Why Are California Growers Choosing Wheat?
It may not be the first crop that comes to mind when you think of California’s agriculture, but it is an important part of California economics. It is a valuable crop planted as a rotational crop to help manage disease and improve soil conditions.
Learn About California Wheat Classes

Hard red winter wheat is an important, versatile bread wheat with excellent milling and baking characteristics. It has medium to high protein (10.0 to 14.0 percent), hard endosperm, red bran, and strong and mellow gluten content. It is used in Artisan and pan breads, Asian noodles, hard rolls, flat breads, and general purpose flour.

Hard white wheat has a hard endosperm, white bran, and a medium to high protein content (10.0 to 14.0 percent). It is used in instant/ramen noodles, whole wheat or high extraction flour applications, Artisan and pan breads, and flat breads.

Soft white wheat has low protein (8.5 to 10.5 percent) and low moisture, and provides excellent milling results. It is used in flat breads, cakes, biscuits, pastries, crackers, Udon-style noodles, and snack foods.

Durum wheat is the hardest of all wheat classes with a high protein content (12.0 to 15.0 percent), yellow endosperm, and white bran. It is used in pasta, couscous, and some Mediterranean breads.
Hard Red & Hard White Wheat


The California Wheat Commission and The University of California developed a preferred variety list based on bread baking quality.
Varieties are statistically ranked by bread baking qualities. The varieties are categorized by Recommended, Acceptable and Not Recommended. Selecting varieties from the preferred class will help to increase the overall quality and desirability of California wheat. The varieties were planted and harvested from 19 locations across 3 years in California by the University of California.
California Wheat gives you high water absorption, high viscosity, and based on the classification above, most high stability and gluten strength. We also focused on varieties that contain low PPO. The key is to know your varieties and the blending percentage for the final baked product. If you have any more questions about our wheat, please call or visit us.
Remember that most of California Wheat is sold as Winter Wheat; however, genetically it is Spring Wheat. To learn more about our Preferred Wheat varieties, click below:

Desert Durum®


Desert Durum ® is a registered trademark and a registered certification mark. This mark is owned by the Arizona Grain Research and Promotion Council, and the California Wheat Commission.
When used in commerce, Desert Durum® is intended to certify that grain that is at least 90% produced under irrigation in the desert valleys and lowland of Arizona or California. The annual Desert Durum® crop usually becomes available for shipping or purchase in the month of June.
Desert Durum® is generally available to domestic and export markets as “identity preserved” grain by specific variety. This allows customers to acquire grain that possesses the quality traits that meet their specific needs. The identity preserved, traceable system allows customers to contract varieties and volumes with grain merchandisers who sell certified seed to experienced growers who maintain varietal identity throughout the planting, growing, harvesting, and delivery processes. Grain merchandisers then store the grain by variety and may ship on the customers’ preferred schedules.
For more information about our mark and permission to use it, click below:
Desert Durum Wheat Provides High-Quality Extraction and Pasta Products
California Wheat Exporters
It is strongly encouraged that new buyers interested in exporting wheat from California educate themselves on the process before contacting the California wheat exporters listed at the bottom of this page. The California Wheat Commission is one of 17 state wheat commissions that are members of U.S. Wheat Associates, an organization devoted to developing, maintaining, and expanding international markets to enhance the profitability of U.S. wheat producers. U.S. Wheat can provide export and import assistance information that you might find valuable. A good place to start is with U.S. Wheat’s Buyer Information page. Another good source of information on U.S. Grain Export Marketing can be found on the North American Export Grain Association’s (NAEGA) website. For those interested in flour exporters, please see the directory at the North American Miller’s Association website. |
Growing Regions


There are hundreds of varieties of wheat produced in the United States, all of which fall into one of six recognized classes: Hard Red Winter, Hard Red Spring, Hard White, Soft White, Durum, and Soft Red Winter. California grows all of the U.S. wheat classes except Soft Red Winter.
Wheat has two distinct growing seasons. Winter wheat is sown in the fall or winter and harvested in the spring or summer; spring wheat is planted in the spring and harvested in late summer or early fall. Most varieties grown in California are genetically spring wheat varieties, i.e. do not require vernalization. However, since the majority of California wheat-growing regions have very mild winter temperatures, spring wheat can be sown in the fall or early winter. Market classifications typically refer to the season of production, not growth habit, which is why California’s red wheat production is referred to as Hard Red Winter wheat.
Wheat classes are determined not only by the time of year they are planted and harvested, but also by their hardness, color and the shape of their kernels. Each class of wheat has similar family characteristics, especially as related to milling and baking or other food use.
Wheat Research Projects AwardedPrevious research funding offered by the California Wheat Commission can be found on this page. Reports on these research activities can be found through the indicated hyperlinks. 2013/2014 Research ReportsIn the fall of 2013, the California Wheat Commission awarded ten mini-grants ranging from $5,000 to $13,000 each in response to a call for proposals to the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. Below is a listing of the winning proposals submitted by Farm Advisors and Specialists from across the state.
Nitrogen Fertilization Practices to Maximize Yield and Protein
The California Wheat Commission also awarded three $5,000 internships in the 2013/14 grant year: Sonia Rios worked with Farm Advisor Steve Wright in Visalia; Jason Tsichlis and Ryan Byrnes were interns for Mark Lundy, Farm Advisor for Colusa, Sutter, and Yuba Counties; and Eric Lin interned with Extension Specialist Daniel Putnam. 2012/2013 Research ReportsA $50,000/year U.C. Riverside project to develop optimal wheat plant root sixe for water and nutrient-use efficiency was approved in FY 2010/11. Due to delays in contract signing, the researcher continued the project into the 2011/12 year with the original funding. The first year’s report, for this two-year project, can be found here. In October of 2012, the California Wheat Commission awarded ten mini-grants ranging from $4,000 to $14,500 each in response to a call for proposals to the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. Below is a listing of the winning proposals submitted by Farm Advisors across the state, and links to their reports at year-end.
The California Wheat Commission also provided one $5,000 internship in FY2012/13 for a student working with a Farm Advisor.
2011/2012 Research ReportsA $50,000 U.C. Riverside project to develop optimal wheat plant root size for water and nutrient-use efficiency was approved in FY2010/11. Due to delays in contract signing, the researcher continued the project into the 2011/12 year with the original funding. The first year’s report, for a two-year project, can be found here. In October of 2011, the California Wheat Commission awarded ten mini-grants ranging from $6,000 to $16,000 each in response to a call for proposals to the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. Below is a listing of the winning proposals submitted by Farm Advisors across the state, and links to their reports at year-end.
The California Wheat Commission also provided two $5,000 internships in FY2011/12 for students working with Farm Advisors.
2010/2011 Research ReportsIn FY2010/11, the CWC Research Committee approved a $50,000 U.C. Riverside project to develop optimal wheat plant root size for water and nutrient-use efficiency. Due to delays in contract signing, the researcher will continue the research for a second year under the original funding. The researcher’s report to the Commission on the progress of this study can be found here. And in October of 2010, the California Wheat Commission awarded six mini-grants ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 each in response to a call for proposals to the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. Below is a listing of the winning proposals submitted by Farm Advisors across the state, and links to their reports at year-end.
The California Wheat Commission also provided two $5,000 internships in FY2010/11 for students working with Farm Advisors.
At the December 2010 board meeting, the Commission agreed to pay half of the cost of a planter, up to $10,000, for field research conducted by Kent Brittan, Farm Advisor for Yolo, Solano and Sacramento counties. His program evaluates new grain cultivars in four distinct growing areas within the three-county region, providing valuable information to local growers and the statewide wheat research program. The 60-year old planter that Brittan had been using in his trials is worn out, so he approached the Commission for help in acquiring a new one. The new planter arrived in August of 2011 and was formally “launched” at the December 8, 2011 Commission meeting held in Woodland, California. |