SRW Wheat Exports Rise and HRW Wheat Exports Fall

This article is taken from the October 19, 2023 USDA Grain Transportation Report.

Following several large purchases from China, U.S. Soft Red Winter (SRW) wheat exports for marketing year (MY) 2023/24 are projected to be 145 million bushels, the largest since MY 2013/14, according to USDA’s Economic Research Service. Also projected at 145 million bushels, Hard Red Winter (HRW) wheat exports are expected to be below average.

If these projections are realized, this year would mark the first time, since official records began in the early 1970s, that SRW wheat exports equaled HRW wheat exports.

Primarily grown in the Southern Plains, HRW wheat is typically shipped by shuttle trains to the Texas Gulf coast for export. Primarily grown along the Mississippi River and in Eastern States, SRW wheat is typically shipped by barge through the Mississippi River System to the U.S. Gulf for export.