For months, the wheat markets had been under serious bearish pressure primarily due to Russia's nearly complete dominance of world export markets, but also the sheer lack of U.S. wheat exports. Finally, additional soft red winter wheat sales to China have been confirmed, with a new sale of 440,000 mt, or 16.1 mb, sold to China for 2023-24. As of November 28, the CFTC reported that managed money funds were carrying a large net short position of 124,000 contracts, with fund managers also short just under 50,000 contracts of KC wheat.

China booked its largest purchase of U.S. wheat since at least 2020, buying 440,000 metric tons of the grain, the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed on Monday. The sale comes after China's 2023 wheat crop suffered quality issues after heavy rain hit key growing areas just ahead of the harvest, analysts said. The sales also provide a welcome shot in the arm for lagging U.S. wheat exports, which the USDA has projected will fall to a 52-year low in the 2023/24 marketing year that began June 1.

Grain thunders into rail cars and trucks zip around a storage facility in central Ukraine, a place that growing numbers of companies turned to as they struggled to export their food to people facing hunger around the world. Now, more of the grain is getting unloaded from overcrammed silos and heading to ports on the Black Sea, set to traverse a fledgling shipping corridor launched after Russia pulled out of a U.N.-brokered agreement this summer that allowed food to flow safely from Ukraine during the war.

It's not just baked bread; it's crafted with precision using Idaho wheat milled into flour, retaining the bran and germ for the best flavor and nutrients. And if you're in the mood for something sweeter, don't miss out on their brioche, known to transform into amazing French toast.

An extended closure of the Columbia Snake River System (CSRS) is scheduled from January 14 to March 29, 2024, to replace major components at the John Day and McNary dams (see above) on the Columbia River, and at the Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite dams on the Snake River. Similar extended closures occurred in 2010 and 2016. This maintenance to be performed represents a forward-thinking investment by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assure this critical waterway remains operational for decades to come. The additional improvements will help the U.S. wheat export supply system remain the most reliable in the world.

A slate of actions aimed at preparing the Pacific Northwest for a scenario in which four dams on the Lower Snake River are breached appears to be under consideration as the Biden administration looks to resolve a 22-year-long legal dispute over declining salmon populations. A draft settlement document titled "U.S. government commitments in support of the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative and in Partnership with the Six Sovereigns" was recently made public by four House members opposed to dam breaching.

When people call, text, or chat 988, they will be connected to trained counselors that are part of the existing Lifeline network. These trained counselors will listen, understand how their problems are affecting them, provide support, and connect them to resources if necessary.The previous Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available to people in emotional distress or suicidal crisis.