PNW Journal · This is one of the most interesting summers I think we have had. One day it’s...
Transcript of PNW Journal · This is one of the most interesting summers I think we have had. One day it’s...
PNW Journal
Inside this issue
Agronomy Update... 2-7
Seed Division………8
Human Resources ... .9
Grain Division .......... 10
Harvest Logistics ..... 11-12
Pulse Update ............. 13
CEO Report I want to thank all of the members for their business this past year. I believe that
all of us, whether members or staff, are proud to say that we are associated
with Pacific Northwest Farmers Cooperative.
The support we receive from all of our members contributes to the success of
your cooperative. We have just passed the 1st anniversary of our merger with
Co-Ag and I have been very pleased with the progress this past year. The entire
company integration process has been fairly smooth and I want to thank the
north-end growers for their support and business. When we entered into this
venture, our business model showed the needed support of ALL the growers
plus some new ones. This has happened. Thank you. I also want to thank the
staff for making the transition a pleasant one. Well done.
As you read through this newsletter, you will find articles from the different di-
visions. In the Agronomy Division, I am very excited by the expanded and im-
proved plot trials from the north to the south. The Grain Division continues in
its trend to educate the growers in new marketing areas and the Specialty Foods
Division continues to make rapid production gains using new production tech-
niques. To supply quality seed in an easier, timelier manner, the Seed division is
installing equipment in a few different locations to make your seeding experi-
ence a better one.
I don’t have room to comment on all the divisions here but I want to comment
on our team. Each and every staff member, from the summer help who dumps
your trucks in Fairfield to the production folks in Lewiston Processing and eve-
ryone in between, appreciates contributing to this company. I am also very hap-py that PNW attracts some of the finest talent that will continue to help us
meet and exceed our member’s expectations in the future.
On a different note, there needs to be discussion of the ongoing tariff issues that
are and will haunt us this coming year. PNW is experiencing export issues that, I
believe, will influence the grower price in a negative manner. This issue will be
addressed further in this newsletter.
Now on a positive note, PNW is currently undergoing the year-end audit and
the preliminary indication is that it was a very good year. You will receive the
audit newsletter the first week of August.
Again, I personally appreciate your active in-
volvement with PNW and the entire staff
wishes to thank you for your business.
Enjoy a great harvest and be safe out there.
-Bill
2018 Summer Newsletter
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Crops are looking fantastic with the timely rains we have been having. The wheat is dough stage for the most
part and spring wheat is heading out and tillering. All of the early to mid-April seeded chickpeas are in full
bloom and nodulating with a few pods setting. Lentils are some of the cleanest I have seen in recent years
and the chemicals have really held weeds back with blooms starting to show up on them as well. It has been
an excellent year to have a field of peas or barley although the acres have been down on both due to the
markets. There haven’t been many signs of rust or Ascochyta Blight just yet (with the exceptions of some
further south) but with rain in the forecast this week I will be keeping a watchful eye out for both. I went
through both the flag days parade for Fairfield and the slippery gulch parade for Tekoa and it was good to see
familiar faces of you all that weathered the rain for both. Most of your attitudes have been positive as the old
saying goes, “rain makes grain!”. Let’s have a safe and successful harvest!
Eric Smith
Eric Smith - Fairfield Area Agronomist
Agronomy Update
I graduated from WSU this May out of the Agriculture and Technology Management program (AgTM), Go Cougs!
After interning for 2 years now with PNW, I have been promoted from intern to agronomist/the company drone
pilot. I am based out of our Southeast area, mainly trying to get to know growers that typically work with Kyle. I
have some pretty big shoes to fill but I am eager to get out there and bring my science/technology background to
your farm. I am blessed to be apart of this family of farmers and can hardly wait to start working with all of you.
Over the summer, I have been checking fields from Deary to Tammany, attending field days and taking notes on
our winter wheat strip trials in Genesee, ID. I would have to compare the weather this year to a greenhouse. We
have the mild heat followed by rain, it’s almost perfect. (Knock on wood). Everything seems to look good this year
from Pendleton, OR to Deary, Idaho. Most of the garbs around my areas are in full bloom and I am starting to see
some pods, especially on the early seeded beans in Tammany. I’ve seen a little Ascochyta blight around the area but
all the infected fields were sprayed with a fungicide to keep the spores from spreading. My biggest concern right
now is pod fill on the beans. They are native to the Mediterranean region and love those warmer days. If we could
get a good couple weeks of heat I think we will really start seeing more pods.
Lastly, I would like to remind everyone to check out our Agronomy Blog on the PNW website. (Home page >
Seed and agronomy > Login > Agronomy Blog). I have been posting updates there for disease, our strip trials, and
many other things. It is a communication tool for us to keep you involved in what we are seeing in the field. If there
is anything you would like to see more of on the blog, or not see, please don’t hesitate to email/text or call me.
This Blog is for you, our growers; it’s a way for our field staff to contribute to your success. Happy Harvest every-
one and thank you for your business.
Kaitlin Calvert
Kaitlin Calvert - Southeast Area Agronomist
Drone images taken by
Kaitlin Calvert in our Hard
red winter wheat strip trial
in Genesee.
Jay Rubin - Colfax Area Agronomist Well, so far this has been the June that everyone wishes for but never get. 2 inches of rain, (at times to
much at one time) and perfect temperatures, highs in the 80’s lows in the mid 50”s. Now we wait a little
longer and see if that translates to what appears to be one of the better crops we have had.
The winter wheat is probably the best I’ve seen in such a wide area. (Spokane to Walla Walla) . The spring
wheat and barley are coming along nicely but still have some work to do. The pulse crops look good across
the board. A lot more fungicide and foliar packages put on this year. It will be interesting to see if that will
translate into some yield bumps. Haven’t seen any issues with blight in the garbs. I still have a lot of acres
out there that didn’t get fungicide applied so that means we have to keep an eye out. As I write this, almost
all the garbs and lentils are in full bloom, it’s a beautiful site. With harvest around the corner I just want to
emphasize to everyone that safety is of utmost importance. I know we all get in a hurry with harvest and the
farther we get into it the more critical it becomes.
Have a great harvest and stay safe.
Jay Rubin
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Jerry Mraz - Southwest Area Agronomist
Drone image taken by
Kaitlin Calvert during
harvest last year.
With the cool weather and ample precipitation in May and June, we had ideal growing conditions for winter
wheat, and it looks like a bumper crop coming on. The spring wheat and barley are also thriving.
While the Chickpea crop has a long way to go, we are off to a great start. Weed control is as good as I have ever
seen, due to timely rains activating the pre emerge herbicides and vigorous competition from the Chickpeas them-
selves. I dropped my phone in a Billy Bean field yesterday and it didn't hit the ground. If all that foliage sets and fills
pods we are looking at a bumper Chickpea crop as well.
And now harvest is upon us. Harvest has always been my favorite time of year, and with a crop like this one com-
ing on it's easy to get excited. Maybe I'll slow down and make it last as long as possible.
Hope your harvest goes well, stay safe out there!
Jerry Mraz
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Crops have been growing great in my region! Winter wheat is mostly all in the soft dough stage, and spring ce-
reals are heading out. The majority of the garbs are now blooming and appear to love the heat! Until recently,
they just seemed to be sitting there, but now with some warmer weather they are really coming to life.
Winter wheat looks phenomenal! I’m a little concerned that we are running out of N at this point because of all
the moisture and mild temperatures we have had. We should have low protein soft white, but I’m not too confi-
dent about higher red wheat protein.
Seeding dates played a large role in all the spring crops in my region. Overall, the earlier seeded crops do look
the best, however, later seeded garbs seem to be catching up now.
Broadleaf weed control in garbs has been very good, with the majority of guys getting a good shot of rain to ac-
tivate the chemistry. Grassy weeds on the other hand, have had a good year. If you missed a roundup applica-
tion or didn’t get your Zidua or Anthem Flex out last fall, it was a mess this spring.
The majority of you went fence to fence for grasses in your garbs and threw in a fungicide at this time as well.
Unfortunately, this seemed like an earlier application than usual because we didn’t want to let that ryegrass get
too big. This leaves us vulnerable later on to disease, and we aren’t getting that plant health benefit later on that
is so often talked about. Going forward, do we leave the fungicide out of the early grass application if the beans
are 4 inches tall and make a second application closer to or at bloom? It’s going to depend on what makes
sense for each of you, but definitely something to think about. We have a great looking fungicide trial in chick-
peas looking at products, rates and timings. Hopefully next year we'll have some more answers to those ques-
tions.
I am encouraged by the continued mild weather we have been having; it’s shaping up to be a great year! I wish
all of you a abundant harvest!
Jake Gelineau
Jake Gelineau - East Central Area Agronomist
Albert Radloff - Rosalia Area Agronomist The Northwest region is looking to have above average crops across the board. The last few weeks of cool
weather and slight precipitation have set us up for a great crop if we get some nice July heat to push plants
into reproductive mode. Winter wheat has seen very little rust pressure. Spring crops look fantastic across
all seeding dates; with garbs and lentils ranging from full bloom and row closure to just starting to bloom.
The few pea acres I have look great with single insecticide applications getting the job done. Very conducive
spring for good germination and stands across the board. Harvest will make for a busy August this year with
potentially bin busting yields across all crops! Having been with the company for a full year now and my
grower relationships have reached a point where I’m a part of the farm, not just another salesmen in a white
truck! I’m excited to take those relationships even farther with on farm trialing throughout the region, most-
ly related to tailoring chemical and fertilizer plans all to boost yields and help save a penny or two the right
way!
Enjoy summer while it lasts and lets have a great, safe, and profitable
harvest!
Albert Radloff
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PNW Agronomy Staff
Kyle Renton - Agronomy Division Manager:
Cell: (208)791-1116 | Email: [email protected]
Kaitlin Calvert - Southeast Area Agronomist:
Cell: (208)816-1070 | Email: [email protected]
Jerry Mraz - Southwest Area Agronomist:
Cell: (208)791-8076 | Email: [email protected]
Jay Rubin - Colfax Area Agronomist:
Cell: (509)595-8265 | Email: [email protected]
Mike Devoe - Outside Area Agronomist:
Cell: (208)790-2666 | Email: [email protected]
Jake Gelineau - East Central Area Agronomist:
Cell: (208)553-8617 | Email: [email protected]
Ariel Schulz - Oakesdale Area Agronomist:
Cell: (509)432-6555 | Email: [email protected]
Eric Smith - Fairfield Area Agronomist:
Cell: (509)428-9003 | Email: [email protected]
Albert Radloff - Rosalia Area Agronomist:
Cell: (208)989-3293 | Email: [email protected]
We thank you for your business!
DON’T FORGET: Our
Fairfield crop tour is July
10th and Genesee is July
12th. We would love to
see you there!
Mike Devoe - Outside
Area Agronomist This is one of the most interesting summers I think
we have had. One day it’s sunny and 87 degrees and
the next day it’s cool and raining. Crops seem to love
it though, I don’t believe I have seen a bad field any-
where.
Dayton: Beans have 25 to 40 pods and are still
blooming. It’s crazy the fields that got in just a little
later have about 5 to 10 pods but everything is look-
ing good. The weather is sure in your favor! I am
very impressed with the weed control this year also.
Pomeroy: Growers are very happy with their bean
fields. They are all blooming and putting on pods I
just cannot find much to complain about for sure.
Culdesac: Beans are extremely thick and growing
very nicely. Like before, it is hard to find anything negative to say about fields this year.
Bonners Ferry: Unfortunately, I have only made it
up there for one day this summer but beans are
growing very nicely. I will go up there in another
week or so for a couple of days.
Summary: The biggest thing for me is crops look
good all over. I have found blight in all areas except
Pomeroy and I am concerned that pod filling is very
very slow. We could use some warmer weather to
kick them into gear and I am sure we will also not be
seeing too much virus. The aphids are moving in so
keep an eye on your spring wheat especially club
wheat, they can do a huge amount of damage in a
short period of time. I know the lentils & peas are
being sprayed for aphid also. I can see a very produc-
tive harvest with all crops. Its not in the bin yet but
its one hell of a good start. I am always at your ser-
vice thank you for growing for PNW.
Mike Devoe
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Agronomy Division Update
I always look forward to harvest around this time of year. On the poorer years, my attitude is let’s get the crop
off and forget about it! Or maybe the pulse crops are a weedy mess and we can’t desiccate soon enough. But oc-
casionally we experience “perfect” weather throughout our growing season. For this current crop, I’m bubbling
with anticipation to see the yield results, for most everyone throughout the Inland Northwest, its going to be a
“bin buster!”
Winter wheat: The adage “rain makes grain” is so true, especially if the rain happens in September. The 1-1.5”
we picked up last September got the winter wheat quickly emerged and well established going into winter. Earlier
seed dates look the best and surprisingly very little Ceph stripe damage. Our warm, wet spring continued to ad-
vance the crop and most fields were heading by the first of June. Our cooler and wetter June has slowed the crop
development and it now appears it won’t be an early harvest. Honestly, there’s not a lot of issues to discuss with
this crop. Very little rust pressure and crown rot disease. Aphids are starting to build but mostly on the flag
leaves, and the wheat should mature quick enough before economic thresholds are met (25% of the heads have 10
or more aphid up to hard dough stage). But keep an eye on the north sides of later maturing varieties like Madsen
or Cara where aphids will quickly congregate as the south sides/ridges start to dry down. The 2 major differences
between an above-average wheat crop or a record wheat crop, if you seeded before the 5th of October along with
spring top dressing in a timely manner. It also confirmed two additional inputs I would now never go without, add-
ing a stabilizer with your fall nitrogen application and applying a fall herbicide like Zidua or Anthem Flex. Other
than hail or fire, at this stage the crop is made in my opinion. Your yield monitor maps are going to be fairly boring
this year, for there just isn’t any weak areas throughout most fields. Going to hear some crazy yield numbers…
can’t wait!
Spring grains: It sure makes a difference getting the crop seeded in April versus mid-May. Spring grain stands
look excellent, and if we can avoid a hot July, we should see above average yields. Just like the winter wheat, some
fields, especially barley, are the thickest I’ve ever seen for number of tillers per plant.
Wireworm pressure was heavy, for they don’t move down in the profile until the soil dries out or soil temps hit
mid-70’s. In other words, they’re probably still mostly in the top 2-6” of the soil profile! Even though we’ve seen
some damage to stands in a few isolated fields, the protection we got from our 3-way insecticide blend worked
excellent. If we’d only been using the medium rates of a neonicotinoid, I believe damage would have been severe
enough to justify reseeding.
With not a lot of rust pressure and most spring varieties having some resistance, I’m doubtful we’ll see many fields
needing sprayed other than maybe Whit, Louise or WB 6341. Aphid on the other hand are building quickly and
we could be looking at spraying most fields (same thresholds as mentioned for fall wheat). Its rare if barley needs
sprayed for aphid, because they never migrate onto the heads. If you need to spray your barley, dimethoate is
NOT labeled, so make sure you only use Warrior II or Transform.
Spring pulses: In 2016, we saw record yields of most pulse crops. Can this year surpass that? Maybe. One thing
is certain, most fields are spotless of broadleaves and the stands are near perfect. One thing to note as the top
foot of profile has stayed moist, our nodulation stays active and its not uncommon to dig up plants right now that
have nodules the size of grapes. Not only do they fixate Nitrogen for the current pulse crop but they are building
Nitrogen for the following winter wheat crop. The only down side to the wet May/June are some bald clay knobs
from metribuzin damage by too much rain/shallow seed depth. With the soil moisture profile still in great shape,
it’s still too early to know if we’ll see record pulse yields, but we should see above average yields. Aphid are build-
ing quickly in the lentils and the few pea fields that are out there. We’ve seen some ascochyta blight in early seed-
ed chickpeas which warranted a 2nd fungicide application. But fields seeded the end of April into May are clean.
Kyle Renton
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Winter Wheat Varieties: I’ve been in a lot of wheat fields this past month. When writing this summer newslet-
ter, there’s usually always a couple of varieties that really stand out on any given year. This year is tough because
everything looks so good! A month ago, my favorite was SY Assure. It headed out a week earlier than anything else
and it has huge heads. The later maturing varieties have now caught it but it’s still close to the top in most of our
trials. It reminds me of WB 1070 CL which was gaining a lot of traction 7 or 8 years ago. Until we had a hard, early
June frost that knocked off about 20-30 bushels of the yield in most fields. Maybe be careful where you seed it but
still a great choice to plant on a couple of your fields to help spread harvest out. Another variety that is like Assure
and should really shine west of the SR 195 corridor is Norwest Tandem. Like Assure, it will have great straw
strength, stripe rust resistance and shorter in stature. Both are weaker on winter hardiness, but still, they will both
take a lot of acres in the 14-18” rainfall zones of the Palouse. Also consider our Trident blend for summer fallow,
three-year rotation or high production fields. It has held up well to rust this year and has stayed standing up. It was
our biggest seller last fall and the way it looks in the fields right now, probably will be again next fall.
For the Eastern Palouse, WB 1783, Jasper and PNW Hailey look great. All three have good tolerance to Ceph
stripe, stripe rust and foot rot. They’re medium/late maturing varieties which tend to favor wetter, cooler soils.
Hailey probably handles wet feet the best of the 3 and probably has the best straw strength. All three have great
winter hardiness. We’re testing new combinations for our Trooper blend, and more than likely, one or two of
these will be in that new blend this fall. Trooper II will be focused for the Highway 27 & 95 corridors on the Pa-
louse and especially designed for two-year rotation. Cara club is probably our latest maturing variety we sell and
has the best straw strength of any club. Its starting to lean this summer which is usually an indication of high yields!
In most fields of wheat this year, I’m sure you’ve noticed heads where 1-3 of the bottom florets are blank. It’s the
most obvious in the later maturing varieties. Those were caused by 3 warm days, in the middle of May, when our
highs hit mid-80’s. That was enough stress for those plants when head development was occurring to abort some
florets. It shouldn’t impact yield too much, and those three warm days are about the only black eye we’ve received
in this otherwise perfect summer.
For Clearfield wheats, Magic looks dynamite this summer. It has had some rust show up in it and it’s suspect for
lower Falling Numbers. It’s going to be hard to top for yield this harvest. UI Palouse looks great also and is target-
ed for Eastern Palouse. It’s the work horse of the bunch with a great disease package and great quality. We’ll have
Resilience CL2 available this fall also. Its pretty much Madsen with the Clearfield trait.
Hard reds… they honestly all look good! My favorite is Jet and even though the heads are smaller, there’s only
about 8 tillers per plant! We sold a lot of our Redrock Blend last fall and it has Touchstone blended in to help
boost protein. We’ll see how the grades come back after harvest, but we should see a half percent higher protein
with the blend. A new variety from Westbred that looks great right now in our trials is WB 4311. It should beat
Keldin or Rimrock on yield and protein with improved stripe rust resistance and straw strength. If you’ve been a fan
of Westbred wheats, you’ll be very pleased with this one.
Research Trials/Field Days: Our research program has been evolving quickly and we’d like the opportunity to
share our trials with you on the mornings of July 10th (Fairfield) or July 12th (Genesee). We’ll be mostly looking at
varieties but included are seed treats, seed rate studies, in furrow or foliar nutrient/fungicides and some herbicide
trialing. Every crop we handle is in the trials including current and future varieties. I will say the growers who attend
our crop tours, get the jump on their neighbors by ordering the newest and best fall wheat varieties. Plus, Jake Ge-
lineau can barbecue a great steak!
With over 17 winter wheat plots, 4 spring grain plots and 4 pulse plots, we hope to provide good data to support
the decisions you must make on your farm. Our focus has always been on the net return per acre, so every trial
will have gross revenue per acre according to grades while factoring in the variable costs to produce that crop. It’s
a lot of work but we hope its valuable information to ultimately raise the profitability on your farm.
Last, we are truly blessed to call the Palouse our home. Even more so, to be able to use our Natural Resources to
provide for our families and support our local communities! We all take great pride in producing, handling, cleaning
or marketing the grain or legumes for dinner tables throughout the
world. Have a safe and (I’m confident) a bountiful harvest!
Kyle Renton
8
Seed Division Update Jake Gisler - Seed Division Manager
Thanks to all of you for your business this spring. This was one of
the most enjoyable springs we have seen in quite a few years. The
season progressed at a very good rate and we were able to keep
seed at all our locations.
We have updated some facilities since spring, for you will now see new seed tanks and a
leg at Oakesdale which will help the seed operation there and better serve growers in that area. We have also add-
ed a receiving leg at Genesee. This should help speed up the shipping of treated seed to Genesee, mainly soft white,
and keep our PNW trucks out of the driveway. We know picking up seed last fall was challenging, and the staff is
committed to making it a smoother process this fall.
Blends: In the past we have made every combination under the sun and that was a hindrance last year. This year we
are going to offer the original Trident, Trooper Blend and Redrock Blend. We are also going to offer a New Troop-
er or a Trooper replacement. We are currently testing a few different combinations, however have not determined
quite yet what it will comprise of. As soon as the yield data is in we will make our selections and have limited
amounts available.
Seed Treat, we are constantly evaluating seed treats and what rates and ratios are going to be best for the growers across the entire growing area. At the current time we are not seeing any changes to this falls seed treats. So far it
has treated us well, no pun intended. We will continue to use the same micro package that we used last year, for it
continues to bring some great benefits to the seed at very little additional cost.
Micro Package Analysis/Data
Variety Selection for this fall has been trimmed down some after last year. We have some carry over inventory of
the past varieties however the varieties listed below are the direction we are headed in the future.
Soft White: PNW Hailey, UI Magic CLP, UI Palouse CLP, Resilience CLP, WB 1783, Madsen, SY Assure, WB 1529,
WB 1604, Brundage 96, Jasper, DG Impact, NW Tandem, Cara Club, Ovation, Trident Blend, Trooper & New
Trooper II.
Red Wheat: LCS Jet, WB 4311, SY Touchstone, Rimrock, Keldin, Clearstone & Redrock Blend
All the wheat in the area looks great and it has been hard to decide which varieties are standing out from each oth-
er. We have a good supply of all the listed varieties however they seem to sell out quick these days. If you have
something on the farm you like, don’t hesitate to get an order in now! Seed orders started rolling in about a month
ago, so I guess it's never too early to order seed!
We'll be sending out our test plot data, variety descriptions and seed prices in our fall seed letter the first of Sep-
tember. The agronomy staff will also be posting our test plot results on our
website in the agronomy blog as they are getting cut. Have a safe and bountiful
harvest! Jake Gisler
Oakesdale seed tanks
The ancient Greek playwright Sophocles once said, “Without labor nothing prospers.” How true today, es-
pecially as we all get closer to summer. As each of you determine who is working in what aspects of your
harvest, here at PNW we have been doing the same.
Our pre-harvest work begins early in the year, as we review workers from the previous harvest. We initially
make contact during February and March, first determining who is available to return, when they will be able
to start, and establishing their last day (for school or if they are able to stay the entire time). We follow this
up by recruiting during the spring.
Recruiting doesn’t mean just placing an ad in the paper; we have found fewer
people go through classifieds in local papers. As a result, we reach out in other ways to recruit, which in-
cludes online, contacting colleges (also online recruiting), putting up posters, and contacting high school
teachers.
With names recruited through the various sources, we start with
screening questions, then set up interviews with David Weitz and
his team. This is followed by checking references, followed by drug
testing and background checks for successful candidates. New ap-
plicants attend orientation sessions where they fill out the required
paperwork (there is always paperwork!), then go through safety,
GMP and Kosher training. The last step is for all harvest employ-
ees to attend our annual harvest/safety training in July. These
meetings are being set-up and scheduled for July.
My hat is off to the PNW team members at work behind the
scenes, to make sure the people part of harvest runs as smoothly
as possible: safety officer Wade Morris, Dave Charles who works
with both Wade and I in human resources and safety, and Claire
Vincent, our new HR assistant and payroll. Wade and Dave work
closely together to create and provide safety training; Dave has
been doing much of the leg work in setting up interviews and coor-
dinating orientations and training, and our newest team member,
Claire has been getting new and returning employees set up in
our payroll system.
Our labor is your labor; all of us working together helps provide a path for you and PNW to prosper.
Here’s to a successful harvest 2018!
Tedi Roach
9
Human Resources
Tedi Roach - HR Division Manager
Kim Monk and Al Krick standing alongside
the proud 4-h group who raised money for
the flag.
David Weitz - Grain Division
Wheat markets have been “Must See TV” as of late.
Since 2018 was turned on the calendar, we have been on
the upside of the lows from 2017. Three moves to new
contract highs, one in March, and two in May. Since the May run, we have backed off, testing the low in
March. These moves were all based on the lack of moisture in the Midwest as well as other locations
worldwide, namely, the Black Sea region and Australia. Traders have been whipsawing this market with
‘knee jerk’ reactions - weather premium to the upside and world wheat stocks to the downside.
The great thing about this volatility has been the opportunities created. We were able to take a lot of
risk off the table by laying in our hedging on the high’s and locking in Basis on the recent downturn. Indi-
viduals and our marketing pool took advantage.
Speaking of the SWW Marketing Pool. We closed up our marketing and finished with a 6.71/coast for
December pay. Our goal was 5.80, but again, the volatility gave us many opportunities to beat that
goal. If you would like to participate in the 2019 crop pool, please call in before it is filled up. We have
limited bushels in the pool and would like to start trading it soon.
Looking forward, SWW has high demand coming into harvest, being the wheat with the tightest stocks
to use ratio. Keep your eye on the Basis. As long as we have demand, it will remain strong and in your
favor. On the other hand, if you see it begin to weaken then exporters have backed off due to a lack of
demand. Word on the street is the Midwest HRW harvest, although down this year, may not be as bad
as was predicted back in May. The crop so far has been good quality with high protein. Hopefully that
will help our protein schedules here in the Pacific Northwest. The jury is still out on the DNS crop, but
so far it is looking to be in great shape, having a 77% Good to Excellent rating versus 40% at this time last
year. Because these crops are better than originally anticipated and the world still has a lot of wheat, the
futures market has backed off substantially. Will we get back to the May highs? We may need to wait
and see how the northern hemisphere harvest unwinds. Also, wheat will need some help from corn.
Corn is currently in fantastic shape as well, but if the seeded acreage comes in at 88 million and the yield
isn’t there, then there is upside for both corn and wheat. On the flip side . . . . . . well 90 million acres
and a good yield . . . . . I’ll let you finish the statement.
Prices currently are the best we have seen in the last 3-4 years. Strategy for the 2018 crop is reward the
market. These opportunities are profitable and with a big crop coming stay ahead of your budget.
White wheat has potential as long as the exporters are buying, so watch the basis very close, that is key
to your success this year in SWW. The red wheats will depend upon the harvest in the Midwest and
norther plains. Keep a close eye, if they turn out in good shape, again the basis will tell you what to do.
If we get another run in the futures market, take advantage
with cash sales and/or put options on any unsold wheat –
protect your downside . . . . Because . . . . the market does
not care what WE THINK and it can turn around in a sec-
ond.
Enclosed you will find our ‘off coast’ and delivery locations
sheet for this harvest. We are happy to answer any of
your questions regarding harvest or the marketing of your
products, just give any of us a call at one of our 5 offices.
We appreciate your business and wish all of you a safe and
prosperous harvest!
David Weitz 10
Drone photo taken by Kaitlin Calvert at Central
Ferry Terminal.
As I have been driving around the country side I am amazed as to how well the crops look this year. Boy,
what a difference from last year. As a pulse processor, I love to see these beautiful green fields. As you
know, this region is known around the globe for its consistent quality product and, by looking at these fields,
we have an opportunity to deliver the same premium quality product again this year.
We will need all the help we can get this year to be able to move off this potentially large chickpea crop.
The last couple of years, we have experienced extremely good prices for our chickpeas which has been a
godsend considering the prices of wheat and feed barley. However, this has led to an increase in planted
acres around the world, which combined with good growing conditions, is resulting in excess supply that has
put pressure on world prices.
Large production of chickpeas in India and Mexico has started the downturn in prices as growers try to sell
their product into the market place. If this wasn’t bad enough, India imposed import tariffs on Pea, Lentils
and Chickpeas regardless of origin. The tariffs were set at levels that essentially stopped all pulse trade into
India overnight. This is a big deal and cost the U.S industry millions of dollars. Last year India imported over
81 million lbs. of chickpeas, 156 million lbs. of lentils and 304 million lbs. of peas (green and yellow com-
bined). Total lbs. of pulses imported from the U.S. is over 540 million
lbs. of pulses, or over 300,000 acres of pulses. In addition, we have
retaliatory tariffs from China on U.S pulses which could come into ef-
fect on July 6th. This has stopped shipments to China and has left cargo
stranded in the ports. Last year China imported over 130 million lbs.
of peas (green and yellow combined) from the U.S. or ~70,000 acres
of production.
One thing to remember is, the China Tariffs are for the United States
ONLY. India’ tariffs are worldwide. Not only does the U. S. need to
find homes for half a billion pounds of pulses, the rest of the pulse pro-
ducing countries are trying to sell their product into the remaining
markets as well. I expect we will see strong competition for the mar-
kets that remain. Moving forward I expect to see a lot of volatility in
prices this year. One big advantage we have over our competition is that we have very good quality.
PNW works very hard to establish and maintain programs not only with you, the grower, but the end users
as well. We have a very strong domestic marketing program as well as a very good reputation around the
world as a supplier of premium quality product. We will continue to work extremely hard for you and take
your high-quality products into the marketplace.
Last but not least, we have brought Amanda Yockey into the pulse division to help with various items. One
large part of her duties will be her availability for you to answer questions and buy pulses. She has worked
for PNW for over a year and in the pulse division since January to better understand the markets. She is
based in the Colfax office and is looking forward to answering any questions you may have about the mar-
kets. I am very happy to have her on the team.
Please have a safe and great harvest.
Shawn O'Connell
13
Shawn O’Connell - Specialty Crop Division Manager
Don’t forget
our PNW
Crop Tours!
Pacific Northwest
Farmers Cooperative
117 W. Chestnut,
Genesee, ID 83832
Phone: 208-285-1141
N. 204 Main, Colfax,
WA 99111
Phone: 509-397-4381
120 W. 5th, Rosalia,
WA 99170
Phone: 509-523-3511
www.pnw.coop
Genesee, Idaho
8:00 a.m., Thursday July 12th
The tour will begin behind
the East End Elevator fol-
lowed by a steak BBQ at the
Genesee City Park.
For questions please contact
Kyle Renton (208)791-1116.
Fairfield, Washington
8:00 a.m., Tuesday, July 10th
Join us for coffee and donuts at Fair-
field City Park before we start our
tour. Steak BBQ to follow at Fairfield
city park around 12:30.
Drone picture taken by Kaitlin Calvert at our
Genesee East end elevators/ Research Plots.
Thank you for your business!