WASHINGTON, DC, US — The US Department of Agriculture on June 30, in its quarterly Grain Stocks report, estimated wheat stocks held in all positions on June 1, 2020, comprising the 2020 carryover supply, at 1.044 billion bushels, down 35.919 million bushels, or 3%, from 1.08 billion bushels in 2019. The recent five-year average June 1 wheat stocks was 1.018 billion bushels.

Of the nation’s June 1 wheat inventory, 231.995 million bushels, or 22% of all stocks, were held on farms compared with 19% in 2019.

The USDA estimated wheat use in March-May 2020 at 371.572 million bushels, down 141.738 million bushels, or 28%, from 513.31 million bushels in the same three-month span in 2019.

Wheat disappearance in 2019-20 totaled 1.956 billion bushels, up 51.774 million bushels, or 3%, from 1.904 billion bushels in 2018-19.

The nation’s largest regional wheat inventory on June 1 at 453.566 million bushels was held in the hard red winter wheat states of the Southwest comprising Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska and Colorado. The June 1 Southwestern wheat stocks were down 17.585 million bushels, or 4%, from 471.151 million bushels in 2019. Southwestern wheat stocks on June 1 accounted for 43% of all the nation’s wheat stocks. Of the Southwestern June 1 wheat inventory, 17.1 million bushels, or 4% of the total, was stored on farms.

Wheat disappearance from the Southwest in March-May 2020 totaled 118.971 million bushels, down 61.743 million bushels, or 34%, from 180.714 million bushels in the final quarter of 2018-19. Wheat disappearance for the entire 2019-20 crop year was 688.575 million bushels, up 79.932 million bushels, or 13%, from 608.643 million bushels in 2018-19.

The second-largest regional wheat holdings on June 1 were in the spring wheat states of the Upper Midwest, including North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Montana. Upper Midwest wheat stocks totaled 320.671 million bushels, or 31% of all the nation’s wheat stocks, on June 1. The region’s wheat inventory was 19.979 million bushels, or 7%, larger than the 300.692 million held in store a year earlier.

Of the Upper Midwest wheat inventory, 193 million bushels, or 60%, was held on farm. Upper Midwest on-farm wheat stocks accounted for 83% of the nation’s June 1 on-farm holdings.  

Wheat disappearance from the Upper Midwest in March-May 2020 totaled 111.619 million bushels, down 47.74 million bushels, or 30%, from 159.359 million bushels in the year-ago span. Wheat disappearance from the Upper Midwest in all of 2019-20 totaled 665.901 million bushels, up 33.668 million bushels, or 5%, from 632.233 million bushels in 2018-19.

The June 1 wheat inventory in the Central states, the major soft red winter wheat region that includes Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan, totaled 80.55 million bushels, down 38.152 million bushels, or 32%, from 118.702 million bushels a year earlier. On-farm stocks in the Central states on June 1 totaled 1.37 million bushels, comprising 2% of all the region’s stocks.

March-May wheat use in the Central states totaled 29.074 million bushels, down 21.36 million bushels, or 42%, from 50.434 million bushels in 2019. Wheat disappearance from the Central states in all of 2019-20 totaled 171.332 million bushels, down 17.238 million bushels, or 9%, from 188.57 million bushels in 2018-19.

Wheat stocks in the Pacific Northwest on June 1 totaled 102.446 million bushels, up 14.991 million bushels, or 17%, from 87.455 million bushels a year ago. Of the region’s holdings, 14.6 million bushels were held on farms.

Wheat disappearance in the Pacific Northwest in March-May 2020 totaled 75.559 million bushels, down 2.41 million bushels, or 3%, from 77.969 million bushels during the same span a year ago. Wheat use in the region for the entire 2019-20 crop year was 276.139 million bushels, down 25.228 million bushels, or 8%, from 301.367 million bushels in 2018-19.

Separated out from the all-wheat inventory, durum stocks on June 1 totaled 42.847 million bushels, down 12.123 million bushels, or 22%, from 54.97 million bushels in 2019. Of the June 1 durum inventory, 17.7 million bushels, or 41%, was held on farms.

March-May durum use was 8.551 million bushels, down 10.868 million bushels, or 56%, from 19.419 million bushels in the same quarter a year ago. Durum disappearance in the 2019-20 crop year totaled 65.879 million bushels, up 7.918 million bushels, or 14%, from 57.961 million bushels in 2018-19.