KANSAS WHEAT
U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) staff in Mexico City discussed the importance of the Mexican market to U.S. wheat farmers in mid-January with a visiting delegation of Kansas commodity groups led by U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kansas).
“The symbiotic relationship between U.S. wheat farmers and Mexican millers relies on the U.S. as a reliable supplier of high-quality wheat to the Mexican private milling sector,” said Mitch Skalicky, USW regional vice president. “We appreciate the Senator traveling to Mexico to learn more about our work in this top market and offer his support for expanding this successful partnership.”
Senator Marshall traveled with leaders from Kansas Wheat, Kansas Soybean, Kansas Sorghum, Kansas Corn, Kansas Dairy and the Kansas Grain and Feed Association. While in Mexico, Senator Marshall met with high-level Mexican government officials — including the Mexican Secretary of Agriculture — to discuss the importance of trade between the two countries and the shared role Kansas agriculture plays in feeding families across North America.
The delegation also met with private-sector businesses and associations operating in both Mexico and the U.S. to learn more about the economic and logistical partnerships powering trade between the two nations.
“Mexico is Kansas’ largest export market, and I traveled to Mexico City with Kansas commodity leaders to protect and expand opportunities for Kansas agriculture,” said Senator Marshall. “Under President Trump’s America First trade agenda, we’re going to fight for Kansas producers, demand fair treatment, and deliver real wins for our state. With USMCA renegotiations beginning this year, we’re focused on opening new doors for Kansas dairy and defending strong markets for Kansas wheat, sorghum, and corn — while enforcing fair trade rules and reducing the trade deficit.
Kansas Delegation Talks Successful Wheat Trade with Mexico
The delegation also met with Skalicky and Stephanie Bryant-Erdmann, USW assistant regional director, on Friday, January 16. The meeting covered a wide array of topics, ranging from the different wheat classes purchased by Mexico from the United States, the volume of Mexican wheat imports, the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) and transportation economics related to the shipping of wheat by rail from the U.S. to Mexico.
The USW team also presented an overview of the Mexican market situation, specific trade data on wheat shipments from Kansas to Mexico and future opportunities to expand U.S.-Mexico wheat trade.
As of January 8, 2026, Mexico has purchased 3.39 MMT (nearly 124.6 million bushels) of U.S. wheat, an 6% increase from last marketing year. Mexico currently ranks as the top buyer of U.S. hard red winter (HRW) and soft red winter (SRW) wheat and the second-largest buyer of hard red spring (HRS) and durum.
Clay Schemm, a Kansas wheat farmer from Sharon Springs, participated in the trade mission as a representative of Kansas Wheat. He noted that the pride and professionalism in the Mexican milling industry, their appreciation for the quality of wheat produced in the United States and their desire to move more trains and trucks across the border even more efficiently to keep up with the country’s growing demand for wheat. He remarked that it was refreshing to see the same “salt of the earth” work ethic valued by U.S. farming communities mirrored in customers south of the border.
“My personal takeaway is that the Mexican people are a group I am proud to have as partners on the world stage,” Schemm said. “There is a kinship there—a friendliness and a desire to connect that makes it feel like a true North American culture. They are all-in on this partnership, and we should be too.”