Flour Milling Products

Flour Milling Products
ISSN: 2378-2498

Released February 1, 2017, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA).

Highlights
Third Quarter 2016, July through September, contained 92 days.
Fourth Quarter 2016, October through December, contained 92 days.
All wheat ground for flour during the fourth quarter 2016 was 236 million bushels, up 1 percent from the third quarter
2016 grind of 233 million bushels and up slightly from the fourth quarter 2015 grind of 236 million bushels. Fourth
quarter 2016 total flour production was 110 million hundredweight, up 1 percent from the third quarter 2016 and up
1 percent from the fourth quarter 2015. Whole wheat flour production at 5.68 million hundredweight during the fourth
quarter 2016 accounted for 5 percent of the total flour production. Millfeed production from wheat in the fourth quarter
2016 was 1.68 million tons. The daily 24-hour milling capacity of wheat flour during the fourth quarter 2016 was
1.62 thousand hundredweight.
Durum wheat ground for flour and semolina production during the fourth quarter of 2016 totaled 18.5 million bushels, up
14 percent from the third quarter 2016 and up 6 percent from the fourth quarter 2015. Fourth quarter 2016 durum flour
and semolina production was 8.72 million hundredweight, up 13 percent from the third quarter 2016 and up 7 percent
from the fourth quarter 2015. Whole wheat durum flour and semolina production was 184 thousand hundredweight, up
2 percent from 181 thousand hundredweight in the third quarter 2016 but down 3 percent from 189 thousand
hundredweight from the fourth quarter 2015. Fourth quarter durum wheat millfeed production was 125 thousand tons and
the daily 24-hour milling capacity for durum and semolina production was 127 thousand hundredweight.
Rye ground for flour during the fourth quarter of 2016 was 445 thousand bushels, down 6 percent from the third quarter
2016 and down 19 percent from the fourth quarter 2015. Rye flour production during the fourth quarter of 2016 was
217 thousand hundredweight, compared to 233 thousand hundredweight in the previous quarter and 261 thousand
hundredweight in the same quarter for the previous year. The daily 24-hour milling capacity for rye milling was
9.39 thousand hundredweight for the fourth quarter 2016.

All Wheat Ground, Flour Production, and Capacity – Regions and United States:
October 2016 - December 2016 with Comparisons
Region

Wheat ground for
flour

Wheat flour
production

Daily (24-hour)
capacity

(1,000 bushels)

(1,000 cwt)

(cwt)

California
October 2015 - December 2015 .......................................
July 2016 - September 2016 ............................................
October 2016 - December 2016 .......................................

16,478
15,272
16,686

7,637
7,102
7,789

120,671
120,671
120,671

Colorado and Oklahoma
October 2015 - December 2015 .......................................
July 2016 - September 2016 ............................................
October 2016 - December 2016 .......................................

7,660
7,692
7,392

3,626
3,779
3,649

59,280
59,280
59,280

Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina
October 2015 - December 2015 .......................................
July 2016 - September 2016 ............................................
October 2016 - December 2016 .......................................

10,128
10,166
10,126

4,693
4,688
4,593

64,000
64,000
64,000

Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, and Washington
October 2015 - December 2015 .......................................
July 2016 - September 2016 ............................................
October 2016 - December 2016 .......................................

17,690
16,538
17,207

8,103
7,865
8,313

130,708
131,540
131,540

Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin
October 2015 - December 2015 .......................................
July 2016 - September 2016 ............................................
October 2016 - December 2016 .......................................

22,377
22,223
21,813

10,344
10,349
10,212

142,452
142,452
142,452

Iowa and Nebraska
October 2015 - December 2015 .......................................
July 2016 - September 2016 ............................................
October 2016 - December 2016 .......................................

9,047
8,556
8,409

4,188
4,087
3,951

64,376
57,676
57,676

Kansas
October 2015 - December 2015 .......................................
July 2016 - September 2016 ............................................
October 2016 - December 2016 .......................................

15,796
14,845
14,310

7,257
6,934
6,687

116,032
116,032
116,032

Kentucky and Tennessee
October 2015 - December 2015 .......................................
July 2016 - September 2016 ............................................
October 2016 - December 2016 .......................................

8,720
8,809
8,757

3,933
4,028
4,102

52,650
52,650
52,650

Maryland and Virginia
October 2015 - December 2015 .......................................
July 2016 - September 2016 ............................................
October 2016 - December 2016 .......................................

7,488
7,475
7,678

3,361
3,372
3,469

52,192
52,192
52,192

Michigan
October 2015 - December 2015 .......................................
July 2016 - September 2016 ............................................
October 2016 - December 2016 .......................................

5,667
6,808
6,519

2,742
3,039
2,919

38,900
39,200
39,200

Minnesota
October 2015 - December 2015 .......................................
July 2016 - September 2016 ............................................
October 2016 - December 2016 .......................................

15,927
15,574
15,752

7,371
7,105
7,231

115,120
115,120
115,120

Missouri
October 2015 - December 2015 .......................................
July 2016 - September 2016 ............................................
October 2016 - December 2016 .......................................

13,531
12,280
13,114

6,247
5,579
5,852

88,185
88,185
88,185

New Jersey and New York
October 2015 - December 2015 .......................................
July 2016 - September 2016 ............................................
October 2016 - December 2016 .......................................

14,166
15,090
14,681

6,528
7,124
6,950

102,130
102,150
102,150
--continued

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Flour Milling Products (February 2017)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

All Wheat Ground, Flour Production, and Capacity – Regions and United States:
October 2016 - December 2016 with Comparisons (continued)
Region

Wheat ground for
flour

Wheat flour
production

Daily (24-hour)
capacity

(1,000 bushels)

(1,000 cwt)

(cwt)

North Carolina
October 2015 - December 2015 .......................................
July 2016 - September 2016 ............................................
October 2016 - December 2016 .......................................

7,767
8,530
8,235

3,578
3,811
3,733

61,496
61,496
61,496

North Dakota
October 2015 - December 2015 .......................................
July 2016 - September 2016 ............................................
October 2016 - December 2016 .......................................

12,575
12,325
14,673

5,775
5,756
6,652

81,500
92,500
92,500

Ohio
October 2015 - December 2015 .......................................
July 2016 - September 2016 ............................................
October 2016 - December 2016 .......................................

14,906
15,519
15,620

6,781
6,978
7,070

86,700
86,700
86,700

Pennsylvania
October 2015 - December 2015 .......................................
July 2016 - September 2016 ............................................
October 2016 - December 2016 .......................................

12,829
12,251
12,393

5,864
5,553
5,734

93,880
90,400
90,400

Texas
October 2015 - December 2015 .......................................
July 2016 - September 2016 ............................................
October 2016 - December 2016 .......................................

11,985
12,379
12,312

5,512
5,729
5,734

77,250
77,250
77,250

Other States 1
October 2015 - December 2015 .......................................
July 2016 - September 2016 ............................................
October 2016 - December 2016 .......................................

11,147
11,059
10,321

5,261
5,156
5,004

70,307
70,307
70,307

United States
October 2015 - December 2015 .......................................
July 2016 - September 2016 ............................................
October 2016 - December 2016 .......................................

235,884
233,391
235,998

108,801
108,034
109,644

1,617,829
1,619,801
1,619,801

1

Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maine, and Louisiana combined to avoid disclosing individual operations.

Flour Milling Products (February 2017)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

3

Flour Milling Production, and Capacity – United States: October 2016 - December 2016
with Comparisons
Item

October - December 2015

July - September 2016

October - December 2016

All wheat
Wheat ground for flour .............................. 1,000 bushels
Flour production ............................................... 1,000 cwt
Whole wheat flour production ........................ 1,000 cwt
Millfeed production .................................................... tons
Daily 24-hour capacity................................................. cwt

235,884
108,801
6,154
1,682,552
1,617,829

233,391
108,034
6,052
1,689,779
1,619,801

235,998
109,644
5,679
1,676,240
1,619,801

Wheat, excluding durum
Wheat ground for flour ............................... 1,000 bushels
Flour production ................................................ 1,000 cwt
Whole wheat production ................................ 1,000 cwt
Millfeed production .................................................... tons
Daily 24-hour capacity................................................. cwt

218,443
100,612
5,965
1,561,550
1,490,082

217,082
100,297
5,871
1,576,270
1,492,754

217,449
100,922
5,495
1,551,175
1,492,754

Wheat, durum
Wheat ground for flour and semolina.......... 1,000 bushels
Durum flour and semolina production ................ 1,000 cwt
Whole wheat durum flour
and semolina production ........................... 1,000 cwt
Millfeed production .................................................... tons
Daily 24-hour capacity................................................. cwt

17,441
8,189
189
121,002
127,747

16,309
7,737
181
113,509
127,047

18,549
8,722
184
125,065
127,047

Rye
Rye ground for flour ................................... 1,000 bushels
Flour production ................................................ 1,000 cwt
Millfeed production .................................................... tons
Daily 24-hour capacity................................................. cwt

549
261
(D)
9,365

473
233
(D)
9,385

445
217
(D)
9,385

- Represents zero.
(D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations.

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Flour Milling Products (February 2017)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Statistical Methodology
Survey Procedures: Flour Milling Products is part of the Current Agricultural Industrial Reports (CAIR) program. CAIR
reports are administered under NASS’s Census of Agriculture program. Response to CAIR surveys are required by law
(Title 7, U.S. Code). Data are collected from all known mills that produce wheat or rye flour.
The census universe was determined during operation profile interviews which were completed for each potential facility
to identify the presence of wheat or rye flour production in 2014. The operation profile also documented the manner in
which the firm will report. A firm headquarters can report for all milling locations or each location can report separately.
In the Flour Milling Products survey questionnaires, mills are asked for previous quarter data on wheat and rye ground for
flour, and production of flour, whole wheat flour, and millfeed. Quarters are based on a calendar year with the following
definitions: first quarter – January through March; second quarter – April through June; third quarter – July through
September; fourth quarter – October through December. Mills are mailed questionnaires with the options of completing
the survey by mail or by Electronic Data Reporting (EDR). For surveys not received in a reasonable amount of time,
telephone follow-up is conducted.
Estimating Procedures: Imputation is done for operations with non-response by using historical data and current data
relationships. Data for reporting firms are added to estimates for non-reporting firms to obtain National or Regional totals.
Revision Policy: Data are revised the following quarter based on late reports or corrected data. Final figures are published
in the annual summary of the following year.
Reliability: Approximately 165 reports are received each month which represent about 99 percent of total capacity.
Quarterly data can vary due to different firms reporting quarter to quarter. Survey data are also subject to non-sampling
errors such as omissions and mistakes in reporting and in processing the data. While these errors cannot be measured
directly, they are minimized by carefully reviewing all reported data for consistency and reasonableness.

Information Contacts
Listed below are the commodity statisticians in the Environmental, Economics, and Demographics Branch of the National
Agricultural Statistics Service to contact for additional information. E-mail inquiries may be sent to [email protected].
Jody McDaniel, Chief, Environmental, Economics, and Demographics Branch ............................................ (202) 720-6146
Scott Shimmin, Head, Environmental and Demographics Section .................................................................. (202) 720-0684
Stephanie Brennan – Field Crops Chemical Use ...................................................................................... (202) 690-0392
Natasha Bruton – Current Agricultural Industrial Reports ........................................................................ (202) 720-7644
Courtney Charles – Current Agricultural Industrial Reports..................................................................... (202) 690-3226
Ryan Cowen - Farms, Land in Farms, Census of Agriculture................................................................... (202) 690-3233
Doug Farmer – Vegetable Chemical Use .................................................................................................. (202) 720-7492
Virginia Harris – Census of Agriculture.................................................................................................... (502) 582-5293
Megan Lipke – Census of Agriculture ...................................................................................................... (202) 720-5881
Dominique Sims – Census of Agriculture ................................................................................................. (202) 690-4752
Theresa Varner – Farm Labor, Chemical Use ........................................................................................... (202) 690-2284

Flour Milling Products (February 2017)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

5

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