Hard white wheat (HWW) has gained popularity in the domestic
market and overseas, particularly in Asia. HWW has the potential
for yielding 1-3 percent more flour than other wheats. Its end-use
characteristics—such as lighter color in bread made from HWW
flour and good color stability and noodle texture—are particularly
well-suited for whole-wheat products, pan breads, tortillas, and
certain kinds of oriental noodles.
Though U.S. wheat farmers have grown mostly hard red
winter and hard red spring wheats, many State breeding programs
began refocusing their wheat breeding toward HWW in the mid-1990s
anticipating rising demand for its end-use characteristics. By the
late 1990s, Kansas State University was devoting three-quarters
of its program to HWW. Other States soon followed suit.
HWW plantings spiked in 2003. A major factor contributing
to this was a $20 million government incentive program created by
Congress for 2003-05. Farmers receive $0.20 per bushel for high-quality
HWW (denoted as U.S. grade No. 1 or No. 2), which, in 2003, together
with other potential government payments, amounted to about 10 percent
of the expected farm price. These incentive payments, combined with
newly released, higher yielding varieties and above-average quality
attributes, caused HWW plantings to nearly triple in 2003 to 900,000
acres, up from 310,000 in 2002. Still, HWW production accounts for
barely over 2 percent of all wheat acreage in major HWW-producing
States, and sales are mostly limited to domestic milling.
The expansion of HWW acreage is limited by concerns
over the risk of sprout damage, caused by excessive precipitation
after the crop has matured. The 2004 HWW crop suffered widespread
sprouting, particularly in Kansas, where sprouting affected 40-50
percent of the crop. Affected producers lost their incentive payment
when their wheat graded worse than No. 2. However, they were not
entitled to crop insurance indemnity payments for quality loss unless
their wheat graded No. 5 or worse. Thus, producers with wheat graded
No. 3 or 4 received neither payment.
The discontinuation of the incentive program beyond
the 2005 crop and concerns that sprout damage could recur will likely
slow the expansion of HWW production. In addition, strong competition
from Australia and Canada in the Asian noodle markets makes it unlikely
that the marketplace will generate strong price premiums for HWW.
Continuing expansion of HWW production thus depends on the development
of new, higher yielding varieties that are more tolerant to sprout
damage.
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