Milling & Baking News - May 5, 2009 - 39

Ingredient Week

Bakery Flour

Bookings of bakery flour were limited
last week. Prices advanced because of a
wheat futures rally on Friday. Minneapolis futures led the way higher.
Most bookings during the week involved filling gaps in May-June coverage in all grades. It was estimated coverage for the last two months of the second
quarter was approaching 75% in the case
of pan bread flour. Cookie-cracker and
specialty bakers' soft flour coverage for
the second quarter was nearly complete.
In the market for pan bread flour, component buyers were more active than in
recent weeks, with some bakers hedging
in wheat futures prospective flour bookings through September. There also was
basis booking for July-September and
even some locking in of millfeed credits in the wake of recent price advances
in that market. Many soft flour users
already booked basis for the third quarter. Users of spring grades were more
hesitant given current uncertainties over
spring wheat planting.
Flour grind was unseasonably light
in many regions. Central states mills averaged more than six days and Pacific
Northwest mills ran near six. Southwest
and Upper Midwest mills ran about five
days. Southeast mills ran less than five
days and Northeast units ran about four.
California mills ran five to six days. MBN

Family Flour

Sales of national and regional brands
of family flour were routine last week fol-

Bakery flour
May 1

40 / May 5, 2009

Semolina

Bookings of semolina, granulars and
durum flour were limited last week.
Price changes were narrow.
The price of choice milling hard amber durum in Minneapolis held at $8.25
a bu for the seventh consecutive week.
Changes in semolina prices during this
span were tied to adjustments in millfeed prices. Trading in the cash durum
market was minimal with mills earlier
having purchased supplies to sustain
pipelines for an extended period. The
Canadian Wheat Board offered milling
durum held in storage in Thunder Bay,
Ont., at the equivalent of $8.55 a bu.
Pasta manufacturers earlier covered
their semolina needs through June. Coverage for July-September was limited
and buyers betrayed no sense of urgency
with regard to booking supply for the fi-

nal months of the current crop year. New
crop coverage was slim to lacking.
Through April 26, North Dakota
growers were stymied in efforts to seed
new crop durum because of wet conditions. The North Dakota field office of
the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated only 1% of the state's durum
crop was planted by that date compared
with 14% as the recent five-year average.
While rain fell across eastern sections of
the northern Plains last week, western
areas were mostly dry, and the pace of
planting slowly began to pick up.
Meanwhile, the desert durum crop
progressed at a normal pace. The Arizona crop was 75% heading on April 26
compared with 64% a week earlier, 78%
around the same date last year and 77%
as the recent five-year average, according to the U.S.D.A. field office in that
state. Arizona producers planted 125,000
acres to durum for harvest this year,
down 17% from 150,000 acres in 2008,
and California growers planted 150,000
acres to durum, down 12% from a year
ago. The recent five-year average for
Arizona durum planted area was 97,600
acres, and the California five-year average was 105,000 acres. While 2008 acreage in both states was large, neither state
saw record plantings. MBN

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

No. 1 hard amber durum

Bulk, f.o.b. car, $ per cwt
Kansas City
Bakers short patent
Bakers standard patent
Second clear
Third clear
Minneapolis
Spring short patent
Spring standard patent
High gluten
Whole wheat
Specialty whole wheat
Fancy spring clear
First spring clear
Rye, white
Chicago
Cracker
Fancy cake
New York
Winter/spring blend
Spring standard patent
High gluten
Fancy cake
Rye, white
Los Angeles
Bakers standard patent
Pastry

lowing the boost provided by increased
home baking ahead of the Easter holiday.
Carlot list prices were unchanged, with
the premier national brand holding to
levels set early last year even with most
regional brands priced about 15% lower.
The disparity in pricing reflected differing approaches to providing incentives
to grocers and other principal outlets to
purchase particular brands.
Manufacturers already began to direct
their attention to the upcoming fall baking
season. Private label manufacturers were
booking their trade through the summer,
and some buyers already put on at least
minimal coverage through December. MBN

16.45
16.35
13.00
5.80

Track, Minneapolis
- Change from - Year $ per bu
April 24 April 17 ago Choice milling 13%
cents per bu
0.35
0.85 24.00 Amber discount
0.35
0.85 23.90 Durum discount
-
- 13.00 Puffing premium
-
-
5.80

May 1
8.25
10.00
10@40
0

- Change from - Year
April 24 April 17 ago
-
-
17.00
-
-
-

-
-
-

10.00
10@40
0

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

Semolina

18.80
18.70
21.70
18.70
19.05
18.55
18.45
17.25

0.50
0.50
0.50
0.50
0.50
0.50
0.50
-

1.55
1.55
1.55
1.55
1.55
1.55
1.55
-0.25

26.05
25.95
29.95
25.95
26.30
25.80
25.70
42.95

Bulk, f.o.b. Minneapolis, $ per cwt
- Change from -
May 1
April 24 April 17
Semolina
20.70
-
-.15
Granulars
20.50
-
-.15
Flour
20.40
-
-.15
First clear
17.85
-
-
Second clear 13.00
-
-
Semolina - N.Y. 23.40
-
-.15

13.10
14.60

0.60
0.60

0.65
0.65

18.80
20.30

Nationally advertised family flour

18.85
20.50
23.50
16.60
19.75

0.35
-
-
0.60
-

0.85
1.00
1.00
0.65
-0.25

26.40
28.35
32.35
22.30
45.45

18.35
15.65

0.35
0.35

0.85
0.85

24.70
30.10

Milling & Baking News

Year
ago
41.50
41.30
41.20
34.10
12.10
43.90

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

Dollars
May 1
Family patent, 2-25s papers 22.50
4-10s
18.25
8-5s
18.40
18-2s
21.76
Self-rising
+88c per bale

Year ago
22.50
18.24
18.40
21.76
+88c pe bale

bakingbusiness.com / world-grain.com

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

Milling & Baking News - May 5, 2009

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