WASHINGTON – After an unusually strong second quarter, US flour production in July-September 2022 climbed to a new record high. 

Third quarter flour production was 109,859,000 cwts, up 3,698,000 cwts, or 3.5%, from 106,161,000 cwts a year earlier, according to data issued Nov. 1 by the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the US Department of Agriculture.

The third quarter total was the largest ever for July-September, breaking a record that had stood for 10 years – 108,754,000 cwts in the third quarter of 2012.  Production in July-September also was up 2,452,000 cwts from second quarter flour production of 107,407,000 cwts. The quarterly total of 109,895,000 cwts was the second largest total for any quarter, exceeded only by 110,332,000 cwts in October-December 2010.

Year to date, flour production was 323,737,000 cwts, also a record. January-September production was up 10,621,000 cwts, or 3.4%, from 313,116,000 cwts in the same period of 2021. The previous record for flour production in the first three quarters of the year 319,153,000 cwts set in 2018. The 2022 figure beat the previous record by 4,584,000 cwts.

Daily 24-hour flour milling capacity in July-September was 1,595,830 cwts, up 13,168 cwts, or 0.8%, from 1,582,662 cwts in the third quarter last year. Capacity was up 3,500 cwts from 1,592,330 cwts in the second quarter.