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Trade requires trust—and U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) global staff know there is no better way to build and maintain trust than to sit down face-to-face and discuss challenges and opportunities. With this in mind, USW leadership traversed the Pacific Ocean in mid-October to bolster relationships with key customers in South Korea, Singapore and Indonesia and identify opportunities to increase U.S. wheat exports to the region.

“Our goal was to reaffirm our long-standing relationships and USW’s commitment to providing trade and technical support in these important export markets,” said Mike Spier, USW president and CEO. “Strengthening personal relationships with millers and bakers is essential to maintaining satisfaction and expanding demand for U.S. wheat.”

The delegation included Spier, Brian Liedl, USW vice president of overseas operations, and Gary Millershaski, USW vice chairman and Kansas wheat farmer. In each market, leaders heard that improvements in USW’s support and services continue to set U.S. wheat apart from other origins, especially Australia. Growing demand for premium wheat products, such as increased exports of Korean instant noodles or a shift by younger consumers toward more wheat-based foods over rice, presents promising opportunities for U.S. farmers like Millershaski.

“We wanted to hear directly from our flour milling and baking industry partners about how USW’s work is making a difference in their markets and gather input on how we can improve,” Spier said. “These conversations help us identify new innovative opportunities to collaborate with our customers overseas with the ultimate goal of enhancing profitability for U.S. wheat producers.”

Finding Mutual Success for U.S. Wheat Farmers and Instant Noodle Manufacturers in South Korea

The team’s first stop was South Korea, one of the largest and most consistent buyers of U.S. wheat. Meetings with key customers, including the Korea Flour Mills Industrial Association (KOFMIA) and major milling companies, celebrated the long-standing cooperative partnership between USW and South Korea’s milling industry. The team also met with the president of South Korea’s leading shipping company, Pan Ocean, to exchange insights on maritime logistics and the shipping market.

Despite challenges like a declining population and an economic slowdown, recent increases in exports of South Korean-produced instant noodles and bakery products have boosted demand for U.S. wheat. Ranking as the third largest buyer of U.S. wheat, South Korea imported a record 2.41 MMT (88.6 million bushels) of U.S. wheat in 2024/2025, driven by U.S. soft white (SW) sales. South Korea also buys U.S. hard red spring (HRS), U.S. hard red winter (HRW) and a smaller quantity of U.S. soft red winter (SRW). As of October 16, the United States has exported more than 882,000 MT (32.4 million bushels) of U.S. wheat to South Korea for the 2025/2026 marketing year.

The global popularity of Korean instant noodles is driving major manufacturers to expand production capacity in 2026, which will significantly boost demand for instant noodle flour and, in turn, U.S. wheat. This success results from years of collaboration between USW, South Korean noodle manufacturers and other industry partners to develop cost-effective, high-quality blends of U.S. wheat classes tailored for noodle production.

Once new capacity is added, demand for instant noodle flour will further increase U.S. wheat imports. South Korean millers expressed interest in expanding the range of U.S. wheat suitable for noodle production to better meet evolving market needs.

“The expansion of South Korean instant noodle manufacturing is encouraging for U.S. wheat growers as it points to sustained and potentially increased demand for their wheat in key markets,” Spier said. “Our conversations with millers and bakers also provided valuable feedback on how USW can continue improving its efforts to support the milling industry and help grow demand for U.S. wheat—ultimately contributing to stronger returns for American producers.”

Quality, Trade Servicing and Technical Support Make U.S. Wheat Second to None in Singapore

In Singapore, USW leaders met with company executives at the South and Southeast Asia base. Growing populations and tourism are fueling market expansion, reaching from high-end markets in Vietnam to a relocated, updated flour mill with a deeper port in Singapore.

Customers reported that demand for HRS and Western White (WW) wheat is very consistent year over year. Additionally, this year, one company has taken advantage of price competitiveness to buy HRW into markets like Sri Lanka.

“Our customers told us that U.S. wheat quality is second to none, and USW has the best programming and services in the region compared to competitors like Australia and Canada,” Liedl said. “They were very complimentary of the work we do in the region and are looking forward to connecting with USW staff and learning more about this year’s crop during the upcoming crop quality seminars.”

Doubling Down on Partnerships in Indonesia

From Singapore to Jakarta, USW leaders took a deeper dive into the current trends in mill demand in Indonesia. The team had an open forum with Indonesian millers and Shawn Thiele, associate director of the IGP Institute at Kansas State University, who was in the country on a milling consultation project. The forum addressed how customers can improve the technical performance of U.S. wheat in their mills and how to adjust contracts to maximize the value of U.S. wheat purchases.

The topics were well-timed. Wheat sales to Indonesia are up significantly this year after APTINDO, Indonesia’s flour milling association, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with USW in July. Under the agreement, APTINDO committed to double its annual purchases of U.S. wheat to 1 MMT (36.7 million bushels) each year for the next five years.

Indonesia was the eighth largest U.S. wheat buyer in the 2024/2025 marketing year, importing 791,000 MT (29.1 million bushels). As of October 16, 2025, Indonesia has imported more than 701,000 MT (25.8 million bushels) – nearly 89 percent of last year’s total with seven months left in the marketing year.

The USW leadership team also toured port and milling facilities, where Thiele returned the next day for on-site technical training with millers. A highlight was the bake lab tour, where USW leaders sampled cookies made from U.S. SW and loaf bread made from HRW.

“It was great to have our vice chairman get to see wheat similar to what he grows on his farm in action in Southeast Asia,” Liedl said.

Sharing Information and Perspectives Builds Trust

Throughout the trade mission, the USW leaders heard again and again that the sharing of information and perspectives by both U.S. wheat farmers like Millershaski and USW staff underpins the success of U.S. wheat exports into the global market.

“One message I bring back to our U.S. wheat farmers is how highly valued their efforts and the work of USW staff are by our customers across South Korea, Singapore and Indonesia,” Spier said. “Millers in each country consistently praised the dedication, expertise and passion of the USW staff in the region and expressed sincere appreciation to all U.S. wheat farmers for consistently delivering high-quality wheat and supporting USW’s efforts abroad.”

Millershaski’s perspective on this mission was equally important to help customers in each market better understand the pressure of high input costs and persistently low farmgate wheat prices. Competitive pricing helps overseas flour millers, but Millershaski explained that current pricing levels pose real financial challenges for farmers like him.

“Having Gary with us to share his perspective on the challenges U.S. wheat producers face helps build mutual understanding and reinforces the value of the partnership between U.S. wheat growers and our overseas partners,” Spier said. “The comments from our customers reinforce the value of the investment U.S. wheat farmers make in USW’s mission.”

Overall, it is clear that ongoing engagement, such as this trade mission, plays a critical role in building long-term confidence in the quality and performance of U.S. wheat and in the reliability of the U.S. supply chain.

“As a direct result of USW’s work in the region, buyers are fully prepared to purchase U.S. wheat with confidence when pricing opportunities arise,” Spier said. “Our buyers know they will receive excellent quality wheat grown by U.S. wheat farmers backed by dependable trade and technical support from USW’s global staff. It’s clear that our presence and work overseas are making a real impact – helping to build trust, grow demand and secure long-term market opportunities for U.S. wheat.”