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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.”

 

Fewer cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy improved patient-reported outcomes (PROs) vs a longer duration of therapy prior to maintenance avelumab (Bavencio) without compromising treatment efficacy in patients with advanced urothelial cancer, according to findings from the phase 2 DISCUS trial (NCT06892860) presented during the 2025 ESMO Congress.¹

Data from the study demonstrated that patients who received 3 cycles of chemotherapy (n = 98) experienced a mean change in The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) global health status/quality of life (QOL) score of 0.0 (95% CI, –5.0-5.2) compared with –8.5 (95% CI, –14.1 to –2.9) among those who received 6 cycles (n = 104). The difference of 8.5 (95% CI, 0.7-16.3; P = .016) significantly favored the 3-cycle arm, meeting the primary end point of the study. Notably, no difference for time to deterioration in global health status/QOL score was observed between groups based on EORTC QLQ-C30 outcomes (HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.46-1.43).

“More patients [who received] 3 cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy went on to receive maintenance avelumab, which may facilitate long-term efficacy,” Enrique Grande, MD, the director of the Department of Medical Oncology at Quirónsalud in Madrid, Spain, and an adjunct professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, said during the presentation. “The most important highlight coming from the DISCUS trial is that we can explore the need for [fewer] cycles of combination [chemotherapy] in the era of antibody-drug conjugates in metastatic urothelial cancer.”

Phase 2 DISCUS Trial: Key Takeaways

• The phase 2 DISCUS trial evaluated 3 vs 6 cycles of combination platinum-based chemotherapy prior to maintenance avelumab for the treatment of patients with advanced urothelial cancer.

• Patients who received 3 cycles experienced a significant difference of 8.5 points (95% CI, 0.7-16.3; P = .016) vs 6 cycles in terms of EORTC QLQ-C30 global health/QOL scores.

• Patients who received 3 cycles experienced similar OS, PFS, and response outcomes compared with those who received 6 cycles.

How was the DISCUS trial designed?

DISCUS was an adaptive, open-label study that enrolled patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who were eligible for any platinum-based chemotherapy.^1,2 Patients needed to have not received any prior systemic therapy for metastatic disease, have an ECOG performance statis of 0 to 2, and have no contraindications for immunotherapy. Other key eligibility criteria included being at least 18 years old, having measurable disease per RECIST 1.1 criteria, and having adequate hematologic and organ function.²

Eligible patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive 3 or 6 cycles of gemcitabine plus cisplatin/carboplatin.¹ Patients in both arms also received maintenance therapy with avelumab for up to 2 years. Stratification occurred based on investigators’ choice of frontline chemotherapy (cisplatin vs carboplatin) and the presence of liver metastases (yes vs no).

The primary end points were changes in PROs per the EORTC QLQ-C30 global health status/QOL scale and overall survival (OS). Secondary end points included other PROs, safety and tolerability, progression-free survival (PFS), overall response rate, and best overall response.

At baseline, the median age in the overall population (n = 267) was 71 years (range, 44-91). Most patients were 65 years or older (73%), male (72%), did not have liver metastases (81%), had an ECOG performance status of 0 (73%), and received cisplatin plus gemcitabine (59%).

What were the additional efficacy and safety data?

Preliminary OS data showed that the median OS values were similar between the 3- and 6 cycle arms, at 18.92 (95% CI, 12.81-not reached [NR]) and 18.86 months (95% CI, 13.93-NR), respectively (HR, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.72-1.86; P = .56). Similarly, the median PFS was 8.0 months (95% CI, 6.70-11.89) vs 9.0 months (95% CI, 6.87-12.71), respectively (HR, 1.053; 95% CI, 0.725-1.527; P = .788).

Responses were also similar between the 2 arms. Response-evaluable patients who received 3 cycles of chemotherapy (n = 95) experienced a complete response (CR) rate of 13% and a partial response (PR) rate of 48%. The respective CR and PR rates in the 6-cycle arm (n = 100) were 13% and 46%.

In terms of safety, grade 1/2 treatment-related adverse effects (TRAEs) occurred at respective rates of 37% and 46% in the 3- and 6-cycle arms. Serious adverse effects (AEs; 35% vs 37%), grade 5 AEs (2% vs 0%), and discontinuation of chemotherapy due to TRAEs (2% vs 10%) were also reported. In the overall population (n = 1197), the most common any-grade TRAEs included anemia (9%), neutropenia (9%), nausea (8%), and fatigue (6%).

“We cannot claim noninferiority [in terms of OS] because of the trial design, [however] OS is still evolving. We will need more data with longer follow-up,” Grande said

Disclosures: Grande received honoraria for speaker engagements, advisory roles, or funding of continuous medical education from AbbVie, Adium, Advanced Accelerator Applications, Astellas, AstraZeneca, AVEO, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Clovis-Oncology, Dr. Reddy’s Eisai, Esteve, Eusa Pharma, GSK, IMVAX, IPSEN, ITM-Radiopharma, Janssen, Lilly, Merck KGaA, MSD, Novartis, Palex, Pfizer, Raffo, Roche, Rovi, and Tecnofarma. He received research grants from Astellas, AstraZeneca, IPSEN, Merck KGaA, Nanostring Technologies, Pfizer, and Roche. He has leadership roles in ENETS, ESMO, GETNE, Grupo Centro Tumores Genitourinarios, and GUARD consortium. He has stock or ownership interst in Amarin Corp, Bicycle Therapeutics, and Phamamar S.A.

References

1. Grande E, Hussain S, Climent MA, et al. DISCUS: a phase II study comparing 3 vs 6 cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy prior to maintenance avelumab in advanced urothelial cancer.Presented at: 2025 ESMO Congress; October 17-25, 2025; Berlin, Germany. Abstract LBA109.
2. Comparing 3 vs 6 cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy prior to maintenance avelumab in advanced urothelial cancer (DISCUS). ClinicalTrials.gov. Updated March 25, 2025. Accessed October 21, 2025. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06892860