Wheat Industry News
Recent news and highlights from around the wheat industry.
Quote of the Week: “Trade policy throughout the past several decades has opened up new markets for agricultural exports, increased access in existing markets, and lowered or eliminated various tariffs and technical barriers to trade. Opportunities for improvement still abound; however, the benefits far outweigh the drawback for the agricultural community.” – Michelle Erickson-Jones, Wheat Farmer and Past-President of the Montana Grain Growers Association. Click here to read more.
Weekly Commercial Sales are Up. USDA reported net U.S. wheat export sales of 487,700 metric tons for the week to August 1. That is 27% higher than the preceding week and 17% above the prior four-week average. U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) publishes a Commercial Sales report every Thursday with more details.
USDA Should Consider Export Customer Concerns. This week, the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) submitted comments to the U.S Department of Agriculture on proposed rule changes to regulations on plant biotechnology. In a statement about its comments, NAWG said: “… its highest priority concern is that any rule change contemplated by the USDA APHIS needs to consider its impact on importing countries of U.S. produced grain. NAWG encourages USDA APHIS to develop and execute an international engagement strategy that defines USDA’s rationale on pre-market regulatory approaches. All foreign customers expect the continued oversight by USDA to ensure consistent food safety, which is fundamental to their confidence in purchases of U.S. wheat.” Click here to read the entire statement.
No Vote on USMCA “Disappointing.” In a news release, the Washington Grain Commission (WGC) and the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) said the failure of the U.S. Congress to approve the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on Trade (USMCA) prior to its August recess “jeopardizes trade with two of America’s most reliable customers as it threatens wheat shipments to our most important market.” They urged Congress to schedule an expedited vote on the important trade agreement. Although the Pacific Northwest exports little grain to Mexico, wheat is traded on the world market and undermining exports to Mexico “will depress prices further for all wheat farmers” the organizations stated.
IAOM-KSU Basic and Advanced Milling Principles. Through hands-on training in the Kansas State University milling facilities and classroom discussions at the IGP Institute, these two courses will further develop participants basic and advanced milling skills and understanding of the milling process. The IAOM-KSU Basic Milling Course will be held Oct. 7 to 11, 2019. Click here for more information about these courses and the IGP Institute.
Subscribe to USW Reports. USW publishes a variety of reports and content that are available to subscribe to, including a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting recent Wheat Letter blog posts, the weekly Price Report and the weekly Harvest Report (available May to October). Subscribe here.
Follow USW Online. Visit our page at https://www.facebook.com/uswheat for the latest updates, photos and discussions of what is going on in the world of wheat. Also, find breaking news on Twitter at www.twitter.com/uswheatassoc and video stories at https://www.youtube.com/uswheatassociates.
