News and Information from Around the U.S. Wheat Industry

Speaking of Wheat

“U.S. Wheat Technical Services is an extremely important part of our outreach and service to customers around the world. We got a first-hand look at the importance of the technical details by milling most of the six classes of wheat that the U.S. produces and that is used domestically and on the international scene. For state wheat commissioners, it’s invaluable to understand the details, as well as the competitive world we are in.” – Bill Flory, USW Board of Directors, Winchester, Idaho, after participating in the IGP-KSU Flour Milling for State Wheat Commissioners and Staff Short Course. Read and watch more here.

Congratulations to Roy Chung

Our colleague and influential South Asia Bakery Consultant Roy Chung marked 45 years with U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Jan. 1, 2023. Roy was introduced to USW legacy organization Western Wheat Associates (WWA) in 1986 serving as an assistant and interpreter for a product demonstration in his father’s bakery in Malaysia. He accepted a position with WWA after earning an engineering degree. Capital Press reporter Matthew Weaver profiled Roy in 2018, reprinted here with permission. Roy also described his early career in a 2021 Planet Money podcast titled “The Wheat Whisperer.” The U.S. wheat farmers we represent and his colleagues past and present send Roy congratulations and thanks for his long and dynamic service!

Terry Herman Marks 30 Years with USW

Congratulations to our colleague, Chief Technology Officer Terry Herman who celebrated 30 years with USW on Jan. 4, 2023. A Virginia native, Terry has played a key role in developing the data bases USW uses to collaborate with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service export market development programs, maintaining our digital systems and most recently migrating crucial data to “the cloud.” Thanks for all your work over the years, Terry!

 

Q&A with PNW Wheat Commission Leaders

In the latest issue of Capital Press, reporter Matthew Weaver shares his roundtable interview with Casey Chumrau, CEO, Washington Wheat Commission; Amanda Hoey, CEO of Oregon Wheat; and Britany Hurst Marchant, Executive Director of Idaho Wheat Commission, all pictured in the Capital Press photo at the top of this page. USW is proud to be partners in promoting U.S. wheat exports with these Pacific Northwest leaders. Read the article here.

Latest USDA Wheat Outlook Examines Rail Transportation Issues

The December 2022 Wheat Outlook from the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) explains USDA’s changes in the official projections for U.S. and world wheat supply and use in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 marketing years that were released in the December 9 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report. A special article, “Rail Transportation Challenges Among Major Factors Weighing on U.S. Wheat Exports,” is included. Read the report here.

K-State Research: Heat, Drought, Wind Hurting Wheat Yields

The compounding influence of adverse dry, hot and windy climate patterns slashed wheat yield 4% in Kansas and five other Great Plains states over the past 40 years, Kansas State University researchers reported in the scientific journal Nature Communications. Xiaomao Lin, professor of agricultural climatology, said the study was the first to quantify a connection between change in the nation’s climate and wheat production. The simultaneous combination of low relative humidity with high temperatures and strong winds were shown to be a negative climate risk in terms of yields. Read more here.

Researchers Identify Significant Diversity in U.S. Wheat

A team of researchers that studied the biodiversity of “the U.S. wheat crop over the past century” has reported results in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Stating that there is a concern “that modern cropping systems lead to an erosion in crop genetic diversity,” the researchers in fact found that “contrary to commonly held perceptions on the negative impact of modern cropping systems on crop genetic diversity, our results demonstrated a win-win outcome where the widespread uptake of scientifically selected varieties increased both crop production and crop diversity.” Read more here.

Subscribe to USW Reports

USW publishes various reports and content available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts and wheat industry news, the weekly Price Report, and the weekly Harvest Report (available May to October). Subscribe here.

Follow USW Online

Visit our Facebook page for the latest updates, photos, and discussions of what is going on in the world of wheat. Also, find breaking news on Twitter, video stories on Vimeo, and more on LinkedIn.

Recent news and highlights from around the U.S. wheat industry.

Speaking of Wheat

“A major escalation of the war, as Russia fired over 70 cruise missiles across the country, caused major damage to infrastructure. This left over half [of Ukraine] without power, which resulted in ports becoming inoperable, including those on the Danube River. Continuous attacks on infrastructure are impacting the viability of grain exports and could result in increased shortages and food prices.” – COCERAL, the European association of trade in cereals, oilseeds, rice, pulses, olive oil, oils and fats, animal feed and agro-supply.

Welcoming New State Commission Executive

The Montana Wheat and Barley Committee (MWBC) recently introduced Mr. Kent Kupfner as the commission’s new Executive Vice President. “I’m excited to continue promoting Montana’s top commodities to the rest of the world,” said Kupfner. “Working on behalf of Montana’s wheat and barley growers has always been and will continue to be a top priority.” Before joining the MWBC, Kupfner merchandised wheat and managed grain assets for multiple U.S. companies. Read more here.

New Nebraska Shuttle Loading System

Scoular has installed a new high-speed shuttle loading system at its Grainton country elevator in southwest Nebraska that will feature significantly faster grain unloading speeds. At the new facility, the Nebraska, Kansas & Colorado Railway (NKCR) provides access to the BNSF mainline, opening farmers to Mexico and other markets.

U.S. House Approves Emergency Resolution to Avoid Rail Strike

The U.S. House of Representatives took a first step on Nov. 30 toward preventing a strike by U.S. rail workers. A rail strike would have a significantly negative effect on wheat export basis and add even more uncertainty to an already volatile market. Nicole Berg, National Association of Wheat Growers president and Washington state wheat farmer, said “We are thankful to see the House of Representative’s vote to avoid a rail shutdown and applaud leadership for bringing this to the floor quick enough to avoid any disruptions. Wheat growers are uniquely reliant on an efficient, reliable and affordable rail transportation network, so we urge the Senate to pass this resolution quickly.”

USW Reception at ALIM Conference

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) is proud to be a founding member of ALIM, the Latin American Industrial Millers Association, and sponsored a reception for members participating in the 40^th ALIM annual meeting in Lima, Peru, on Nov. 27. The organization quickly produced a video record of the reception to kick off the conference program Nov. 28. Click below to see the video and look for more information about this special event soon.

U.S. Holiday Office Schedule

In recognition of Christmas and New Year’s, the USW Headquarters and West Coast Offices will be closed Friday afternoon, Dec. 23, Monday, Dec. 26, Friday afternoon Dec. 30, and Jan. 2, 2023. Contact your local USW office for information about holiday hours.

Subscribe to USW Reports

USW publishes various reports and content available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts and wheat industry news, the weekly Price Report, and the weekly Harvest Report (available May to October). Subscribe here.

Follow USW Online

Visit our Facebook page for the latest updates, photos, and discussions of what is going on in the world of wheat. Also, find breaking news on Twitter, video stories on Vimeo, and more on LinkedIn.

Recent news and highlights from around the U.S. wheat industry.

 

Speaking of Wheat

“We are a family farm raising wheat for a global market, working diligently to be sustainable. Our desire is to share our slice of heaven with others while maintaining our farming heritage so that we can pass it to the next generation in a better state.” – The Heideman Family, Blown Away Ranch, Ione, Oregon

U.S. Thanksgiving Office and Publication Schedules

Thanksgiving is a time set aside as a U.S. holiday the last Thursday of November. The U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Headquarters and West Coast Offices will be closed Thursday, Nov. 24 and Friday, Nov. 25. In addition, the next Wheat Letter newsletter will be sent December 1 but you can keep up with posts in the Wheat Letter Blog at https://www.uswheat.org/wheat-letter/. In addition, the USW Price Report will not be published Friday, Nov. 25.

U.S. Winter Wheat Ratings Improve Slightly

While most U.S. winter wheat is planted and fighting dry conditions to be established before dormancy, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service reported a slight uptick in good to excellent crop conditions. Hard red winter and winter soft white wheat is off to a good start, industry sources say. Still, winter wheat conditions are still the lowest in many years at this time. At the USW Fall Board Meeting this week, farmers in Texas and Oklahoma said recent rain his keeping them from finishing their wheat planting, but they have several days available before they must declare “prevented planting” on those fields under USDA farm service programs. See the NASS report here.

Rail Labor Letter

With two unions voting not to ratify the tentative U.S. rail labor agreement and a Nov. 19 deadline for when a strike/lockout could occur, the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and other members of an Agricultural Transportation Working Group sent a letter to Congress urging swift action to avert a rail strike. Read the industry letter here.

Can the UN Hold the Black Sea Grain Initiative Together?

Agri-Pulse reports that UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths has stated a commitment to removing the remaining obstacles to the exports of Russian food and fertilizer. He also stressed that negotiations would resume with Russia to try to assure that the deal that keeps millions of tons of Ukrainian grain exports flowing will not expire on Nov. 19. Government officials have not suggested that a deal to extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative and Russian demands for better access to international markets for its fertilizer are connected, but both have become a priority for the UN, which brokered the Initiative with Russia, Ukraine and Turkey.

USDA Drops U.S. Wheat Stocks But Increases Global Supply Estimate

USDA’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report for November not suggests lower U.S. ending stocks for 2022/23 based mostly on increased domestic use. USDA held the line on expected U.S. wheat exports at 21.09 million metric tons (MMT). Projected 2022/23 ending stocks would be the lowest level since 2007/08. U.S. wheat futures prices were down slightly midday on Nov. 10 following the report. The USDA’s latest global wheat outlook for 2022/23 is for increased supplies, consumption, trade, and ending stocks. Read more here and in the USW Supply and Demand Report.

South Dakota Cooperative Invests in EGT Export Business

World Grain reported that Agtegra Cooperative announced has finalized a minority stake in EGT, LLC, which operates an export grain terminal in Longview, Wash., on the Columbia River that is fed by four high-capacity elevators in Montana. “We are very excited to become a partner in EGT to provide Agtegra customers greater access to the global market,” said Agtegra CEO Jason Klootwyk. Read more here.

USW Board of Directors Meet

U.S. wheat farmers representing 17 state wheat commission member organizations on the USW Board of Directors met for their Fall meeting Nov. 6 to 9, 2022, in Salt Lake City, Utah. This was a joint board meeting with the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and included two joint committee meetings on International Trade Policy and Wheat Innovation. The USW and NAWG boards of directors will hold their next joint meeting Jan. 30 to Feb. 3, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

Subscribe to USW Reports

USW publishes various reports and content available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts and wheat industry news, the weekly Price Report, and the weekly Harvest Report (available May to October). Subscribe here.

Follow USW Online

Visit our Facebook page for the latest updates, photos, and discussions of what is going on in the world of wheat. Also, find breaking news on Twitter, video stories on Vimeo, and more on LinkedIn.

Recent news and highlights from around the U.S. wheat industry.

Speaking of Wheat

“It is an interesting year for sure. Drought is the primary concern that HRW producers are dealing with right now as we are just beginning the wheat planting window in Kansas. We received some rain overnight, and this burst of weather has ranged from spotty to adequate in some areas. However, meaningful amounts haven’t been widespread, and has been light in the southwestern areas of Kansas.” – Justin Gilpin, CEO, Kansas Wheat, in his Sept. 23, 2022, weekly report.

South Asian Biscuit and Cake Customer Visit

This week, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Bakery Consultant Roy Chung accompanied a team of biscuit and cake bakers from South Asia on a visit to the Pacific Northwest to learn more about the U.S. soft white crop production and quality. The trip included a stop at Tri-Cities Grain’s barge loading facility in Richland, Wash. (photo above), time with the Washington Grain Commission in Spokane, Wash., and a tour of the Wheat Marketing Center, Portland, Ore., including a discussion of the Solvent Retention Capacity (SRC) analysis for use in various confectionary baked goods.

USDA: Spring Wheat Harvest 96% Complete

According to USDA, 96% of the spring wheat crop had been harvested as of Sept. 25, with Montana and South Dakota 100% complete and Minnesota 98 percent complete. The North Dakota spring wheat harvest stood at 93% complete as of Sept. 25, up slightly from 91% the previous week. Progress was anticipated to be stronger this week, with more favorable forecast of warmer temperatures and clearer days. Read more here.

Agriculture Trade Nominees Await Floor Action

The Senate Agriculture Committee on Tuesday cleared the way for a vote on the full Senate floor for Alexis Taylor for the position of USDA’s Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. Taylor and Doug McKalip, nominee for U.S. Trade Representative chief agricultural negotiator, await a vote by the full Senate. Read more from the U.S. Wheat Industry here.

Reuters Covers Bioceres’ HB4 Drought-Tolerant Wheat

While there is no genetically modified wheat available for commercial sale today, the Argentinian company Bioceres has developed a transgenic event for drought tolerance in wheat and is seeking approval for commercial use in many countries. The Reuters news service recently published an article that examines the challenging environment of public opinion facing introduction of a transgenic wheat like HB4. Read the Reuters article here, and public statements from USW and the National Association of Wheat Growers here.

Global Grain Stocks Could Drop to Decade-low Levels

A ratio that factors in U.S. wheat inventories compared to usage, along with wheat stockpile levels, is expected to drop to a nine-year low in 2022-23, according to Reuters’ calculations of government data. The same ratio is also predicted to hit a nine-year low for U.S. soybeans. The Reuters story, which can be read here, also explains how lagging shipments and smaller than expected harvests by major crop producing countries is fueling predictions of the tightest grain supply in years.

Open Wheat Industry Position in Idaho

The Idaho Wheat Commission is accepting applications for its Communications and Programs Manager position. With responsibilities to help develop and implement communications strategies that promote use of Idaho wheat, this position offers excellent benefits and a great place to live in the Boise, Idaho, area. Read more about the position and how to apply, here.

Subscribe to USW Reports

USW publishes various reports and content available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts and wheat industry news, the weekly Price Report, and the weekly Harvest Report (available May to October). Subscribe here.

Follow USW Online

Visit our Facebook page for the latest updates, photos, and discussions of what is going on in the world of wheat. Also, find breaking news on Twitter, video stories on Vimeo, and more on LinkedIn.