Milling & Baking News - July 4, 2006 - 39

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 of bread flour declined.
Soft flour prices were steady to a shade
stronger.
Advances in wheat futures prices
tempered enthusiasm for booking much
more than fill-in flour needs. But there
was considerable activity among component buyers in both the pan bread
flour and spring standard patent markets. With cash wheat premiums weakening in both Minneapolis and Kansas
City, bakers booked basis only through
September, December or, in isolated instance, even March 2007. Millfeed values also were locked in for contracts
extending through September-October,
and in instances through December. In
many cases, once futures coverage for
the contracts is taken, flour bookings
will be complete.
The component buying resulted in
some actual flour bookings for August
and September in those cases where bakers already had futures coverage and
had been waiting for a good opportunity
to lock in millfeed and/or basis levels to
complete the transactions.
It was estimated pan bread flour coverage for July-September was about 50%
complete, with flour ownership frontloaded into July-August.
Cookie-cracker and specialty bakers
were quiet, with contract balances already extending beyond those held by
bread bakers. Eastern millers expressed
concern about the potential for vomi-

Bakery flour

toxin in the Pennsylvania crop because
of recent heavy rain. A Pennsylvania mill
had to close because of flooding, and this
rerouted some business to other mills.
Flour grind held steady last week but
will be only three or four days, except
on the West coast, this week. Mills in the
Southwest ran five to six days. Upper
Midwest grind was about six days, and
the Northeast five. Central states and
Southeast mills were at five to 5½ days.
Pacific Northwest mills ran up to seven
days, and California 6½ to seven. MBN

Family Flour

Sales of national and regional brands
of family flour were seasonally slow last
week. There were no announcements
of changes to carlot list prices, though
indications were certain manufacturers
were considering adjustments in view of
wheat prices sharply higher than a year
ago and recent price hikes by individual
family flour distributors.
Additional buyers of private label
flour booked their prospective needs
through December. Some major grocery
chains have covered their private label
needs through the crop year.
To the great relief of regional manufacturers in Kentucky and the Southeast,
the wheat crop has been harvested, and
quality seemed excellent.
Packaging lines were running full
schedules, though downtime was scheduled around Independence Day. Warehouse inventories were being built up in
advance of the fall baking season. MBN

Semolina

Bookings of semolina, granulars and
durum flour expanded last week. Prices
declined 10c per cwt.
Individual pasta makers extended
contract balances through December.
But most pasta manufacturers continued to hold back, comfortable with
coverage extending through September.
The fourth-quarter business was transacted based on a cash durum price of $5
a bu. Most offers for October-December
were based on a cash durum price of
$5.20 a bu.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture
on June 30 estimated U.S. durum plantings at 1,885,000 acres. This compared
with its March forecast of 1,825,000
acres, which was based on a survey of
farmers' spring planting intentions, and
with a planted area of 2,760,000 acres
last year. It was the smallest area planted to durum since 1961. Harvested area
of durum was projected at 1,822,000
acres, compared with 2,716,000 acres
last year.
Crop development continued to run
well ahead of normal in both North Dakota and Montana. Rated good to excellent was 75% of durum in North Dakota
(76% a week earlier) and 65% in Montana (57%). 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
June 30 June 23 June 16 ago
June 30 June 23 Jun 16 ago Choice milling 13% 5.00
-
-
4.85
Kansas City
cents per bu
Bakers short patent
14.00
-0.05
0.60 10.75 Amber discount
10
-
-
10
Bakers standard patent 13.90
-0.05
0.60 10.65 Durum discount
10@40
-
- 10@40
Second clear
5.00
-
-
6.50 Puffing premium
0
-
-
0
Third clear
4.50
-
-
5.50
Semolina
Minneapolis
Spring short patent
14.15
-0.35
0.70 11.65 Bulk, f.o.b. Minneapolis, $ per cwt
- Change from - Year
Spring standard patent 14.05
-0.35
0.70 11.55
June 30 June 23 June 16
ago
High gluten
17.05
-0.35
0.70 14.55
13.20
-.10
-.20
12.95
Whole wheat
14.05
-0.35
0.70 11.55 Semolina
13.00
-.10
-.20
12.75
Specialty whole wheat 14.40
-0.35
0.70 11.90 Granulars
12.90
-.10
-.20
12.65
Fancy spring clear
13.90
-0.35
0.70 11.40 Flour
10.00
-.10
-.20
9.90
First spring clear
13.80
-0.35
0.70 11.30 First clear
7.30
-
-
6.50
Rye, white
10.05
-0.15
-0.30
9.35 Second clear
Semolina - N.Y. 15.50
-.10
-.20
15.25
Chicago
Cracker
10.20
0.10
0.20 10.65
Nationally advertised family flour
Fancy cake
11.70
0.10
0.20 12.15
Dollars
New York
June 30
Year ago
Winter/spring blend
16.40
-0.05
0.60 13.15
Family patent, 2-25s papers 15.36
15.36
Spring standard patent 16.55
-0.35
0.80 14.35
4-10s
13.00
13.00
High gluten
19.55
-0.35
0.80 17.35
8-5s
13.36
13.36
Fancy cake
13.70
0.10
0.20 14.15
18-2s
15.66
15.66
Rye, white
12.55
-0.15
-0.30 11.85
Self-rising
+56c per bale +56c per bale
Los Angeles
Bakers standard patent 15.25
-0.05
0.30 11.65
Pastry
13.00
-0.05
-0.40 11.95

40 / Milling & Baking News, July 4, 2006

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

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

Milling & Baking News - July 4, 2006

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