wheat
Winter wheat struggles in droughty Plains
Nearly half of the winter wheat in Kansas, often the biggest wheat-producing state in the country, is in poor or very poor condition as the growing season opens across the United States, said the USDA in the first of this year's weekly Crop Progress reports. Drought, ranging in intensity from moderate to exceptional, covers much of the central and southern Plains, the heart of winter wheat production.
In a surprise, farmers to cut corn and soy plantings by 2 percent
U.S. farmers intend to sow 3 million fewer acres of corn and soybeans this year than in 2017, said the USDA. The surprising development could draw down overly abundant U.S. stockpiles and bolster weak commodity prices.
Smaller wheat crop pulls down global grain output
The International Grains Council forecasts a modest decline in global grain production that will lead to a sharp reduction in the grain “carryover” at the end of 2018/19.
Drought imperils winter wheat in the Plains
When the winter wheat crop breaks dormancy over the next few weeks, it will face arid conditions in the central and southern Plains due to an extraordinarily dry winter, said an agricultural meteorologist.
World wheat production expected to fall for second year in a row
Europe and Russia are not likely to repeat their bumper wheat harvests of 2017, setting the world on track for the second year in a row of smaller wheat output, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Corn vs. soybean race for U.S. dominance could be a squeaker
The contest between corn, the longtime leader, and soybeans to be the most widely planted U.S. crop may be closer than initially thought, said USDA chief economist Robert Johansson, speaking at the agency’s annual Ag Outlook Forum.
Commodity price slump is ending, says USDA; gradual increases ahead
When U.S. farmers bring their crops to market this year, they will see “the beginning of gradual price increases that are expected to continue through the decade,” ending the slump that began in 2013, said USDA projections. Prices for most crops, however, will remain below their 10-year average.
Drought returns to California, spreads in southern Plains, says forecast
Little precipitation has fallen during California’s traditional wet season, so drought is likely across the state during the spring, said the National Weather Service. Drought was also expected to expand in Texas and the southern Plains, a key region for winter wheat.
Despite oversupply, farmers keep up high production
Prices of wheat and corn — among other agricultural products — are as low this year as they’ve been since 2014. But despite falling prices and an oversupply of the commodities, farmers continue producing grains at record-breaking rates, reports the Wall Street Journal.
World grain output sets record, global stockpile to be largest ever
The world’s farmers harvested a record 2.64 billion tonnes of wheat, rice, and feed grains in 2017, estimated the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. It was the group’s second sharp upward adjustment of its global production figure in two months.
Wheat groups in Canada, Mexico, and U.S. ask for NAFTA update, not breakup
In a letter to leaders of the NAFTA nations, seven wheat groups that span the continent and represent a range of players, from growers to millers to bakers, said an updated NAFTA that continues duty-free agricultural trade is critical to their success.
‘TPP 11’ agree on trade pact a year after U.S. dropped out
A year to the day after President Trump pulled the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, the remaining 11 nations, which include Australia, Japan, Canada, and Mexico, completed a free trade agreement of their own.
Russia is back as No. 1 wheat exporter
The United States rebounded to its longtime spot as the world’s largest wheat exporter last year, but Russia will be No. 1 by a long shot in the 2017/18 marketing year, says the monthly Grain: World Markets and Trade report.
Losing ground: Winter wheat sowings smallest in 109 years
In a USDA survey, growers indicated that they planted 32.6 million acres of winter wheat for harvest this spring, the smallest area since 1909 although not as small as expected by analysts. The decline in winter wheat, the dominant wheat grown in the United States, is part of a long-running shift to corn and soybeans that is projected to result in the smallest all-wheat plantings in the country since recordkeeping began.
Will commodity prices go up or down in 2018? Yes, say analysts.
Goldman Sachs said agricultural commodity prices are on course for a fourth year of decline, with corn prices at the end of 2018 running 33 cents a bushel below the current futures price for December 2018 delivery, said Agrimoney.
Largest global grain harvest ever keeps prices steady
The bigger-than-expected corn crop in the United States is helping to drive world cereal grain production to a record for the second year in a row, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Researchers find stem-rust resistant gene for wheat
Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have discovered a gene that creates resistance to stem-rust — a fungus that threatens wheat crops in Africa and Asia and food security worldwide.
Researchers identify gene that will make hybrid wheat easier to breed
Hybrid seeds are widely used by corn and rice farmers because they boost yields. Researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia, one of the world's leading wheat-producing nations, say they have identified a naturally occurring gene in wheat that, when turned off, allows cross-pollination, essential for hybrids, while preventing self-pollination.
Winter wheat condition improves as harvest nears
Half of the U.S. winter wheat crop was in good or excellent condition at the start of the week, a vast improvement from the drought-scarred 2023 crop, said the USDA's Crop Progress report on Monday. The USDA will make its first forecast of the harvest on Friday. Winter wheat usually accounts for three-quarters of all U.S. wheat production.