2025 Pacific Northwest soft white crop delivers solid results
The Pacific Northwest soft white wheat (SWW) industry continues to demonstrate resilience in the face of variable growing conditions, delivering consistent quality to the global market. Despite a growing season marked by moisture variability, the 2025 crop delivered solid results that reflect both the adaptability of Pacific Northwest (PNW) wheat and the expertise of regional growers. With Washington exporting approximately 80% of its soft white wheat crop to markets across Asia and beyond, consistent quality remains paramount, and this year’s harvest reinforces the region’s reputation for reliability.
The Wheat Marketing Center (WMC) in Portland, Ore., serves as the cornerstone of quality assurance for the PNW wheat industry. Through comprehensive testing and evaluation, WMC provides critical insights that guide marketing decisions and support buyer confidence in soft white wheat’s unique characteristics: low protein content, mild flavor, fine texture, and light color. These attributes make it the preferred choice for pastries, cakes, cookies, crackers, and a range of other applications valued by customers worldwide.
A season of contrasts
The 2024-25 growing season started off strong. Adequate-to excellent soil moisture at planting across most of the region supported good emergence and establishment. Winter precipitation provided favorable conditions for early crop development, allowing plants to build robust root systems before spring. However, late spring and summer brought below-normal precipitation across much of the growing area. Washington’s spring wheat areas faced particularly challenging conditions, with an extended dry period from April through July that limited moisture availability during critical growth stages.
Yet the crop adapted. Milder temperatures through June compensated for reduced moisture, enabling healthy plant development even as precipitation fell short. When hotter conditions arrived during maturity, they facilitated a timely harvest. Low disease and pest pressure throughout the region further contributed to the crop’s success.
Production and quality results
The 2025 PNW soft white and club wheat crop totaled an estimated 6.63 million metric tons (MMT). While this represents a slight decline from 2024’s 6.71 MMT, production remains above the five-year average of 6.11 MMT. Washington contributed 3.85 MMT, or 141.5 million bushels, to this total, maintaining its position as a leader of U.S. soft white wheat production, while accounting for approximately 7% of the nation’s wheat output.
The 2025 crop quality assessment shows a soft white crop with a more typical protein distribution compared to 2024. The overall crop grades as U.S. #1, with an average protein content of 10%, slightly below the five-year average but higher than 2024. This protein profile aligns well with buyer specifications for soft white wheat applications. Test weights remained consistent with the previous year, while thousand kernel weights tracked in line with the five-year average, indicating good kernel development despite the season’s moisture challenges.
End-use performance
Laboratory and baking tests conducted by the WMC demonstrate that the 2025 crop performs as expected for high-quality soft white wheat, including above-average milling performance. Farinograph, Alveograph, and Solvent Retention Capacity (SRC) measurements all indicated very weak to medium gluten strength, the desired characteristics for traditional soft wheat flour products and blends with hard wheat. End-product testing shows acceptable-to-good performance across multiple applications, confirming the wheat’s suitability for the diverse range of products that rely on PNW soft white wheat’s distinctive properties.
Customers can approach this year’s crop with confidence. The wheat demonstrates consistency with typical soft white quality standards, while offering the functional characteristics necessary for successful production of cookies, cakes, crackers, steamed breads, and other specialty applications. Used alone or in blends, the 2025 PNW soft white wheat crop delivers the performance buyers expect.
Looking ahead
The 2025 crop year underscores an important reality: variability in growing conditions doesn’t preclude quality outcomes. Through careful variety selection, adaptive management practices, and the region’s inherent agricultural strengths, PNW growers continue producing wheat that meets global market standards. The comprehensive quality evaluation provided by the Wheat Marketing Center ensures that buyers receive accurate, detailed information to support their purchasing decisions, maintaining the transparency and trust that define the PNW wheat industry’s approach to international trade.
This article originally appeared in the November 2025 issue of Wheat Life Magazine.
Mike Moran
Executive Director, Wheat Marketing Center