Wheat Production in WA State Summary Report
Part III. Successful Wheat Production and Marketing Strategies
Growers’ perceptions of the importance of various factors in their efforts to make their wheat farm operations more successful.
| Extremely important (%) |
Mostly important (%) |
Slightly important (%) |
Not important (%) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ensuring high yields | 87.3 | 11.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| Lowering input costs | 82.6 | 15.9 | 1.5 | 0.0 |
| Increasing the number of buyers and markets for wheat | 80.5 | 15.1 | 4.0 | 0.4 |
| Developing alternative uses for wheat (e.g., bioenergy, industrial products) | 56.5 | 30.0 | 11.9 | 1.5 |
| Preventing pest resistance | 51.2 | 42.6 | 5.6 | 0.6 |
| Rebuilding regional storage and transportation networks | 32.1 | 35.0 | 27.6 | 5.3 |
| Increasing uniformity in the field | 31.4 | 44.8 | 22.4 | 1.4 |
| Promoting genetic diversity in wheat varieties | 27.6 | 50.4 | 20.0 | 2.0 |
| Emphasizing environmental conservation | 26.2 | 45.4 | 25.4 | 3.0 |
Growers' opinions about the future of wheat production in Eastern Washington.
| Strongly agree (%) |
Somewhat agree (%) |
Somewhat disagree (%) |
Strongly disagree (%) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specific wheat varieties should be grown only in appropriate geographic areas dues to quality concerns | 26.8 | 57.8 | 13.1 | 2.3 |
| All wheat varieties should meet minimum quality standards for seed to be sold in the state | 61.5 | 31.3 | 6.5 | 0.7 |
| Old wheat varieties should be taken off the market when new ones replace them | 3.8 | 31.6 | 47.1 | 17.5 |
| University plant breeding programs are a necessary component of a sustainable farm economy | 79.5 | 19.4 | 0.9 | 0.2 |
| Government supported agricultural programs should be targeted to benefit small and medium sized farms | 42.8 | 34.8 | 16.5 | 5.9 |
| Publicly funded agricultural research and extension should be expanded | 49.5 | 45.6 | 4.5 | 0.4 |
| Research and consultation by private agribusiness firms can replace most of the work done by university research and extension | 1.1 | 14.2 | 48.3 | 36.4 |
Growers' interest in various types of wheat marketing strategies.
| Extremely interested (%) |
Mostly interested (%) |
Slightly interested (%) |
Not interested (%) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Increased emphasis on delivering high quality clean wheat to domestic and overseas buyers, with premiums for growers who deliver above standards | 68.1 | 26.6 | 4.3 | 0.9 |
| Niche marketing of high-value wheat varieties or products | 32.8 | 40.0 | 23.0 | 4.2 |
| Rebuilding regional infrastructure for more local control of processing, distribution and marketing | 24.2 | 47.9 | 24.0 | 3.8 |
| Marketing club that pools specific varieties to sell directly to end users | 21.5 | 44.7 | 27.9 | 5.9 |
| Maintain current commodity system | 16.2 | 51.7 | 27.5 | 4.6 |
Growers' perceptions of how much the following challenges negatively affected their farm operations during 2003 – 2005.
| Highly affected (%) |
Somewhat affected (%) |
Hardly affected (%) |
Not affected (%) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low commodity prices | 93.7 | 4.6 | 1.1 | 0.6 |
| High input costs | 88.9 | 9.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 |
| Limited market opportunities | 47.9 | 39.6 | 9.5 | 3.0 |
| Federal agricultural policy and regulations | 34.7 | 45.8 | 14.3 | 5.2 |
| Too few companies buying commodities | 32.1 | 45.7 | 17.2 | 4.9 |
| Declining number of family farms | 18.8 | 30.6 | 29.8 | 20.8 |
| Declining population in small towns | 15.6 | 27.3 | 31.6 | 25.6 |
| Amount of land in CRP | 9.7 | 22.8 | 34.3 | 33.2 |
| WSU research not focused on farmer needs | 9.0 | 37.7 | 35.1 | 18.2 |
| Too few machinery dealers in my area | 4.5 | 28.6 | 36.2 | 30.7 |
| Too few input suppliers in my area | 4.2 | 23.7 | 37.0 | 35.1 |
| Access to loans | 3.4 | 14.7 | 34.7 | 47.2 |