Wheat prices on the rise in US

SIOUX CITY (KTIV), Apr 07 (Reuters): The war in Ukraine is affecting people around the world, especially their access to food.

Members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, including US Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, met in Washington, Wednesday, to discuss what the war in Ukraine means for global food security.

According to the USDA "food insecurity" is defined as a household's limited, or uncertain, access to adequate food.

Russia's war with Ukraine has thrown into question grain supplies from a region known as "the breadbasket of the world." The United Nations says Russia and Ukraine produce nearly a third of the world's wheat. In Wednesday's briefing, members of the Senate Agriculture Committee discussed how food prices, and access to food, could be impacted globally because of the war.

According to US Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), the United States is seeing one of the worst domestic wheat crops in history... with only 30 per cent of it in good to excellent condition. With US ports maxed out due to supply chain issues and worker shortages, the United States cannot compensate for the grain shortage felt across the world.

"The World Food Programme Executive Director, David Beasley, says the impact is like nothing since World War 2. This is what struck me in this quote, he said we are having to take food from people who are hungry and give it to those who are starving. This means we are facing very dire circumstances," said Sen. Ernst.

In the briefing, leaders also discussed that farmers in Ukraine are dealing with more than just harvesting their crops. They also are seeing transportation issues, an increase in fertilizer cost, and a shortage of diesel fuel since most diesel is being redirected to fuel the Ukrainian military.

Here in the United States, we are already seeing record high wheat prices according to the Chicago Board of Trade due to the war and ongoing drought conditions.