Farms have had bumper crops, but quality problems have weighed on prices. Now wheat is eating into demand for maize as a staple animal feed CHICAGO — From the heart of the US big farm belt to Colombia, Vietnam and Indonesia, livestock producers are snapping up wheat damaged by bad weather or low in protein, providing pigs and poultry with grain more often milled for making bread.The increased global purchases of cheap, poor quality wheat for animal feed come as a combination of bumper crops and low prices increase its appeal compared to alternatives like maize."There’s a massive amount of wheat out there that didn’t make the grade," said one US grain merchandiser, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "The next best option is to either carry it or find another mouth for it as feed."Farms in the US, the Black Sea region, Europe and Australia have had bumper harvests, which are likely to push global wheat stocks to record levels for the third consecutive year in 2016/17, according to t...
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