News from the Global Wheat Industry
Speaking of Wheat
“You’re not going to have two of the same [hard red spring wheat futures] contracts competing. One will win out.”
Ed Usset, Grain Market Economist and Professor at the University of Minnesota, commenting on the announcement that CME’s Globex will introduce a HRS contract once MIAX Future Exchange, formerly MGEX, moves its HRS contract off CME’s electronic platform. Read more here.
Columbia Grain Promotions
Columbia Grain International (CGI) has promoted Kurt Haarmann to Chief Commercial Officer and Sergio Hernandez to Vice President of Operations. Most recently Senior Vice President and General Manager of the company’s Grain Division, Haarmann will oversee all merchandising, freight and logistics operations in his new role. Haarmann will also participate in two upcoming U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) marketing conferences in May (see story below). Hernandez, previously Midwest Assistant Vice President of Business Execution for CGI, will oversee all grain facilities across the Pacific Northwest, Montana, and North Dakota. Read more here.
USW Marketing Conferences in May
USW is holding a North Asian Marketing Conference and a South and Southeast Asia Marketing Conference next month in Da Nang, Vietnam. Both conferences will include distinguished panels of subject matter experts and thought leaders offering perspectives on the dynamic global trade environment and information to help the milling industry address regional challenges and opportunities. Speakers will cover trends affecting freight logistics, environmental sustainability, wheat food consumption and nutrition, and an outlook on world and U.S. wheat crops in 2025 and beyond. Learn more about the North Asian Marketing Conference here. Learn more about the South and Southeast Asian Marketing Conference here.
IGP Flour Milling Courses
The IGP Institute has announced upcoming courses covering the flour milling process from grain selection to finished products. Courses topics include; technical milling, mill management practices, quality control, food safety, flowsheet design, process automation and controls, process efficiencies, hard and soft wheat milling, maintenance, and much more. Read more here.
Illinois Wheat Checkoff Approved
Soft red winter wheat farmers in Illinois have approved a voluntary state checkoff program to start Jan. 1, 2026. The farmer-funded initiative aims to enhance wheat production, develop new markets, and boost demand. Farmers can opt to pay 1.5 cents per bushel to fund research, market development and promotional activities directed by a farmer board. Illinois farmers produce the highest volume of SRW in the United States with 2024 production estimated at 60.2 million bushels (1.64 million metric tons). The Illinois Wheat Association will hold a Wheat Plot Tour on May 20 to tour wheat fields, evaluate winter wheat conditions, and estimate crop yields across southern Illinois.
USDA’s Wheat Sector at a Glance
USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) provides a range of data products and reports on the wheat market—including domestic and international supply, demand, trade, and prices. Start a tour of USDA’s wheat information here. Additional reports are generated throughout the marketing year including the Wheat Outlook, presenting supply and use projections for U.S. and global wheat markets, based on the current World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates. USW expands this data monthly in its Supply and Demand report. USDA also offers an interactive tool that showcases various data series from the Wheat Yearbook tables.
Subscribe to USW Reports
USW publishes various reports and content available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts and wheat industry news, the weekly Price Report, and the weekly Harvest Report (available May to October). Subscribe here.
Follow USW Online
Visit our Facebook page for the latest updates, photos, and discussions of what is going on in the world of wheat. Also, find breaking news on Twitter, video stories on Vimeo and YouTube, and more on LinkedIn.
For more Wheat Industry News, go to https://uswheat.org/wheat-letter/.