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
Wheat
Outlook (monthly) provides updates on current
market developments affecting the wheat sector.
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.
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