USW
Left to Right: Darren Padget, secretary-treasurer elect; Jason Scott, past chairman; Mike Miller, chairman; Chris Kolstad, vice-chairman; Doug Goyings, secretary-treasurer; and USW President Vince Peterson. Photo courtesy of USW.
 
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S. - Three farmers were elected as new officers for U.S. Wheat Associates (USW). The officers will serve 2018-19 (July to June) fiscal year. 

The board elected Darren Padget of Grass Valley, Oregon, U.S., as secretary-treasurer; current Secretary-Treasurer Doug Goyings of Paulding, Ohio, U.S., as vice-chairman; and current Vice Chairman Chris Kolstad of Ledger, Montana, U.S., as chairman. These farmers will begin their new leadership roles at the USW board meeting in June 2018 in Seattle, Washington, U.S., when current Chairman Mike Miller of Ritzville, Washington, U.S., will become past chairman. USW is the export market development organization for the U.S. wheat industry.


USW
Darren Padget
Padget is a fourth-generation farmer in Oregon, with a dryland wheat and summer fallow rotation currently producing registered and certified seed on 3,400 acres annually. Previously, Padget held positions on the Oregon Wheat Growers League board of directors and executive committee for seven years, serving as president in 2010. He chaired the Research and Technology Committee for the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and also served on the Mid-Columbia Producers board of directors, for which he was an officer for 10 years.

Goyings' family has been farming in northwestern Ohio since 1884. Together with his family grows soft red winter (SRW) and has hosted numerous trade teams on their farm. With more than 35 years of experience representing wheat and Ohio agriculture, Goyings has been a member of the USW board while serving as a director for the Ohio Small Grains Checkoff Board since 2009 and is a past chairman of the USW Long-Range Planning Committee. He is also a past-president of his local Farm Bureau and previously sat on the board of directors for the Ohio Veal Growers Inc., Creston Veal, Inc., and Paulding Landmark, Inc. 

Kolstad's family farm is located in Montana's "Golden Triangle" region. Kolstad grows hard red winter (HRW) wheat, dark northern spring wheat and durum, barley and dry peas. As a commissioner of the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee, Kolstad has represented his state on the USW board since 2012. He is also an active member of the Montana Grain Growers Association and Montana Farm Bureau. His community leadership includes serving on his local school board, as treasurer for his family's church and has been a regular blood donor since 1972. 

Miller is a fourth-generation farmer who operates a dryland wheat farm and grows multiple crops on a separate, irrigated farm in east central Washington. He has served on many local, state and national boards, including the Washington Grain Commission and as a USW director representing Washington. Miller is also very active in supporting wheat research and development.