Rain improves US Plains wheat conditions
Recent rainfall has quickly changed the direction of winter wheat crop conditions in the US central and southern Plains. Growers hope additional rain in forecasts signals a pattern change to pull those regions out of drought, promote emergence before the hard red winter wheat crop goes dormant, and lessen the burden on spring precipitation to...
Egypt expected to produce more wheat in 2024-25
According to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture, Egypt is expected to produce more wheat in 2024-25 as the government encourages an increased planted area and higher yields. Production is estimated at 9.2 million tonnes, up from 8.87 million a year earlier. The FAS said that High...
USDA lowers US wheat production estimate
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Aug. 12 lowered its estimate for US all-wheat production this year based on forecasts for lower soft red winter, other spring and durum wheat production that more than offset increased hard red winter and white winter wheat forecasts. The Department lowered its forecast for 2024-25 global and US...
Canada, Russia wheat production threatened by dryness
A recent insurgence of heat and dryness in western and south-central Canada’s Prairies has raised concern about spring cereal production. The region had one of its best starts to the growing season in years, and dryness kicks in while wheat and barley are reproducing, sending some chills up many producers’ spines. The marketplace does not...
USDA: largest spring wheat production since 2020
When scouts fan out across North Dakota fields in the third week of July, they will be looking to confirm or moderate expectations of a high-yielding spring wheat crop forecast this month by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA on July 12 forecast production of spring wheat other than durum in the United...
Key US crop areas battle too much, too little rain
Weather typically is the main force affecting agricultural commodity markets, from planting in the spring (or fall for winter wheat) to harvest in the fall (or summer for winter wheat), especially during the growing season for all crops. The most recent examples were from Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, and Brazil, the world’s largest...
Turkey bans wheat imports
The Turkish Agriculture Ministry recently announced that it will halt wheat imports from June 21 through mid-October to protect Turkey’s farmers from price decreases and other adverse impacts during this year’s harvest. The measures would be implemented to “prevent our producers from being affected by price decreases due to supply density during the harvest period,...
Australian winter crop totals expected to increase 9%
Australia’s overall winter crop production is expected to increase 9% to 51.3 million tonnes in 2024-25 and be the fifth highest on record, according to the June report from ABARES. Wheat production is forecast to increase by 12% to 29.1 million tonnes, while barley production is estimated at 7% to 11.5 million tonnes. Canola production...
Untimely rains impacting French grains
Recent rains have dampened France’s wheat and barley outlook while slowing maize (corn) planting in the European Union’s largest grains producer, Reuters reported, citing data from farm office FranceAgriMer. A warm, sunny stretch earlier in May had helped crops and soil dry out after a damp growing season. Still, recent showers have raised concern that wet...
Grain market review: Wheat
As harvests approach, the focus for wheat traders is increasingly on the weather, especially its impact on Russia’s crop with low moisture earlier in the year and continued cold temperatures in May. A larger crop than last year is forecast, but with prices in a long-term downtrend, wheat consumption is forecast to outstrip growth. US Wheat Associates (USW) reported in its May 14 Wheat Letter Blog that “across the Northern Hemisphere, wheat price and crop development are dominating market discussion.”