Miller Magazine Issue: 141 September 2021

66 INTERVIEW MILLER / september 2021 The U.S. is one of the top exporters of wheat globally. U.S. farmers produce about 1.9 billion bushels of wheat every year. Almost half of all the wheat grown in the U.S. is destined to be exported. So, international trade is crit- ical to U.S. wheat farmers. They have a strong and trust- ed advocate working in more than 100 countries: U.S. Wheat Associates (USW). As representatives of the U.S. wheat industry, USW develops, maintains and expands international markets to enhance wheat’s profitability for U.S. wheat produc- ers and its value for their customers. Operating as a non-profit organization, USW also provides critical infor- mation about U.S. wheat crop and market conditions to wheat producers, buyers and end-users. “USW does not buy, sell nor process wheat, but the organization helps make it easier for everyone else who does,” underlines Mr. Darren Padget, Chairman of U.S. Wheat Associates. Wheat harvested areas have been on a downward trend for many years in the U.S. “However, with input from farmers and even overseas customers, our public and private wheat breeders are doing great work to keep improving yields and quality,” says U.S. Wheat Chairman. Mr. Padget is a fourth-generation farmer in Oregon’s Sherman County, with a dryland wheat and summer fal- low 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 NAWG Re- search and Technology Committee and served on the Mid-Columbia Producers board of directors, for which he was an officer for 10 years. In an interview with Miller Magazine, Chairman Padget “We know that to help feed a hungry, growing world, we have to produce more and better quality wheat in ways that are better for the environment. If I could, I would like consumers around the world to know how far these family farms have come. Our family started our farm in North Central Oregon in 1905. That legacy to pass the farm down to the next generation means everything to us. And that is only possible if the previous generation cares for and improves the land and is economically successful. That is true sustainability and I believe we practice it just as our ancestors did when they were caring for the farm.” The path to true sustainability in wheat production Darren Padget Chairman U.S. Wheat Associates