October 18, 2018
Wheat Marketing Center Hires New Technical Director
Originally published October 5, 2018
The Wheat Marketing Center (WMC) recently announced the selection of Dr. Jayne Bock as its new Technical Director. Starting in late October, Dr. Bock will lead WMC’s research and technical training efforts focused on demonstrating the value of U.S. wheat produced across the country. Read the full article here.
Top Grade PNW White Wheat Available for a Variety of High Quality Finished Foods
Originally published October 15, 2018
Timely and adequate moisture through the soft white (SW) and white club (WC) growing season and a transition to a warm, dry harvest helped Pacific Northwest (PNW) farmers produce high-quality crops that will provide an excellent range of flour for finished products. The high-protein segment of the SW crop also provides opportunities in blends for Asian noodles, steamed breads, flat breads and pan breads. Read the full article here.
USDA Leaves U.S. Wheat Exports Unchanged, Supported By Decreasing Global Wheat Production
Originally published October 16, 2018
By Stephanie Bryant-Erdmann, USW Market Analyst
USDA updated its monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) on Oct. 11, showing the United States to have the largest exportable supply of wheat in the world in 2018/19 following devastating losses in the European Union (EU) and Australia, and decreased production in Russia. Due to the decreasing exportable wheat supplies in these three countries (production plus beginning stocks minus domestic consumption), USDA expects the United States to have the largest exportable supply of wheat in the world in 2018/19 at 50.1 million metric tons (MMT). Read the full article here.
New Hard White Crop Offers Good Milling, Dough and End Product Performance
Originally published October 18, 2018
In a year when limited exportable quantities of U.S. hard white (HW) wheat are available, the good performance in milling, dough rheological properties and end products, including pan breads, Asian noodles and steamed breads reflect growing conditions and varietal improvements in the 2018 HW crop. Read the full article here.
A Wild Trade Ride
Originally published October 18, 2018
By Ben Conner, USW Vice President of Policy
U.S. trade policy has been going through a wild ride recently. The current U.S. administration believes that the existing trade architecture is outdated or constricting, and new forms of leverage are needed to achieve its goals. Meanwhile, they have correctly pointed out that some countries seem to interpret trade commitments as rules to ignore until caught, and then to be circumvented. In the words of President Trump, “they have been taking advantage of us.” Read the full article here.
“Things have changed (and) it is going to take a while to dry out. Probably going to limit wheat planting increases as harvest delays will keep some fields from being double cropped back into wheat as previously intended. Good moisture out west will have corn acres up this spring. But, for the wheat in the ground that wasn’t under water, it looks pretty darn good.”
— Justin Gilpin, Kansas Wheat CEO, describing the effects of recent heavy rain and cold in the Southern Plains on potential wheat planted area.
National Wheat Foundation Scholarship. The National Wheat Foundation’s Jerry Minore Scholarship honors high school and college students pursuing an agricultural career. “The purpose of the Jerry Minore Scholarship is to help students who are passionate about agriculture at school and at home,” said National Wheat Foundation Chairman Wayne Hurst. “Our students are the future. They will go on to educate the next generation about wheat, agriculture and their role in society.” The application deadline is Dec. 1, 2018. Click here to learn more and apply.
U.S. to Start New Trade Negotiations. At the direction of President Trump, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer notified Congress on Oct. 16 that the Administration intends to negotiate three separate trade agreements with Japan, the European Union and the United Kingdom. “Today’s announcement is an important milestone … we are committed to concluding these negotiations with timely and substantive results for American workers, farmers, ranchers and businesses.” Read more here.
Borlaug CAST Communications Award. Marty Matlock, Executive Director of the University of Arkansas Resiliency Center and winner of the 2018 Borlaug CAST (Council for Agricultural Science and Technology) Communication Award was honored Oct. 17 during annual World Food Prize events in Des Moines, Iowa. Recipients of CAST’s annual award are science or agricultural experts who demonstrate an ability to communicate through written material, public presentations, and various forms of media. Matlock said he was inspired by the late Dr. Norman Borlaug and paid tribute to his legacy by emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary efforts and social connections to help feed the world. Read more here.
Celebrating World Pasta Day, Oct. 25. 2018 marks the 20th Anniversary of World Pasta Day, organized by the International Pasta Organization (IPO) and celebrated this year in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with a gathering that will include pasta makers, industry members, scientists, media and other opinion leaders. The event will focus on pasta as a global food, its health benefits, great taste and social significance. Click here for more information about the event and how you can celebrate World Pasta Day.
Changes to USW Price Report. Due to increased demand for higher protein U.S. soft white (SW) wheat and the low average protein levels of the 2018/19 crop, the USW Price Report will change this week to show min 9.5 protein premiums (currently about a 20 cent per bushel premium to max 10.5 SW prices) and no longer show an unspecified protein level. Unspecified protein SW has priced equal to max 10.5 SW for the last several months. USW will continue to monitor market conditions and make changes to the report as necessary.
Source: U.S. Wheat Associates