wheat
From staff of life to suspect in disease
Wheat, known for centuries as the staff of life, provides one-fifth of all food eaten worldwide and is the top source of protein in developing countries.
In erosive Palouse, wheat growers look for soil-holding crops
Karl Kupers was an early convert to no-till wheat in the arid and erodible Palouse region of the U.S. Northwest, where wheat is dominant, says a reader-funded story on Flux.
Dry winter compounds chronic food shortages in North Korea
"Markedly lower" rainfall is raising concern about the winter wheat and barley crops in North Korea, says the Washington Post. The winter grains supply only 5 percent of North Korea's food but are a vital bridge, the so-called barley hump, during the spring...
More than a third of winter wheat is in drought
Some 37 percent of the winter wheat area, mainly the southern Plains, mid-South and inland sections of the Pacific Northwest, is under drought, says a monthly summary by USDA chief meteorologist Brad Rippey.
Sister strain of virulent Ug99 wheat stem rust found in Kenya
Wheat growers in Kenya are battling a variant of the Ug99 rust fungus, which chokes nutrients in the wheat stem and prevents wheat kernels from forming properly.
Monsanto experiments again with GE wheat
More than a decade after pulling the plug on genetically engineered wheat, Monsanto is working again on biotech wheat, says the St Louis Post-Dispatch after visiting a research center run by the agribusiness giant.
In low-price era, farmers spurn new USDA revenue plan-CBO
With years of low commodity prices ahead, U.S. corn and wheat growers will stick to traditional crop subsidies, forecasts the Congressional Budget Office. In its annual economic forecast, CBO estimates only 37.5 percent of corn land and 28 percent of wheat land will be enrolled in the new Agriculture Risk Coverage subsidy offered by the 2014 farm law; the bulk will be put into the Price Loss Coverage program, which has the familiar structure of price guarantees.
Climate change a big threat to Midwest corn and wheat crops
The Midwest is one of the most economically productive regions of the country, says the Heat in Heartland report, "But climate change puts that productivity at risk."
Another huge world wheat crop on its way, says IGC
With conditions mostly favorable for winter wheat in the northern hemisphere, the International Grains Council forecast the second mammoth wheat crop in a row - a world total of 701 million tonnes, down 2 percent from the record crop of 2014 but...
Grids instead of rows helps crops battle weeds
Crops such as wheat and corn would fare better against weeds if growers abandoned the traditional approach of planting crops in rows, says research by the University of Copenhagen.
Russia wheat exports second-highest ever despite duty
Russia's newly announced duty on wheat exports will discourage sales but exports still would be the second-highest ever, says USDA's Grain: World Markets and Trade report.
Less winter wheat is sown, suggesting less wheat, more soy
Wheat farmers planted the smallest amount of winter wheat in five years and 5 percent less than last year, said the government, based on a survey of growers in early December. Winter wheat is planted in the fall, lies dormant during the winter and sprouts in the spring for harvest in early summer. The total of 40.2452 million acres was far below trade expectations and also was the second-smallest figure in a decade.
Wild ancestors to help wheat adapt to climate change
Wheat scientists will borrow genes from wild ancestors of the staple grain to give it stamina to withstand the stresses of climate change, says the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, known by its Spanish abbreviation CIMMYT.
USDA reports today may steer commodity prices until spring
The Agriculture Department is to release a handful of potentially pivotal reports today at noon ET that could set the tone for futures markets until spring-planting data becomes available. They include a final look at 2014 U.S. crop production; the monthly WASDE report with its estimates of crop output and usage worldwide; the Winter Wheat Seedings report, the first hint of this year's crops, and the quarterly Grain Stocks report, which will indicate...
Canada harvests bumper oilseed crops
Canadian farmers harvested their sixth record soybean crop in a row and their second-largest canola crop, said Statistics Canada, with the harvest season over. The canola crop was 11 percent larger than the previous StatsCan estimate in October and was 1 million tonnes more than traders expected. Canola is Canada's major oilseed, at 15.6 million tonnes this year, down from 18 million tonnes last year. Soybeans totaled 6 million tonnes this year, up 13 percent from 2013.
World grain stockpile heads for 15-year high, food prices flat
Swollen by record wheat and corn harvests, the global inventory of cereal grains will be the largest in 15 years, up 8 percent this year, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Larger US winter wheat crop expected in 2015
U.S. wheat growers will reap a crop of 1.57 billion bushels, up 14 percent from this year, according to forecaster Lanworth, says Reuters. The increase would be driven by higher yields as the central and southern Plains rebound for devastating drought.
FAO – Corn, rice, wheat must become more sustainable
New and more sustainable varieties of the three major food crops of the world, corn, rice and wheat, are needed to supply world food needs while conserving natural resources and withstanding climate change, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.