01/09/07 Still trying to ramp up hard white wheat

Farm and Ranch January 9, 2007 Wheat industry representatives from Oregon, Idaho, Washington and Montana met in Portland last week to discuss ways to develop the critical mass necessary to accommodate the export demand for hard white wheat. Simpson: "We had the four major exporters and we had seed dealers and country elevators as well as commission representatives from all four states." Tana Simpson, Administrator of the Oregon Wheat Commission, who says the original hope was to ramp up hard white production in the PNW this spring to take advantage of the limited supply of wheat from Australia. Simpson: "But as we looked at it a little further there are some other issues that play into the way people are producing this year. We saw quite a bit more winter planting. We see some high barley prices so a lot folks are probably going to put in some spring barley. In looking at it in our discussion last week we felt that ramping up in the spring is probably not going to be possible, but we are going to aim to increase the production in key areas in 08." The group set a goal to provide a cargo, 2.2 million bushels at 12.5 percent minimum protein, to one market at hard red winter pricing in 2008. Indications are an importing country will commit to purchase in advance of winter planting to minimize some risk to the industry. Simpson says there has been no decision if that means there would be contracts for growers. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.