wheat
EU corn and wheat crops falter in hot, dry weather
One of the world's agricultural giants, the European Union, is seeing its wheat and corn crops dwindle due to hot and dry weather that is lowering yields. In its World Agricultural Production report, the USDA lowered its forecast of the EU wheat crop by 2 percent and the corn crop by 3.5 percent from estimates made in early June.
Drought disrupts wheat crop in Pacific Northwest
Long-running drought has "shrunk the kernels and disrupted the proteins of winter wheat crops" in the Pacific Northwest, which grows one-fifth of the U.S. crop, says the Seattle Times.
From Midwest to Plains, winter wheat harvest is slow
Repeated rain storms have slowed the winter wheat harvest from Indiana to Kansas, says the weekly Crop Progress report.
Economist predicts break-even farm revenue for years to come
After the fall-off from record-high corn, soybean and wheat prices in 2012, Purdue economist Mike Boehlje says growers can expect to "bounce along close to break-even for five to 10 years," reports DTN.
Wheat yields fall in Oregon due to heat and dry weather
Harvest of soft white wheat is under way in northeastern Oregon and a grain merchandiser in Pendleton says yields are down 10 to 15 percent because of hot, dry weather, says Capital Press. “The overall quality of the crop is going to be fine, there’s just not going to be a lot of it,” Dan Steiner, senior grain merchandiser at Pendleton Grain Growers, told the newspaper.
Kernza, a perennial grain, looks for a chance to take root
A plant scientist from the Land Institute in Kansas is developing a perennial grain, Kernza, from intermediate wheatgrass, says Civil Eats. "And there's a widespread team of researchers hoping their work will pave the way for an entirely new form of food."
Rain mires Kansas wheat harvest, soy planting in Missouri
Persistently rainy spring weather is bogging down the winter wheat harvest in Kansas, the No. 1 state for winter wheat, Oklahoma and Missouri, says the weekly Crop Progress report.
Growers reap one-fifth of winter wheat crop in one week
Farmers harvested 7.4 million acres of winter wheat in the past week, 19 percent of the total crop. The harvest is now 38 percent complete, according to the weekly Crop Progress report.
U.S. share of world wheat market low for second year
The United States, the world's largest wheat exporter until two years ago, is in an export slump for the second year in a row, according to the Grain: World Markets and Trade report.
Wheat engineered to deter aphids fails in field trials
A variety of wheat genetically engineered to emit a pheremone to ward off aphids "failed to show any effect" during a field trial in England, says Science Magazine.
Wheat gets a haplotype map of differences worldwide
An international team of scientists has created the first haplotype map of wheat that gives a detailed description of genetic differences among 62 wheat lines from around the world, says Sci-News.com.
Working for high-yielding wheat as world gets hotter
Wheat scientists say new, higher-yielding varieties are needed to meet rising world demand for food and to offset the impact of climate change. The food grain provides 20 percent of the calories and protein consumed worldwide.
Senate bill obliges USDA to keep grain flowing for export
The Senate Agriculture Committee approved by voice vote a bill that obliges the USDA to minimize any disruption in federal inspection of grain for export, a vital step before U.S. grain can be loaded on cargo vessels. The legislation is a response to last summer's labor dispute that led to a month-long lapse in inspection at Vancouver, Washington. The House Agriculture Committee included similar language a month ago in its bill to reauthorize the Grain Standards Act.
Monsanto, growers settle suit over rogue GMO wheat
Monsanto, the giant seed company, settled lawsuits field by wheat growers in seven states over the 2013 discovery of a GMO variety growing in the wild in eastern Oregon.
KSU sees higher prices for 2015 crops than USDA
U.S. corn, wheat and soybean growers will sell their 2015 crops for a higher average price than USDA projected a month ago, says ag economist Dan O'Brien of Kansas State University.
Farmers’ planting plans point to No. 2 soy, No. 3 corn crops
U.S. farmers intend to sow a record amount of land to soybeans and pare back on corn planting this spring, the government said in a report that puts the second-largest soybean crop ever and the third-largest corn crop on the horizon. Mammoth crops would mean at least one more year of comparatively low commodity prices after the price peaks of 2012. Abundant supplies would help hold down food price inflation.
EU overtakes U.S. as top global exporter of wheat
The European Union will be the world's largest wheat exporter this year, and by a wide margin, says the USDA report Grain: World Markets and Trade.
Grain research center names new director general
The rector of Wageningen University in the Netherlands will become director general of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) on June 1. Martin Kropff will succeed Thomas Lumpkin, who has been CIMMYT chief since 2008.