Overseas Customers Discuss Need for Stability and Consistency in HRW Wheat Quality

The quality of a product or service is both a measurement of merit and subjective to each individual’s needs, preferences and even environment. When it comes to wheat grown and exported from the United States, milling and functional quality becomes central to meeting the needs of overseas customers.

The process of developing a new wheat variety and its specific end use functionalities takes about 10 years, so it is very important for U.S. wheat breeders to have clear goals identified in part by understanding customer needs. To foster that process, USW invited seven wheat quality specialists to the first Overseas Variety Analysis (OVA) HRW Wheat Quality Summit May 24 to 26 in Kansas. They represented milling and baking companies from Nigeria, Japan, Taiwan, Korea and Israel — each a top HRW importing country.

The specialists were able to share information about their local wheat food demand and key quality parameters with breeders and farmers at the Kansas State Research and Extension Service (KSRE) - Agriculture Research Center in Hays, KS. The team also participated in a Kansas State University wheat field day and heard public and private wheat breeders discuss newly developed varieties and their potential for the industry.

“Our overseas customers have come to respect the U.S. wheat industry as a reliable source,” said Steve Wirsching, USW vice president and director of the West Coast Office in Portland, OR. “They value color, mixing stability, water absorption and gluten strength, among other characteristics, and were happy to hear that there are new varieties and processes used to make improvements.” 

Wirsching, who led the sessions, and Amanda Spoo, USW communications specialist, represented USW domestic staff at the event. USW overseas colleagues joining their customers were James Ogunyemi, technical consultant from the Lagos, Nigeria, office; Shin Hak (David) Oh, food and bakery technologist from the Seoul, South Korea, office; and Sophia Yang, USW Asian products and nutrition technologist from the Taipei, Taiwan, office. USW collaborated with the Kansas Wheat Commission to plan and host the Summit, which included a tour of the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center in Manhattan, KS. 

“This Summit gives Kansas wheat farmers the opportunity to show overseas customers how we are investing in the product,” said Aaron Harries, Kansas Wheat vice president of research and operations. “As products change and tastes evolve in each market, demand constantly shifts, so their feedback is vital to help U.S. breeders and farmers make the adjustments needed to keep up the changes.” 

Wheat breeders like Guorong “Jack” Zhang of KSRE understand that overseas customers can help direct breeding programs toward traits that will help U.S. wheat farmers compete more effectively in the world market. 

“Breeders from public universities in Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Nebraska, as well as private companies, utilize field days to demonstrate research outcomes to farmers,” said Zhang. “We work together because we ultimately have many of the same goals aimed at helping farmers increase yields and improve wheat quality for their customers.”

However, as many participants discussed at the Summit, being able to connect the customer directly to breeders allows for honest and transparent communication.

“It is important for us to communicate clearly with U.S. farmers, breeders and groups like the state commissions and USW,” said Koji Ishizuka, a quality control manager for Nisshin Flour Milling, Inc., in Japan. “Through our presentations and discussion, we hope the breeders and farmers understand how important specific hard red winter wheat qualities are to the Japanese market. I was very impressed with our discussions and with the breeders and farmers.” 

Ishizuka and Jun Sakamoto, who is a quality and production control manager for Nippon Flour Mills Co., represented the Flour Millers Association of Japan, will report to their colleagues about what they learned from their experience. 

“After hearing from these customers, we are going to talk more about how our grain handling system can adapt to challenges like segregating white wheat and ensuring a reliable supply to customers who want it throughout the year — not just in one or two shipments,” said Harries. 

“We also heard an eagerness from our grain elevators to learn more about how we can handle niche crops and better segregate wheat by protein levels during harvest,” he added. “I think we have to try to meet those customer needs.” 

Other customers said learning more about the variety development process from the perspective of farmers and breeders was eye opening.

“I see breeders have a lot of factors to balance, such as quality, disease resistance and yield potential,” said Ruey-Lin Liang, a director and quality division head for Top Food Industry Corporation in Taiwan. “I have a better understanding of what goes into the breeding process, and how much it takes for wheat to go from being developed in a greenhouse and then to the field, grain elevator and mills, before finally making it into a final product.”

“The importance of consistency and stability was a theme that kept circling back from the breeders, farmers and customers,” said Wirsching. “New varieties must exhibit consistent quality no matter where they are grown.”

A reputation for reliability, consistent quality has helped build a preference for U.S. wheat in many countries because it translates to a valuable return on investment. USW will continue working with overseas technical specialists and breeders to maintain that reputation and to help our farmers and their overseas customers successfully reach or exceed their goals.

By Amanda J. Spoo, USW Communications Specialist