Did you know about half of all wheat grown in the U.S. is exported? USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) estimates 21 million metric tons of wheat was shipped out of U.S. ports in 2022, totaling $8.49 billion. The Mississippi and Columbia-Snake rivers help push grain by barge to export facilities in the Gulf and Pacific Northwest. However, the region between these two rivers instead relies heavily on rail to move grain, with USDA finding 50% to 60% of all wheat exports from 2014 to 2019 were moved to ports by rail.

Although the United States remains one of the six major global wheat exporters, our market share has been trending lower for the past 22 years. Over the past decade, the United States has given up market share to competitors such as Canada, the EU, Russia, Ukraine, and Australia. Drought and grower preference for crops offering superior returns per acre, such as corn, soybeans, canola, and pulses, may further reduce US wheat production and exports in the future.

Admiration for her fellow farmers inspired Jamie Kress to seek to represent them as an officer in the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG). Kress joined the NAWG board as secretary during the Commodity Classic last month in Orlando, Fla. She will move through the organization’s leadership positions during the coming years. The connections she developed through the Idaho Grain Producers Association have helped put “faces to the stories,” Kress said.

The outlook for Idaho agriculture is bright. Agriculture, especially milk and beef products, is now the leading export for the state. Idaho Department of Agriculture (ISDA) has seen an increase in hops production, and Idaho’s gross domestic product (GPD) is up 120%. Dr. Garth Taylor, of the University of Idaho (U of I), an agricultural economist, gave a presentation before the House Agricultural Committee on the booming financial condition of Idaho agriculture for 2022. Chanel Tewalt, the new director of ISDA, also spoke before the committee on ISDA affairs.

Early winter wheat entries into the National Wheat Yield Contest are eligible for a drawing for a free one-year Business Plan subscription to Bushel Farm (formerly FarmLogs)! This software gives farmers a ground-level and big-picture view of their farms’ operational and financial performance. Unlike multiple spreadsheets or messy notebooks, the Bushel Farm mobile and desktop app organizes an array of farm records - field maps, rainfall and satellite imagery, equipment, activities and inputs, grain sales and inventories, land agreements, work orders, and more. Powerful automation within the tool transforms farm records into a real-time profit and loss statement and generates valuable insights that farmers can use to make decisions on their own or share with their grain buyers, agronomists, bankers, insurance providers, and other trusted farm partners. Get your entries in to be eligible for this fantastic prize!

Despite the start of spring, which typically gives growers the best chance for precipitation, western Kansas continues to be plagued by intense drought conditions. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor released Thursday, March 23, only 15% of Kansas’ acres are experiencing no drought stress. Just over 36% of the state reported D4 exceptional drought compared to just a little over 1% a year ago. D3 extreme drought conditions are plaguing 16% of the state, with D2 severe drought affecting 13% of Kansas.

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) is encouraged that technology company Syngenta expects to have commercial-scale hard red spring (HRS) and hard red winter (HRW) hybrid wheat seed available for U.S. farmers within the next three years. Hybrid wheat’s primary value is demonstrated in increased yield and yield stability. Hybrids are viewed as means to increase profitability for growers and would be an important complement to pure-line varieties. Increased productivity is important to meet record-setting demands for wheat by a growing global population.