Past USW Chairman Darren Padget Shares Sustainable Practices on His Farm
In 2021, the U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) team in Beijing asked then-Chairman and Oregon wheat farmer Darren Padget to record a video message to Chinese milling and trading managers participating in a USW-sponsored “Contracting for Wheat Value” seminar. The USW team wanted to show customers the important things U.S. farmers do every day to produce […]
USW Expresses Support for Maintaining Lower Snake River Dams
On behalf of the U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Transportation Working Group, we* appreciate the opportunity to provide comments on the draft Lower Snake River Dams Benefit Replacement Report. The draft report raises serious concerns among U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and its member states. The USW Transportation Working Group (TWG) questions many of the baseline assumptions […]
Soft White Wheat Crop Looks Better This Year
Analysis of the wheat market since February has been underscored by volatility, and no less so for the U.S. soft white (SW) wheat market. The sudden exit of Ukraine from the export market and the uncertainty of Russia’s wheat exports are recent factors in market volatility. Dry weather is another important consideration for winter wheat […]
Defining U.S. Wheat’s Comparative (Competitive) Advantage: Soft White
In the increasingly competitive global wheat market, it is important to review the advantages that U.S. wheat delivers to millers and bakers. This post examines the advantages that soft white wheat brings to the market. Soft white (SW) wheat is the fourth largest class of wheat grown in the United States, with an annual average […]
Riding a Tugboat Carrying U.S. Wheat On Its Way to Export
It is 3:00 on a brisk and overcast Tuesday afternoon, and the sun is already low in the sky. I am sitting in the galley of a tugboat — state of the art, I am told. The tugboat has all the amenities any crew would need with five staterooms, a kitchen, a washer and dryer, […]
Adjusting to USDA Estimates in a Record-Setting Year
Marketing year 2021/22 (June to May) has been record-setting to date. USDA estimates of global production, trade, and consumption have all outpaced previous years. However, since it’s initial 2021/22 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE), USDA has adjusted its forecast down, led by a 17 million metric ton (MMT) reduction in global wheat production […]
2021 Soft White Wheat Crop Faced Challenging Growing Conditions
The Pacific Northwest (PNW) experienced challenging drought conditions in the 2021 soft white crop year, resulting in a wheat crop with higher protein and lower yields. This year’s SW crop has weak to medium gluten strength and acceptable finished product characteristics. SW is especially suited for use in cakes, pastries, cookies and snack foods. The […]
Protein Alone Does Not Predict Soft White Wheat End-Quality Performance
There is an easily understood expression in English that “you cannot judge a book by its cover.” Applied to the new 2021/22 U.S. soft white wheat crop that is good advice for the world’s flour millers and wheat food producers. The persistent Pacific Northwest (PNW) drought is expected to lower yields and push 2021/22 SW […]
Pacific Northwest Drought Signals Production Challenges
Hot, dry weather following a parched fall and a winter with less snow in some areas has many parts of Washington, Oregon and Idaho experiencing some of the driest weather in a generation. Much of the area that grows spring and winter soft white (SW) and white club wheat is experiencing some form of drought. […]
USW Harvest Report for 2021/22 Returns May 14
The new U.S. winter wheat crop is rapidly developing and U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) will publish its first “Harvest Report” for marketing year 2021/22 on Friday, May 14. USW Harvest Reports are published every Friday afternoon, Eastern Daylight Time, throughout the season with updates and comments on harvest progress, crop conditions and current crop quality […]