Nearly 40 participants from 20 world wheat markets completed an intensive grain procurement course at North Dakota State University (NDSU)last month, part of a decades-long effort to boost demand for U.S. wheat exports.
The eight-day Grain Procurement Management for Importers course ran from Sept. 8-17 at the Northern Crops Institute on NDSU’s Fargo campus. U.S. Wheat Associates (USW)sponsored participants including customers and staff from countries across Asia, Europe and other major wheat-importing regions.
The program guides international buyers through the complexities of U.S. grain markets, covering risk management tools, freight options and purchase specifications. Unlike similar courses for other crops, this training focuses specifically on U.S. wheat futures, basis variables, rail dynamics and quality parameters.
“While risk management education is universal across other crops and origins to a large degree, the fact that this course looks at U.S. wheat futures, U.S. basis variables, U.S. rail dynamics and U.S.-specific quality parameters is unique,” said Jim Peterson, executive director of the North Dakota Wheat Commission.
Participants receive hands-on training in NDSU’s Commodity Trading Room, which features 32 computer stations with live financial and commodity market feeds. U.S. grain traders sometimes join sessions remotely to demonstrate how they interpret market data sources.
The course includes field trips to local farms and agribusinesses, culminating in visits to major export facilities in either Duluth, Minnesota, or Portland, Oregon. Participants tour shuttle loaders, barge facilities and export terminals while meeting with port authorities and federal grain inspection officials.
Joe Bippert, USW assistant regional director for South and Southeast Asia, accompanied buyers from the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia. “We feel that knowledge is power, and so providing these customers with as much knowledge as we can puts us in a more competitive position,” he said.
Connor McGrath, a grain buyer from the United Arab Emirates, said the course strengthened his procurement capabilities. “I went back 10 times stronger now in how we can manage things from the U.S. specifically,” McGrath said.
The program has operated for more than four decades, with multiple generations of global grain buyers traveling to Fargo to learn about U.S. grain handling and marketing systems. Course organizers say the ultimate goal is for participants to return home with knowledge needed to buy American wheat, either immediately or when market opportunities arise.
