Overview
The United States is a major wheat-producing country,
with output typically exceeded only by China, the European
Union, and, sometimes, India. During the early 2000s,
wheat ranked third among U.S. field crops in both planted
acreage and gross farm receipts, behind corn and soybeans.
Presently, almost half of the U.S. wheat crop is exported.
The U.S. wheat sector enters the 21st century facing
many challenges, despite a strong domestic market for
wheat products. U.S. wheat harvested area has dropped
off 28 million acres, or nearly one-third from its peak
in 1981, because of declining returns compared with other
crops and alternative options under government programs.
Despite rising global wheat trade, U.S. share of the world
market has eroded in the past two decades.
Features
Global Agricultural Supply and Demand: Factors Contributing to the Recent Increase in Food Commodity Prices explores the many factors that have contributed to the runup in food commodity prices over the last 2 years.
USDA Wheat Projections, 2008-17 provides background on supply and demand issues underlying the long-term projections in USDA Agricultural Projections to 2017, and summarizes key findings for the U.S. wheat sector.
Recommended Readings
Wheat Backgrounder addresses key domestic and international market and policy
developments that have affected the U.S. wheat sector
in recent years. The report contains information on supply
and demand developments, domestic and trade policy, a
wheat farm profile and financial characteristics, and
addresses issues and opportunities to be considered in
domestic agricultural policy deliberations.
Hard White
Wheat at a Crossroads provides background on the forces
that led to the expansion of hard white wheat (HWW) production,
its milling and baking qualities that make it particularly
suited for certain products such as tortillas and Oriental
noodles, the adaptation of the marketing system to preserve
its identity, and the prospects for HWW's production expansion.
Continuing expansion of HWW production would depend on
the development of new, higher yielding varieties that
are more tolerant to sprout damage and the continuation
of the government incentive program.
Indian Wheat and Rice
Sector Policies and the Implications of Reform suggests
that future developments in India’s food grain sector
will be shaped by how policies adapt to the sector’s
new economic environment. Some changes, such as reducing
price supports and the scope of government food grain
operations, would likely cut government costs, benefit
consumers, allow a larger private sector role in the domestic
market, and increase reliance on trade.
See all recommended readings...
Recommended Data Products
Monthly Tables from Wheat Outlook
contain the latest data on supply and disappearance, monthly
food-use estimates, prices, exports, and imports.
Wheat Data contains statistics
on the five classes of wheat—hard red winter, hard
red spring, soft red winter, white, and durum—and
rye. Includes historical data previously published in
the annual Wheat
Yearbook.
The food use and trade tables previously published in
this briefing room are now part of Wheat
Data. See the Food
Use and Exports
and Imports sections of the Wheat
Yearbook.
Season-Average Price Forecasts
provides three Excel spreadsheet models that use futures
prices to forecast the U.S. season-average price and counter-cyclical
payment rate for corn, soybeans, and wheat. Users can
view the model forecasts or create their own forecast
by inserting different values for futures prices, basis
values, or marketing weights.
Commodity Costs and Returns have been estimated for major field crop and livestock enterprises each year since 1975. Cost and return estimates are reported for the United States and major production regions for corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, grain sorghum, rice, peanuts, oats, barley, sugar beets, milk, hogs, and cow-calf.
Commodity and Food Elasticities Database allows queriable searches of income, expenditure, and own- and cross-price elasticities for specific commodities and countries, which can be ranked and sorted. The elasticities are mainly from U.S. research on consumer demand published in working papers, dissertations, and peer-reviewed journals. The greatest number of demand studies are for vegetables, fruits, meat, and grocery products in the United States and China.
Food Consumption (Per
Capita) Data System has been revised and updated.
In addition to providing ERS food consumption data, the
new system includes graphing features.
Foreign Agricultural Trade of
the United States (FATUS) provides U.S. agricultural
exports and imports, volume and value, by country, by
commodity, and by calendar year, fiscal year, and month,
for varying periods, such as 1935 to the present or 1989
to the present. Updated monthly or annually.
Production,
Supply, and Distribution (PS&D) contains official
USDA data on production, supply, and distribution of agricultural
commodities for the United States and major importing
and exporting countries. The database provides projections
for the coming year and historical data for more than
200 countries and major crop, livestock, fishery, and
forest products.
Recent Research Developments
Wheat protein demand. North Dakota State
University and ERS are investigating the economics of
protein demand for U.S. hard wheats by foreign customers.
Results of this research are available in Grades/Classes
of Hard Wheat Exported from the United States: Analysis
of Demand and Trends 1986-2003 (PDF file). Contact:
Gary Vocke.
A workshop, Understanding
Demand Shifts for Grain-Based Foods, was held on September
28, 2004, at the University of Minnesota's Food Industry
Center to bring together individuals from government,
the food industry, and universities who have experience
analyzing demand for grain-based food products, as well
as knowledge of data sources for assessing and monitoring
consumption trends. Contact: Jean
Buzby.
Newsletter
Wheat
Outlook provides updates 11 months each year on current
market developments affecting the wheat sector.
Related Briefing Rooms
Agricultural Baseline Projections
U.S. Agricultural Trade
Farm and Commodity Policy
Farm Income and Costs
World Trade Organization (WTO)
Related Links
Additional data and information on wheat are available
from other USDA Agencies and the Department of Commerce.
See all related links...
Maps and Images Gallery
View the 1998 location of Wheat
Planted Area for each of the five classes of wheat.
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