Speech

Korea Flour Millers Association

Remarks of Governor Judy Martz
State Capitol
4/30/2003

***Check Against Delivery***

Good afternoon. Thank you all for being here today as a part of this incredibly important mission. I want to specifically thank the members of the Korea Flour Mills Industry Association for traveling all the way to Montana to learn more about our top quality wheat production.

On behalf of the people of Montana, we welcome you. Korea and the United States have developed strong relations over the past 50 years, and the food and agriculture industries of our two nations have worked closely together for the benefit of our people.

In Montana, we produce about 100 million bushels, or about 2.7 million metric tons, of hard red spring wheat annually. We are proud of the reputation of this wheat, and of the fact that it is blended worldwide to improve the baking characteristics of other grains.

Korea consistently ranks as one of the top five customers of U.S.-grown hard red spring wheat. For that, we are very appreciative. In addition, we value your participation in the worldwide effort to end terrorism and your country’s support of the coalition actions under way in Iraq.

We are very pleased that you could make Montana a part of your U.S. tour, and we hope to see you in our country again.

If there is anything that we can do to make your visit here more fruitful, please let I or any of my staff know.

Again, thank you all for joining us here.


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