U.S. flour mills processed 222 million bushels of wheat during the first quarter of 2026, marking a 2 percent decline from both the previous quarter and the same period last year, according to data released May 1 by the National Agricultural Statistics Service. The decrease reflects ongoing challenges in the milling industry as facilities navigate shifting demand patterns and operational constraints.
Overall wheat milling shows weakness
Total flour production reached 103 million hundredweight in the first quarter, down 1 percent from the fourth quarter of 2025 and 3 percent below first quarter 2025 levels. Whole wheat flour accounted for 3.91 million hundredweight, representing 4 percent of total production.
The industry’s daily milling capacity remained steady at 1.59 million hundredweight during the quarter. Millfeed production from wheat totaled 1.58 million tons, providing valuable co-products for livestock feed operations.
Durum wheat processing mixed
Durum wheat grinding for flour and semolina production totaled 16.7 million bushels, up 3 percent from the previous quarter but down 3 percent year-over-year. Production of durum flour and semolina reached 7.94 million hundredweight, following similar patterns with a 4 percent quarterly increase and 3 percent annual decline.
Whole wheat durum production remained flat at 60,000 hundredweight compared to the fourth quarter but dropped 33 percent from the previous year’s first quarter. Daily milling capacity for durum operations stood at 134,730 hundredweight.
Rye milling gains momentum
Rye processing provided the quarter’s bright spot, with 364,000 bushels ground for flour, up 6 percent from the previous quarter and 7 percent from last year. Rye flour production climbed to 168,000 hundredweight, compared to 160,000 hundredweight in the fourth quarter and 152,000 hundredweight in the first quarter of 2025.
