Marketing Wyoming Hard Red Winter Wheat in specialty Markets

    This project was funded through a USDA Federal-State Marketing Improvement Project Grant administered by Ted Craig, the Ag Business Specialist/ Value-Added Program, Wyoming Business Council and the Wyoming Wheat Commission. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and not the granting agency.

    Senior Editor: Tonya Talbert, College of Agriculture, Office of Communications and Technology Graphic Designer: Tana Stith, College of Agriculture, Office of Communications and Technology 2

    The primary goal of the project was to identify opportunities for marketing hard red winter wheat (HRWW) grown in Wyoming and the surrounding Rocky Mountain area to domestic and/ or inter-national specialty markets. Three objectives were established to satisfy this goal:

1. Determine whether Wyoming HRWW possesses any distinctive quality, milling, or baking properties that may increase marketplace value

2. Identify potential domestic and/ or international niche markets for Wyoming HRWW

3. Develop a marketing plan to inventory and assess the challenges, difficulties, and opportunities for differentiating, selling, and delivering HRWW to niche markets

Implications of Objective 1 

    Wyoming's 1997 and 1998 HRWW samples were collected and analyzed to identify a special or unique characteristic that could be the focus of a strategic marketing campaign. Most of the Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) grading standards and milling and baking proper-ties for the 1997 and 1998 samples indicated significant variability in the quality of Wyoming HRWW. After examining the written test results, key industry experts suggested that the 1997 and 1998 Wyoming HRWW samples represented "commodity wheat" and that it would be difficult to develop for a niche market with commodity wheat. However, the visual examination of the bread loaves revealed consistently high "crumb grain" scores for the 1997 and 1998 samples of Wyoming HRWW. This means that one characteristic is consistent and unique— high crumb grain scores. Furthermore, consistently high crumb grain scores suggest that artisan bread is the potential niche market for Wyoming HRWW.
 

Implications of Objective 2 

    Good quality wheat is being grown in Wyoming. The goal of Objective 2 was to find a niche market product that requires the type of flour that comes from Wyoming wheat, allowing Wyoming wheat producers to obtain higher prices. Like wines produced from grapes grown in specific regions of France or in the Napa Valley and like Kona coffee grown only on the island of Hawaii, wheat also varies in quality and desirability in response to where it is grown. It has been found that environmental factors, including soil, temperature, precipitation, wind, sunlight, and frost, account for at least 50 percent of the variability in wheat quality. Wyoming varieties like Buckskin, which comprised 59.5 percent of the winter wheat sown in Wyoming in 1998, have the relatively high protein suitable for hearth bread and desirable to artisan bakers. Artisan bread is recommended as the best market for adding value to Wyoming's HRWW production.

Implications of Objective 3
    Objective 3 addressed how to produce and market HRWW as a differentiated and uniquely desirable ingredient for artisan bread. A list of possible production and marketing strategies and recommendations that could be adopted by Wyoming wheat farmers satisfies this objective. It is important to note that these strategies and recommendations are based on the assumption that Wyoming's HRWW has the unique characteristic of consistent and high crumb grain scores.

Production and Marketing Recommendations

    1) Production and marketing efforts should focus on the quality characteristic of consistent high crumb grain of Wyoming's HRWW.

    2) Before embarking on any marketing endeavors, it is imperative that the wheat quality be certified as high crumb grain.

    3) A producer may consider adopting Buckskin, Pronghorn, or any other variety that yields high crumb grain. It is also important to consider becoming a certified organic wheat producer to produce wheat for the "niche within a niche" organic artisan flour market.

    4) Individual wheat producers may want to consider direct marketing by contacting artisan bread makers or by maintaining a homepage for wheat or flour sales to artisan bread makers.

    5) Producers may want to consider toll milling as an option to purchasing and/ or constructing a short-flow flour mill.

    6) Producers may want to consider building strategic alliances with wheat processors (i. e., toll millers and artisan bakeries).

    7) Ultimately, marketing efforts should be focused toward building regional brand recognition.

    8) In the long run, it may be beneficial to consider establishing some form of  group organization (e. g., cooperativeor bargaining association).

Objective 1.  Determine whether Wyoming HRWW possesses any distinctive quality, milling, or baking properties that increase its value in the marketplace

    Identification of any distinctive characteristics of Wyoming HRWW is an important first step in identifying value-added opportunities and potential market niches. Research efforts were directed primarily toward the collection and testing of HRWW samples and a careful examination of the test results to identify any special or unique characteristics that could be used to develop a marketing strategy for Wyoming's HRWW.

Methodology
    A three-step process was used to examine the characteristics of Wyoming's HRWW:

1. Collect Wyoming HRWW samples from the 1997 and 1998 crop years.

2. Analyze the wheat samples for Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) grading factors, protein, milling qualities, dough handling, and baking properties.

3. Interpret the laboratory results. Emphasis was on identifying a special or unique characteristic of Wyoming's HRWW that could be a focus of a strategic marketing campaign.

Collectging Wyoming HRWW samples (1997 and 1998)

    In September 1997, the Wyoming Wheat Commission began collecting HRWW samples from the 1997 harvest. Interested producers were asked to provide samples of their 1997 HRWW. Because the harvest was already completed, most samples were collected from on-farm storage bins.

    Fifty-six samples were received from 25  different producers. Producers were encouraged to provide multiple samples if they had harvested more than one variety of wheat or had harvested fields from separate and distinct locations. The collection of wheat samples was completed by December 1997.

    In December 1997, a one-page survey was sent to all producers who had supplied wheat samples for testing. One survey was sent for each sample. The producer survey gathered information on wheat variety and yield, as well as past, current, and future farming practices. Producer survey results were later cross-tabulated with characteristics of individual wheat samples derived from laboratory analysis to determine whether relationships exist between farming practices and selected wheat characteristics. A sample of the producer survey form and a summary of the survey results are provided in Appendices A and B, respectively.

    The sample gathering process used for the 1997 harvest season involved asking wheat producers to voluntarily bring their wheat samples to a central collection point. As the 1998 harvest season approached, a new sample gathering process was developed to increase the number of samples gathered and obtain a more randomized group of samples.

    A database supplied by the Wyoming Wheat Commission in 1998 was used to sort wheat producers into districts, and 120 producers were randomly chosen for contact. A letter from the Wyoming Wheat Commission was sent to these 120 wheat producers to solicit their participation.

    The number of responses to the letter was very low. By July, only five producers indicated they would be interested in providing a wheat sample. Because the wheat harvest was about to begin, there was not time for another mailing. All further contact with the 120 producers was by telephone. Telephone contacts continued through August 1998.

    Of the 120 wheat producers, 80 producers provided 100 wheat samples. There were several explanations for the 67 percent response rate (80/ 120). Some producers had retired and leased their land to others. Others had sold their land or put land into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Many producers had baled their wheat into hay, and some producers had already hauled their wheat to the elevator. Separate samples were collected if producers had harvested more than one variety of wheat or had harvested fields from more than one location.

    The 1997 producer survey form was used again in 1998, and again, one survey was filled out for each sample. Also in 1998, surveys were filled out at the time the wheat samples were collected. 

     In both 1997 and 1998, the collected wheat samples were delivered in a single batch to David Shelton, director of the University of Nebraska Wheat Quality Laboratory, for testing. Under Shelton's direction, the wheat samples were first graded by licensed grain inspectors at the Lincoln Inspection Service, Lincoln, Nebraska, according to FGIS standards for test weight, moisture content, percent damaged kernels, percent foreign material, percent shrunken and broken kernels, and percent dockage. After grading, the wheat samples were tested for wheat protein content. Samples were then conditioned overnight to 15.2 percent moisture and milled using a Buhler Laboratory Mill. During milling, flour-extracting percent was measured. After milling, the flour samples were tested for flour protein and flour ash content. Next, the flour was prepared for baking into bread loaves. During this process, water absorption, mixograph times and tolerances, and bake times were measured. Finally, the baked loaves were measured for volume and graded based on external appearance, internal texture, and crumb grain.

    Forty-one of the 56 samples collected during the 1997 crop year produced usable results from grading. Twenty-three of the 1997 samples received grades of U. S. No. 1. Forty-one of the 100 samples from 1998 received grades of U. S. No. 1. Thirteen of the 56 samples from 1997 and 24 of the 100 samples from 1998 were graded U. S. No. 2. Three of the 1997 samples and 16 of the 1998 samples were graded U. S. No. 3. One 1997 sample and five 1998 samples were graded U. S. No. 4. Reasons for samples receiving grades of less than No. 2 included low-test-weight, contrasting classes, a high percentage of damaged kernels, a high level of defects, and a high level of foreign material.

    According to Shelton, the grade distribution of the 1997 and 1998 wheat samples indicated significant variability in the quality of Wyoming HRWW. In fact, not all of the 1998 samples were graded as HRWW. One sample was classed as mixed grain because the amount of rye present was greater than 10 percent. Rye can be difficult to remove from wheat prior to milling and has markedly different end-use properties. Four of the 1998 samples were classed as the subclasses of hard red spring wheat, and one 1998 sample was graded as soft white wheat. The variety, Platte, was released as hard white wheat.

Discussion of the FGIS grading standards follows:

· Test weight. Test weight is an indicator of the amount of flour a miller may expect to obtain from the milling process. Test weights ranged from 56.6 to 63 pounds per bushel in the 1997 samples. Test weights for the 1998 samples ranged from 53.4 to 65.1 pounds per bushel. The minimum test weight required for a grade of U. S. No. 1 is 60 pounds per bushel.

· Moisture content. Moisture content affects wheat storage. Wheat with moisture content in excess of 13 to 14 percent is unstable in storage. Fourteen percent is considered the maximum moisture content allowed, and lower moisture is more desirable. Samples with high moisture content may smell musty. Musty odors may carry through to the flour and potentially contaminate the mill. Among the 1998 samples, one sample had a high moisture content and smelled musty. The 1997 samples did not have any high moisture content or musty samples.

· Damaged kernels. A high percentage of damaged kernels can lower grade. The 1997 and 1998 samples did not have a proportionally high percentage of damaged kernels.

· Dockage. Wheat grades are determined after the removal of dockage. Dockage is non-wheat material that can be removed relatively easily and has some value as feed, even though it has a lower value than wheat. The Carter-Day Dockage Tester was used to determine the dockage percent. Japan purchases over two million metric tons of wheat annually, and all wheat imports into Japan are controlled by the Japanese Food Agency (JFA). The JFA specifies that wheat shipments have maximum dockage values of 0.5 percent. Discounts may exist for wheat with dock-age values in excess of this level. This means that wheat with a high percent of dockage cannot be exported to Japan. Fourteen of the 1998 samples had very low dockage values of 0.1 percent, while 30 samples had dockage values above 0.5 percent. The highest value was 3.3 percent. The 1997 samples ranged from 0.1 to 2.2 percent.

· Foreign material. Foreign material is non-wheat material that is difficult to remove and is measured after dockage has been removed. One sample from the 1997 crop year had a high level of foreign material present and received Sample Grade, the lowest possible grade. Two samples from the 1998 samples were contaminated with mouse pellets and were graded as Sample Grade. The occurrence of mouse pellets in a sample is an indication that the wheat was not safely or properly stored. Mouse pellets may cause flour to be off-color and to have off-odors.

· Shrunken and broken kernels. The percentage of shrunken and broken kernels in the 1997 and 1998 samples ranged from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 5.2 percent. The average was 1.3 percent for both years.

· Defects. The percentage of total defects in the 1997 and 1998 samples ranged from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 8.8 percent. The average was 1.6 percent for both years.

    After grading, both the 1997 and the 1998 samples were tested for wheat protein and flour yield. Samples were then milled and tested for flour protein and ash content, water absorption, bake time, and mixing properties. The final step in laboratory analysis was to bake each flour sample into bread using the standard baking method of the Nebraska Wheat Quality Lab and measure loaf volume and assess external and internal appearances. Summary statistics for the 1997 and 1998 samples are presented in Appendix C. A discussion of these tests and the test result data is as follows:

· Wheat protein. Wheat protein content is determined during milling on a 14 percent moisture basis. At times, producers are paid a premium for high protein wheat. Wheat protein may be directly related to end-use processing characteristics of water absorption, dough mixing properties, and loaf volume. Wheat protein in the 1997 samples ranged from 8.35 to 13.90 percent. Wheat protein in the 1998 samples ranged from 8.90 to 13.90 percent.

· Flour yield. Increased flour yields represent an increased return to the miller. Flour yield in the 1997 samples was measured and ranged from 65.8 to 73.9 percent. In 1998, flour yield ranged from 63.9 to 74.2 percent. One 1998 sample had the lowest test weight (56.7 pounds per bushel), and the flour yield of this sample was 69.5 percent. Another 1998 sample had the highest test weight (65.1 pound per bushel) but a lower flour yield of 68.4 percent. These data show that the relationship between test weight and milling yield is tenuous at best.

· Flour protein. Flour protein contents are typically 1 to 2 percent less than wheat protein contents. A common flour protein content specification for white sliced pan bread is 11 to 11.5 percent. Flour protein in the 1997 samples ranged from 7 percent to 12.5 percent. Among the 100 samples from 1998, 45 had flour protein contents of 11 percent or higher.

· Ash content. Ash content is the residue that remains after a sample of flour has been incinerated. In general, flours with lower ash content are more desirable. Flour ash also is an indicator of bran contamination. Often a maximum ash value of .48 percent is specified for white pan breads. Flour ash content ranged from .360 to .496 percent in the 1997 samples and from 0.31 to 0.70 percent in the 1998 samples.

· Water absorption. Water absorption values indicate protein quality. Increased water absorption is a desirable property to bakers because water is cheaper than flour and increased water absorption increases dough yield. Water absorption values ranged from 57 to 66 percent for the 1997 samples.

· Bake time. Bake time refers to the amount of time required to mix the ingredients to form dough. Longer mixing times increase the baker's energy expenses. Bake times for the 1997 samples ranged from 3 to 12.5 minutes.

· Mixing properties. Mixing properties of flour samples are evaluated with an instrument called a mixograph. The mixograph tolerance score is an indicator of the dough's resistance to overmixing. Overmixed dough frequently must be discarded. In general, a tolerance score of 3 or 4 is more desirable than a value of 1. Mixograph tolerance scores ranged from 4 to 1 for the 1997 samples. Among the 1998 samples, 19 samples had tolerance scores of less than 3.

· Loaf volume. Loaf volume is an indicator of protein quality. Higher loaf volumes (measured in cubic centimeters) indicate higher quality protein. However, the volume must not be so great that it is difficult to place the loaf of bread into a bag at the end of the production line. The lab considers loaf volumes of greater than 900 cubic centimeters as very good. Loaf volumes ranged from 665 to 940 cubic centimeters for the 1997 samples. Among the 100 loaves baked from the 1998 wheat samples, 12 had loaf volumes greater than 900 cubic centimeters.

· External appearance. Each bread loaf was scored for external appearance by a subjective judge. Scores for the 1997 bread loaves ranged from poor (P) to very good minus (VG-). Scores for the 1998 bread loaves ranged from very poor to very good.

· Internal appearance. The assessment of internal appearance considers both crumb grain and crumb texture. Internal crumb grain is a very important characteristic to the baker and to the consumer. The interior should have very small, elongated, uniform gas cells. The most interesting feature of the 1997 and 1998 Wyoming wheat samples was their crumb grain scores. Scores ranged from fair minus (F-) to very good minus (VG-) for both 1997 and 1998 loaves, with most scores in the good (G) category. Given the diversity of other grading results and milling and baking characteristics, the consistency of this result was quite unexpected and could be a significant marketing factor.

· Crumb texture. Crumb texture is another important characteristic. Consumers frequently squeeze loaves of bread during their purchase decisions. A softer texture is desirable to the typical American consumer. However, an excessively weak texture will allow a slice of bread to tear as spread is applied. The range of texture scores for the 1997 sample loaves ranged from poor plus (P+) to good plus (G+). The 1998 loaves scored from poor plus to very good.

    Among the 1998 samples, a few other characteristics also were noted. After mixing the dough, four samples were rated as sticky or slightly sticky, which is a major problem for commercial bakeries where dough pieces are handled at a rate of 150 per minute. Strong dough properties are desirable and are reflected by good to very good bread scores. Crumb color is another quality indicator. Flourmills frequently use chemical bleaching agents to lighten flour prior to sale. Flours were not bleached in this study. One sample had a bright, white crumb color while a number of samples were evaluated as having less desirable yellow or slightly yellow crumb colors.

    Interpretation of the 1997 and 1998 Wyoming wheat sample test results involved two steps. First, key industry experts Tim J. Herrman and Pat McCluskey of Kansas State University were contacted and asked for their assessment of Wyoming's HRWW based on the wheat sample test results. Unfortunately, neither expert had the opportunity to visually inspect the bread loaves— their interpretations were based solely on the written test results. Their consensus was that the 1997 and 1998 Wyoming HRWW samples represented "commodity wheat" and that it would be "a difficult task looking for a niche market with commodity wheat."

    Next, Shelton was asked for his assessment. Because he performed both the 1997 and 1998 Wyoming wheat sample laboratory tests and also had first-hand experience evaluating the bread loaves baked from the 1997 and 1998 wheat samples, he was well-qualified to interpret the results.

    Shelton identified the consistently high crumb grain scores of Wyoming's HRWW as the most unique characteristic of the samples and suggested that this factor could be a significant marketing point for Wyoming's HRWW. High crumb grain scores indicate that, despite considerable variability in protein, test weight, and other characteristics, the bread loaves baked from the samples came out with the look and feel that bakers and consumers desire an inside with very small, elongated,  uniform gas cells and an external appearance of the correct shape and color. Furthermore, the relatively high crumb grain scores suggested a potential niche market for artisan breads.

        It is not surprising that agricultural producers seek value-added opportunities and niche markets for their crops. While consumer dollars spent on food have risen dramatically since 1970, the farm value of the consumer dollar has barely kept up with inflation. Of every consumer dollar spent on food, approximately 22 percent goes to the farmer, while 26 percent goes to processing, 4 percent goes to transportation, 9 percent goes to wholesaling, and 39 percent goes to retailing (1).

    These same trends have been observed in the U. S. wheat industry, where a bushel of wheat is valued at about $150 per ton, and the price for processed products on the grocery shelf is generally about $2,000 to$3,000 per ton (2). The grain-producing sector is responding to this situation with significant structural changes. Historically, the cereal grains (wheat, rice, and corn) have been traded as commodities. In the commodity system, all grain within a particular grade and classification is considered equal, and price is the only consideration for the buyer. Premium quality has  little or no effect on the price received by the producer, and bakers do not tradition-ally have the opportunity to influence the quality characteristics of the flour they buy to suit their end-use product requirements (3). Typically, bakers must choose the flour that best matches their requirements from available brands and adjust their processes to obtain the desired result.

    Current trends, however, are moving away from the traditional focus on government-driven, bulk-commodity exports of grain and more toward customer-driven, end-product-oriented, vertically consolidated and coordinated firms (4). The meaning of wheat "quality" is being redefined to suit customer requirements, which is making traditional grading schemes less relevant. A growing number of new-generation coops is undertaking value-added processing ventures in response to these financial incentives and marketing opportunities (5), and it is expected that "identity preserved (IP) marketing" and "niche marketing" will become common in the wheat industry (6).

    The largest class of wheat produced and exported in the United States (7) is HRWW, and the demand from the American food industry is proportionately even greater than its production. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service, 42.3 percent of the wheat used by the U. S. food industry in 1995 was made from HRWW, even though HRWW comprised only 38 percent of wheat production (8). The preferred wheat for making flour in American mills and bread for American homes is clearly HRWW (8). The nation's biggest producer of HRWW is Kansas with approximately 395 million bushels produced annually (1994 to 98 average). Large amounts of HRWW also are produced by Montana (178 million bushels), Oklahoma (146 million bushels), South Dakota (109 million bushels), Texas (98 million bushels), Colorado (93 million bushels), and Nebraska (77 million bushels). Wyoming produces approximately seven million bushels of HRWW annually. The largest variety of HRWW sown in Wyoming in 1998 was Buckskin (59.9 percent) followed by Scout/ Scout 66 (6.2 percent), Cheyenne (5.7 percent), and Lamar (5.5 percent).

The USDA has been tracking food consumption
patterns since 1968. United
States per capita consumption of all food
has increased by slightly more than 8
percent since tracking began, but it is
interesting to note that consumption has
not increased equally for all types of foods.

    Per capita consumption of animal products has increased by only 1 percent since 1968, while per capita consumption of cereal and flour products has increased by 25 percent (4). The USDA estimates that Americans consumed 38.9 billion pounds of flour made from wheat in 1995. Of that total, 16.5 billion pounds of flour were produced from HRWW, which is equivalent to 376 million bushels of HRWW (8). Domestic wheat consumption reached 148 pounds per capita by 1996 (9).

    These food consumption trends are particularly interesting because they are contrary to conventional wisdom. Historically, it has been found that flour consumption drops as income rises and meat replaces grain products. Indeed, flour consumption in the United States dropped from 210 pounds per capita in 1910 to 110 pounds per capita in 1972. Since then, however, annual per capita flour consumption has gradually recovered almost 35 of the lost pounds, and consumption could rise another 40 pounds per person per year, providing a market for 300 million additional bushels of wheat annually if recent nutritional recommendations are adopted (10,11).

    Another analysis of America's eating habits, conducted by the NPD Group, a national market research company, also has found a shift toward grains and away from high-fat foods over the past decade (12). With studies showing that grains can aid in prevention of health problems ranging from obesity to heart disease and even certain kinds of cancer, it appears that Americans are seeking a balanced and healthful diet in spite of their prosperity (10).

    The nutritional guidance provided by the classic "Basic Four Food Groups" model was replaced in the mid-1990s by the USDA's Food Guide Pyramid, which recommends six to 11 servings of grain-based foods daily. While increased grain consumption indicates that people seem to be heeding USDA's message, there is still room for improvement. According to a Gallup poll, Americans say they are getting an average of 3.2 servings of grains per day, with only 51 percent consuming the recommended minimum of six servings of grain-based foods per day (13).
 

    Another interesting finding from the Gallup poll points to potential marketing strategies for grain and flour products. Nearly one-third of American shoppers said they do not bake at home, and people eating five or fewer grain servings a day told Gallup that time was their biggest obstacle to consuming more grain products (12). However, it is not necessarily the case that grain products are time-consuming to prepare. Six of the 10 fastest-growing foods of the decade are grain-based snacks or quickly prepared grain-based meals: pasta-based dishes, bagels, popcorn/ pretzels, ready-to-eat sandwiches, ready-to-eat cereal, and pizza crust (14). "In a quest for convenient foods, people are turning to quick, 'one-dish' meals like pasta, cereal, and sandwiches," said Harry Balzer, vice president of The NPD Group (9).

    The types of households that have most increased their grain consumption, are those with workplace pressures and those without children, including both single people and dual-income families with no kids, known as "DINKS." These house-holds increased their grain consumption by over 3 percent from 1987 to 1996, and this increase is a more significant shift toward grains than any other demographic segment (14). This is a good time for retail establishments to offer timesaving products, including the types of breads and other grain products that people would bake at home if they had more time.

    The popularity of all types of bread has increased by four percent since 1995 (14). A survey found that shoppers ranked bread and rolls as their favorites among grain foods, followed by cereal, rice, and pasta (15). Premium bread sales also have grown impressively. Much of the growth in the premium bread market is generated by consumers over 45 years of age who comprise the nation's fastest growing age group and have substantial discretionary income (11). Increased bread consumption is consistent with the demand for timesaving foods. "Sliced bread is the ultimate convenience food," said Morton Sosland, an analyst of world wheat and flour markets (16). According to the National Restaurant Association, 39 percent of working adults surveyed ate sandwiches for lunch (17). Per capita annual consumption of specialty breads, including whole grain and hearth types, has increased 2.5 pounds between 1988 and 1995 to 23.28 pounds per person per year. The Wheat Foods Council reports that over one thousand types of breads are on the market (17), and specialty breads now represent 30 percent of all bread consumed (11).
 

    Increasing interest in bread is evident in a variety of ways. In-store bakeries in grocery stores reflect a greater demand for bread as well as for convenience, and the offering of variety bread by bakers beginning in the early 1970s shows that bread no longer means only traditional white bread (16). Recently introduced bread machines are another indication that people are interested in different tastes, textures, and types of bread. According to a survey conducted by the Bread Machine Industry Association, over 20 percent of U. S. households have a bread machine (1). Bread has become trendy.

The purpose of this study is to learn what characteristics of Wyoming's HRWW are distinctive and to find a marketing niche that matches those characteristics. Objective 1 examined the results of grading, milling, and baking studies and found that Wyoming's HRWW has high protein and produces bread with consistently high crumb grain scores. These characteristics are highly desirable for the growing and profitable artisan bread niche market. It has been reported that established bread bakers are paying increased attention to the wheat they use in their baking. Their goal is to maximize the natural fermentation and handling properties of the flour, along with the texture of the finished product. Both retailers and wholesalers of bakery products are visiting wheat fields, mills, and distributors to ensure they have the knowledge and the contacts to guarantee that specific wheat varieties will be available for their use in specific products (18).

While the term "artisan bread" is not precisely defined, it is generally understood to mean:

° High-quality

° Produced with time-honored, traditional, old-world style methods

° Superior, old-fashioned flavor and texture and unique, hand-formed shape

° Healthful, all-natural, with no preservatives or additives

° Locally produced ingredients used when feasible (11)

    The Bread Bakers Guild of America defines artisan as "the work of a knowledgeable, skilled, and conscientious baker who is attempting to make the best possible product" (11). 

     The skill of the baker is an important element in artisan baking. Although not all artisan bakeries have certified artisan bakers on staff, a certification program and an apprenticeship program for artisan bakers are available from The Bread Baker's Guild of America. There is also an American baking team, "Baking Team USA," which won first place in the world cup of baking (Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie) in Paris, France, in 1999. Coverage of that event by public radio and newspapers in major cities, including Minneapolis, Boston, New York, and San Francisco (19), indicates that interest in artisan bread is increasing in the United States (11). Premium quality ingredients are another important element in the production of artisan breads. It is interesting to note that the flour used by Baking Team USA in its victory in the Baguette and Specialty Bread Category (20) at the 1996 Coupe du Monde was custom milled from HRWW. That flour was the model for a commercial flour, "Sir Galahad Flour for the Artisan Baker," marketed by King Arthur Flour (21).

The artisan bread niche

    Artisan breads have been available in Europe for hundreds of years, but these traditional, handcrafted, old-world style breads have only recently become an important market in the United States. Artisan bread fits well with the fastest growing value-added markets that include ready-made foods; foods that promise to help people live longer, more satisfying lives; ethnic foods; and smaller-portioned foods (22). Two types of premium breads are enjoying increased popularity: sour-dough and ground-wheat. The ground-wheat style breads may feature organic flours or specialty ingredients, such as unusual grains, nuts, or herbs and may be baked on the premises.

    Total bread sales are increasing in the United States, keeping up with the nation's prospering economy and stock market (15). Sales of premium bread are increasing even faster. Variety bread sales increased 7 percent during the same period, from $1.41 million in 1994 to $1.51 billion in 1995 (11), and retail bakery sales grew by 25 percent between 1996 and 1997 to $9.3 billion in sales (15). One source estimates that soft whole-grain breads made from wheat ground on-site (artisan-style breads) is the "fastest-growing segment of the variety and specialty bread trade" (23).

    The number of specialty bread stores mirrors these increases in bread consumption, with the number of sourdough-type stores increasing by 57 percent from 1994 to 1996 and the number of ground-wheat type shops increasing by 44 percent from 1994 to 1996 (22). However, it is interesting to note that the growing popularity of natural, ethnic, and handmade artisan breads is not confined to small, individually owned bakeries. Variety breads are sold in food service establishments, retail bakery chains, and supermarkets. Fifty percent of all retail variety bread sales take place in supermarkets (11).

    The variety bread segment is financially attractive because these upscale, handmade breads command a premium price (11). While mass-produced white bread is sold in supermarkets for about a dollar per loaf, prices can climb to $4 or more per loaf for specialty hearth products (11). Leading bakery retailers have seen large increases in their business since artisan and artisan-style breads have gained in popularity. For example, Acme Bakery in California's bay area is the first major bakery using exclusively organic flour. Acme has a retail shop and also wholesales the bread from its three bakeries to local restaurants and grocery stores (18). Acme's sales increased from $500,000 to $7,500,000 in 12 years (18). La Brea Bakery in Van Nuys, California, has found success by tripling capacity and automating to produce its award-winning artisan-style bread in an 80 percent baked (" parbaked") and frozen format for national distribution (18).

    Researchers or demographers predict the artisan bread trend will grow for at least the next 10 years (24). The craze for artisan breads was first noted in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington, in the early 1990s and follows the craze for gourmet coffees, which also spread from that region (23). The coffee analogy was used by Dan Sterling, founder of the artisan-style bread franchise Breadsmiths, who said, "Our goal would be to be the Starbucks of bread" (24). The artisan bread trend has spread throughout the nation, as demonstrated by a list of "The Country's Best Bread Bakeries" published by Minnesota Public Radio, which includes bakeries from California to New York and in Massachusetts, Texas, Chicago, Florida, and Minnesota (25).

    Like the rest of the nation, interest in artisan-style breads is increasing in the Rocky Mountain Region. Mountain View Harvest Wheat Cooperative, a group of Colorado wheat producers, recently obtained a $100,000 grant from USDA for a value-added feasibility study. Of the 14 industry segments considered, Harvest Cooperative chose parbaked bread products because a modern bakery, Gerard's French Bakery, was for sale in nearby Longmont, Colorado. Flour milling and organic flour are available locally from Rocky Mountain Flour Milling in Platteville, Colorado. Several artisan bakeries are operating in Boulder, Denver, Fort Collins, and other nearby cities, and artisan-style breads are appearing on the shelves of supermarkets such as CUB Foods, Albertson's, and Safeway.

Artisan Bread Prices

    Artisan bread prices vary with the types of ingredients used, but it is safe to say that a premium is charged. For example, the mail-order firm Bread Express charges from $5 for a loaf of sourdough bread to $7.50 for naturally leavened chocolate cherry bread made with Belgian chocolate and French cocoa cherries (26). The Food Channel found many consumers paying between $3 and $10 per loaf (15). Artisan breads command a premium price even when marketed in a supermarket. The Byerly's grocery store chain in Minnesota has in-store artisan bread baking in three of its stores. Byerly's artisan bread costs from $1.99 for a baguette to $3.99 for chocolate bread (27).

    Premium ingredients are one reason for the higher cost of artisan breads. For example, organic flour can cost five times as much as standard, commercial bakery flour (28). Another reason is that producing artisan bread is labor-intensive. Artisan bread is mixed, shaped, and baked by individuals skilled in these processes, without the automated production systems of factory-style bakeries (29).

    Because the sale price for artisan breads significantly exceeds the price of mass-produced bread, supplying the artisan bread industry presents value-added opportunities for wheat producers. Re-searchers estimate that milling for the artisan bread market can add approximately $. 20 per bushel to the value of wheat and that an artisan-style bakery can add another $4 in value to a bushel of commodity wheat (30).

Artisan bakers and bakeries

     There were approximately 1,300 wholesale and retail bakeries in the United States in 1997, with sales of $500 million (11). Of the total number of bakeries, there were 318 operations producing whole-grain breads made from wheat ground on-site in 1994, and it was estimated that 10 to 15 new sites were opening each month (11). The four largest retail bread bakery chains as of August 1998 were Great Harvest Bread Company with 136 stores, Breadsmith with 52 stores, Big Sky Bread Company with 35 stores, and Baker Street Artisan Breads with 9 stores (11). Not all artisan bread is produced in small, individually owned bakeries. There are several successful formats for retail bakeries. For example, Perkins Family Restaurants feature bakeries. Subway® Restaurants bake their bread on-premise (11). Certain bakeries are part of national or regional franchise chains, such as Great Harvest, Big Sky Bread Company, Breadsmith, La Brea Baker, Gayle's Bakery, and Bread Alone Bakery (11). Some bakers have developed innovative ways to market their artisan breads. For example, Canada's The Saucy Bread Company has eight retail outlets in high-traffic malls. Their stated business goal is to become the "Starbucks of bread," an analogy also used by Breadsmith (24).

    A great deal of artisan-style bread also is produced and marketed through main-stream grocery store chains (Safeway, Albertson's, Fred Meyer, etc). In fact, 74.2 percent of supermarkets in the United States now have in-store bakeries (a total of over 22,500 bakeries) (17), and many of these bakeries produce artisan-style breads. Artisan breads also are found in large markets, organic bread stores, and organic food markets (i. e., Alfalfa's Market, Wild Oats, and Nature's).

Artisan Bakers: A desirable market for Wyoming's Wheat

    In the traditional wheat marketing system, premiums are not paid for wheat with quality in excess of specifications. Grain elevators take discounts if wheat does not meet the minimums, then they blend several lots of wheat to bring low-grade wheat up to the minimum standards required for No. 1 grade wheat standards (31). Even small mills have labs and  perform blending to ensure a wheat flour with adequate and consistent quality characteristics and to remove some of the variability in protein, test weight, etc., of each crop year. Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) blends 35 to 40 different flour streams to make flour for a specific customer (32).

    Because the high-quality wheat producer does not benefit from above-average quality under the traditional marketing system, it is highly desirable for those who produce high-quality wheat, like Wyoming's HRWW, to find a niche market where they can obtain a premium price. The Buckskin variety of wheat grown in southeast Wyoming provides an important example. Because Buckskin has high protein and superior milling and baking qualities, a Chugwater, Wyoming, elevator operator has found that his Utah mill customers like to mix it with low-protein wheat from Montana (31). Rocky Mountain Flour Milling also has found Buckskin wheat from Wyoming to be very good wheat for the type of products they produce (primarily organic flours and flour for Gerard's Artisan Bread Bakery) (30). At times, Rocky Mountain Flour Milling has paid premiums ranging from $. 25 to $2 per bushel for organic wheat  

     Professional bread bakers use bread flour, which is similar to the all-purpose flour typically used in homes, but it has a greater gluten strength that makes it suitable for yeast breads (33). Bakers are often concerned with flour characteristics, which include strength, extensibility, and elasticity. Strength corresponds to the level of energy required to knead the dough. Doughs made from weak flours tend to develop quickly, break down rapidly, and have low tolerance to variations in mixing time (34). Doughs from overly strong flours require long mixing times at high mixing speeds for optimum development (34). Extensibility relates to dough handling prior to baking. Inadequate extensibility corresponds to dough that is too tough, while too much extensibility corresponds to dough that is too soft and often sticky. Elasticity is related to retention of loaf shape. Excessive elasticity causes withdrawing of the pieces of dough after molding and a low volume loaf. Additional wheat characteristics, including thousand-kernel weight and ash content, also have been found to yield significant premiums and discounts (35)

    For American-style pan sliced bread and for buns, the wheat must be hard, with high protein, and the flour must supply dough with enough strength and extensibility for handling. For biscuits and cookies, the endosperm of the wheat must have a soft structure, low protein content, much lower strength, and limited elasticity of the dough (36). Many artisan bread bakers require grains and flours in the middle of these two extremes. For European-type bread, which is baked in a steam-rich oven directly on the hearth, artisan bakers require a medium protein content of 11 to 13 percent, medium-hard endosperm structure, and good extensibility of the dough without excess elasticity. "Superior milling, mixing, and baking qualities are  the three characteristics users look for in wheat varieties targeted for use in making bread," according to a Colorado State University wheat breeder. Three major characteristics are examined to determine the baking quality of a wheat variety: loaf volume, internal crumb structure, and external crust appearance. "The inside of a loaf of bread must have a silky appearance,  the cells must be the same size and be thin walled, and the internal crumb structure color should be white, not gray" (37).

    The production of high-quality artisan bread requires flour made from wheat that closely matches the characteristics of Wyoming's wheat. According to the results  from the bakers' properties of the 1997 to1998 Wyoming HRWW samples, a consistently high crumb grain score was found among the bread loaves baked from Wyoming's flour samples (38). Wyoming's wheat appears to have the quality characteristics sought by a strong and growing market niche— artisan bread. Artisan bread is increasing in popularity nationwide, and several good potential markets exist in the local supermarkets and retail bakeries, as well as in nearby metropolitan areas. It is particularly heartening that a premium price may be available to producers who carefully match their marketing efforts to the artisan bread baking market niche.

Objective 3.  Develop a marketing plan to inventory and assess the challenges, difficulties, and opportunities to differentiate, sell, and deliver Wyoming wheat into identified niche market

Introduction

    The previous objectives have focused on identifying and addressing opportunities for marketing Wyoming's HRWW as a high-quality flour for artisan bread producers. Objective 3 specifically addresses the "how-to's" of producing and marketing this wheat as a differentiated and uniquely desirable ingredient for artisan bread. A list of possible production and marketing strategies and recommendations that could be adopted by Wyoming wheat farmers is provided to satisfy this objective. A set of strategies for individual farmers is given first, followed by strategies for groups of wheat farmers, and production and marketing recommendations. It is important to note that these strategies and recommendations are based on the assumption that Wyoming's HRWW has the unique characteristic of consistent and high crumb grain scores. Therefore, the strategies and recommendations presented will focus on two topics: how best to produce this type of wheat and various marketing strategies that could be adopted.

Wheat production Strategies for individual farmers.

    Statistical analysis of the producer's survey suggests several wheat production and management strategies. The first set of statistical tests involved cross-tabulating each variable from the producer survey with those crumb grain samples scoring "good (+) or better." Cross-tabulation analysis was used to determine whether or not a statistically significant relationship existed between samples with high crumb grain scores and any of the management practices reported by the survey respondents. A chi-square test of significance was then performed to identify statistically significant management practice variables for all samples with "good (+) or better" crumb grain scores. Note that the "good (+) or better" crumb grain scores represent samples with relatively outstanding visual crumb grain as scored by Shelton. It is assumed that bread with these scores represents the best artisan bread.
 

Table 3 reports the statistically significant management practice variables associated with "good (+) or better" crumb grain scores. Table 3 also includes flour and bread characteristic variables from the FGIS inspections, mixograph, and baking tests. As shown in Table 3, the management strategies significantly associated with producing wheat that scores "good (+) or better" include:

° Buckskin and Pronghorn wheat varieties
° A wheat yield less than 30 bushels per
acre
° No sulfur applied to the wheat
° Untreated wheat seed

    The results presented in Table 3 have interesting implications for wheat producers. These results indicate that while there is no single management practice farmers  can adopt to ensure a crumb grain score of "good (+) or better," there are some important considerations. First, the adoption of Buckskin or Pronghorn wheat varieties is associated with high crumb grain scores. But, it is important to understand that planting Buckskin or Pronghorn does not guarantee high crumb grain scores. Examples are found in Table 4, which delineates the distribution of wheat variety to crumb grain score. More samples  for the Buckskin and Pronghorn varieties scored "less than good (+)" than "better than good (+)." This finding suggests that other variables, in addition to wheat variety, influence the crumb grain score.

    Wheat yields also were examined as the next significant management variable. High crumb grain scores were associated with "wheat yield is less than 30 bushels." Some wheat farmers who obtain good to  moderate yields (up to 30 bushels per acre) also have a wheat quality crumb score of "good (+) or better." This finding is difficult to explain. Variables representing the management practices of "no sulfur was applied to the wheat" and "wheat seed was not treated" also are significantly associated with high crumb grain scores. Table 3 shows that both of these variables were associated with a greater percentage of samples receiving grades of "good (+) or better" compared to samples graded as less then "good (+)." Again, these relationships are difficult to explain. It is possible they are picking up the influence of variables not addressed in the survey. Therefore, these results should be viewed with caution.

    Additional variables were included in Table 3 to show the relationship between high crumb grain scores and the characteristics of flour and bread. It is interesting to note that as wheat and flour protein increases, the percentage of samples grading "good (+) or better" also increases.

Facto Analysis

    Factor analysis was performed for all management practice variables and those samples that graded "good (+) or better." Factor analysis is used to identify common factors in the data. For our study, factor analysis will identify common factors in those samples with crumb grain scores of "good (+) or better" and management practice variables. Table 5 shows that three factors were identified.

Only three management practice variables did not load relatively high in Factor 1:

° Wheat varieties are Buckskin and Prong-horn

° Herbicide was applied

° Wheat acreage will likely stay the same
in the next five years

All remaining management practice variables had positive loadings except:

° Wheat yield per acre
° Price of wheat sold
° No fertilizer was applied 

Three variables loaded relatively high for
Factor 2:

° Wheat varieties are Buckskin and Prong-horn

° Herbicide was applied

° Wheat acreage will likely stay the same
in the next 5 years

For Factor 3, two variables had relatively high, positive loadings:

° Wheat variety will likely stay the same
° Wheat seed was not treated

    The results from the factor analysis of samples scoring "good (+) or better" appear to be consistent with the results of the chi-square results in Table 3. Two variables had relatively high positive loadings in the factor analysis and were also statistically significant in the Chi-square analysis:

° Wheat varieties Buckskin and Prong-horn

° Wheat seed was not treated

    It appears that individual wheat  producers  should  consider planting Buckskin or Pronghorn wheat varieties or other varieties that yield high crumb grain scores.
 

    Wyoming's wheat producers also should consider an additional production strategy, which was not addressed in the statistical analysis. Organic wheat may be considered a "niche within a niche" because many artisan bakers use organic flour for their breads. Organic artisan flour may be another way to differentiate an individual farmer's wheat. While few of Wyoming's HRWW producers are certified as organic growers, many are probably practicing organic farming unintentionally or by accident. The following data are taken from the production management surveys of 141 Wyoming wheat producers:

° 55.32 percent of the respondents did not apply ANY type of fertilizer

° 86.52 percent of the respondents did not use seed treatment

° 61.70 percent of the respondents did not use herbicide

    The process of becoming a certified organic wheat grower is somewhat complicated. However, some wheat producers already may be practicing organic farming, and for others, organic farming may not be a difficult change to make. The federal Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (OFPA) requires the certification of most operations producing and handling organic products in the United States. The USDA published a proposed rule in December 1997 for certification of organic product farmers, handlers, and processors. The great interest in organic certification can be seen from the over 10,000 comments received regarding the proposed rule. The National Organic Program (NOP) is intended to bring consistency to the use of the organic label, especially because more than 40 private and state organic certification programs currently exist. Under the proposal, the system used to produce and handle organic products, rather than the product itself, would be certified. The activities involved in certifying organic operations, such as reviewing applications, conducting inspections, and determining certification status, would be conducted by state and private certifying agents accredited by USDA (39).

Wheat Marketing Strategies

    Recommended wheat marketing strategies initially focus on minimizing the risk of income loss for a Wyoming wheat farmer. Producers should ease into wheat marketing to gain experience before expanding their efforts.

    Direct marketing is one of the simplest and least risky marketing strategies. Direct marketing means that a farmer sells wheat directly to a target customer. The target customer for Wyoming's HRWW already has been identified as artisan bread producers. What is the most effective way to reach this market? The following four  steps will assist with direct marketing efforts.

Step 1: identify your wheat quality

    Each producer needs to know the quality and quantity of wheat he or she produces annually. Most markets need both a consistent quality and a consistent quantity of wheat. Regarding quality, producers need to focus on a high crumb grain score, and this quality characteristic somehow must be "certified." The goal is to produce a branded or identity-preserved wheat product that is consistent over time. Wheat quality labs can perform the laboratory analysis needed to prove that a sample of wheat meets desired quality specifications. In addition to traditional testing, there are two newer instrumental testing methods useful for quantifying the quality characteristics desired by niche markets. Near Infrared Reflectance Tester (NIRT) measures protein, moisture, fat, fiber, amino acids, and other chemical constituents using rapid, non-destructive methods. Single Kernel Characterization System (SKCS) measures kernel weight, diameter, hardness, and moisture content and recognizes diseased kernels, distinguishes between red and white kernels, and detects some insect infestations. SKCS results also reliably predict flour yield.

    Identity preserved wheat marketing is one way to benefit from providing wheat with particularly desirable quality characteristics to markets that are willing to pay a premium for those characteristics. When marketing identity preserved wheat, specific lots or bins of wheat are identified, and each lot or bin is tested. For example, Rocky Mountain Flour Milling, in Platteville, Colorado, is capable of preserving the identity of wheat. When they receive a particular lot of wheat, they can guarantee that flour milled from the same wheat will be returned to the producer. Attitudes toward identity preserved ser-vices vary among millers, with some embracing and some avoiding IP segregation. According to a representative of Farmway Coop of Beloit, Kansas, "Identity preservation is coming. We need to accept the reality of this transition. The role of the country elevator is changing as well as that of the producer" (40). In its 1999 Policy Resolutions, the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers included the following among its 10 resolutions: "KAWG supports a program to verify public delivery points that will keep identity-preserved grains segregated" (41).

    At present, IP services are more readily provided by smaller mills like Rocky Mountain Flour Milling than by large mills. According to Rocky Mountain Flour Milling president and founder Steve Curran, the facility was designed with organic or identity-preserved grain processing as its focus (42). The Grain Processing Cooperative mill in Rincon, New Mexico, also provides identity preserved segregation for the producers of the Twenty-First Century Alliance Grain Processing Cooperative. The Twenty-First Century Cooperative only accepts certain approved varieties of HRWW that have been proven to provide the type of end-user quality characteristics desired such as good milling qualities, good dough qualities, and good baking qualities (43). Members of the Twenty-First Century Alliance receive premiums of approximately $0.20 to $0.25 per bushel. The coop has set up a system by which the extra efforts required to segregate wheat are done by the local elevator rather than by the farmer (44). Their goal for the future is "to set up a national system for IP wheat so that it is easier to capture the value present in wheat that meets the requirements of specific end-users" (44).

    In contrast to smaller operations, a large, traditional mill (like Archer Daniels Mid-land) may mill over 1.5 million bushels per day, and a great deal of blending occurs between the producer, the elevator, and the mill. Mills typically blend wheat be-cause customers expect flour from a specific crop year to remain consistent (32). Nevertheless, even some larger milling operations are considering IP wheat. According to a representative from the General Mills office in Great Falls, Montana, a specific grain used as an ingredient for a specific purpose "will always out-perform a composite of several varieties." General Mills in Great Falls has increased its ability to accommodate identity-preserved wheat varieties, especially the Nuwest and Idaho 377S varieties of hard white spring wheat developed by breeders at the University of Idaho and Montana State University and exclusively licensed to General Mills (6). According to Richard Owen, executive director of the National Association of Wheat Growers Foundation, "As end-use quality traits are identified that consumers are willing to pay extra for and the research community is able to breed for, processors will be looking for a consistent supply of identity preserved grains. This will offer growers an opportunity to deliver a specific product under negotiated contract for added value" (45). 

     While there are many potential benefits from producing and marketing grains for specific end uses, identity preserved wheats have extra costs associated with their handling and segregation (45). Changes will be required at every step after the grain leaves the farm. The importance of careful practices all along the value chain is seen in a comment by Kent Symns, general manager of the American White Wheat Producers Association, who stated, "If there is only 2.1 percent of red wheat found in a shipment of white wheat, then the shipment is classified as mixed wheat and reduced to sample grade. That much red wheat could easily come from failing to clean out a combine, grain wagon, or truck" (46). Country elevators may need to change their focus from handling more grain to finding new ways to preserve the identity of value-added crops (40). Incentives are developing in some markets to reward the extra efforts required to segregate identity preserved wheat. For ex-ample, according to Jay Romsa of General Mills in Great Falls, Montana, "General Mills offers growers a 'production incentive' beyond general market prices. All along the route from breeding to seeding and selling, there are incentives" (6).

Step 2: Develop strategic alliances
    Networking and developing personal contacts and strategic alliances involves hands-on marketing and considerable market research. Personal contact with potential customers provides exposure for the product and also provides an opportunity to collect important marketing information (47). Contacting individual artisan bakers to learn what requirements each has for wheat or flour is a fundamental activity in direct marketing, but it can present a formidable barrier for many producers. However, those producers who can identify artisan bread makers that need and want the quality characteristics provided by their wheat will benefit by making a strategic alliance or informal contract between the farmer and the baker. Strategic alliances increase vertical cooperation, or the relationship between organizations that provide adjacent stages of the value chain. While the participants maintain their independence, they share information and find ways to cooperate that enhance the flow of products and improve returns and prices. Alliances can reduce risks, reduce costs, improve management, increase bargaining power, provide capital, and assist in supplying specialized markets where consistent high quality is imperative for developing and maintaining customer satisfaction (48). An example of a strategic alliance is the relationship between Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods in Milwaukee, Oregon, and several large bakeries, which require authentic stone ground flour (49). Likewise, PEMA Bread Specialties, a German baking company, contracts with qualifying environmentally acceptable farms to procure rye (50). Wheat Montana Farms and Bakery is an example of a wheat farmer who has established strategic alliances to market his high-quality wheat, which is grown with conservation tillage practices and sold as whole grain specialty wheats, flours, fresh breads, and frozen breads in six states, as well as through the Wheat Montana retail store and deli, and through mail order and the Internet. In Wyoming, Wheat Montana products can be ordered by special request at Albertson's, IGA, and Food Farm grocery stores. Wheat Montana recently set a world record for "Freshest Bread in the World," and this brought national media publicity. In a recent interview with University of Wyoming research personnel, the owner of Wheat Montana stressed that additional profits come not from high-quality wheat but from hard work in marketing (51).

    Farmers seeking strategic alliances can effectively use several strategies. One approach is to send a sample of the wheat or flour to a baker with a price quote. This approach has worked for Larry Nordhus, a Kansas wheat, corn, and soybean grower who has been grinding whole wheat flour and marketing it to bakers for about 10 years (52). The Granary, a Downs, Kansas, farm-based business that grows, mills, and packages farm-grown, insecticide-free, high-quality whole wheat flour for baking, contacted Kansas stores and gift shops to find markets (52).

    Advertising in a trade publication is another strategy. Bakery-Net is an on-line baker's resource with over 20,000 bakery industry readers. Bakery-Net provides classified ads and a Bakery Buyer's Guide, and Bakery-Net will maintain links to a producer's World Wide Web site for between $3,000 and $6,000 per year. It also can be useful to attend annual meetings of baking organizations to network and make contacts with artisan bakers. Several organizations hold suitable meetings, including:

    The Retailer's Bakery Association. The RBA is a trade organization for businesses producing and selling retail bakery foods and their suppliers. The RBA has more than 3,500 member companies and for more than 80 years has hosted Market-place, the baking industry's leading trade show. Annual membership dues of $150 for an Allied Member include discounts on exhibiting opportunities at workshops and the RBA Marketplace (61).

    The American Institute of Baking. The AIB is a non-profit educational organization for bakers. The AIB accepts flour donations (along with brief information about the flour) for their baking classes. This marketing strategy would give those in training to become artisan bakers an opportunity to see for themselves the performance of Wyoming's high-quality HRWW.

    The Bread Bakers Guild of America. The BBGA is another non-profit educational organization. They have recently increased their focus on the relationships between farmers, millers, and bakers and are encouraging bakers to learn more about the flour they use. BBGA participates in baking industry events throughout the year, with their major annual meeting involving three days of panel discussions and seminars in association with the RBA Marketplace. It may be appropriate for the Wyoming Wheat Commission, rather than farmers, to join this organization. Promotional opportunities through the BBGA include submitting informative articles for the newsletter and purchasing mailing labels to reach BBGA members.

    One alternative to contacting individual artisan bread makers is "building a road-side stand." Individual farmers involved with direct marketing commonly use this technique. A roadside stand does not have to be located on the farmer's property, and the roadside stand concept can be adapted to suit wheat or flour marketing. Many producers develop a home page on the Internet, which serves as a "virtual" roadside stand. It is extremely important for the product to be certified as unique with a brand name, a particular image on the packaging, or a laboratory certification.

    The wheat or flour being marketed must convey the quality image desired by artisan bakers. The University of Nebraska's Food Processing Center offers an entrepreneur-training program called "From Product-to- Profit," which would be useful for producers considering starting a value-added business (52). Additional assistance is available from the Cooperative Extension Service, Small Business Development Centers, Mid-America Manufacturing Technology Center (MAMTC), and other local resources, as well as national re-sources like Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA), which has an office in Fayetteville, Arkansas, as well as a Web site (52).

Step 3: selling four as an individual wheat farmer

    Artisan bakers frequently wish to purchase flour rather than wheat. To meet this market need, wheat farmers have two options: they can mill their own wheat or use a toll-miller. The process of milling wheat is somewhat complex, but with modern milling equipment, processing grain into whole-wheat flour is an attain-able goal. In contrast, milling wheat into white flour requires at least $1 million of capital equipment (52).

Home Mills  

    Several home-size units of both steel-burr  and stone-grinding models are available at reasonable cost. For example, the Grain Master Whisper Mill (steel milling chamber) costs approximately $250. The Vario Electric Flaker and Grain Mill (corundum in ceramic millstones, ½ horsepower, and output approximately 1 cup per minute) costs approximately $650. The Retsel Mil-Rite Train Mill (¼ horsepower, 2.5-quart  hopper, 2 cups per minute, available in both stone grinding and stainless steel burr kits) costs approximately $500 (54). While these home-size mills may be useful for small operations, industrial models will be more suitable for serious entrepreneurs. Cumberland General Store sells a Meadows Commercial Stone Burr Mill with a capacity of 100 pounds per hour for $1,135, and larger models of stone mills are available for $15,000 to $20,000.

Toll Milling

     When home milling is not feasible, a toll miller can mill wheat for a fee. For ex-ample, Rocky Mountain Flour Milling sometimes provides toll milling. While they had no available capacity for the 1999 season, an expansion planned for the 2000 season may provide toll milling capacity.

Packaging 

    Successful marketing involves careful  consideration of packaging, especially when the product is intended to appeal to a particular market by presenting a unique image. Crucial packaging decisions include the message and image your package conveys to potential customers, how well it attracts the attention of potential customers among other products on a store shelf or at a roadside stand, and the size or quantity customers are most likely to purchase (55).

Distribution and Logistics 

    The producer must have a way to put the product where potential customers can see it and a way to deliver the product to consumers. Transportation must be cost-effective or the business will not remain profitable (146). It is recommended that producers plot prices plus freight for the product costs on a map and compare total costs to the product's sales price to determine a potentially successful geographical  area (47).

Pricing

  An important aspect of networking and  becoming acquainted with the artisan baking market is understanding what potential customers are currently paying for their wheat or flour and what they would be willing to pay for a high-quality, high crumb grain product (146). Prices  should reflect differences in product quality and customer service compared to competitors (47).

Regulatory Compliance

  When value-added wheat products are destined for human consumption, it is important to comply with state regulations that ensure sanitary conditions in food processing operations. The FDA also requires nutrient analysis costing form $500 to $6,000 per product to comply with nutritional labeling requirements (52).

An Example of Direct Marketing 

    The marketing of hardwood bark landscaping mulch provides an interesting example of direct marketing of a differentiated  agricultural product that is analogous to the marketing of Wyoming's HRWW. Like Wyoming's high-quality wheat, mulch can be differentiated on the basis of wood species, consistency of particles, and appearance-related attributes. Service attributes, including promptness of delivery and supplier/ purchaser relationships, also are important in successfully marketing both mulch and wheat. Finally, both mulch and wheat have dual markets of larger commercial customers and smaller individual customers. Marketing advice from North Carolina State University for hardwood bark producers seeking value-added opportunities parallels the recommendations offered here— visit potential customers to establish contacts and assess the marketability of the product. These visits should be used to ask potential customers what they like and dislike about the product and what service attributes they want from a supplier. Personal contact also assists the producer in learning which other suppliers are direct competitors. In addition, personal visits can help the producer's networking efforts, as one baker might provide the names of others who might be interested in high-quality HRWW (47).

Step 4: Expanding your market

    After initial direct marketing efforts have proven successful, the next step is to  expand the market by finding additional artisan bread makers. The goal of selling an entire output via direct marketing may be achieved easily because direct marketing often uses word-of-mouth advertising. With a high-quality, consistent product in the marketplace, additional artisan bread makers will probably find you. With successful direct marketing, it may be necessary at some point to increase your own wheat acreage or find other producers with similar quality characteristics and establish a strategic alliance to satisfy growing demand from artisan bread makers. Some successful entrepreneurs might even establish a formal business entity, such as a partnership, limited liability company, or cooperative, to ensure an adequate supply of wheat.

Wheat production strategies

    Group production strategies for agricultural products generally involve some mechanism for limiting the supply of a quality-specific product. This type of strategy is based on the most fundamental concept in economics— the law of supply and demand. Restricting supply, when all other variables remain constant, will generally cause an increase in the price received by producers. Moreover, producers can form cooperatives and bargaining associations that limit the supply of agricultural products by setting output characteristic requirements.

    Cooperatives are a common model for restricting supply. A group of producers may form a cooperative that formally limits supply through contracts. Cooperatives have been used to limit the supply of cranberries in the case of Ocean Spray®, fresh oranges in the case of Sunkist™, and raisins produced from California-grown grapes in the case of Sun-Maid® raisins (56). A bargaining association is a group of producers that join together to control the supply of their product through contracts and bylaws. This strategy has been successfully used by producers of California cling peaches and Florida oranges.

    The same group production strategies used for other agricultural products also could be used in the wheat industry. For ex-ample, in order to be a member of a hypothetical Wyoming wheat cooperative, a farmer would need to produce HRWW meeting specific grade or quality requirements such as a crumb grain score of "good or better." This output characteristic requirement could have two important consequences:

° Limiting the total output of HRWW available to market

° Facilitating group-marketing efforts by ensuring a consistent quality standard

    The net impact of output characteristic requirements should be increased producer prices and an improved marketing environment for the entire group.

    Which type of producer group would be most desirable for Wyoming's wheat  producers? The answer is not straightforward or obvious. United States wheat farmers traditionally have chosen cooperatives rather than bargaining associations for their producer groups. Historically, wheat cooperatives have been formed as "open cooperatives" with membership open to any local producer who does business with the cooperative. There is no investment requirement in an open coop, and earnings are distributed based on producers' patronage of the coop. Open coops can issue shares (stock coop) or assess a membership fee (non-stock coop). However, in the past few years, a new organizational structure has grown in popularity. "New generation" or "closed" cooperatives consist of producers who purchase stock or its equivalent. This investment provides up-front capital to fund processing facilities, feasibility studies, etc. Like open coops, earnings are distributed based on patron-age, but in a closed coop, investor-producers  have the right and the obligation to deliver an amount of crop equal to the number of shares purchased. Traditional open cooperatives are generally involved with large production volumes and market a homogenous or standardized product. In contrast, closed cooperatives may involve large or small production volumes and typically focus on value-added processing and niche marketing.

    Which type of cooperative is best for Wyoming producers? Before an answer can be given, it is important to note that there are very few agricultural producer cooperatives in Wyoming. The reason is not clear, but it is important to understand that cooperatives have not been a popular form of producer group behavior in Wyoming.

    What about bargaining associations? Bargaining associations generally involve a group of producers from a specific geo-graphic area who organize to limit supply and/ or market as a group. For example, the Fremont County Hay Producers Association was established to facilitate hay marketing in Fremont County.
 

    Generally, the success of bargaining associations is a function of producer membership in the geographic area and the ability of the bargaining association to influence or increase demand. The greater the percentage of producer participation, the stronger the impact of the association on restricting supply on output. Moreover, the more effective the association is at influencing or increasing demand through brand recognition or advertising, the greater the returns to producers.

    Would a wheat bargaining association be successful in Wyoming? The relatively recent formation of the Fremont County Hay Producers Association shows that it is possible and a feasible alternative. As more individual wheat producers become active in direct marketing, the regional brand recognition of Wyoming wheat will in-crease. At this point, some form of bar-gaining association usually is formed.

Wheat Marketing Strategies

    The previous section discussed the importance of limiting or controlling supply as a strategy for both bargaining associations  and cooperatives. Limiting supply through  output characteristic requirements can lead to higher prices for member producers, ensure quality across the membership, and  facilitate marketing efforts by establishing regional brand recognition. The development of regional brand recognition should be the primary group strategy for marketing Wyoming's wheat industry.

    Regional brand recognition for agricultural products is very similar to the branded product recognition used to promote Ford trucks or Wrangler jeans. Moreover, regional brand recognition usually is associated with a geographic area that has environmental characteristics that make crops from that area unique or differentiated in the marketplace. Some examples of regional brand recognition that have been established for agricultural products include French and California wines and Kona and Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee.  Premium pricing is often found where regional brand recognition is in place. For example, Kona Coffee is often priced at over $12 per pound and Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is priced at over $25 per pound. An interesting and appealing aspect of regional brand recognition is that consumers are not generally loyal to the product brand name; rather, their loyalty is to the regional brand name. While several product brand names may exist and an independent producer may market each, the reputation of the regional brand is most important.

    In the case of Wyoming's HRWW, several independent companies or farmers could sell wheat or flour to the artisan bread  market, and their success would be primarily  influenced by the reputation of all the artisan wheat products recognized as coming from a desirable regional area. Consequently, a fundamental group marketing strategy for Wyoming's wheat industry is to educate artisan bread makers about the unique, consistent high crumb grain characteristic of Wyoming's HRWW. Educational efforts will most likely involve some form of promotional effort by an organized group such as a cooperative or  bargaining association, with the financing of this promotional effort paid for by the members of the organization. Bargaining associations frequently use some form of a "check-off" to obtain promotional funds, and cooperatives include promotion in their marketing budgets.

    The formation of strategic alliances between a group and potential end-users or processors is another important group marketing strategy. For example, a Wyoming HRWW Producers Group could be established, and a strategic alliance could be arranged with a toll miller to process the wheat into flour. Another strategic alliance could be established with a bakery, or a set of bakeries, that would purchase the flour. The use of strategic alliances is a relatively new concept that has been adopted by several agricultural producer groups, including wheat producers.

Productiong and marketing recommendations

The following recommendations are based on the assumption that Wyoming's HRWW has consistent high crumb grain quality and that this specific characteristic is unique.

1) Production and marketing efforts by individuals or by a group should focus on the quality characteristic of consistent high crumb grain of Wyoming's HRWW.

2) Before embarking on any marketing endeavors, it is imperative that the wheat quality from an individual or group be certified as high crumb grain.

3) A producer strategy may consider the  adoption of Buckskin, Pronghorn, or any other variety that yields high crumb grain. Also, it is important to  consider the possibility of becoming a "certified organic" wheat producer to produce wheat for the "niche within a niche" market of organic artisan wheat or flour.

4) Individual wheat producers may want to consider direct marketing by contacting artisan bread makers or by maintaining an Internet homepage for wheat or flour sales to artisan bread makers. It is important that the wheat be of the highest quality to facilitate sales by word-of-mouth advertising.

5) Consider toll milling as an option to purchasing and/ or constructing a short-flow flourmill. Initially, it may be beneficial to find a tollmiller to process wheat. This approach will allow producers to "get their feet wet" and also  allow them to focus their efforts on the critical task of marketing. Additionally, toll milling minimizes the producer's capital risk exposure.

6) Producers may want to consider building strategic alliances with wheat processors, including toll millers and artisan bakeries.

    7) Marketing efforts should be focused toward building regional brand recognition. This regional brand recognition should be similar to the brand recognition of French and California wines and Kona and Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffees. A group organization may be best for securing a financial base to support regional brand promotion efforts.

    8) In the long run, it may be beneficial to establish some form of producer group organization such as a cooperative or bargaining association. A producers' organization often can provide benefits, including:

° Limiting the supply of output
° Increasing producer prices
° Guaranteeing or controlling output
quality

° Providing a financial base for an
effective advertising and promotional
campaign

° Serving as a promoter for regional
brand loyalty.

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*Be aware that due to the dynamic nature of the World Wide Web, Internet sources may be
difficult to find. Addresses change and pages may disappear in time. If you find problems with
any of the Web sites listed in the publication, please contact Steve Torok at (307) 766-5498. He
will assist you in locating the correct information.

Confidential
Hard Red Winter Wheat Quality Survey
The University of Wyoming, the Wyoming Wheat Marketing Commission,
and the Wyoming Department of Agriculture