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Wheat has lost a quarter of its land area since 1990 and is losing the competition against corn and soybean acres globally, according to Vince Peterson, U.S. Wheat Associates Inc. vice president of overseas operations. Peterson spoke at the Ag Issues Forum sponsored by Bayer CropScience on Tuesday at Commodity Classic in Anaheim, Calif.
The U.S. Grains Council celebrates 50 years of developing export markets for U.S. corn, barley, sorghum and their products. Celebrate with the Council in Boston, July 18-21, 2010, during its 50th Annual Board of Delegates Meeting. Check out the Council’s Web site, www.grains.org for more information.
Now Serving 9 Billion: A Global Dialogue on Food Needs for the Next Generation from Alex Rinkus on Vimeo.
MWBC Japan Goodwill Trip (Feb. 15-21, 2010)
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This trip was organized to be the first stand-alone Montana goodwill mission to re-affirm relationships and answer questions regarding our 2009 crop. Travelers met with both wheat and barley customers to discuss Japan's future, and how Montana can continue to be a partner in their success. 1 in 3 bushels of Montana wheat helps feed Japan. This is a vital customer, and this trip helped to continue cultivating good relationships and communication. Japan faces many future changes in their grain purchasing system, and we hope to be a consistent partner throughout the process.
Read more about this trip on our blog!
USGC Winter Meeting, Mexico (Feb. 13-18, 2010)
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MABA-MGEA Convention, Great Falls (Jan. 27-29, 2010)
What's Happening at the MWBC...from the web to Japan Northern Ag Network video (YouTube)
USWA Asia Trip (Jan. 7-22, 2010)
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Read more about this trip on our blog!
Montana Grain Growers Convention, Great Falls (Dec.1-4, 2009)
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USGC Latin American Regional Malt and Malting Barley Conference (November 17-21, 2009)
Our Executive Vice President, Kim Falcon, and one of our newest Directors, Bruce Myllymaki, Stanford, attended this buyers conference in the Dominican Republic promoting Montana malt barley.
It was a chance to build new relationships, and reconnect with current customers. See photos from this event on the USGC Flickr page
USGC Barley Mission to Taiwan and Japan (November 1-7, 2009)
We sent veteran Director Leonard Schock on this trade mission to help build and maintain our Japanese and Taiwanese relationships. Along with giving a presentation, Leonard spent time learning exactly what our overseas customers need to fill their production lines.See photos from this event on the USGC Flickr page
US Wheat Leaders Team to Latin America (October 2009)
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Wheat Quality Council Spring Tour, North Dakota-Montana (July 26-30, 2009)
Only the WQC crew can successfully conduct a comprehensive spring wheat tour covering all of N. Dakota and northeast Montana in 3 days...can you say "whirlwind"? I think I'm still recovering! This tour is a crucial tool bringing all portions of the industry together to view and estimate the years' spring wheat crop. Attendees included domestic and international millers, producer organizations, transportation representatives, federal agencies, and media. The MWBC graciously donated a car and driver for the event, and led a group into the Durum fields of NE Montana one day.
Dodging rain storms, mud, and hail, the group got the job done...sadly, prices fell after this tour found more wheat than ealier estimated. See photos from this event on Picasa
U.S. Wheat Associates Summer Meeting / U.S. Grains Council Board of Delegates Meeting, San Diego (July 17-22, 2009)
To say a few days in San Diego wasn't any fun would be a lie, however, the long meetings and functions made this staffer exhausted by the end of each day! We are proud to say that your Montana staff and Directors work hard to make sure you are well represented, and that Montana's issues are at the forefront of discussions. These meetings are vital to building relationships with other state staff and directors. You can be proud of your representation on both the wheat and barley fronts, as two Montanans were elected to serve as national leaders. Janice Mattson (Chester) was elected as the first woman Chairman of US Wheat Associates, and Don Fast (Glasgow) was also elected to serve on the US Grains Council Board of Directors. He will preside as Chairman in 2012/2013. Congratulations to the Mattson and Fast families, we are honored to have you representing our great state!
See photos from this event on Picasa - See photos from this event on the USWA Flickr page
Northern Agricultural Research Center Field Day (June 30, 2009)
Each year the MWBC plans their summer board meeting around a MAES Field Day. This gives our Directors a chance to see some of the projects MSU and its finest have been working on. This year Havre was selected. Gregg Carlson and his staff at NARC hosted a good crowd and talked about future renovation plans. After attending Field Day on the 30th, the MWBC held their summer meeting at the Gran Tree Inn in Havre on July 1st. We look forward to another great event next summer! See photos from this event on Picasa
Portland (June 23-25, 2009)
The great thing about Portland is that with every trip, you see nearly every aspect of the wheat industry at work. Driving to the Great Falls airport, you see our farmers' hard work growing on the horizon. Within 3 hours, you see those same kernels of hope being loaded on a gigantic ship heading for the Pacific and our customers overseas. In the same trip, you can stop off and visit the Wheat Marketing Center where you'll learn exactly why our customers love Montana wheat! This state-of-the-art quality testing lab and its' personnel work tirelessly testing wheat samples, experimenting, and educating U.S. wheat customers about the superior quality Montana and our fellow wheat states offer. Throw in a Wheat Foods Council board meeting, and in three short (and long!) days, you'll have a small grasp of some of the partners the WMBC works with! See photos from this trip on Picasa
Farm Fair (May 13-14, 2009)
5th Annual Farm Fair-Brainard Ranch-Manhattan, MT. The Gallatin Valley Agriculture Committee created the Farm Fair "as a way to provide a rural ranch atmosphere where students and teachers have the opportunity to see and touch where our basic food supply originates, how it is prepared for processing for human consumption, and to demonstrate agriculture’s commitment to protecting the natural resources on which it depends,” says Duane Burkenpas, the coordinator of the Farm Fair since its inception in 2005. The MWBC sponsors this event annually.
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