Milling & Baking News - September 6, 2005 - 47

I N G R E D I E N T

Bakery Flour

W E E K

Bookings of bakery flour were limited
last week. Prices declined.
Pan bread bakers filled gaps in September coverage and added to their
ownership of October needs. Declining
wheat futures prices triggered standing orders and accounted for some of
this business. Individual bakers extended contract balances through December. But even bakers not booking
flour were encouraged by weakening
wheat futures prices to hedge prospective flour purchases by taking futures
coverage through December. Many of
these bread bakers still were put off by
cash wheat premiums they thought to
be too high. At the same time, no significant relief from current basis levels
was expected soon.
Specialty bread bakers and other users of spring standard patent weren't
active last week. Declines in premiums
on hard red spring wheat at Minneapolis
generated optimism that the cash spring
wheat market could continue to drop
toward historical norms. Distributors
and other buyers of sacked flour bought
what was required to keep contract balances extended about 45 days.
Cookie-cracker and specialty bakers already held more extensive coverage into
the fourth quarter than bread bakers, and
very little new business transpired in the
market for soft flour last week. Soft flour
users seemed to think Chicago futures
prices had more downside potential.
Hurricane Katrina forced the in-

Bakery flour

definite closing of baking plants in New
Orleans. Most plants in other areas affected by the hurricane were operating
toward the week's end. The week before
the Labor Day weekend typically is one
of the heaviest production spans of the
year for baking plants.
Flour mill grind varied last week but
was heavier than expected. Mills in the
Southwest ran from five to seven days.
The Upper Midwest and Northeast were
at 4½ to six days, while the Central states
was 5½ to seven. Southeast mills averaged five days. California mills ran six
to seven days, and the Pacific Northwest
five to six. MBN

Family Flour

Sales of national and regional brands
of family flour picked up momentum
last week. Carlot list prices were unchanged.
Orders and shipments increased as all
schools across the country soon will be
in session. The start of schools typically
provides spark to the market for family
flour, a harbinger of the upcoming key
baking season.
Grocers' September ad campaigns got
off to a slow start. But promotions were
expected to become more aggressive in
coming weeks.
Manufacturers operated full tilt to
accommodate the increase in orders
and, in instances, to continue to build
warehoused inventories for the fall.
Several mills will take downtime over
the Labor Day holiday, though, for

regularly scheduled maintenance. MBN

Semolina

Bookings of semolina, granulars and
durum flour were brisk last week. Price
changes were narrow.
The cash price of choice milling hard
amber durum held at $4.70 a bu. The
market has been stable for weeks at historically attractive levels. It was thought
that downside potential for prices was
limited. And this encouraged pasta
manufacturers to be more aggressive in
booking. Individual pasta makers last
week, who already had taken partial or
even complete coverage of their prospective needs through December, extended
contract balances into January-March. In
isolated instances, coverage even further
forward was taken.
Durum mill running times ranged from
four to five days last week, with several
units having scheduled regular maintenance during the holiday weekend.
The North Dakota durum harvest was
48% completed by Aug. 28, compared with
32% the week before and 39% as the recent
five-year average for the date. The state's
crop was rated 76% good to excellent and
21% fair. The Montana crop was 51% harvested, compared with 37% a week earlier
and 20% as the recent average. 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
Sept. 2 Aug. 26 Aug. 19 ago
Sept. 2 Aug. 26 Aug. 19 ago Choice milling 13% 4.70
-
...
5.25
Kansas City
cents per bu
Bakers short patent
11.35
-0.30
-0.10 10.70 Amber discount
10
-
-
10
Bakers standard patent 11.25
-0.30
-0.10 10.60 Durum discount
10@40
-
- 10@40
Second clear
6.50
-
-
8.00 Puffing premium
0
-
-
0
Third clear
5.50
-
-
7.00
Semolina
Minneapolis
Spring short patent
11.70
-1.10
-0.45 10.85 Bulk, f.o.b. Minneapolis, $ per cwt
- Change from - Year
Spring standard patent 11.60
-1.10
-0.45 10.75
Sept. 2 Aug. 26 Aug. 19
ago
High gluten
14.60
-1.10
-0.45 13.75
12.50
-.05
-.20
13.70
Whole wheat
11.60
-1.10
-0.45 10.75 Semolina
12.30
-.05
-.20
13.50
Specialty whole wheat 11.95
-1.10
-0.45 11.10 Granulars
12.20
-.05
-.20
13.40
Fancy spring clear
11.45
-1.10
-0.45 10.60 Flour
9.45
-.05
-.20
10.30
First spring clear
11.35
-1.10
-0.45 10.50 First clear
6.50
-
-
8.55
Rye, white
9.85
0.15
0.10
8.95 Second clear
Semolina - N.Y. 14.80
-.05
-.20
16.20
Chicago
Cracker
9.90
-0.30
-0.35 10.15
Nationally advertised family flour
Fancy cake
11.40
-0.30
-0.35 11.65
Dollars
New York
Year ago
Winter/spring blend
13.75
-0.30
-0.10 13.10
Family patent, 2-25s papers 15.36
15.36
Spring standard patent 14.60
-1.05
-0.30 13.25
4-10s
13.00
13.00
High gluten
17.60
-1.05
-0.30 16.25
8-5s
13.36
13.36
Fancy cake
13.40
-0.30
-0.35 13.65
18-2s
15.66
15.66
Rye, white
12.35
0.15
0.10 11.45
Self-rising
+56c per bale +56c per bale
Los Angeles
Bakers standard patent 12.35
0.05
0.30 11.75
Pastry
11.95
-0.20
-0.15 12.45

48 / Milling & Baking News, September 6, 2005

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

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Milling & Baking News - September 6, 2005

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