Philippine Wheat Tour
1011 Now – 07/10/2019
Some of the best wheat products can be found right here in the heartland. A group of millers from the Philippines recently took part in a tour hosted by the Nebraska Wheat Board, to see this high quality for themselves. “The Philippines is currently the second largest market for U.S. Wheat in the world,” U.S. Wheat Associates representative Joe Sowers said. Because the U.S. has such a large market, it’s important to show the millers why it should stay that way. During a tour of the BASF wheat breeding facility near Beaver Crossing, the group learned how different hybrids of wheat are developed for the farmer. “We start out by making a unique genetic cross and combination,” BASF Wheat Breeding Regional Manager Sally Clayshulte said. “Then we go through multiple generations of that to select the best variety or best lines for certain areas of the Central Great Plains.” The group that came to the United States was made up of representatives from six food processing and milling companies in the Philippines. During the tour, the group got a chance to see how much effort goes into making sure that U.S. and Nebraska wheat continues to be the best in the world. “Every year we have to earn it, and there’s always new competition coming, especially right now in the Black Sea region,” Sowers said.
Australia Wheat Crop Faces Hot, Dry Weather for Next Three Months
Reuters – 07/11/2019
Hot, dry weather will persist across Australia’s east coast until at least October, the country’s weather bureau said on Thursday, signalling no relief for drought-hit farmers in one of the world’s largest agricultural producers. There is just a 30% chance that Australia’s east coast will receive average rainfalls between Aug. 1 and Oct. 30, the Bureau of Meteorology said in its latest climate outlook. The forecast would extend drought conditions that have devastated agricultural production across Australia’s east coast into a third year. In a further blow, the bureau said there is at least an 80% chance that the entire country will record warmer than average temperatures over the next three months. Australia’s chief commodity forecaster in June lowered its forecast for wheat production over the 2019/20 season by more than 11%, but warned rains were desperately needed to avoid further downgrades.
Day 9, Kansas Wheat Harvest Report
Kansas Wheat Commission – 07/10/2019
This is day 9 of the Kansas Wheat Harvest Reports, brought to you by the Kansas Wheat Commission, Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and the Kansas Grain and Feed Association. Jerald Kemmerer, of Pride Ag Resources in Ford County, says that they are about 80-85% done with wheat harvest this year. With good looking tests weights and sporadic yields, they are still pleased with the wheat that they are cutting. “If mother nature would work with us, we could wrap up harvest this weekend,” says Kemmerer. John Lightcap, of Offerle Coop Grain & Supply Co in Edwards County, said their wheat harvest is coming to an end for the year as long as the rain stays away. Lightcap says that he is pleased with the protein and test weight numbers that he is seeing in their crop. Harvesting at 3 different locations, they are seeing better protein numbers in northern fields. Being about 93% done with harvest, Lightcap believes that if the weather holds out they should be able to wrap up wheat harvest within the next four to five days.
Durum Acreage Down in ND
Prarie Public News – 07/10/2019
North Dakota producers have planted a lot less durum this year. The North Dakota Wheat Commission reports durum acres fell to 750,000 – the lowest since 2011. Wheat Commission marketing director Jim Peterson said it stands to reason. “Typically, producers need $1 to $1.50 a bushel premium to grow durum over spring wheat,” Peterson said. “That’s primarily because of the quality risk.” Peterson said durum has a higher quality threshold to make milling quality. “That just hasn’t been there in the last couple of years,” Peterson said. Peterson also said international demand for durum has slowed. “And from producers themselves, they have a fair amount of inventory sitting in the bin from last year’s crop,” Peterson said. Peterson said Canada is also flooding the US market with durum. “Fifty to 60 percent of our domestic mill grind is Canadian durum,” Peterson said. “That’s caused a lot of frustration with producers and elevators who are trying to compete. It’s just been a very tough haul.”
French Grain Cooperatives to Merge Wheat, Barely Export Activities
Reuters– 07/11/2019
French agricultural groups InVivo, Axereal and NatUp have formed a grain export joint venture in an attempt to improve their competitiveness in overseas markets increasingly dominated by Black Sea producers led by Russia. The cooperative groups will pool certain export activities in a unit called Grains Overseas, with the aim of shipping 4 million tonnes of soft wheat and feed barley per year outside the European Union, they said in a statement on Thursday. The unit, in which InVivo will own 60% and Axereal and NatUp 20% each, will notably involve joint grain procurement and the sharing of storage silos, they said. The joint venture, effective from July, is aiming to handle 2.4 million tonnes in its first marketing season before reaching the 4 million level within two or three years, InVivo Chief Executive Thierry Blandinieres told Reuters by telephone. Grain procurement would be done through InVivo’s InGrains platform, developed two year ago to attract more competitive grain offers, he said. Grains Overseas would bring together soft wheat and feed barley traders from InVivo and Axereal’s Granit Negoce trading arm, with each partner continuing to export independently other grain products like maize and durum wheat, Blandinieres said.
Source: U.S. Wheat Associates