Tom Willis

It is most likely to start there , says Tom Willis of General Mills.Large milling companies and exporters don't have the time or resources to deal with individual growers..

2. Another contact for IP programs is your regional NAWG office.National and regional staff members are working with private and public entities to help establish programs.

3. Learn as much as you can about the IP grains.
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In five or six years , direct growing contracts with millers and exporters will be common , and there will be much more emphasis on certified seed , says Willis.We believe , as a company , that the days of bin run are coming to an end..

5. Attend crop development meetings , ask questions and participate.Remember , in a free market economy , it is you who will make the ultimate decision on whether or not we successfully make the transition from a residual supplier to a vendor of preference.

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Tom Willis , marketing manager for General Mills Special Products Division , concurs.The reason that Australia has made inroads against our wheat is that they can offer that Australian hard prime and we don't have anything to compete with it , he says.

After extensive research , General Mills has concluded that IP hard white outperforms the generic hard red currently being grown throughout the Central Plains states.We find that in some of our products it performs better and that in taste tests , the consumer likes it better , he says.It has a sweeter , mellower taste..

Willis believes that wheat in the future will be treated more like an ingredient and less like a commodity.Consistent with that view , General Mills plans to replace all the hard red wheat it currently uses with IP hard white.We see hard white as the wave of the future , says Willis.

Breeders on board

One company's IP journey

A major priority of any successful marketing entity is to respond to the changing requirements of its customers.ConAgra Foods Inc. is no exception.

In addition, three industry representatives -- Bill Mendenhall, president of Agri-Source in Burley; Tom Willis, special products manager for General Mills in Idaho Falls, and Ruben McLean, quality manager for Pendleton Mills in Blackfoot -- will describe their current buying programs.

- Tom Willis, General Mills

Tom Willis, a product development specialist with General Mills Inc., said steps are under way to produce the Gold Medal product from hard white wheat.
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Tom has been kept busy responding to a variety of issues and assuring customers and producers that the trademarked flagship product, Gold Medal Flour, has not been changed.Rather, a switch to a better input with improved functionality was being made.

In many respects, this flurry of activity has provided Tom with a chance to solidify the strategic directions anticipated by General Mills for the next decade with regard to its grain procurement program and flour milling business.

Tom Willis, a product development specialist with General Mills Inc., said steps are under way to produce the Gold Medal product from hard white wheat.We have started the process," Willis said.
...
Tom has been kept busy responding to a variety of issues and assuring customers and producers that the trademarked flagship product, Gold Medal Flour, has not been changed.Rather, a switch to a better input with improved functionality was being made.

In many respects, this flurry of activity has provided Tom with a chance to solidify the strategic directions anticipated by General Mills for the next decade with regard to its grain procurement program and flour milling business.

"I wouldn't say that the change is enough a consumer would notice today, but definitely, over time, there will be a change," said Tom Willis, a product development specialist with General Mills Inc.

Switching to white wheat is advantageous to millers because more of the wheat kernel can be used. - The Wichita Eagle

Saturn No.1

Saturn, the General Motors Corp. division that pioneered no-haggle pricing and cozy customer relations, has become the first nonluxury nameplate since 1986 to score highest in the annual J.D. Power and Associates Customer Service Index.

"We are so pleased with what we're getting from our Kansas producers that we are moving more of our seed production to this area," said Tom Willis, special projects manager for General Mills, which is based in Minneapolis, Minn.

Tom Willis, marketing manager for special projects at General Mills, made it clear General Mills is interested in the variety, but there will be no hard feelings if a decision is made to go another direction.General Mills might be interested in the variety for use domestically, but Willis expects Washington production will be targeted for overseas sales.

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