The Great Plains have long been celebrated for the “amber waves of grain” in the popular hymn “America the Beautiful.” The region’s states produce most of the U.S.-grown crop of hard red winter wheat, favored by bakers for bread. But with prices hovering around $5 (C$6.86) per bushel, U.S. wheat farmers have reached an inflection point, with many forced to either lose money, feed wheat to cattle or kill off the crop.
‘Amber waves of grain’ recede in America’s heartland as wheat farmers struggle
Midwestern farmers abandoning wheat crops as profits recede, weather challenges
CBOT Weekly: External factors raising wheat prices
Weather, geopolitical risk provide support
Numerous factors caused United States wheat prices to sharply rise during the week ended June 18, 2025.
USDA makes small cuts to corn, wheat ending stocks
Few changes the central theme in June report
The June supply/demand report from the United States Department of Agriculture contained very few changes from May. The USDA issued its World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates on June 12, showing some declines for U.S. corn and wheat ending stocks, while those for soybeans were unchanged.
CBOT Weekly: ‘Not looking for any fireworks’ in June WASDE
Report unlikely to have notable changes
Do not expect any major changes in the June supply and demand report from the United States Department of Agriculture, said Terry Reilly, senior agricultural specialist for Marex.
Canadian Wheat Research Coalition funds AAFC variety development
The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition has pledged nearly $20 million in funding for wheat variety development over the next three years.
U.K. wheat output to swing higher in 2025/26
Wheat production fell last year for several reasons
Wheat production in the United Kingdom is forecast to turn around in 2025/26 after falling back the previous year, the United States Department of Agriculture reported on June 9.
Tariffs on canola seen supercharging Canadian farmers’ shift to spring wheat
U.S. Great Plains farmers skipping the cereal in favour of more profitable crops
The prospect of Chinese and U.S. tariffs on canola have prompted Western Canadian farmers to seed more wheat.
U.S. wheat growers worried about industry moving north
American producers are concerned that a number of problems facing the sector could end up chasing the crop into Canada
Reading Time: 4 minutes U.S. wheat producers are concerned that American wheat production may begin to migrate north of the border.
Prairie Wheat Weekly: Mixed prices across the region
Higher U.S. prices encourage stronger cash prices
Western Canadian cash prices for spring wheat were mostly higher during the week ended June 5, while those for amber durum moved lower.
CBOT Weekly: Crop conditions raise spring wheat prices
Other crop prices firmer, stronger
Spring wheat prices rose, while other prices were firmer or higher during the week ended June 4, 2025.
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
