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

Speaking of Wheat. “We know what the [world] population is expected to grow to, and … they are …  going to eat more so we need to improve our grain yield by 1.4% to 1.7% annually. And currently in the Great Plains, the breadbasket of America, we are at 0.9%. So, if you do not have a plan to raise grain yield by 1.4% to 1.7% annually, you have a plan to fail. And failure cannot be an option.” – Dr. Stephen Baenziger, Professor Emeritus of Agronomy, University of Nebraska-Lincoln describing an important reason why hybrid wheat should be developed and commercialized in an article, “At Last, A Future for Hybrid Wheat” by Josh Sosland in World-Grain.com.

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Co-sponsors Wheat Quality Initiative. A research project just underway aims to prove properly managed wheat of specific varieties can simultaneously be high yielding, high quality and be highly profitable for the grower. The project will unfold over the next three years under the auspices of the Wheat Action Plan, created collaboratively by the National Association of Wheat Growers, the National Wheat Foundation and key partners from several segments of the wheat industry including USW, which has contributed funding and quality analysis concepts. Read more about the project from Sosland Publishing.

Spring Wheat Prices. DTN Lead Analyst Todd Hultman on July 6 wrote that September Minneapolis (hard red spring) wheat prices turned more volatile the past three months, but continue to challenge their highs, while crops have USDA’s lowest good-to-excellent rating since 1988, (see DTN ProphetX chart below). Meanwhile, Kansas City (hard red winter) and Chicago (soft red winter) futures prices are down considerably from May 7 highs of $7.45 and $7.67 per bushel respectively.

Israeli Scientists Test Lost Wheat Varieties. Under a project called “Land of Wheat,” scientists and other researchers in Israel are collaborating with a commercial mill to produce flour and bread from ancient wheat lines discovered and preserved from archives and plant gene banks in Israel and then produce breads. Reviving such heirloom grains as cultural touchstones is the goal. Read more in an article about the project.

Harvest Reports Available. Every Friday through the U.S. harvest season (May to October), U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and its partner organizations compile a Harvest Report. It includes updates on crop quality, harvest progress and crop conditions for hard red winter, soft red winter, hard red spring, soft white and durum wheat. Read the latest report on the USW website.

Subscribe to USW Reports. USW publishes various reports and content that are available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts, 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. “Jumping from colder than usual temperatures to high heat, crop conditions are unlikely to stay this favorable for long, especially if drought conditions worsen. These weather shocks are likely to impact estimates for crop supply in the 2021/22 marketing year as demand continues to increase and push prices toward their highest levels since 2013.” – Shelby Myers, Economist, American Farm Bureau Federation. Read more here.

USDA’s New WASDE Report released 6/10/21 raised 2020/21 U.S. exports by 544,366 MT to 26.81 MMT. USDA also estimates larger U.S. wheat supplies, higher domestic use, unchanged exports, and slightly lower stocks for 2021/22. All wheat production is now projected at 51.66 MMT on increased HRW and SRW production, offsetting lower white winter production. The global wheat outlook for 2021/22 is for larger supplies, higher consumption, increased trade, and higher stocks. Global production and use are expected to set new record highs in 2021/22. U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) will update its World Wheat Supply and Demand Report this week.

Creating Value of U.S. Wheat: Through Solvent Retention Capacity. Registration is open for USW’s next monthly technical webinar on June 16. This webinar series provides technical guidance to add value for customers as they make their wheat purchasing decisions. USW technical experts Roy Chung and Tarik Gahi will discuss using SRC analysis as a tool for product quality, with fresh insights into SRC methods, solvent preparation and troubleshooting. Register for the webinar here.

Montana Wheat and Barley Committee is Hiring. The Montana Wheat and Barley Committee (MWBC) is recruiting to fill its Market Development & Communications Specialist position. This position is responsible for the administration of MWBC’s market development activities, as well as content development, communications and outreach efforts. Learn more about the position and how to apply here.

The 2021 U.S. Wheat Harvest is underway. USW publishes its Harvest Report every Friday afternoon, Eastern Daylight Time, throughout the season with updates and comments on harvest progress, crop conditions and current crop quality for hard red winter (HRW), soft red winter (SRW), hard red spring (HRS), soft white (SW) and durum wheat. Subscribe to receive the report directly to your inbox here. Follow along on social media using #wheatharvest21.

U.S. Wheat Associates Publishes Commercial Sales every Thursday, documenting wheat export sales-to-date by country and class for the current marketing year compared to the previous marketing year on the same date. The report includes a 10-year commercial sales history by class and country. Data is sourced from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Weekly Export Sales Report. Read the latest report on the USW website.

Subscribe to USW Reports. USW publishes various reports and content that are available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts, 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 new genetic discovery] will make a big difference for producers, because it will result in our Wheat Improvement Team releasing varieties that are better adapted to their production system.” – Amanda de Oliveira Silva, Oklahoma State University Extension Small Grains Specialist, from an article in the Enid News & Eagle about identifying a gene that will help breeders fine-tune wheat maturity for specific uses such higher yield production.

Rabobank Released its World Grains & Oilseeds Map 2021, predicting that global grains and oilseeds trade will continue to grow, driven by rising demand from Asia and Africa and increased exports from the Americas and the Black Sea Region. “Income and population are expected to continue to drive long-term growth in trade flows, while changes in consumer dietary habits might cause further shifts in those flows,” according to Vito Martielli, Rabobank Senior Analyst, Grains & Oilseeds.

Congratulations to the 2021 Borlaug CAST Communication Award Winner, Dr. Sarah Evanega. She is a research professor in the Cornell University Department of Global Development. Dr. Evanega also serves as the founding director of the Cornell Alliance for Science. Read more from the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) here.

Leading Nutrition Expert Dr. Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted of Trinidad and Tobago is named the 2021 World Food Prize Laureate for her achievements in pioneering fish-based food systems to improve nutrition, health and livelihoods for millions around the world. Read more on the World Food Prize website.

Best Wishes. Dr. Joel Ransom, North Dakota State University Extension Agronomist, made a huge positive impact on farmers and students in North Dakota and around the world. Dr. Ransom recently retired, and U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) thanks him and wishes him well. Read more about Dr. Ransom’s career in the April issue of Prairie Grains magazine.

Josh Tonsager Joins House Agriculture Committee. House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott announced several staffing additions and promotions for the Democratic staff of the House Agriculture Committee on Monday, April 26. Former NAWG Vice President of Policy and Communications Josh Tonsager will serve as the Subcommittee Staff Director for the General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Subcommittee. Read the press release here. USW wishes Josh the best in his next endeavor!

Subscribe to USW Reports. USW publishes various reports and other content that are available for subscription, 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 have seen only a half-inch of rain in the last 45 days. We are in a critical stage, but we have time to recover if rain comes in the next ten days. Either way, we will have a crop.” — Michael Peters, Okarche, Okla., wheat farmer, and U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Secretary-Treasurer.

$6.3 Billion. According to USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, that is the total value of all U.S. wheat exports in 2020. Total U.S. agricultural export value of $145.68 billion in 2020 was the second-highest on record, up almost 7% from 2019, mainly on the Chinese import surge. Read more in the 2020 U.S. Agricultural Export Yearbook.

U.S. Spring Wheat and Durum Seeding has started, under less-than-ideal conditions, according to the North Dakota Wheat Commission (NDWC). Nationwide, farmers have planted 11% of the spring wheat crop, compared to 6% on average. It is extremely dry across most of the Northern Plains. Conditions and more profit potential in other crops prompted USDA to predict a 4% decline in spring wheat area. Read more online.

Voting for Wheat. Michigan wheat farmers have voted to continue the Michigan Wheat Program (MWP) to promote profitable production, marketing and use of wheat. As with other state wheat commissions, funding comes from a “checkoff,” in which farmers contribute a specified amount per bushel of wheat that goes to MWP for research, education and market development programs. Michigan farmers produce soft red winter and soft white wheat.

U.S. Wheat Associates Publishes Commercial Sales every Thursday, documenting wheat export sales-to-date by country and class for the current marketing year compared to the previous marketing year on the same date. The report includes a 10-year commercial sales history by class and country. Data is sourced from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Weekly Export Sales Report. Read the latest report on the USW website.

Subscribe to USW Reports. USW publishes various reports and content that are available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts, 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

“In wheat, I think there is a purity … we’re reaching back into genetics that are historic … into wild relatives and bringing some of those characteristics … There’s just this natural quality to it. We’re bringing healthy, nutritious food to the table and I think that that’s a passion we have to bring that forward.” — Dr. Allan K. Fritz, Professor, Wheat Breeding, Kansas State University.

USW Assistant Director Position Opens

The U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Assistant Director, West Coast Office position in Portland, Ore., helps USW fulfill its mission through grain trade and state wheat commission outreach, programming support and assisting overseas trade delegations to the Pacific Northwest. Learn more about this position here.

Wheat Marketing Center (WMC) Hires New Food Scientist

Andrew Mense will help deliver technical education and wheat research programs at WMC in Portland, Ore. Mense earned a bachelor’s degree in milling science and management, a master’s degree in grain science, and a doctorate in grain science, emphasizing cereal chemistry, all from Kansas State University. Read more the full news release here.

Commercial Sales Report

Every Thursday USW reports to the wheat industry on export sales-to-date by country and class for the current marketing year compared to the previous marketing year on the same date. The report includes a 10-year commercial sales history by class and country. Data is sourced from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Weekly Export Sales Report. Read the latest report on the USW website.

Farmers Should Contribute to Climate Policy

Representatives of the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance testified at a U.S. Senate hearing recently, stressing to lawmakers that federal climate policy must be built upon voluntary, incentive-based programs and market-driven opportunities, promote resilience and adaptation in rural communities and be grounded in scientific evidence. Read more on the Alliance website.

Freight Perspective on S&D Estimates

Changing volume projections for U.S. wheat exports could be reflected in freight flows this spring, with more volumes going toward the western ports and fewer volumes going to the Gulf Coast, according to data in USDA’s March World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report. Read more online from “Freight Waves.”

Subscribe to USW Reports

USW publishes various reports and content that are available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts, 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.