A feed mill in Weifang, Shandong reports buying sprouted (germinated) wheat at ¥1.12–1.14 per jin, citing the grain as a cheaper substitute for corn. The mill’s procurement contact says intake has risen to more than 100 tonnes a day of sprouted wheat at those prices.

Feed buyers say animal performance has been acceptable and that the substitution rate in rations has been raised from about 10% to roughly 15%. For low‑quality, sprouted or downgraded wheat that commercial grain buyers and state depots will not accept, feed mills have become the primary outlet.

The market is stratified: while milling‑quality wheat is trading higher—several buyers quoted premium varieties above ¥1.25–1.30/jin—low‑grade sprouted lots continue to trade at the ¥1.12–1.14/jin level. Feed mill purchases are absorbing large volumes of this inferior wheat, providing a commercial channel for growers who cannot sell to grain depots or flour mills.

For feed mill managers and procurement teams, the trend means increased intake volumes of low‑quality wheat, a potential lowering of raw‑material costs relative to corn, and operational considerations around handling larger quantities of germinated grain.