RICHMOND—Millers, granary operators and traders will be inspecting the quality of Virginia-grown wheat May 30 and 31 as part of the annual mid-Atlantic wheat tour.

“This is an opportunity to survey the crop just prior to harvest and gather yield and quality information that the millers will use when planning their upcoming purchases,” said Robert Harper, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation grain manager. Farm Bureau has offered its members grain marketing services since 1972.

This is the third year Virginia fields have been included in the tour. Participants will examine wheat in Culpeper County and on the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula to check for signs of disease, take sample test weights and estimate yields. Traders and mill representatives, particularly those from Pennsylvania, will use that information to make their purchasing and milling plans for the year.

“In Virginia we primarily raise soft red winter wheat, which is used in flour for different types of bread, pastries, cakes or crackers. That’s what we will mostly see on the tour, but this year we also will go to a farm that has hard wheat,” Harper noted.

Media: Contact Harper at 804-290-1105.