ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, U.S. —  The U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) board of directors elected Roy Motter, Brawley, California, U.S., to serve as secretary-treasurer for 2012-13 at its meeting in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Jan. 29.

The board also elected Darrell Davis, Ipswich, South Dakota, U.S., as chairman and Dan Hughes, Venango, Nebraska, U.S., vice-chairman. New officers officially begin their duties at USW’s Summer Board Meeting July 6 to 9 in Spokane, Washington, U.S. At that time, current Chairman Randy Suess, Colfax, Washington, U.S., will replace Don Schieber, Ponca City, Oklahoma, U.S., as past chair and USW Budget Committee chair.

“As an active USW director for California for the last four years, I have had the opportunity to attend USW-organized regional buyers' conferences for Latin America and South Asia,” Motter said. “I have been impressed by the quality of the staff and work done by USW and welcome this opportunity to take a larger leadership role in the organization.”

Motter is managing partner of Spruce Farms, LLC, a diverse operation in California’s Imperial Valley that includes Desert Durum, lettuce, cabbage, onions, sugar beets, sugar cane, alfalfa seed and hay, sudan grass, melons and tomatoes. He has been a member of the California Wheat Commission since 1998, currently serving as vice-chairman, and has served as president and vice-president of the Stockman’s Club of Imperial Valley.

Davis operates a fifth-generation family grain and cattle operation and is a member of South Dakota Wheat Inc., the South Dakota Soybean Association, the South Dakota Corn Growers Association and the South Dakota Cattleman’s Association. Davis is a board member and past president of North Central Farms Elevator. He is an alumnus of the South Dakota Agriculture and Rural Leadership, a program dedicated to advancing leadership in the state’s agricultural and rural communities.

Hughes is a third-generation wheat farmer in the southwest corner of Nebraska. His operation includes hard red winter wheat for domestic use and export, as well as hard white wheat grown under contract for ConAgra. He also is a commissioner of the Nebraska Wheat Board, serving as chairman from 2008 to 2010.

Suess manages a three-year rotation of soft white winter wheat, spring wheat, and peas in eastern Washington’s Palouse region. He is a member of the Washington Wheat Commission (WWC) and served as its Chairman for two years. Suess served as a state board member and chairman of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers public information committee, a trustee of the Washington Wheat Foundation, and president of the Whitman County Association of Wheat Growers.