Wheat

[Doctor Steuss]

On 2/25, wheat closed at 290.

Yesterday (3/8) it closed at 422.50.

Data on Insider only goes back to 2008, but going back that far this is the highest wheat has been. Russia is the third largest producer of wheat, producing about 1.7x as much as the US.

[68Camaro]

Yeah my wheat supplier sold out (or pulled their product off market).

[IdahoCopper]

I have 70 gallons of wheat berries in my preps. Its 12 years old, stored with the air replaced with CO2.

I was going to give it to a rancher friend as cattle feed.

But now, I am keeping it in storage while I go sailing for 3 years.

[Doctor Steuss]

Resurrecting this, as prices have continued to be elevated.

Yeah my wheat supplier sold out (or pulled their product off market).

Were you in a similar wheat-dependent industry/personal adventure in 2007-2008? Did you see similar sellouts, or was the price somewhat disconnected from the reality of availability back then compared to now?

In going back in (internet) time, the news cycle seemed to be all over the price crisis then, but coverage seem to be much, much more tepid right now in comparison.

[68Camaro]

Resurrecting this, as prices have continued to be elevated.

Yeah my wheat supplier sold out (or pulled their product off market).

Were you in a similar wheat-dependent industry/personal adventure in 2007-2008? Did you see similar sellouts, or was the price somewhat disconnected from the reality of availability back then compared to now?

In going back in (internet) time, the news cycle seemed to be all over the price crisis then, but coverage seem to be much, much more tepid right now in comparison.

I wasn't grinding wheat nor baking back then, so no frame of reference to compare to from that far back. But I do have a "subscription" with my supplier with standing orders for delivery every X months, and the next order is supposed to be fulfilled next week, so I just check their latest status, and their bulk wheat is back in stock, but prices went up from $39.95 on 1 Feb 2022 to $54.95 (shipped, for a 25# bag) for the Hard Red Spring Wheat that I have homed in on as being the best wheat for whole wheat bread. That's a huge price increase - 37.5%.

I should have thought about this a little more when Russia invaded the country that supplies 27% of the world's wheat, and placed an out-of-phase early order to get their prior pricing . Oh well, at least they have it in stock at all!

[shinnosuke]

If you're looking for long-term food storage, you can go into one of the Home Storage Centers operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Their prices are typically lower than some commercially run enterprises. I just called the center near me, however, and learned that they are out of wheat and rice and black beans. Hmm, not good. Limited pasta selections. Only item with high inventory balances is white beans. People must be panic-buying because usually plenty in stock.

One does not have to be a member to purchase there.

To find a location near you, here's a link to the US-based centers: https://providentliving.churchofjesusch ... s?lang=eng

[68Camaro]

If you're looking for long-term food storage, you can go into one of the Home Storage Centers operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Their prices are typically lower than some commercially run enterprises. I just called the center near me, however, and learned that they are out of wheat and rice and black beans. Hmm, not good. Limited pasta selections. Only item with high inventory balances is white beans. People must be panic-buying because usually plenty in stock.

One does not have to be a member to purchase there.

To find a location near you, here's a link to the US-based centers: https://providentliving.churchofjesusch ... s?lang=eng

Having bought from them in the past (still have a selection of a few things, dried apples especially as they make great pies - but also some canned hard red wheat) I had checked in with them when COVID started and their stock had quickly become depleted, and a bit later when they had re-stocked some items, their prices had gone up quite a bit, enough so that they weren't always price competitive with other options. However, now that my primary wheat supplier (a family producer in Washington state) has raised their prices, LDS may again be price competitive (though they don't have the hard red spring wheat that I have learned that I prefer for bread).

EDIT: Well, LDS does now have hard white wheat (maybe I overlooked it before) and their new higher prices are now more than price competitive with the new higher prices at my supplier ($50 for 25 lbs - for the same type of wheat - from my farmer, vs $40 plus a modest shipping fee for 33 lbs from LDS). The LDS product is sealed and oxygen absorbed (so not ideal for attempting to sprout wheat, if you are doing that), but a great option for storage. I may get a couple of cases of the white to add to my storage.

Further EDIT: the Home Storage Centers are supposedly the ideal place to go, price-wise, if they have an operational one near you. In my area the last time I checked the local one was essentially non-functional, so wasn't an option for me. The on-line store is always available and while they charge shipping the previous times I' have ordered the shipping cost was minimal. If you dig around on the link Shin provided you can eventually get to the on-line store. I don't know if the link changes as a function of time or access, but the link it gave me was:

https://store.churchofjesuschrist.org/u ... 16678849-1

Limited menu - survival dominated food (you can use it as a staple, though more cost effective to buy most of it in bulk from a regular store):

Current stock: wheat, oats, pasta, white rice, dried beans, dried onions, dried carrots, dried milk. Out of apples, potato flakes and sugar.

[Treetop]

Been awhile since I bought bulk grain. So I have no names of companies. that said many farmer suppliers will sell for barely above the market price per pound plus shipping. Well under the prices I see listed above. I assume such sellers still exist, its been a few years since I used them. One suggestion I have is if your winters dont consistently stay frozen pick a spring wheat, if you have cold winters pick a winter wheat. Barley, etc. So you have seed as well should the system fall further. There are also wheats and barleys and such labeled as winter wheats or barleys et that can handle winters but grow in a spring wheat pattern if not over winter. These are even better if you can find them in bulk.

[68Camaro]

Been awhile since I bought bulk grain. So I have no names of companies. that said many farmer suppliers will sell for barely above the market price per pound plus shipping. Well under the prices I see listed above. I assume such sellers still exist, its been a few years since I used them. One suggestion I have is if your winters dont consistently stay frozen pick a spring wheat, if you have cold winters pick a winter wheat. Barley, etc. So you have seed as well should the system fall further. There are also wheats and barleys and such labeled as winter wheats or barleys et that can handle winters but grow in a spring wheat pattern if not over winter. These are even better if you can find them in bulk.

Yep - great if you have that access. No bread wheat grown within 1500 miles of me, however.

[Doctor Steuss]

Any updates on the local/personal front? Looks like it's been steadily trending upwards for about a month market-wise.


(5 Year Chart)

[68Camaro]

Any updates on the local/personal front? Looks like it's been steadily trending upwards for about a month market-wise.


(5 Year Chart)

Just saw this - catching up on old posts. Only update for me is that I'm using wheat at a far lower rate than I was ordering it (partly because my wife decided to cut back on carbs - don't ask). So the periodic auto-filling orders that I had setup have me stocked to the brim, so I'm going to have to turn those future orders off - I have no place left to take more! (Within reason, there is always some space if you need something badly enough - but I've got several years (at least, maybe more) worth of wheat stored away.)

I may buy a few pounds of lentils from the same supplier, however, we've realized that we love lentils in soup, and they are far easier to prep than we realized, nothing like dried beans.