Miller Magazine Issue: 141 September 2021

69 INTERVIEW MILLER / september 2021 drought will reduce our hard red spring, durum and soft white wheat production. Because of higher prices and lower supplies com- pared to other exporting countries, USDA also expects U.S. exports to be down for the current marketing year (June 2021 through May 2022) to 23.8 MMT compared to 27.0 last year. Do you think Russian wheat export taxes would un- dermine the competitiveness of Russia on the interna- tional market? Do Russian restrictive measures give the US an advantage in the market? I do not think any of us can accurately predict if Rus- sian government policies will stay the same or change, so I would not want to speculate about the impact of the export tax. I do want to say that any importer should be cautious about contracting for Russian wheat. Their government’s policies are unpredictable and they have demonstrated that it will intervene in commercial trans- actions when and how it wants, sometimes without re- spect to contract sanctity. The grain market could be described as relatively predictable a few years ago. However, the market is bracing for additional uncertainties beyond its own dynamics. Price volatility makes planning for farmers difficult. How do you protect American farmers from market volatility? The public-private partnership between U.S. wheat growers and the U.S. government is a unique and effec- tive model. There have been several studies conducted by objective public universities showing that the invest- ment in export promotion – the work that USW does – provides a substantial return on investment to farmers. I have seen this at work with our USW staff around the world. I mentioned that most of the soft white wheat class that my neighbors and I grow is bound for export channels. I am very happy knowing that we have very competent people working in the interest of farmers to help buyers and end-users understand the real value of our wheat. Our wheat prices are set by the marketplace based on the futures markets and the cost to move the wheat to export locations. We cannot control that. But by con- stantly working to maintain or expand demand for U.S. wheat, the USW organization supports farmers like me every day. Consumer awareness in health, origin, environment, climate change and animal welfare has been increas- ing. What role do farmers play in the dynamic human food industry? 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 suc- cessful. That is true sustainability and I believe we prac- tice it just as our ancestors did when they were caring for the farm. Is there anything you would like to add? If you would like to know more, please visit USW’s Vi- meo channel to see a video about my family's farm in Oregon as well as additional background on the organi- zation and its work.