Exports of Ukrainian corn and wheat that supplied Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the European Union all but halted a year ago after Russia invaded the country, closing down Black Sea ports. Now, there is a scheme to lessen the impact if those ports are closed again. Ukrainian Agriculture Minister Mykola Solskyi has proposed that Western allies build dedicated rail lines to allow Ukrainian farmers to ship corn and wheat directly to ports in Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, where ships can take the grain all over the globe.

Small grain varieties differ from year to year, and are grown in multiple locations around the region. Review the small grains report for more information.

Don't forget to register early using the button below!The 2023 Direct Seed Workshop will feature podcaster and Twitter personality Peter Johnson, "Wheat Pete" from Canada. Join us as we chat about harvest timing, residue spread, risk management and marketing strategies for producers.

Farm life can be demanding and stressful. It has reached a critical stage with pandemic impacts on top of natural disasters, extreme weather events, financial pressures due to fluctuating commodity prices, labor shortages, trade disruptions and other factors over the past several years. Given these ongoing challenges, it’s no surprise that more farmers and farm families are experiencing stress and mental health concerns.

The USDA ERS has reported that, as of Jan. 17, 59% of the US winter wheat production remains under drought condition.

World wheat production is highly vulnerable to climate-change fueled disease, insects, and plant stress. A new study led by University of Minnesota’s GEMS Informatics Center estimated annual losses from the top 5 wheat diseases of $4.2B to $10.8B every year.

Grocery buyers seeking an affordable way to feed their families are looking toward pasta as an “inflation-proof” meal idea, says a durum wheat merchandiser with pasta maker Barilla. The high inflation rate is actually causing greater demand for pasta. With pasta, you can still feed a family of four for probably US$6 or $7 — including the cost of sauce, maybe $7 or $8 at the very most.