Wheat
The U.S.D.A. estimated wheat stocks held in all positions in the United States on Dec. 1, 2017, at 1,873,544,000 bus.
 

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Jan. 12 estimated wheat stocks held in all positions in the United States on Dec. 1, 2017, at 1,873,544,000 bus, down 205,816,000 bus, or 10%, from 2,079,360,000 bus a year earlier. The U.S.D.A. indicated of the Dec. 1 wheat supply, 393,180,000 bus was held on farms, down 31% from 571,280,000 bus a year earlier. Wheat stocks held on farms on Dec. 1, 2017, accounted for 21% of all stocks. The U.S.D.A. indicated wheat disappearance in the second quarter of 2017-18, September-November 2017, totaled 392,531,000 bus, down 16%, from 465,670,000 bus in the same period in 2016.

The largest regional wheat inventory, accounting for 41% of the nation’s total, was held in the five hard red winter wheat states of the Southwest — Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado and Nebraska. Southwestern stocks on Dec. 1 totaled 769,456,000 bus, down 5% from a year earlier. Wheat stocks held on farms in the region totaled 39,600,000 bus, or 5% of all stocks. Wheat disappearance from the Southwest in the September-November quarter totaled 202,573,000 bus compared with 202,205,000 bus in 2016. Wheat disappearance in the first half of 2017-18 (June-November) was 394,803,000 bus, down 13% from the previous year.

The second-largest regional wheat inventory, accounting for 25% of the nation’s wheat supply, was held in the Upper Midwest states of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana. Stocks there totaled 462,692,000 bus, down 25% from Dec. 1, 2016. Wheat stocks held on farms in the Upper Midwest were estimated at 286,000,000 bus, or 62%, of all Upper Midwest stocks. The region’s on-farm stocks accounted for 73% of the nation’s on-farm inventory. September-November wheat use was estimated at 78,551,000 bus, down 42% from second-quarter 2016-17 use, and June-November disappearance was 296,801,000 bus, down 28% from 2016.

Dec. 1 wheat stocks in the principal soft red winter wheat region of the Central states — Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan — totaled 234,125,000 bus, up 6% from a year earlier. Only 4% of the region’s stocks was held on farms. Wheat disappearance in September-November was 33,297,000 bus, down 7% from 2016, and June-November disappearance totaled 72,723,000 bus, down 6% from a year earlier.

Dec. 1 wheat stocks in the Pacific Northwest states of Idaho, Washington and Oregon totaled 216,954,000 bus, down 9% from 2016. About 16% of the region’s supply was held on farms. Wheat disappearance in the second quarter of 2017-18 totaled 46,465,000 bus, up 4% from September-November 2016, and June-November disappearance was 181,883,000 bus, up 31% from a year earlier.

Durum stocks held in all positions on Dec. 1 totaled 56,243,000 bus, down 23% from 2016. Farm stocks accounted for 55% of the total supply. September-November 2017 disappearance was estimated at 9,913,000 bus, down 48% from the same span in 2016, and June-November disappearance was estimated at 34,969,000 bus, down 41% from a year earlier.