(Photo by Casey Kuhn - KJZZ)

Closeup of a pile of durum wheat at Arizona Grain.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, world stockpiles of grain are at the highest level in more than a decade. And, U.S. Department of Agriculture numbers show Arizona’s wheat crop production is also up from last year.

The durum wheat harvest in Arizona, which is exported to Italy for high quality pasta, is forecast to be 10.2 million bushels. That’s about a million more than the same time last year. There were also more acres of wheat planted this year, coming in at 102,000.

Though there is more durum wheat being harvested in Arizona, the quality has shifted — last year half of the entire crop was rated as excellent. This year, the majority was rated as good, and less than a quarter of the durum wheat was rated as excellent.