The new farm bill may be delayed a few months, but National Association of Wheat Growers representatives say they are optimistic that it could be completed by early next year. "I think the September deadline is probably a little ambitious, but I think there's real opportunity to ... get something done by the year-end or over the winter," said Jake Westlin, NAWG vice president of policy and communications.

Around the world, food prices are persistently, painfully high. Puzzlingly, too. On global markets, the prices of grains, vegetable oil, dairy and other agricultural commodities have fallen steadily from record highs. But the relief hasn’t made it to the real world of shopkeepers, street vendors and families trying to make ends meet.

A little over a month before the 2023-24 US wheat marketing year begins, moisture — or the severe lack thereof — is front and center for crop watchers and stakeholders all along the wheat and flour supply chains. Two of the three largest wheat classes grown in the United States — hard red winter and hard red spring — face moisture challenges that may limit yields and production in 2023, tightening stocks and heightening the risk of above-average flour prices into 2024.

Chicago wheat was little changed on Tuesday after hitting a 21-month low earlier in the day, as rain forecast for parched parts of the U.S. Plains and competitive Russian exports led investors to shrug off supply risks... The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Monday rated 26% of U.S. winter wheat in good to excellent condition, the lowest for this time of year since 1989, due to prolonged drought. But the market expected forecast rain to bring some relief. "U.S. hard red winter wheat areas will get the needed rain this week," said Terry Reilly, a senior analyst at Futures International.

The March Logistics Managers’ Index (LMI) released in early April was at an all-time low of 51.1, down 4 percentage points from February and just above the 50-point level, above which indicates growth and below which indicates contraction, the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals said in its quarterly Supply Chain report. Logistics managers responding to the LMI monthly survey noted an all-time low in transportation prices, with that portion of the index down five points from February at 31.1. The transportation utilization index was at 50, posting a gain for the first time in 2023.

The Kremlin reaffirmed its position on Tuesday that the Black Sea grain deal is not working for Moscow, a day after the head of the United Nations handed Russia a letter with proposals to improve and expand it. "Despite the fact that so much time has passed, (the deal) has not yet been implemented, it has not come together as a package, the conditions that concerned us have still not been realised," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Join NAWG’s advocacy campaign to engage with legislators on increasing Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) programs authorized in the Farm Bill. MAP’s authorized funding has not changed since 2006 and FMD funding has remained the same since 2002, so inflation and sequestration have significantly eroded the ability to compete with other countries who are steadily investing more in their agricultural export promotion efforts. Please visit NAWG’s website to participate in the grassroots efforts to make your voice heard.