March 1997
NAWG adopts long-range wheat industry plan
By Tracy Sayler
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Prairie Grains is the
official publication of
the Minnesota
Association of
Wheat Growers,
North Dakota Grain
Growers Association,
South Dakota Wheat,
Inc., and the
Minnesota Barley
Growers Association.
Now, there’s a plan.
It begins with a new NAWG vision statement: "Growth and profitability of all segments of the wheat industry is based on creation of expert knowledge, processed from global information systems, resulting in producers being fully engaged in the wheat chain, producing and marketing a versatile product and being the global supplier of first choice of wheat-based products."
Underlying this new vision, developed in a grassroots planning process that received considerable support from DuPont, will be an aggressive effort by the NAWG and state wheat associations to further develop relationships and alliances among all industry participants, including consumers, through enhanced education and communication endeavors.
12 Critical Success Factors For Profitability
The new vision statement is a first step to a higher goal: an American wheat industry that is vibrant and profitable in the next century. Further, an industry that responds proactively to changes in the global marketplace. There are 12 factors which will influence this plan. Working together, the NAWG believes wheat growers in the U.S. must:
1) Convert global information into marketable knowledge.
2) Capture a greater profit by thoroughly understanding our customer needs and wants; the attributes and intrinsic values of our wheat; end-use product requirements; and the standards of our competition.
3) Continue to establish alliances, relationships, and partnerships with government, market influencers, the media, and other special interests.
4) Be flexible and adaptable, and able to respond quickly to changes in consumer demand, as well as technology.
5) Continue to build a strong trust relationship within the wheat industry through effective, efficient communications.
6) Use dynamic educational tools to gain a common understanding of wheat users and consumers.
7) Build on the recognition that new industrial uses represent significant market potential, as society becomes more reliant on renewable resources rather than non-renewable resources.
8) Pool our research and investment dollars with partnerships and alliances that offer us the greatest potential return on investment.
9) Continue to earn society’s respect through stewardship of the environment, nutrition, and food safety and security.
10) Continue to partner with industry and government resources to increase the standard of living in other nations, which will increase the demand for our wheat products.
11) Strengthen risk management through private and public partnerships, and training and education programs.
12) Capitalize on opportunities to improve animal and human nutrition and health, based on established guidelines for consumption, such as the USDA’s Food Pyramid.
A long-range planning committee is working to put these goals into motion. Committee representatives from the Northern Plains include Mark Gage, a Page, ND,
grower and a N.D. Grain Growers Association board member; Pete Kappes, Ada, MN, who serves on the board of the MN Association of Wheat Growers; and Tom Young, Onida, SD, and President of SD Wheat Inc.
The committee involves other wheat growers from across the nation, as well as representatives from milling, agribusiness, ag communications, and academia.
"We’re developing concrete ideas of things we can do to carry this plan out," says Phil McLain, a North Carolina grower, and the 1997 NAWG president.
The committee already has established several recommendations applicable to the long-range plan. Including, ways to improve wheat quality, maximize wheat research funding, and develop information of financial value. Developing a comprehensive wheat industry site on the world wide web of the internet has also been identified as a priority.
McLean stresses that industry-wide participation will be a key in moving the goals forward.
"We have the same goals; we want to find our rewards from the marketplace. We as growers need to help our buying partners get what they want from our wheat, and vice versa," he says.