Milling & Baking News - May 12, 2015 - 34

Ingredient Week

Bakery Flour
Bookings of bakery flour were steady
at an unhurried pace. Upward price adjustments were minor in the case of pan
bread flour and soft flour, but spring
standard patent prices were raised
sharply in consideration of a spike in
cash spring wheat premiums.
Flour prices hovered near levels that
were among the lowest in years. At
around $15.35 a cwt at midweek last
week, the price of standard patent bakery flour was down about $1.50 a cwt
from the end of December and down $6,
or 28%, from a year ago. Wheat futures
prices set new contract lows early last
week, and the Kansas City cash wheat
basis was nearly 50c a bu lower than in
early-May 2014. Tempering downward
pressure on flour prices were ailing
millfeed values.
Many experienced flour buyers have
steadily extended coverage in recent
weeks. Individual food service buyers
extended coverage into the first quarter
of 2016. Still, there were several bakers
who held back in hope the downtrend in
pricing would continue.
Bakers' flour coverage through June
was solid. By the week's end, pan
bread bakers' commitments to JulySeptember flour contracts (comprising
flat bookings and component positions
indicating intentions to complete contracts with particular millers once the
other components are covered) expanded to about 35% to 40% of the quarter's
potential. October-December contract

Bakery ﬂour
May 8

34 / May 12, 2015

Family Flour
Sales of national and regional brands
of family flour were seasonally sluggish.
Carlot list prices were unchanged.
Shipments were routine. Home bakers
won't provide spark to the market until
near the beginning of the 2015-16 school
year and the fall baking season.
In the market for private label family flour, individual buyers booked supply through December. But most buyers held to the sidelines after covering
their prospective needs through July or
August. These buyers hoped for further
weakness in wheat prices. MBN

Semolina
Bookings of semolina, granulars and
durum flour were light last week. Prices
edged lower.
The price of choice milling hard amber durum as quoted at the Chicago
gateway was $10.50 a bu, down 25c from
the previous week. Prices have slumped
about $9.50 a bu from November highs
and compared with $10.25 a bu a year
ago. The Minneapolis price last week
was $10.20 a bu.
Pasta manufacturers displayed no interest in adding semolina coverage. Prices were declining, durum planting progress was excellent in North Dakota and
Montana, and the desert durum crop

was progressing well and showed great
promise. Semolina buyers were hopeful
prices will continue to drop.
Semolina coverage was solid through
June, and July-September coverage remained at about 40% completed.
Planting of the 2015 durum crop
across the northern Plains was progressing ahead of the average pace. The North
Dakota crop was 26% planted by May 3
compared with 1% a year earlier and
13% as the recent five-year average for
the date. The Montana crop was 40%
planted compared with 22% as the fiveyear average, and emergence was 4%
compared with 2% as the average.
The Arizona durum crop was 75%
heading by May 3 compared with 88% as
the recent five-year average for the date.
One per cent of the crop was mature.
Arizona durum was rated 19% excellent,
72% good, 8% fair and 1% poor.
There was good demand for the desert
durum crop. Traditional buyers of desert durum include regional durum mills
and European durum importers. But this
year, demand from mills in other regions
of the United States was stronger than
usual because high-quality desert supply was required to supplement rapidly
diminishing supplies of 2014 northern
Plains durum with good quality. MBN

Bakers standard, Kansas City
Bulk, f.o.b. car, $ per cwt
$22.00
$20.00
$18.00

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

commitments were estimated at about
15% of that quarter's business.
Mill grind averaged six days across
most regions. MBN

Track, Chicago
- Change from - Year $ per bu
May 8
May 1
Apr. 24 ago Choice milling 13% 10.50

15.70
15.60
12.00
...

0.35
0.35
-
...

0.40
0.40
-
...

21.30 Track, Minneapolis
21.20 $ per bu
14.00 Choice milling 13% 10.20
...

18.00
17.90
20.90
17.90
18.25
17.75
17.65
23.70

1.10
1.10
1.10
1.10
1.10
1.10
1.10
0.05

1.65
1.65
1.65
1.65
1.65
1.65
1.65
0.20

20.65
20.55
23.55
20.55
20.90
20.40
20.30
23.15

13.70
15.20

0.10
0.10

-0.10
-0.10

17.55
19.05

18.10
19.95
22.95
17.20
26.20

0.35
1.00
1.00
0.10
0.05

0.40
1.55
1.55
-0.10
0.20

23.70
22.75
25.75
21.05
25.65

20.60
20.65

0.35
0.35

0.40
0.40

26.60
26.65

Milling & Baking News

- Change from - Year
May 1 Apr. 24 ago
-.25
-.50 11.00

$16.00
$14.00
M

N
Previous Year

F
Current Year

Spring standard, Minneapolis
-.25

-.50

10.70

Bulk, f.o.b. car, $ per cwt
$27.00

Semolina

$25.00

Bulk, f.o.b. Minneapolis, $ per cwt
- Change from -
May 8
May 1 Apr. 24
Semolina
26.05
-.55
-1.10
Granulars
25.85
-.55
-1.10
Flour
25.75
-.55
-1.10
First clear
20.00
...
...
Second clear 13.00
...
...
Semolina - N.Y. 28.85
-.55
-1.10

$23.00

Year
ago
26.40
26.20
26.10
17.55
13.50
29.20

Nationally advertised family ﬂour

$21.00
$19.00
$17.00
$15.00
M

N
Previous Year

F
Current Year

Cracker ﬂour, Chicago
Bulk, f.o.b. car, $ per cwt
$21.00

Dollars
May 8
Family patent, 2-25s papers 24.12
4-10s
n.a.
8-5s
18.52
18-2s
20.64
Self-rising
n.a.

$19.00

Year ago
24.12
n.a.
18.52
20.64
n.a.

$17.00
$15.00
$13.00
$11.00
$9.00
M

N
Previous Year

F
Current Year

bakingbusiness.com / world-grain.com

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Milling & Baking News - May 12, 2015

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