U.S. Wheat Associates
Wheat letter

U.S. Wheat Associates will issue its complete Crop Quality Report about two weeks after the last combine has harvested the last 2004 U.S. wheat crop. In the meantime, USW is collecting samples and providing test results so buyers can monitor various quality parameters as the harvest progresses. That information is posted weekly on the USW website, www.uswheat.org. Results thus far:

SW -- The 2004 Pacific Northwest wheat harvest is moving at a slightly slower pace than the 2003 crop. So far this year, USW has tested about 100 samples of soft white wheat, just a quarter of the expected 410 samples. This week's samples indicated slightly dryer moisture content at 9.0% compared to 9.5% for last week, slightly higher protein content at 10.7% compared to 10.4% last week, slightly lower thousand kernel weight at 40.3 g compared to 41.1 g last week, and sound falling number value at 365 seconds. The early indication of this year's Pacific Northwest soft white crop appears to be big and plump, indicating a good milling quality, slightly higher protein content than last year and the five-year average, and very little sprout damage, if any.

SRW -- Soft red winter wheat harvest is complete in all areas. Samples graded at SRW #2, and averaged 10.6 percent protein. This year’s test weights generally decreased about 1 percent from last year, with samples averaging 59 lb/bu (77.6 kg/hl). Thousand kernel weights are down, coming in at 27.7 gm this year compared to 29.2 gm in 2003. Falling numbers were a concern during the harvest, but all samples are higher than 275, with the average at 354 for the 2004 harvest.

HRW -- The hard red winter wheat harvest is completed in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska and South Dakota, and has moved into Montana. We don't have samples yet from Montana, but we do have a better idea on how the HRW crop is shaping up elsewhere. With 75 percent of the sampling completed, the average protein is 12.7 percent, up a point from last year at this point in the harvest. There has been some concern with falling number values, particularly with some of the crop in portions of Colorado and Nebraska but, on the whole, the HRW crop is averaging a respectable 386. Test weight, so far, is a bit lower than last year at this time, 58.8 lb/bu (77.4 kg/hl), down from 60.1 lb/bu (79.1 kg/hl).