North Dakota Wheat Commission Represented on International Crop Quality Seminars
North Dakota Wheat Commission- 11/26/2019
North Dakota Wheat Commission representatives have been taking part in international crop marketing seminars hosted by U.S. Wheat Associates. Led by a variety of experts including USW and state wheat commission staff, the seminars help educate U.S. wheat customers on a variety of issues including supply and demand data, trade policy updates and copy quality information. This year USW has hosted 43 seminars in 41 countries. NDWC Policy and Marketing Director Jim Peterson says the seminars are vital to international customers that rely on crop quality reports to guide their purchasing strategies. “Customers in Europe welcomed the in-depth discussion on the 2019 crop quality, due to the extreme weather experienced during harvest. Our information is balanced against trade sources, which are often marketing multiple origins of wheat,” he said. “There are good demand opportunities in Italy this year, with good sales already made. Our biggest asset in the EU for both durum and HRS is the high protein levels found in our wheat. Customers will need to manage the other challenging factors in this year’s crop, such as lower falling numbers, as their local production is deficient in protein, and they need imports.”
U.S.- China Trade Deal Close, Trump Says; Negotiations Continue
Reuters – 11/26/2019
The United States and China are close to agreement on the first phase of a trade deal, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, after top negotiators from the two countries spoke by telephone and agreed to keep working on remaining issues. Trump said Washington was in the “final throes” of work on a deal that would defuse a 16-month trade war with Beijing, but also underscored Washington’s support for protesters in Hong Kong, a potential huge sore point with China. China said it had summoned U.S. Ambassador Terry Branstad on Monday to protest the passage in the U.S. Congress of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, saying the bill amounted to interference in a Chinese internal matter.
Survey Reveals Crucial Data on Fusarium Head Blight
AgNetWest – 11/26/2019
A national U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) survey, published recently in Plant Disease, provides the first large-scale, systematic insight into how wheat and barley growers manage Fusarium head blight (FHB), also known as scab, and where they get information on how to control this destructive disease. FHB can reduce a farmer’s yield and affect quality, lowering the price of the grain. Also, the Fusarium fungus produces a mycotoxin called deoxynivalenol or DON. Wheat with DON levels above 2 parts per million is unacceptable for human consumption. FHB can also wreak havoc with barley crops, as maltsters have a near-zero tolerance for Fusarium. The survey, funded by the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS)-led U.S. Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative includes data from more than 5,100 wheat and barley growers in 17 states. It details how grain producers perceive FHB, where they get their information, which management tools they use and problems managing the disease.
Wheat Crop Needs Rain as Drought Returns to Kansas
Farm Progress – 11/27/2019
According to the Nov. 19 U.S. Drought Monitor Map, 14 counties in southwest Kansas are in some stage of drought and a sliver, about 1.5% of the state, has moved into extreme drought. A much wider region, about half of the state, is considered abnormally dry but not yet in drought. This is creating some concern for the newly emerged 2020 hard red winter wheat crop. Wheat is a resilient crop, thanks in part to the cutting edge genetics that modern varieties have, but even the hardiest of plants need a rain every now and then. At the Nov. 19 meeting of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers, board members from across the state reported on current crop conditions and expected acres in their areas.
IGP Outlines 2020 Courses
World-Grain – 11/26/2019
Kansas State University’s IGP Institute is continuing to work to address challenges in the field of agriculture by offering educational opportunities to industry professionals. The IGP Institute education focuses on feed manufacturing and grain quality management; grain processing and flour milling; and grain marketing and risk management courses. Faculty and staff continuously work to provide an average of more than 70 courses to 1,500 participants from across the world annually.To ensure the education of participants, the IGP Institute plans on hosting 24 on-site courses in 2020 that are open to the public. This year, Guy Allen, IGP Institute senior economist, will be hosting one new course. The IGP–KSU Risk Management for Senior Executives course will take place Feb. 3–6 and is directed toward senior business executives who desire to have a better understanding of managing a range of risks in commercial business.
Source: U.S. Wheat Associates