USA: weekly wheat export shipments fell to a record-low 75 thousand tons

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA AMS), in its weekly Grain Transportation Report of November 5, said that only 75,413 tons of wheat were inspected for export in the week ended October 29. That is the lowest weekly figure since records began in 1983; the previous low was in the last week of 2022. A week earlier it was 195 thousand tons.

Key figures

• Wheat: 75,413 t in a week
• Lowest since 1983
• Wheat vessels: only 2
• Since June: 7.5 Mt, −22%
• Hard red winter: −49%
• Shipped: 67% of 2025 level

What changed

Only two vessels loaded wheat this week: hard red winter from Texas ports to Suriname, and a mix of classes from a port on the Columbia River to Taiwan. More than half of the volume, 38,619 tons, went to Mexico by rail. There were no shipments at all from the Gulf ports on the Mississippi. Over the last 4 weeks, inspections were 53% of last year's and 68% of the average of the previous three years.

By the numbers

The export picture as of October 29, compared with last year:

• Since June, 7.5 million tons of wheat have been inspected, 22% below the 5-year average; hard red winter accounts for 1.6 million tons, down 49%.
• Shipped against contracts: 7.8 million tons versus 11.6 million (67%); hard red winter 1.8 million versus 4.6 million (39%); durum 114%.
• Contracted but not yet shipped: 4.26 million tons of wheat versus 5.23 million.
• Corn: commitments of 24.8 million tons versus 37.4 million, down 34%.
• December futures on October 30, $ per bushel: Kansas City wheat 6.442 (a week earlier 6.646, a year ago 5.244), Chicago 6.036 (6.250 and 5.340), corn 4.478 (4.558 and 4.314), soybeans 12.340 (12.684 and 11.152).

Transportation

Freight from the Gulf of Mexico to Japan fell 2% to $74.75 per ton, while from the US Northwest it rose 3% to $39.50. Railroad fuel surcharges in November averaged a record $0.76 per mile, with a slight decline expected in December. In the week ended October 31, barges carried 282.4 thousand tons of grain on the rivers, 68% less than a year ago.

What it means for buyers

American wheat is currently shipping slowly, especially hard red winter. At the same time, prices are still above last year's, although they fell about 3% over the week. A buyer in Kazakhstan or Ukraine who is planning purchases should watch two things: weak US wheat exports and the high cost of transport inside the country.

Source: US Department of Agriculture (USDA AMS), Grain Transportation Report