Milling & Baking News - September 24, 2019 - 40

Ingredient Week

Bakery Flour
Bookings of bakery flour were light last
week. Prices of spring grades surged with
hard winter-spring blends also stronger.
Soft flour pricing was nearly unchanged.
Most bakers were on the sidelines as
pyrotechnics erupted in the spring wheat
market that may affect pricing and baker purchasing decisions for the rest of
the crop year. The spring wheat harvest
lagged the average pace because of frequent rain interruptions. The rain was
heavy at times and was exacting a toll
on wheat quality. Farmers were holding
back their best quality supply, and wheat
offers on the spot market have nearly
dried up. Light offers resulted in the basis
on 14%-protein spring wheat not being
quoted on Tuesday and Wednesday last
week. When 14% protein was quoted on
Thursday, it was 60@70c a bu higher than
at the beginning of the week. The combination of a surging cash spring wheat basis and wide gains in Minneapolis wheat
futures pushed spring grade and winterspring blend flour prices sharply higher.
Quality problems in the hard red spring
wheat crop were of concern not only to
specialty and hearth bread bakers and
other users of spring grade flours but
also to pan bread bakers and other flour
users who typically use flour milled primarily or even exclusively from the hard
winter wheat. Because of the low average
protein of the 2019 hard red winter wheat
crop, many such bakers were adding more
flour milled from spring wheat to develop
blends that deliver the protein required.

Bakery ﬂour
- Change from - Year
Sept. 20 Sept. 13 Sept. 6 ago

40 / September 24, 2019

Family Flour
Seasonal increases continued for sales
and shipments of national and regional
brands of family flour. Carlot list prices
were unchanged.
The full weight of baking season demand won't be evident for a few weeks
yet. Upcoming seasonal promotions were
expected to begin and may include discounts on bundles of two 5-lb bags. Competition for supermarket and mass retailer
shelf space was intense. Branded product
was offered at some outlets for $2.59 per
5-lb bag or as low as $2.48. Private label
was offered as low as $1.99 a bag.
Major buyers of private label flour had
extended coverage beyond what was
typical for mid-September. Most had
coverage through mid-summer 2020. MBN

Semolina
Bookings of semolina, granulars and

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

This may have become a more costly proposition than earlier contemplated.
The week's developments were widely discussed but put a pause to contracting. Millers encouraged bakers not to
panic and began working on solutions.
Millers estimated flour coverage as follows for October-December: 75% to 85%
for pan bread flour and spring grades,
and 75% for soft flour. January-March
coverage was estimated at 50% to 60%
for pan bread flour, 50% to 65% for spring
grades, and 30% to 40% for soft flour.
Mill grind across the country averaged about six days last week. MBN

durum flour were light last week. Prices
were raised sharply in response to a hike
in cash durum prices.
The price of choice milling hard amber durum as quoted at the Chicago
rail gateway for delivery beyond was
a nominal $7.75 a bu, up 45c. The Minneapolis price was a nominal $7.45. Durum millers cautioned prices may continue to rise because of slow progress
in the harvest and deterioration in crop
quality because of ill-timed heavy rainfall. Highest among quality concerns
were color loss, sprout damage and
lower falling number. One miller noted
he had never seen such a rapid deterioration. Damaged supplies were likely
to be funneled into feed-wheat channels, and milling quality wheat may be
drawn from significant stockpiles from
the 2018 crop, he said.
Coverage levels were steady with
October-December contracting at about
90% with January-March pipelines
about 50% filled.
The U.S.D.A. indicated North Dakota
durum was 50% harvested by Sept. 15,
well behind 93% a year earlier and 79%
as the recent five-year average for the
date. Montana durum was 44% harvested compared with 84% a year ago and
81% as the average. MBN

Bakers standard, Kansas City
Bulk, f.o.b. car, per cwt
$18.50
$16.50
$14.50

Track, Chicago
- Change from - Year
$ per bu
Sept. 20 Sept. 13 Sept. 6 ago
Choice milling 13% 7.75
+.45
+.65 7.75

$12.50
S

M
Previous Year

13.80
13.70
8.85
...

0.60
0.60
-
...

0.65
0.65
-
...

15.20
15.10
8.85
...

Track, Minneapolis
$ per bu

15.20
15.10
16.10
15.10
15.45
14.95
14.85
19.85

2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
-1.95

1.75
1.75
1.75
1.75
1.75
1.75
1.75
-1.95

14.95
14.85
17.85
14.85
15.20
14.70
14.60
13.90

Bulk, f.o.b. Minneapolis, $ per cwt
- Change from -
Sept. 20 Sept. 13 Sept. 6
Semolina
18.70
+1.15
+1.65
Granulars
18.50
+1.15
+1.65
Flour
18.40
+1.15
+1.65
First clear
14.00
-
-
Second clear
7.00
-
-
Semolina - N.Y. 21.90
+1.15
+1.65

13.70
15.20

0.05
0.05

0.60
0.60

13.05
14.55

16.20
17.15
18.15
17.20
22.35

0.60
2.20
2.20
0.05
-1.95

0.65
1.60
1.60
0.60
-1.95

17.60
17.60
20.60
16.55
16.40

18.40
18.45

0.60
0.60

0.65
0.65

19.80
19.85

Milling & Baking News

Choice milling 13% 7.45

Spring standard, Minneapolis
+.45

+.65

7.45

Semolina

Bulk, f.o.b. car, per cwt
$20.00
$18.00

Year
ago
18.60
18.40
18.30
15.50
8.50
21.80

Nationally advertised family ﬂour

$16.00
$14.00
$12.00
S

M
Previous Year

J
Current Year

Cracker ﬂour, Chicago
Bulk, f.o.b. car, per cwt
$15.00

Dollars
Family patent, 2-25s papers
4-10s
8-5s
18-2s
Self-rising

J
Current Year

Sept. 20
24.12
...
18.52
20.64
...

Year ago
24.12
...
18.52
20.64
...

$13.50
$12.00
$10.50
S

D
Previous Year

J
Current Year

bakingbusiness.com / world-grain.com

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

Milling & Baking News - September 24, 2019

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