Farmer Participates on SE Asia Crop Quality Tour

Farmer Participates on SE Asia Crop Quality Tour

?I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report.
Many Pacific Northwest wheat growers have participated on U.S. Wheat Associates and state commission trade team visits but in November, Washington Grain Commissioner and wheat grower Mike Miller went to six South East Asian countries as the first U.S. wheat farmer to participate in a Crop Quality Tour.

The purpose of these tours that happen around the world is to keep export customers informed about the quality characteristics for each year’s U.S. wheat crop.

Miller shares he was humbled and honored to represent U.S. wheat farmers.

Miller: “The thing that opened my eyes the most was I knew there were personal relationships at U.S. Wheat Associates and commissions across the country have built. I didn’t understand to what level the great depth they had nurtured these relationships. It is a business -- it is absolutely about business -- but they’ve developed the trust. One of the things that U.S. Wheat preaches, and my mantra was that we don’t like peaks and valleys in our costumer. We like to provide something very slow growth, always going up and very steady and stable.”

Miller gave a power point presentation in each country that began and ended with a photo of his three children. He shared that image as a reminder to U.S. wheat export customers about business relationships that can last for generations.