Flour milling executives from three of Japan’s leading milling companies

Flour milling executives from three of Japan’s leading milling companies are at Northern Crops Institute today for a firsthand look at this year’s wheat crop. The team is hosted at NCI by Erica Olson, North Dakota Wheat Commission. “U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) maintains a constant effort to keep Japanese millers and end-uses aware of the merits of U.S. wheat,” said USW Country Director Wataru Charlie Utsunomiya, based in Tokyo, who is escorting the team. “Teams like these allow USW to develop close working relations and mutual reliance between U.S. wheat growers and Japanese millers on a steady supply of high quality wheat.” They will also make stops in Washington, DC, Omaha, NE and Portland, OR. During meetings with wheat farmers, grain industry representatives and university researchers, the team will discuss the U.S. wheat supply and demand picture, including anticipated quality, availability and price. In addition to discussing the crop outlook, the team will discuss new innovations in wheat research, including biotech wheat and its role in growing more and better wheat with less impact on the environment.