Washington State University Extension Agronomist Aaron Esser has been hearing that farmers are harvesting soft white winter wheat with record yields but grain protein content are reportedly below 9% in certain areas, with some also having low falling numbers. Similarly, the Northwest Grain Growers harvest update from Monday, July 27, 2026, reports that some soft white wheat grain protein levels have been historically low to start harvest.
Why grain protein matters
According to cereal chemists, in soft white wheat with extremely low protein, the excess amount of starch in the grain can mill too fine and start clogging up (“blinding”) screens. Soft wheat doesn’t flow through mills as easily as hard wheat, and low protein presents additional flow issues. There is also greater variability in milling performance when protein is very low. Most milling companies are familiar with changing formulations for higher protein because that is fairly common. However, formulations and blending will be challenging with such a deviation in the opposite direction from what most companies are familiar with.
Causes of low protein wheat
High grain yield and low grain protein indicate fertility (primarily nitrogen) may have limited grain protein accumulation. Low fertility could be due to inadequate fertilization, loss of nutrients due to leaching (movement of nitrogen or sulfur below the root zone by water), denitrification (loss of nitrogen as a gas in water-saturated soils), or volatilization (loss of nitrogen as ammonia gas from the soil surface). When fertility requirements have been met, low protein may indicate early season stress events. For the 2025-26 winter wheat crop, yields have been coming in much higher than expected based on weather forecasts made last fall and soil moisture conditions at the time of seeding and fall fertilization.
Dr. Rich Koenig, professor in WSU’s Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, notes that the high cost of fertilizer in 2026 resulted in some farmers applying less nitrogen to their crops. Soft white spring wheat harvested this year may have higher grain proteins and offer options for blending with low-protein soft white winter wheat to increase the protein content and marketability of the year’s crop.
“It’s certainly a challenge when fertilizer prices are high, grain filling conditions are good, and yield ends up higher than average across the region. In most years the greater risk is for higher protein than desired and the industry can source across the region to fit contract specifications. But, those contract specs exist for a reason and there is such a thing as too low protein,” explains WSU Spring Wheat Breeder Dr. Mike Pumphrey. Planting more than one variety (especially avoiding PHS- and LMA-prone varieties), soil sampling, and soil nitrogen management keep our regional crop in the favored 10% protein range.