Farmers Finding News Avenues for Kansas Wheat Overseas
Salina Journal – 11/12/2019
In late October, the CEO of Kansas Wheat traveled to Brazil and Columbia, hoping to ramp up imports of Kansas wheat in South America. Kansas is the largest exporter of hard red winter wheat, but with trade negotiations continuing and new wheat producers ramping up, the U.S. wheat producers need to negotiate more openings for their wheat in already-established export markets, as well as find new trade partners. South American markets are good examples of increasing trade with already-established markets. “Brazil is one of the largest importers of hard winter wheat,” said Justin Gilpin, the CEO of Kansas Wheat. “They use seven million tons a year. It’s a really good fit for their bread.” Gilpin traveled to South America with other representatives from the U.S. Wheat Associates to try to drum up business. They also taught quality data seminars. In 2019, USW hopes to host seminars in 38 other countries. In each seminar, delegates discuss grade factors, protein levels, flour extraction rates, dough stability, baking loaf volume, noodle color and texture for the six U.S. wheat classes. Each class is tailored to the needs of each market.
Iran Inks MOU with Russia, Kazakhstan for Temporary Imports of Wheat
Tehran Times – 11/10/2019
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of a conference on trade opportunities in agriculture sectors of Iran and Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)’s countries, Ali-Akbar Mehrfard, the deputy agriculture minister for development of agricultural trade and industries, said this MOU has been inked based on the temporary trade agreement between Iran and EAEU’s member states, IRNA reported. As the capacity of Iran’s flour mill plants is two folds more than the domestic demand, temporary imports of wheat for flour production can be an advantage for the country’s economy, the official noted. The MOU with Russian and Kazakhstan is on temporary imports as well as transit and swap of wheat, Mehrfard said and added that wheat swap has been mentioned but details is not specified yet. The trade agreement between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union officially came into force on October 27, and its implementation was officially notified to customs offices across Iran last week.
France Trims Wheat Crop Estimate, Ups Maize, Sugar Beet
Reuters – 11/12/2019
France’s farm ministry on Tuesday lowered its estimate of the country’s 2019 soft wheat production due a downward area revision, but still pegged the crop as the second-largest on record. Production of soft wheat, France’s main cereal crop, was put at 39.5 million tonnes, down from 39.7 million estimated a month ago, reflecting a 38,000 hectare reduction to the harvested area on the basis of farmer declarations to the European Union, the ministry said. That would nonetheless be 16% above last year’s volume and 11.8% higher than the average of the past five years, it said in a crop report. This year’s production level also remained France’s second-biggest wheat crop after a record 40.9 million tonnes in 2015.
Trump Threatens to Escalate U.S.-China Trade War if There’s No Deal
Los Angeles Times – 11/12/2019
President Trump said the United States will increase tariffs on Chinese goods if the first step of a broader trade agreement isn’t reached. “If we don’t make a deal, we’re going to substantially raise those tariffs,” he said Tuesday in a speech to the Economic Club of New York. “They’re going to be raised very substantially. And that’s going to be true for other countries that mistreat us too.”
China is “dying” to make a trade deal with the U.S., Trump said, adding that he’d sign it only if it’s good for American companies and workers. Still, he said, “we’re close — a significant Phase 1 deal could happen, could happen soon.”
Three Wheat Growers Top 200 BPA in National Yield Contest
The Progressive Farmer – 11/12/2019
It was another record-setting year for the National Wheat Yield Contest, which announced its 2019 winners Tuesday. Three winners topped 200 bushels per acre (bpa), with Rick Pearson of Buhl, Idaho, gleaning top yield honors with a 211.59-bpa irrigated winter wheat entry. Close behind him was Marc Arnusch of Keenesburg, Colorado, whose irrigated winter wheat field reached 210.52 bpa, and Phillip Gross, whose irrigated winter wheat field in Warden, Washington, hit 200.48 bpa.
DTN/Progressive Farmer is the official media outlet of the contest, which is sponsored by the National Wheat Foundation. This year, the results of the annual competition cast a spotlight on the widely varying wheat-growing regions of the U.S. First, there is Pearson, who, from the rich, river-fed soils of his southern Idaho farm, grew a field of densely packed, soft white winter wheat bursting with nearly 212 bushels per acre.
Source: U.S. Wheat Associates