MARCO ISLAND, FLA. — A panel of milling company executives addressing the North American Millers’ Association spring conference on March 14 on Marco Island forecast 2017 soft red winter wheat production at 314,325,000 bus, down 9% from 345,230,000 bus in 2016. If the millers’ forecast is realized, the 2017 soft red winter wheat crop would be the smallest since 2010, when 219,209,000 bus were harvested. The recent five-year average soft red winter wheat outturn was 428 million bus.
Production was forecast to be lower in most states. There were exceptions. Larger crops were forecast for Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
Production declines were forecast to be the widest in the Central states.
Soft wheat millers forecast 2017 production of soft white winter wheat at 156,080,000 bus, down 29 percent from 2016.
