Were you aware that 42 states in the United States grow some class of wheat? All 42 sell some or all their wheat within the U.S. and some export wheat to other countries.
Seventeen of those states belong to an international organization called US Wheat Associates, which specializes in selling U.S. wheat throughout the world. There is a fee involved in belonging and is made possible through a check-off based on bushels produced within each individual state.
While US Wheat is charged with international sales, Wheat Foods Council was initially charged with promoting domestic sales. More than 50 years ago efforts were made by some U.S. Wheat Commissions to take on the task of domestic sales funded by the wheat check-off.
Although a valiant effort was made by a small group of dedicated women and a few states–it was an up-hill battle. More success would have been achieved if more states would have stepped up. In the past only 11 states and a few industry partners were involved in the council in some form or another, thus success was impaired.
For some reason the wheat industry, including farmers, have been more concerned with exports and international sales rather than promoting domestic sales. Farmers through their wheat commissions as well as growers in states without organized commissions dropped the ball. Without the involvement in one or both of organizations charged with sales, the organizations themselves will not flourish, neither will farmers.
For some reason we farmers have relied on industry to handle our domestic advertising and sales without much involvement from us. For the most part many farmers have kept Wheat Foods Council at arms-length when they should be supporting and embracing it. Some farmers aren’t even aware that WFC exists while others know about it and place blame on WFC for poor domestic consumption.
Currently, the Wheat Foods Council is in the process of being re-born, which is appropriate for this time of year. The organization is going to be re-named and through the engagement of all growers of wheat in the U.S. it will achieve the prominence it was initially designed to achieve. WFC will become the third leg of the wheat stool along with US Wheat Associates and the National Association of Wheat Growers.
Stay tuned as Wheat Foods Council is currently being restructured as well as being re-named. Once this is accomplished an effort will be made to enlist those states and farmers that should be involved to help make domestic sales of our U.S. wheat increase.
Ron Suppes is a wheat farmer from Dighton, Kansas.
