Russian wheat export prices maintained their levels last week in the face of a tacit minimum delivery price restriction while international markets declined and domestic markets were under pressure from a strong harvest. The price of 12.5%-protein Russian wheat scheduled for free-on-board (FOB) delivery in late October-early November was $235 per metric ton last week, the same as the two previous weeks in a row, the IKAR agriculture consultancy reported.

Domestic consumption of wheat combined with more exports have outpaced production, according to the vice president of overseas operations for U.S. Wheat Associates. Drought in some areas has limited U.S. wheat production in recent years, Mike Spier said. He pointed to stable domestic consumption, about 31 million metric tons, and projected exports of 19 million metric tons.

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. Inflation and sequestration have significantly eroded our 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.

Idaho is facing a critical farm labor shortage that could threaten the agricultural industry’s vitality. While this scarcity of labor is not unique to the Gem State, it is a widespread issue affecting farms nationwide. In a bid to resolve this crisis, Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson and a bipartisan group of lawmakers are determined to pass an immigration reform bill into law. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act, reintroduced this year and passed by the House two years in a row, aims to create a legal workforce for agriculture, a priority underscored by Simpson. It seeks to bring undocumented workers “out of the shadows” by requiring them to comply with the law.

Agricultural stakeholders predict federal mediation in a lawsuit over the four lower Snake River dams isn't likely to lead to a call for breaching them, after the White House last week called on federal agencies to review their efforts to save wild salmon and propose new programs. The White House Council on Environmental Quality and Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service are continuing mediation during a stay, which will end Oct. 31.

Late harvest rains in Idaho have caused sprout damage, resulting in low falling number test results in the last of the wheat to be brought in, the executive director of the state wheat commission says. "It is geographically widespread in that we’ve seeing reports of low falling number in both the northern and southern part of the state," Britany Hurst Marchant told the Capital Press. "However, because it happened at the very tail end of harvest, the volume of wheat damaged is quite low."

Did you know about half of the wheat grown in the United States is exported to customers overseas? What does that mean for global supply and demand with the recent decline of U.S. wheat production due to drought and market volatility? Join us for our next From the Field: Farm Chat with Idaho Wheat as we sit down with Mike Spier, Vice President of Overseas Operations for U.S. Wheat Associates, to talk about the current world and U.S. wheat supply and demand situation, and how U.S. wheat contributes to global wheat supply.