Combine Cab Connections: South American millers forge deeper connections with Kansas wheat producers

The best trade relationships start in the cab of a combine during the Kansas wheat harvest, at least according to a team of South American millers who stopped by the field as part of a jam-packed trade team mission to Kansas on June 13. 

“The members of this team are ambassadors from their countries, representing their respective milling associations,” said Claudia Gómez, regional marketing manager for U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) in Santiago, Chile, who led the team. “This trip gives them information about how U.S. wheat farmers are working hard to produce the best wheat in the world.”

The trade team members represented milling organizations from Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador. Together, they represent companies that purchase about 90 percent of the U.S. wheat sold to South America. In 2024, shifting wheat production patterns and rising consumption across the region created new opportunities for exporters. U.S. exporters capitalized on these trends, expanding the U.S. footprint in these key markets through competitive pricing, reliable supply, favorable trade conditions and the range of available wheat classes. 

This summer’s trade team brings representatives of these buyers to the United States to gain additional insights into the U.S. wheat market that they will take home to the millers they represent. 

After touring wheat production and grain facilities in Washington and Ohio, the team traveled to Wichita. E.G. Herl, vice-president of grain and logistics for Grain Craft, gave the team an outlook on the U.S. wheat market, information that association members will use as they make purchasing decisions. The team also visited the Viterra terminal grain elevator in Wichita, offering a close-up view of the logistics and efficiency of the U.S. grain supply chain. 

“We are here to solve the challenges they are facing, like combined cargoes for small mills, and to work together to create logistic synergies to increase business,” Gomez said. “Our job is to connect buyers with the best ways to buy and use U.S. wheat. Milling associations, like the ones this team represents, help USW get information out to more millers more efficiently.”

The most impactful stop, however, was in the harvest fields of Martin Kerschen in Sedgwick County. Team participants emphasized appreciation for the integrity of U.S. farmers like Kerschen, who opened their homes and fields to international visitors. After taking a few passes across the field in the cab of Kerschen’s combine with his son Justin, they expressed a desire to expand that sense of community to trade relationships. 

“The team really appreciated the values and hospitality of farmers and enjoyed living the experience of farming as a family business and appreciated their dedication to quality and consistency,” Gomez said. “Riding in the combine with Martin and his family was their favorite part of the trip to Kansas.”

USW is the export market development organization for the U.S. wheat industry. USW promotes the reliability, quality and value of all six U.S. wheat classes to wheat buyers, millers, bakers, food processors and government officials in more than 100 countries around the world. Learn more about how this organization promotes Kansas wheat globally at uswheat.org. 

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Written by Julia Debes for Kansas Wheat