Wheat Industry News
News and Information from Around the World Wheat Industry
Speaking of Wheat
“I think, overall, the earliest [U.S. spring wheat] seeded … in the first and second week of April looks good. I don’t see any stand problems. We’re going to see a little bit of drown-outs with some standing water in the fields. The crop that got seeded late, in the third week of April, especially in the Southern [Red River] Valley, is all … popping out of the ground now so I think we’re in good shape.” – University of Minnesota Small Grains Specialist Jochum Wiersma.
Chinese Bakery Team Workshop
A recent U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Bakery Products team from China hosted by the Wheat Marketing Center completed markets surveys to better understand the wide variety of wheat products in the U.S. market. They were very interested in frozen dough products like bagels and biscuits that can be baked in an air fryer of particular interest because most Chinese households do not have an oven. This adaptation of U.S. formulations with frozen doughs could create new markets for these products made with US origin wheats. The team also travelled to Oregon’s North Willamette Valley for a visit to Loren Behrman’s farm (photo above).
A USW-sponsored Chinese End Product Collaborative team met at the Wheat Marketing Center in early May. Here USW colleagues Ting Liu (right foreground) and Shirley Lu (back right) work with members of the team on frozen dough for bagels.
Additional FY 2024 Export Credit Funds Available Under GSM-102
On May 15, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced increased availability of export credit guarantees for sales of U.S. agricultural commodities under the Commodity Credit Corporation’s (CCC) Export Credit Guarantee Program (GSM-102) for fiscal year 2024. Total available funds are $3.34 billion. Further details of the announcements may be found at: https://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/export-credit-guarantee-program-gsm-102/gsm-102-allocations.
K-State Innovation Center to Start with Additional Funding
Kansas State University announced on May 8 that ADM has pledged $1 million to the university’s Global Center for Grain and Food Innovation, one of four new or renovated facilities included in the university’s visionary Agriculture Innovation Initiative led by the College of Agriculture. There will be a groundbreaking ceremony for the facility May 17. With a focus on interdisciplinary research and development, 30% of the Global Center’s space will be allocated for public and private collaboration. It also will include modern milling and baking research and teaching laboratories and classrooms. Read more here.
HB4 Drought Tolerant Wheat Offered to Argentine Farmers
Reuters reported May 15 that Bioceres Crop Solutions has begun sales of HB4 genetically modified (GM) wheat seeds in Argentina, the first time the technology has been commercially available to farmers anywhere in the world according to CEO Federico Trucco. Trucco told Reuters that after years of tests followed by planting under pilot agreements between Bioceres and a small number of farmers, the company has started distributing seeds to agricultural input retail companies in the South American country. “Hopefully we can have it available in Brazil as well, in one or two seasons,” Trucco said. Read more here. Also read more about the U.S. wheat industry position on biotechnology.
2024 World Food Prize Laureates Established Global Seed Vault
Dr. Geoffrey Hawtin OBE of the U.K. and Canada and Dr. Cary Fowler of the U.S. will share the $500,000 award for their work to preserve the world’s heritage of seeds. The two men played key roles in establishing the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, which today holds 1.25 million seed samples of more than 6,000 plant species in an underground facility in the Arctic Circle. The repository, often referred to as the “Doomsday Vault,” opened in 2008 and stands as the last line of defense against threats to global food security, including pandemics and climate catastrophes. Read more here.
Dam Breaching Article Series
The Idaho Wheat Commission shared a link recently to a series of three articles in the Idaho Dispatch online news outlet examining “The Ramifications and Reality of Breaching the Dams of the Pacific Northwest.” Buyers who source U.S. soft white, hard red winter, and hard red spring wheat from PNW ports will benefit from understanding the competing political and commercial interests behind this topic. At stake is the current efficient barging of wheat from interior Idaho and Washington.
Potential Canadian Rail Strike a Threat to All Ag Shippers
The Agricultural Transportation Working Group representing U.S. farm organizations including the National Association of Wheat Growers has urged Canadian government officials to take “swift action” to avoid the Canadian rail strike that could begin as soon as May 22. “A rail stoppage would lead to shutdowns or slowdowns … resulting in devastating consequences to national and global food security,” the groups said in a letter released by the National Grain and Feed Association. “Our memberships rely on freight rail to move essential products across Canada and the U.S., and a disruption to CN and CPKC’s rail service could ripple across North America.”
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