quantity…other market participants firmly believe that is going to happen easily, even if Dec 15 corn futures drop to $3.60 a bushel. or worse. Corn is interesting stuff. It drives the Grain Train. It is still weather dependent, though, and I believe corn prices are more volatile than they were in the past. More than a third, but less than 40%...of this corn is used to make ethanol. One would think there is some relationship with corn and crude oil somewhere… For the most part, corn is a GMO crop. Recent USDA estimates say about 90% of the USA corn planted acres are GMO. Sometimes this can be a market moving factor, such as when unapproved varieties are found “unexpectedly”. I read a Star Tribune article this morning about a corn variety called Enogen
Kansas Wheat market update #155 danmaltby.riskmgmt@gmail.com 01/30/15 pg. 2
Rediscover WHE AT | February 2015 31
grown specifically for ethanol production. Apparently the end-user ethanol plant can gain 2 to 6% in ethanol yield per bushel. Farmers are paid a small premium to grow it, but must keep it separate, and out of the food chain supply. I think the article is interesting… http://www.startribune.com/business/290370141.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue Some people believe the Chinese are importing USA grain sorghum (milo) because it is a GMO free crop. I’m not so sure. Personally I think China likes milo for various reasons, and as I do think a rising tide floats all boats, better milo prices can help support corn prices, which can help support wheat prices. Hmm. Rising tide…Maybe that was the second thing that old grain man told me… Hmm. Another dude told me “there a million charts at the bottom of the ocean”…and this KC July wheat chart sure looks like it’s headed there…
This weekly KC wheat chart defines bottom of the ocean quite well, in my opinion.
Kansas Wheat market update #155 danmaltby.riskmgmt@gmail.com 01/30/15 pg. 3 32
Rediscover WHE AT | February 2015
Some guys might define “Bottom of the ocean” as when KC wheat goes to even money with corn…
That “usually” (?) occurs when corn is high priced. I’d hate to see it when corn is a dog…
Will finish this discussion with a weekly corn chart…
None of the charts look very good. I’ve written about “currency wars” and “real wars”… and “climate change wars”…and “financial asset allocation wars”… and we will just say that right now, the other side is winning.
Technically, this weekly closing futures table is weak… or worse. Down another 24c in old crop hard winters, etc… Kansas Wheat market update #155 danmaltby.riskmgmt@gmail.com 01/30/15 pg. 4
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CLOSE
KWH15
KWN15
KWZ15
CH15
CN15
CZ15
WH15
MWH15
MWN15
SH15
SN15
01/30
$5.40
$5.46
$5.72
$3.70
$3.86
$4.01
$5.03
$5.57
$5.69
$9.61
$9.73
01/23
$5.64
$5.72
$5.98
$3.87
$4.03
$4.17
$5.30
$5.76
$5.91
$9.73
$9.85
01/16
$5.77
$5.83
$6.08
$3.87
$4.01
$4.15
$5.33
$5.85
$5.99
$9.92
$10.03
01/09
$6.01
$6.09
$6.33
$4.00
$4.15
$4.22
$5.64
$6.03
$6.17
$10.52
$10.62
01/02
$6.17
$6.24
$6.50
$3.96
$4.11
$4.20
$5.81
$6.11
$6.27
$10.08
$10.21
12/26
$6.44
$6.54
$6.75
$4.15
$4.30
$4.39
$6.11
$6.32
$6.48
$10.54
$10.66
12/19
$6.66
$6.72
$6.91
$4.11
$4.26
$4.35
$6.32
$6.48
$6.61
$10.39
$10.52
12/12
$6.34
$6.40
$6.64
$4.08
$4.22
$4.32
$6.07
$6.21
$6.34
$10.54
$10.65
12/05
$6.39
$6.43
$6.67
$3.95
$4.10
$4.23
$5.94
$6.23
$6.37
$10.42
$10.54
11/28
$6.40
$6.36
$6.60
$3.89
$4.04
$4.17
$5.77
$6.16
$6.30
$10.23
$10.33
11/21
$6.07
$6.09
$6.35
$3.85
$4.01
$4.16
$5.54
$5.92
$6.08
$10.46
$10.56
11/14
$6.08
$6.10
$6.36
$3.94
$4.10
$4.24
$5.63
$5.97
$6.13
$10.30
$10.42
New eleven week closing lows in everything on the table. And new lows will be expected to bring in new selling. Major buy-stops are 40c away in corn, and about a buck and a quarter away in wheat; 90c away in beans. I wouldn’t expect these to be hit any time soon…minor buy-stops would be the best hope. And of course, cash bids mainly followed the board lower, although I do see a couple of higher basis bids; USA wheat export sales this week were very large, including a rebound in HRW sales, and as low prices do eventually cure low prices, I kinda think export sales are going to continue to improve (maybe that “low prices and cure thing” was what the older gentleman told me)…:
Date 01/30 01/23 01/16 01/09 01/02* Date 01/30 01/23 01/16 01/09 01/02*
Dodge $5.00 $5.24 $5.37 $5.61 $5.77 Concordia $5.10 $5.29 $5.42 $5.66 $5.82
Colby $5.08 $5.29 $5.39 $5.61 $5.79 Salina $5.15 $5.39 $5.52 $5.76 $5.92-$5.97
Goodland $5.05 $5.29 $5.42 $5.65 $5.81 Hutchinson $5.11-$5.30 $5.35-$5.54 $5.48-$5.67 $5.72-$5.91 $5.89-$6.07
Protection $5.00 $5.24 $5.37 $5.61 $5.77 Wichita $5.16-$5.25 $5.40-$5.49 $5.53-$5.62 $5.77-$5.86 $5.93-$6.07
Scott City $5.02 $5.26 $5.39 $5.63 $5.79 Ark City $5.14 $5.38 $5.51 $5.75 $5.91
Kansas Wheat market update #155 danmaltby.riskmgmt@gmail.com 01/30/15 pg. 5 34
Rediscover WHE AT | February 2015
Sublette $5.00-$5.05 $5.24-$5.29 $5.37-$5.42 $5.61-$5.63 $5.74-$5.82
BASIS 01/30 01/23 01/16 01/09 01/02* Date 01/30 01/23 01/16 01/09 01/02*
Dodge -40 -40 -40 -40 -40 Concordia -30 -35 -35 -35 -35
Colby -32 -35 -38 -40 -38 Salina -25, -25 -25, -25 -25, -25 -25, -25 -25, -20
Goodland -35 -35 -35 -36 -36 Hutchinson -28, -15 -28, -15 -28, -15 -28, -15 -28, -10
Protection -40 -40 -40 -40 -40 Wichita -24, -15 -24, -15 -24, -15 -24, -15 -24, -10
Scott City -38 -38 -38 -38 -38 Ark City -26 -26 -26 -26 -26
Sublette -40, -35 -40, -35 -40, -35 -40, -38 -43, -35
Prices remain well under full cost of production. I received absolutely no comments about my extensive land price and rate of return discussion from last week, which makes me think I’m on the right track… Just to close that topic, I saw this week a farm auction flyer which said 160 acres traded @ $1323/acre in SW Nebraska. Assuming a land buyer could sell his wheat at the average Kansas price this week of $5.11, and assuming the land owner’s farmer partner was able to MATCH last year’s 49 bushel /acre NEBRASKA yield, which was the highest Nebraska yield in the last 10 years…the same math and assumptions (it looks like 50% was wheat, and 50% was stubble) from last week would look like: (49 bu/ac)(50% in crops/fallow)(33% owner share)($5.11/bu)= $41.31/acre gross income/$1323/ac = 3.12% return. Which is better than many investments, but not great, and certainly not risk free.
I still have 30% old crop, and 90% new crop unsold. awesome. not. But I also have money in a savings account paying about .01%. also awesome. not. Maybe I shoulda bought that land… If I did, I think I’d experiment with these cover crops in my wheat stubble…talked about in this very interesting article from agriculture.com, written by an informed friend. http://www.agriculture.com/crops/wheat/production/compion-crops-boost-wheat-stubble_145ar47222
I’m going to watch the Super Bowl. I think the Patriots are going to win. I have several goofy pools, including one which pays based on the number the referee who announces the penalties is wearing. I hope he wears #16. See ya.
Kansas Wheat market update #155 danmaltby.riskmgmt@gmail.com 01/30/15 pg. 6
Maltby Market Analysis is provided weekly to members of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers via email. To become a KAWG member and subscribe, please contact Jordan Hildebrand at jhildebrand@kswheat.com. Rediscover WHE AT | February 2015 35
Upcoming Events FEBRUARY 2015 • Kansas Wheat board meetings, February 5, Kansas Wheat Innovation Center, Manhattan • Women Managing the Farm Conference, February 5-6, Hilton Garden Inn, Manhattan, KS, womenmanagingthefarm.info • Kansas Commodity Classic, February 6, Hilton Garden Inn, Manhattan, KS, www.kswheat.com/ events/kansas-commodity-classic • Research Review Committee, February 16-17, Kansas Wheat Innovation Center, Manhattan • Wheat Quality Council annual meeting, February 17-19, Kansas City, MO • Commodity Classic (national), February 25-28, Phoenix, AZ
MARCH 2015 • Bake and Take Month • National Agriculture Day, March 18 MAY 2015 • Wheat Quality Council Hard Winter Wheat Tour, May 4-7, 2015 JUNE 2015 • National Festival of Breads, June 13, 2015, Hilton Garden Inn, Manhattan, KS, nationalfestivalofbreads.com