Ukraine sees no need to limit wheat exports for the upcoming 2023/24 July-June season, as the winter harvest looks to be larger than expected, albeit smaller than in peacetime, a top agriculture ministry official said. Ukraine was the world's fifth-largest wheat exporter before the war with Russia, and its shipments were especially important to poor countries in Africa and the Middle East. Based on results collected by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food as well as satellite images, farmers planted more wheat in southern areas than the ministry had forecast in autumn.

Concerns are growing in the U.S. that the European Union’s push to cut pesticide usage in half under the Farm to Fork scheme could have a major impact on the ability of U.S. farmers to export to the 27-nation bloc. The goal is still aspirational, but EU regulators are now going through the complex process of turning it into regulations. Many in the U.S. are concerned that American farm commodities — grown with the same inputs that the Europeans are trying to restrict — will not be able to be exported to EU customers.

The United Nations Secretary will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv to discuss extending a deal with Moscow that allows the Black Sea export of Ukraine grains amid Russia's war in the country. The Secretary-General will discuss the continuation of the deal "in all its aspects and other pertinent issues.The 120-day deal, initially brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July and extended in November, will be renewed on March 18 if no party objects.

Water is often described as the lifeblood of western agriculture, and the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences has a proven track record of identifying solutions to help food producers maximize this precious resource. The central tenet of Idaho water law is, “First in time, first in right.” Hundreds of irrigators with junior priority dates may be curtailed if flows to a single senior water right downstream are diminished

Farmers from eastern Idaho particpated in the Direst Seed Workshop which provided best practices for managing no-till crops and producing a healthy harvest.

Idaho Wheat Commissioner Bill Flory is in Manila, Philippines attending Bakery Fair 2023 with our partners at U.S. Wheat Associates. Both are there to speak on current market trends in the baking and wheat industry.

The Idaho Wheat Commission (IWC) takes a wheat variety survey twice a year, spring and winter, to gather data on variety usage. Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey. Your responses are anonymous and aggregated across multi-county reporting districts.