U.S. soft red winter (SRW) wheat, commonly used for specialty products such as sponge cakes, cookies, crackers and other confectionary products, adds value to the miller and baker as a blending wheat. It is a high-yielding wheat with low protein of 8.5% to 10.5% (12% mb), soft endosperm, red bran, and weak gluten.
For the miller, SRW helps diversify the types of flour produced to improve the quality of many products. SRW blended with hard red spring (HRS) and hard red winter (HRW) wheat can lower grist cost and improve bread crumb texture or improve the quality and appearance of a wide variety of products.
For the baker, the lower moisture content of the flour produced with SRW creates an advantage by increasing the added water volume while optimizing water absorption and product quality to the consumer.
Where is U.S. Soft Red Winter grown?
Grown in the eastern third of the United States, SRW is the third largest class of wheat grown in the United States. It can be shipped via Gulf, Atlantic (East Coast), and Great Lakes ports.
Please select your preferred language, report, and year, and click View Reports.
2021 U.S. Soft Red Winter Production
According to USDA’s Small Grains Annual Summary released September 30, 2021, production of the 2021 U.S. SRW crop is estimated to be 9.8 million metric tons (MMT), up from 7.2 MMT in 2020 and above the 5-year average of 7.9 MMT.
- 2021 (MMT)
- Total SRW production in states sampled
- East Coast-exportable subtotal
- Gulf-exportable subtotal
- Total U.S. SRW Production
- 2021 (MMT)
- 7.0
- 1.1
- 5.9
- 9.8
- 2020 (MMT)
- 5.3
- 1.1
- 4.2
- 7.2
- 5-Year Average (MMT)
- 5.8
- 1.1
- 4.7
- 7.9
*States sampled: Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia. Numbers may not match exactly due to rounding.
2021 U.S. Soft Red Winter Crop Quality Data Highlights
The SRW production region experienced generally good growing conditions in the 2021 crop year. There were pockets of higher enzymatic activity (lower falling numbers) from the East Coast and isolated portions of the Gulf region, but overall, buyers should be extremely happy with the quality of the entire 2021 SRW crop. Buyers are encouraged to review their quality specifications to ensure that purchases meet their expectations.
