Food For Peace Beneficial For Northwest Wheat Growers

Earlier this year, USDA announced it awarded 20,000 metric tons, or 735,000 bushels of wheat for emergency feeding programs under Food for Peace. Since the dismantling of USAID, the Food for Peace program has been under a magnifying glass. Amanda Hoey, chief executive officer of the Oregon Wheat Commission and chair of the U.S. Wheat Associates Food Aid Working Group, said Food for Peace historically has been pivotal for growers in the Beaver state.

“Oregon would produce a crop on average of about 50 million bushels or about 1.3 million metric tons," Hoey said. "And historically, the Food for Peace program would do about 1,000,000 metric tons of U.S. wheat in terms of those donations. So almost the equivalent of an entire crop for our state.”

Creating Long-term Relationships

Hoey noted not only is Food for Peace critical to support people and counties in their time of need, but some of efforts have led to market opportunities.

“I think of the Philippines or South Korea, those are two of our top five markets consistently now," she said. "So it is an opportunity to also build relationships. It's some of that diplomacy that comes into play that serves us long term as well and allows us to also showcase what is coming off of the farms and the Pacific Northwest."

More from Hoey:

Celebrating Wheat Bound For Africa

During an event in New Orleans, LA, Wednesday August, 5th, USDA, U.S. Wheat Associates and the National Association of Wheat Growers marked the Food for Peace shipment, hard red winter wheat headed to Kenya. The shipment is expected to help feed more than one million people for a year.

Wheat leaders said American farmers have supported global food aid for more than 70 years, providing a helping hand while creating demand for U.S.-grown wheat and strengthening rural communities.