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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, US — Wheat flour is ubiquitous. It is something we simply take for granted, much like the air we breathe.

One of the many lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic is how valuable common, inexpensive, non-perishable food items such as flour can be during a crisis of this magnitude.

As we hopefully are starting to distance ourselves from the worst period of the pandemic and reflect on its impact with more clarity, the herculean effort of the flour milling ...

Grain dust explosions and stored grain fires remain frequent causes of severe damage to and loss of facility structures, equipment and inventory. Tragically, employees are often injured and killed.

Purdue University catalogues the annual number of deaths and injuries from grain dust explosions in the United States. In 2020, eight incidents occurred, nine people were injured but fortunately there were no fatalities. The 10-year average for explosions is 8.1 with 8.1 injuries and 1.7 fatalities. During the past decade, dust explosions ...

WASHINGTON, US, DC — The US Department of Agriculture on Aug. 12 lowered its forecasts for 2021-22 US and world wheat ending stocks. Wheat futures posted wide gains in response to the new projections that lowered US and world supplies more than markets had anticipated.

The USDA forecast the US carryover of wheat on June 1, 2022, at 627 million bushels, down 38 million bushels from the July projection and down 217 million bushels, or 26%, from 844 million bushels in ...

WASHINGTON, DC, US — Ample domestic supplies, tighter exportable supplies from competitors and strong global demand have combined to push Indian exports for rice and wheat to their highest levels in several years, according to an International Agricultural Trade Report from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

“India has re-emerged as an exporter due to significant production and trade disruptions for other major exporters,” the USDA said. “As exporter grain prices escalated with strong global import ...

MADRID, SPAIN — A jump in winter grains production is expected to reduce Spain’s import demand, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

For the second year in a row, favorable weather conditions have led to a strong winter grains crop. Spain is expected to produce 24 million tonnes of grain in the 2021-22 marketing year.

The USDA expects the larger crop to decrease Spain’s grain imports to 13 million tonnes in ...

ALGIERS, ALGERIA — Inefficient rainfall is anticipated to impact Algeria’s grain crop boosting wheat and barley imports, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Wet weather in the 2021-22 marketing year was below average, decreasing soil moisture leading the USDA to estimate a total of 7.65 million tonnes to be imported despite the country’s efforts to reduce imports and achieve food security.

The Algerian government is working to develop its agriculture industry ...

WASHINGTON, DC, US — Whole wheat flour production in April-June 2021 was 4.866 million cwts, up 395,000 cwts, or 9%, from 4.471 million cwts in the second quarter last year, according to data published Aug. 2 by the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the US Department of Agriculture.

The year-to-year increase for whole wheat production scored during the second quarter was a rare event for recent years, but at 4.866 million cwts production remained below second quarter output for 2019 (5.271 ...

ANKARA, TURKEY — Turkey’s wheat and barley output has been revised lower due to dry weather between April and June, according to a report from the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).

The country’s total wheat production is forecast to drop to 16.5 million tonnes in the 2021-22 marketing year compared to the USDA’s original estimate in April of 17.6 million tonnes. The dry weather has caused yield and quality losses. Low domestic prices and an increase in input ...

LONDON, ENGLAND – Global wheat flour trade is forecast to increase by 7% in marketing year 2021-22 compared to the previous year, according to a report released July 29 by the International Grains Council (IGC).

The IGC projects shipments in the coming year to reach 14.9 million tonnes (wheat equivalent), unchanged from its April forecast and up from an estimated 13.9 million tonnes in 2020-21.

If the 2020-21 estimate is realized, it will be the lowest trade total since 2013-14, when 13.2 ...

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA — Australian grain production is expected to be strong in the 2021-22 marketing year following a record-breaking wheat production year and two years of drought, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The expected rainfall forecast for July to September is anticipated to boost Australia’s wheat yields.

The USDA estimates Australia’s wheat production to total 29.5 million tonnes in the 2021-22 marketing year about 22% higher that the previous 10-year average. ...