US Plains HRW Wheat-Basis steady-firm, planting under way in Kansas

Sept 9 (Reuters) - Spot basis bids for hard red winter (HRW) wheat were steady to firmer in the southern U.S. Plains on Tuesday while producers were generally focused on harvesting fall crops including corn, sorghum and soybeans, grain merchandisers said.

• The wheat basis improved by a nickel a bushel at an Enid, Oklahoma, elevator but held steady elsewhere, spot checks showed.

• Protein premiums for railcar HRW wheat to and through Kansas City were unchanged after firming last week. KCBT/SCA

• Planting of the 2026 winter wheat crop is under way, with seeding 5% complete nationally as of Sunday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in Monday's weekly crop progress report. Planting was 1% complete in Kansas, 5% done in Texas and no significant seeding was reported in Oklahoma.

• Some Oklahoma farmers were waiting for cooler weather to curb populations of armyworms that could threaten newly seeded wheat plants, one merchandiser said.

• Ahead of monthly supply/demand reports due from the USDA on Friday, analysts surveyed by Reuters on average expected the government to trim its forecast of 2025/26 U.S. wheat ending stocks and raise its forecast of global wheat stocks.

• The USDA will wait to update its U.S. 2025 wheat production figures until its September 30 small grains report.

• K.C. December hard red winter wheat futures KWZ25 settled down 7 cents on Tuesday at $5.10-1/4 per bushel. WHE/C

Basis values are quoted against futures in cts/bu:

NOTES:

H = March, K = May, N = July, U = September

Z = December; UNQ = Unquoted bids

0 = Sp Option price; NC = No comparison

* = No. 1 12% hard winter wheat, rail bids

** = Ordinary protein, rail bids

LINKS:

* K.C. HRW wheat protein scales KCBT/SCA

* U.S. weekly wheat crop progress US/WHE

* U.S. forward basis WHEAT/BASIS

* U.S. Midwest cash grain PM GRA/PM

* U.S. FOB Gulf Grain GRA/F