ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, U.S. — U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) organized a team of technical and commercial milling managers from Israel to travel to Oklahoma, Texas and Washington, D.C., June 22 to 28 to examine the U.S. hard red winter (HRW) production areas and crops, visit export elevators and discuss trade policy. 

“As long-term buyers of U.S. wheat, Israeli millers know the United States has the premium milling wheat they need, but since 2000, U.S. wheat has competed with supplies from the European Union and the Black Sea countries,” said Rotterdam-based USW European Regional Director Goris van Lit, who will accompany the team. “By bringing team members directly to the farm, elevator and port, they get to see that they can trust the products, the people and organizations that USW represents.”

The team will have the opportunity to study the U.S. production, research, transportation and marketing systems in order to explore the technical, religious and commercial comparison between U.S. wheat, domestic Israeli wheat and competitor’s wheat. 

The Israeli trade team is sponsored in part by the Oklahoma Wheat Commission and funding from market development programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. USW also collaborated with the Texas Wheat Producers Board on this team. Trade teams like this one reinforce the reliability, quality and value of the U.S. wheat crop to wheat buyers from around the world.