Oats in United States

Oats in United States
Oats are known to have cultivated since about 2000 B.C. Over75% of the world crop consists of cultivars of Avena sativa (“white oats”) or Avena byzantine (“red oats”), which are either spring or winter crops depending on the location and climate.

The largest share of the world crop is grown in the USSR, followed traditionally by the United States, Germany, Poland, and Canada.

In the United States, a majority of thee planted oats crop (around 60%) never leaves the farm, being harvested for feed use or serving as a forage crop. The remaining 40%, that is harvested and shipped in commerce is believed to go about equally to milling for human food and to the racehorse trade.

Most of the oats grown in the United States come from upper Midwest, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. These four states represented 63% of the total US production.

For purchasing of oats, high quality and milling yield are the most important considerations, in that order. Of the best oats, 160 lb is required to yield 100 lb of hulled kernels or groats. But up to 200 lb of normal oats may be required.

The best oats for milling exceed the minimum Grade 1in certain respects, having a test weight 0f 38, a minimum sound count of 96%, and a maximum of 3 % foreign material.

The protein level and protein efficiency ratio of oats are among the highest of the cereal grains. Although these are positive attributes in term of human nutrition, they do not enter into the grading standards, nor are they pricing considerations except by special contract.

This reflects traditional oats as a source of calories rather than of protein for animal feed, with crop breeder and growers one interested in yield and grade not protein. As a result, the U.S crop is lower in protein by 2% or more that it was earlier on the century. Oats from other countries are even lower; those from Canada average 13.6% and those from Argentina 12.1% for the same period.

Similar variations on other attributes such as dietary fiber and B-glucan have been reported informally.
Oats in United States