Overview
The United States is a major wheat-producing country,
with output typically exceeded only by China, the European
Union, and India. Wheat ranks third among U.S. field crops in both planted
acreage and gross farm receipts, behind corn and soybeans.
Presently, about 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 nearly 30 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
2008
Farm Bill Side-By-Side (August 2008) presents a
title-by-title summary of key provisions of the 2008
Act in a side-by-side comparison with previous legislation.
The side-by-side includes links to related ERS publications
and to analyses of previous farm acts. New features
include a user's guide, an A-Z list of major provisions,
and a search function.
USDA Wheat Projections, 2008-17 (March
2008) provides background on supply and demand issues
underlying the long-term projections in USDA Agricultural Projections to 2017 (February
2008), and summarizes key findings for the U.S. wheat
sector.
Recommended Readings
Global Agricultural
Supply and Demand: Factors Contributing to the Recent
Increase in Food Commodity Prices (July 2008) explores
the many factors that have contributed to the runup
in food commodity prices over the last 2 years.
Wheat Year in Review (International): Low 2007/08 Stocks and Higher Prices Drive Outlook (May
2008) reviews the world situation for the 2007/08 marketing
year. The low stocks and high prices during fall 2007,
and favorable planting conditions for the Northern Hemisphere,
resulted in more planted area. With the increase in planted
area, and normal weather, global production should reach
a record high in 2008/09.
Wheat Backgrounder (December 2005) 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.
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.
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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