The Board of Directors of U.S. Wheat Associates recently elected Boyd Schwieder of Idaho as their new secretary-treasurer. Boyd will assume the office at the end of the 2-day meeting, when the entire slate of officers assume their new leadership positions.
The 2003-2004 chairman, elected last spring, will be Alan Lee from North Dakota. Lee, who was vice chairman last year, has been farming full-time since 1973. He and his wife Terrie grow durum, hard red spring wheat, barley, canola, crambe and flax on their third generation farm. He has represented the North Dakota Wheat Commission on the boards of U.S. Wheat Associates and the Wheat Export Trade Education Committee since 1995. In his home state, Lee serves on the executive committee of the state's Ag Coalition. He previously served on the Wheat Granting Committee of the State Board of Agricultural Research and Education, and as a liaison to the U.S. Durum Growers Association.
Moving to vice chairman from secretary-treasurer is Keith Kisling from Oklahoma. A third generation farmer who taught vocational agriculture for four years before establishing his own farming operations in 1976, Kisling is vice president of Value Added Products (VAP), a closed cooperative with over 800 farmer-members. VAP operates the largest single-line dough plant in the United States. Kisling is one of the representatives of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission.
Jim McDonald, the USWA chairman, will continue to serve as past chairman and will head up the budget committee. USWA has been fortunate in being able to benefit from McDonald's extensive involvement in wheat organizations, dating from 1964 when he first became active in the Idaho County Wheat Growers Association. Through the decades since, Jim has served on the executive board of the Idaho State Wheat Growers, the National Association of Wheat Growers and, in 1997, was appointed by the Governor to the Idaho Wheat Commission.
Boyd Schweider, USWA's newest officer, is a graduate of Utah State University. He and his family dry land farm and grow some organic wheat. They are currently working to develop new niche markets for wheat. Schweider serves as the chairman of the Idaho Wheat Commission and has been actively involved in the Idaho Grain Producers Association for nearly 30 years. He was president of the IGPA and served on the board of directors of the National Association of Wheat Growers. Schweider is also actively involved with the Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce and currently serves as chairman of the agriculture committee.
U.S. Wheat Associates is the American industry's export market development organization. The United States continues to be the world's largest wheat exporting country, exporting to 105 countries last year.
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