ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, U.S. — The U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) board of directors elected Jason Scott of Stevensville, Maryland, U.S., to serve as secretary-treasurer for 2014-15 at its meeting in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Feb. 1. 

The board elected Scott in a slate including Chairman Dan Hughes of Venango, Nebraska, U.S., who will become past chairman; vice-chairman Roy Motter of Brawley, California, U.S., who will become chairman and secretary-treasurer Brian O’Toole of Crystal, North Dakota, U.S., who will become vice-chairman. The new USW officers officially begin their one-year terms at the organization’s annual meeting in June in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.

Scott is at least a sixth-generation wheat farmer from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where he manages his family’s soft red winter (SRW) wheat, row crop and vegetable operation. He also owns and operates a Pioneer Hi-Bred seed dealership with his father. 

Scott has been a member of the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board since 2003 and served as president from 2005-07. Scott received the Maryland Young Farmer Achievement Award in 2011. In his five years on the USW board of directors, Scott has represented his state and USW on two board team delegations to Africa and Europe. 

“I am ready to serve as a strong voice for producers at the international level,” Scott said. “During my tenure as a director representing Maryland, I have been thoroughly impressed with the producers and staff, and I couldn’t be more eager to help lead this organization into the future.”

Dan Hughes is a third-generation wheat farmer in the southwest corner of Nebraska. His operation includes hard red winter (HRW) wheat for domestic use and export, as well as hard white (HW) wheat grown under contract for ConAgra. He also is a commissioner of the Nebraska Wheat Board and served as its Chairman from 2008-10.

Roy Motter is managing partner of Spruce Farms, LLC, a diverse operation in California’s Imperial Valley that includes Desert Durum, lettuce, cabbage, onions, sugar beets, sugar cane, alfalfa seed and hay, sudan grass, melons and tomatoes. He has been a member of the California Wheat Commission since 1998.

Brian O’Toole is an experienced agricultural and community leader. He serves on the North Dakota Wheat Commission, on the board of the Wheat Marketing Center in Portland, Oregon, U.S., and is chairman of SBARE Wheat Granting Committee. He is also past president of the North Dakota Crop Improvement and Seed Association and past president of Crystal Farmers Elevator Co-op. O’Toole has received the Young Outstanding Farmer Award, Master Farmer Award and Friends of 4-H Award. Additionally, he and his wife, Sara, were Pembina County NDSU Harvest Bowl Honorees. They have four grown children, two of whom have returned to farming.