Spot basis bids for hard red winter (HRW) wheat were steady to softer in the southern US Plains on Friday, led by sluggish demand at the US Gulf amid adequate supplies, grain dealers said.
The Gulf wheat basis held at 105 cents over K.C. September HRW wheat futures after falling from 107 over a day earlier, its first decline since July 22.
The basis in Wichita, Kansas, dropped another 5 cents to 20 cents over K.C. September after starting the week at 30 cents over.
The US hard red winter wheat harvest is winding down in the central and northern Plains, with Montana at 75 percent complete and Nebraska at 97 percent complete, according to Plains Grains Inc, a trade group.
The average test weight from 368 HRW wheat samples tested by Plains Grains was 58.9 lbs per bushel, up from the previous week's average of 58.6, but below the year-ago average of 60.7.
The average protein content from the samples was 12.3 percent, compared to 13.3 percent a year ago.
Protein premiums for railcar wheat to and through Kansas City on Thursday were unchanged.
As of 11:24 pm CDT (1624 GMT), K.C. September wheat was up 1-1/2 cents at $4.91 per bushel.