A Commitment to Wheat Supply Chain Integrity and Quality

The U.S. farm families who produce the wheat and the industries that supply it are committed to keeping the wheat market open and transparent. As U.S. wheat export prices trend toward parity and other suppliers offer uncertainty, it is important that our customers again see the reasons they can depend on the integrity of our supply system, the familiar quality of U.S. wheat, and unmatched trade and technical support from U.S. Wheat Associates (USW).

The U.S. wheat “store” is always open.

U.S. farmers overcome significant risk every year to meet domestic wheat demand and still provide half their crop for export markets. Farmers and commercial warehouses can store and efficiently transport wheat in top condition to meet overseas demand when needed and throughout the marketing year.

Prices are transparent and honored. 

U.S. wheat export prices are discovered openly through futures exchanges and basis costs and are always available to customers. Private exporters use risk management tools to honor sales contract prices often made months in advance of vessel loading.

The supply chain follows uniform grain segregation and inspection procedures.

U.S. country elevators and export elevators inspect and test wheat and segregate by class and quality to meet customer requirements. The Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) independently inspects wheat at vessel loading to certify that the quality loaded matches the customer’s specifications. Those inspections yield valuable data down to the sub-lot level of 1,000 to 2,000 metric tons that customers can use, with help from USW, to get even more value from their purchases.

Quality is assured.

Every day, every season, U.S. wheat farmers work to contribute to a sustainable source of high-quality wheat for the world. USW publishes weekly reports during harvest that summarize initial wheat quality findings. USW works with several organizations and laboratories to analyze hundreds of wheat samples for all six U.S. wheat classes and publishes all results in the annual Crop Quality Report. Once completed, our staff, farmers and industry experts collaborate to share that crop quality data with customers and end-users worldwide.