Milling & Baking News - January 27, 2009 - 35

Ingredient Week

Bakery Flour

Bookings of bakery flour were limited
last week. Prices advanced.
Bakers' flour needs through March
were nearly covered and attention shifted to the second quarter. There were only
minimal additions made to April-June
ownership and millers estimated flat
coverage for the period at around 30%
with most of the ownership front-loaded into April. Activity of note last week
were individual spring standard patent
users extending flour coverage into April
and May and individual cookie-cracker
and specialty bakers hedging in Chicago
September futures against prospective
flour bookings for the summer.
Major baking companies were said to
have booked basis and locked in millfeed
credits against about 50% of their prospective flour bookings for April-June.
Several other bakers held back in the
hope the cash basis on spring wheat and
the basis on hard winter wheat would
begin to weaken. Ideas were the spring
wheat basis especially was supported
since the holidays principally by weather-related logistical constraints on wheat
movement. The still wide inverse in the
millfeed market also was a constraint on
flour bookings for the second quarter.
Flour grind increased in several regions
after extremely light schedules a week earlier. Mills in the Southwest averaged about
five days while Upper Midwest mills averaged near six. Central states mills ran 5½ to
six days, Northeast mills averaged six and
Southeast was barely five. California mills

Bakery flour

were at 5½ to six days and Pacific Northeast was near six. MBN

Family Flour

Sales of national and regional brands
of family flour were seasonally sluggish. Carlot list prices were unchanged
to lower.
Downward adjustments in list prices
of two regional manufacturers took effect last week. List prices on bales of
eight 5-lb bags were lowered to around
$15.80 in one instance and $15.20 in the
other. The new pricing was down $2.60
to $3.20 a bale, or 14% to 17%, from the
price quoted on this page that continued
to be observed by national brands. Other
regional manufacturers announced similar reductions in their list prices. The list
price adjustments reflected sharply lower
wheat prices compared with a year ago.
While new sales were light, buyers
began to request expedited shipments
against contracts as post-holiday surpluses were consumed. As a result, packaging lines were operating more active
schedules.
Manufacturers and retailers were discussing promotions that will begin in
mid-February for the Easter season. MBN

Semolina

Bookings of semolina, granulars and
durum flour were limited last week.
Prices edged lower.
The price of choice milling hard amber durum in Minneapolis declined 25c,
to $9.25 a bu. The price was $9.50 for the

previous five weeks. The new price compared with the all-time high of $26.50 a bu
last February and with $21.75 a bu a year
ago. The Canadian Wheat Board lowered
its price of milling durum held in store in
Thunder Bay, Ont., by 25c, to the equivalent of $9.50 a bu. Ideas were the C.W.B.
was interested in increasing shipments to
the U.S. but was not really aggressive in
the pursuit of the business.
Durum supply was improved from a
year ago. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Jan. 12 estimated Dec. 1 durum stocks in all positions in the United
States at 44,734,000 bus, up 12% from
39,770,000 bus in 2007.
Pasta manufacturers earlier covered nearly all of their semolina needs
through March. April-June coverage was
added in "dribs and drabs" with most
pasta makers content to wait awhile
before putting on substantial coverage
into the second quarter. Second-quarter
semolina was offered at a 60c premium
to the nearby price with the difference
mostly attributed to the wide inverse in
the millfeed market.
Pasta sales were said to be improved
from a year ago. Durum mill grind began to pull free from the post-holiday
malaise and running times averaged five
to six days. MBN

Bakers standard, Kansas City
Bulk, f.o.b. car, $ per cwt

No. 1 hard amber durum

Bulk, f.o.b. car, $ per cwt

Track, Minneapolis
- Change from - Year
- Change from - Year $ per bu
Jan. 23 Jan. 16 Jan. 9 ago
Jan. 23 Jan. 16
Jan. 9 ago Choice milling 13% 9.25
-.25
-.25 21.75
Kansas City
cents per bu
Bakers short patent
16.50
0.15
-0.40 25.40 Amber discount
10
-
-
10
Bakers standard patent 16.40
0.15
-0.40 25.30 Durum discount
10@40
-
- 10@40
Second clear
13.00
-
- 12.00 Puffing premium
0
-
-
0
Third clear
5.80
-
-
5.80
Semolina
Minneapolis
Spring short patent
18.95
0.80
0.60 31.05 Bulk, f.o.b. Minneapolis, $ per cwt
- Change from - Year
Spring standard patent 18.85
0.80
0.60 30.95
Jan. 23 Jan. 16 Jan. 9
ago
High gluten
21.85
0.80
0.60 31.95
23.10
-.55
-.60
53.80
Whole wheat
18.85
0.80
0.60 30.95 Semolina
22.90
-.55
-.60
53.60
Specialty whole wheat 19.20
0.80
0.60 31.30 Granulars
22.80
-.55
-.60
53.50
Fancy spring clear
18.70
0.80
0.60 30.80 Flour
21.00
-
-
35.05
First spring clear
18.60
0.80
0.60 30.70 First clear
-
-
10.25
Rye, white
18.40
0.05
- 32.50 Second clear 13.00
Semolina - N.Y. 25.80
-.55
-.60
56.20
Chicago
Cracker
13.65
0.15
-0.70 22.10
Nationally advertised family flour
Fancy cake
15.15
0.15
-0.70 23.60
Dollars
New York
Jan. 23
Year ago
Winter/spring blend
18.90
0.15
-0.40 27.80
Family patent, 2-25s papers 22.50
16.05
Spring standard patent 20.85
0.85
0.30 33.55
4-10s
18.24
13.78
High gluten
23.85
0.85
0.30 34.55
8-5s
18.40
13.96
Fancy cake
17.15
0.15
-0.70 25.60
18-2s
21.76
15.66
Rye, white
20.90
0.05
- 35.00
Self-rising
+88c per bale +88c per bale
Los Angeles
Bakers standard patent 20.00
0.15
-0.40 26.60
Pastry
18.95
0.15
-0.40 38.75
36 / January 27, 2009

Milling & Baking News

Spring standard, Minneapolis
Bulk, f.o.b. car, $ per cwt

Cracker flour, Chicago
Bulk, f.o.b. car, $ per cwt

bakingbusiness.com / world-grain.com

http://www.bakingbusiness.com http://www.world-grain.com

Milling & Baking News - January 27, 2009

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