Wheat futures’ summer of impressive gains tied to global supply concerns received yet another bounce in an August surprise. Market analysts interviewed by Milling & Baking News, a sister publication of World Grain, laid out paths by which futures could now dip lower into the fourth quarter and perhaps shoot higher in the early months of 2022.

One of the data points I have been looking forward to this week is the first production estimate of South Africa’s winter crops – wheat, barley, canola and oats. Since the 2021/22 season started, the Western Cape, which is the region that grows more than two-thirds of these winter crops, has received favourable rainfall.

Wheat growers sit in an advantageous position when it comes to sustainable agricultural practices, said Chandler Goule, chief executive officer, National Association of Wheat Growers.

 Italian pasta makers are fearful of a substantial supply squeeze in the coming months after this summer's durum wheat price shock, as the market runs out of ways to offset a dire harvest in top exporter Canada.

Wheat is not only sown into Russia’s rich, black soil, but also woven into the cultural fabric of the agricultural powerhouse that straddles Eastern Europe and Western Asia.

Powdery mildew certainly sounds unappealing, but for wheat farmers the fungus can mean a serious hit to the pocketbook. It infects crops, yellowing leaves and stunting growth. In countries where the blight is common, like China, the microbe can destroy up to 40% of a field, making it one of the most damaging and costly pathogens for wheat farmers.

The economic shock set off by the Russian invasion of Ukraine will be among the most severe in at least 50 years.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sparked significant rises in energy and food prices.

We are currently witnessing the beginning of a global food crisis, driven by the knock-on effects of a pandemic and more recently the rise in fuel prices and the conflict in Ukraine.

Russia and Ukraine may be tens of thousands of kilometers away from South Africa, but the former's invasion of the latter will have serious ramifications for the citizens of this country.

 The conflict in Ukraine between two of the world’s largest grain producers and exporters is the latest but certainly not the only factor that has led to soaring agricultural commodity prices, according to a report released on April 6 by the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture.

Understanding how wheat roots can fine tune the activity of soil microbes for the benefit of agriculture is the focus of an international collaboration starting this spring.

South Africa’s winter crop farmers face a challenging start to the 2026-27 production season.

The war between Russia and Ukraine has highlighted just how much of the world’s wheat supply relies on these two countries.

For key wheat and apple production regions, the recent multi-year drought was the most severe in 30 years. This may be an early sign of the effects of climate change on agriculture in the winter rainfall area of the Western Cape. This according to a PhD study conducted by Dr Simone Theron, who recently received her doctoral degree from Stellenbosch University's Department of Horticultural Science in the Faculty of AgriSciences.

From France to the Middle East to the US Midwest, drought levels that haven’t been seen worldwide in at least two decades are damaging prospects for replenishing depleted global wheat supplies and increasing food security risks for many countries.

Dozen or so farm workers perched on wooden stools carefully emasculate wheat spikes using nail scissors and tweezers – the first step in a years-long breeding process to develop climate-resilient varieties.

The world needs more wheat.