Milling & Baking News - February 26, 2008 - 20

Data

base its computations of milling operations and average production
per working day on a six-day week,
whereas since 1950 the Census Bureau
had based these compilations on a
five-day workweek.
By quarters, output in 2007 ranged
from 108,787,000 in July-September to
99,796,000 in January-March, while the
reported variation in 2006 was between
103,878,000 cwts in the third quarter
and 97,053,000 cwts in the second.
Average monthly production of

115

110

105

100

95

90

24-hour capacity of U.S. mills in October-December 2007 at 1,532,000 cwts, up
26,000 cwts from 1,506,000 a year earlier.
The latter figure will be revised in May,
the Census Bureau said. Daily capacity
was 1,492,000 at the end of 2005.
Daily capacity in October-December
was unchanged from the third quarter
but up 4,000 from the second and up
5,000 from the first. It was the fourth
largest for a quarter. The largest daily
capacity was 1,604,000 cwts in AprilJune 2001, followed by 1,588,000 in
January-March
2001, 1,543,000 in
July-September
2001, 1,532,000 in
July-September
and October-December 2007 and
1,531,000 in both
October-December
2000 and OctoberDecember 2001.
As recently as
June 1993, the
24-hour
milling
capacity had been
placed at 1,348,000
cwts, then a record, and followed
by sizable upward
revisions. Prior to
these changes, the
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
peak in U.S. milling capacity was
flour in 2007 was 34,798,000 cwts, up 1,296,000 cwts in June 1991.
Even earlier, the daily capacity high
from an indicated 33,322,000 in 2006.
Average production of flour per was 1,223,596 cwts in 1948, which
working day in 2007 was computed ruled as the peak for 40 years. But the
at 1,360,000 cwts, up from 1,307,000 earlier years also were not strictly comin 2006. The daily average compares parable because of changes in Census
with 1,287,000 in 2005. 1,279,000 in Bureau definitions.
2004, 1,291,000 in 2003, 1,285,000 in
2002 and 1,318,000 in 2001. The record Operating rate at seven-year high
Rising to a seven-year-high, the averdaily average was 1,372,000 cwts in
2000, followed by 1,360,000 in 2007 age rate of flour milling operations in
2007 was 88.9% of capacity, based on the
and 1,342,000 in 1999.
These averages reflect a simple arith- six-day week, up from 87.1% in 2006,
metic average of the quarterly computa- 86.2% in 2005 and 85.5% in both 2004
tions. By quarters, flour output per work- and in 2003, as well as 86.4% in 2002. It
ing day in 2007 ranged from 1,431,000 was 84.2% in 2001, 90.3% in 2000, 88.4%
cwts in the third quarter to 1,296,000 in in 1999, 89.1% in 1998, 91.6% in 1997 and
the first, while the variation in 2006 was 91.7% in 1996. By quarters, the average
between 1,349,000 cwts in the third quar- rate of grind in 2007 varied between
93.4% in July-September and 84.9% in
ter and 1,260,000 in the second.
The daily average in 2007 was based January-March, while the variation in
on 307 days, up from 306 days in 2006, 2006 was between 89.9% in the third and
but unchanged from 307 in 2005 and also 84.1% in the second quarter.
Because both production and capacdown from 308 in 2004. The missing day
in 2006 with 307 the norm reflects the fact ity will be adjusted upward for 2006,
that the year began and ended on Sun- the degree to which the operating rate
for 2006 will be changed was unclear.
day. The extra day in 2004 was Feb. 29.
Wheat grind by U.S. mills in 2007
aggregated 920,346,000 bus, up 3.5%
Capacity at 1,532,000 cwts
The Census Bureau estimated the from 888,905,000 bus reported for 2006.

20 / February 26, 2008

Milling & Baking News

The grind compares with 884,101,000
bus in 2005, 876,047,000 in 2004 and
889,188,000 in 2003. It was the second
largest wheat grind. The record was
944,868,000 bus in 2000, followed by
920,346,000 in 2007, 917,797,000 in 1999
and 914,036,000 in 2001. To date, wheat
grind in only these four years has surpassed the 900-million-bu mark.
The range of quarterly grind was
between 238,605,000 bus in July-September and 221,109,000 in JanuaryMarch, while the variation in 2006 was
between 231,896,000 in the third quarter to 214,993,000 in the first quarter.
Weighted average flour extraction rate
(the average percentage of flour extracted from wheat) by U.S. mills in 2007 rose
to a 10-year high of 75.6%, against 75% in
2006. It compares with 74.5% in 2005 and
74.9% in 2004. It was up from 74.3% in
2003, 74% in 2002, 73.8% in 2001, 74.3%
in 2000 and 74.8% in 1999. Extraction at
75.6% in the current year was the highest
since 1997 when it reached 76%.
Millfeed production in 2007 totaled
7,121,339 tons, up 4.2% from 6,835,891
tons reported for 2006. It was 6,826,308
in 2005, 6,763,793 in 2004. The year
was the fifth largest millfeed total.
The record was 7,374,115 tons in 2000,
followed by 7,274,979 in 2001 and
7,185,908 in 1994.
By quarters, millfeed production
varied from 1,871,055 tons in JulySeptember to 1,700,175 in JanuaryMarch, while the variation in 2006 was
between 1,782,718 in the third quarter
and 1,667,358 in the second.
October-December up 5.1%
Flour output in the fourth quarter
of 2007, October-December, amounted to 106,670,000 cwts, up 5.1% from
101,450,000 cwts reported for a year ago.
It was the fifth largest output for any
quarter. The record was October-December 2000 at 109,673,000 cwts, followed
by July-September 2000 at 108,838,000,
July-September 2007 at 108,787,000, October-December 1999 at 108,213,000 and
October-December 2007 at 106,670,000.
Quarterly figures for 2006 will be revised
as part of the annual summary.
October-December was the 10th
consecutive quarter to show an increase over a year earlier. Gains in this
period ranged from 5,268,000 cwts in
April-June 2007 to 677,000 in OctoberDecember 2005. The extended increases, in turn, followed four successive
quarters all down from a year back,
with decreases ranging from 2,163,000
to 533,000.
From the start of quarterly reporting, output in 29 quarters
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Milling & Baking News - February 26, 2008

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