WASHINGTON, DC, US — The National Agricultural Statistics Service of the US Department of Agriculture, in its quarterly Grain Stocks report issued March 31, said stocks of wheat held in all positions in the United States on March 1 totaled 1.314 billion bushels, down 101.145 million bushels, or 7%, from 1.415 billion bushels as the wheat inventory on March 1 2020. It was the smallest March 1 wheat holdings since 1.14 billion bushels in 2015 and compared with the five-year average all-wheat March 1 inventory at 1.507 billion bushels. The average of pre-report trade estimates for March 1 all-wheat stocks was 1.272 billion bushels.

Of the March 1 US wheat inventory, 283.92 million bushels, or 22%, was held in storage on farms.

NASS estimated the disappearance of wheat during the December-February quarter at 388.421 million bushels, down 36.94 million bushels, or 9%, from 425.361 million bushels in the third quarter of 2019-20. Disappearance in the first nine months of 2020-21 totaled 1.539 billion bushels, down 56.529 million bushels, or 4%, from 1.596 billion bushels in June-February of 2019-20.

The largest regional March 1 wheat inventory was held in the hard red winter wheat states of the Southwest — Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. Southwest wheat stocks totaled 503.157 million bushels, down 69.38 million bushels, or 12%, from 572.537 million bushels on March 1, 2020. The Southwest inventory comprised 38% of all US wheat stocks. Only 18.5 million bushels, or 4%, of all stocks in the region was held on farms.

December-February wheat usage in the Southwest totaled 90.531 million bushels, down 46.058 million bushels, or 34%, from 136.589 million bushels in the third quarter of 2019-20. June-February disappearance totaled 466.158 million bushels, down 20% from 581.704 million bushels in the first three quarters of 2019-20.

The second-largest March 1 regional wheat inventory was held in the spring wheat states of the Upper Midwest — Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. At 427.954 million bushels, Upper Midwest wheat stocks were down 4.336 million bushels, or 1%, from 432.29 million bushels on March 1, 2020. The Upper Midwest inventory comprised 33% of all US wheat stocks. Wheat stored on farms totaled 221.5 million bushels, or 52% of the region’s total. Upper Midwest on-farm wheat stocks accounted for 78% of all wheat stocks held on American farms.

Wheat disappearance in the Upper Midwest in the third quarter of 2020-21 totaled 142.619 million bushels, down 7.891 million bushels, or 5%, from 150.51 million bushels during the same span in 2019-20. June-February disappearance totaled 569.086 million bushels, up 3% from 552.522 million bushels in the first three quarters of 2019-20.

March 1 wheat stocks in the Central states, the most important region for soft red winter wheat, totaled 94.933 million bushels, down 13% from 109.624 million bushels a year earlier. Only 2% of the region’s stocks, 1.7 million bushels, was held on farms.        

December-February wheat disappearance in the Central states totaled 36.512 million bushels, down 5.353 million bushels, or 13%, from 41.865 million bushels in the third quarter of 2019-20. June-February disappearance totaled 128.93 million bushels, down 10% from 142.968 million bushels in the first three quarters of 2019-20.

Wheat stocks held in the Pacific Northwest states — Idaho, Oregon and Washington — on March 1 totaled 181.874 million bushels, up 3.869 million bushels, or 2%, from 178.005 million bushels a year earlier. On-farm stocks at 34.7 million bushels accounted for 19% of the region’s March 1 holdings.

Wheat disappearance in the Pacific Northwest in December-February totaled 87.727 million bushels, up 17.353 million bushels, or 25%, from 70.374 million bushels in the third quarter of 2019-20. June-February disappearance totaled 244.334 million bushels, up 22% from 201.050 million bushels in the first three quarters of 2019-20.

NASS estimated March 1 durum stocks at 42.727 million bushels, down 8.671 million bushels, or 17%, from 51.398 million bushels a year earlier. Fifty-three percent of the March 1 durum inventory, 22.6 million bushels, was held on farms.

December-February durum disappearance was 18.912 million bushels, up 46% from 12.989 million bushels in the same quarter in 2019-20. Durum disappearance in the first three quarters of 2020-21 totaled 68.011 million bushels, up 18% from 57.531 million bushels in June-February 2019-20.