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N
Fertilizer Prices Likely To Balloon By Spring
The outlook for fertilizer prices, particularly
nitrogen (N) fertilizer prices is bullish, says Dave Coppess, Heartland
Co-op, vice-president, sales and marketing, West Des Moines, IA.
"In the U.S. there is still very strong N demand projected, even if corn
acres drop somewhat," says Coppess. "The demand for N isn't going to go
away anytime soon. We are anticipating N fertilizer price increases to
continue this fall and into next spring. As of Oct. 24, anhydrous
ammonia is selling for $520/ton; I could be wrong, but I'm projecting it
to be $600/ton next spring."
The current high fertilizer prices are being driven by strong global
demand from China and India in addition to a forecast for continued
strong U.S. demand, says Coppess. "We do anticipate more acres of
soybeans, but I don't think the cost of N will be a deterrent to growing
corn," he says. "Even at $600/ton, the higher cost for N would be
equivalent to about 3 bu./acre of corn -- not enough by itself to
discourage the farmer from growing corn."
N prices will likely swing higher this spring, agrees Sebastian
Braum, West Coast agronomist for Yara North America. "N prices will
probably stay flat through winter, but there's going to be a significant
upswing in prices for 28% UAN and anhydrous ammonia," says Braum. "These
products will likely be even more expensive next spring than they are
right now."
To avoid paying higher prices in the spring, farmers in the northern
Corn Belt would do well to apply anhydrous ammonia this fall "if soil
temperatures are cool enough and they can do it responsibly," advises
Braum. "They should also try to pre-pay for some fertilizer now if their
retailer will let them," he adds. "That way, farmers could also save on
some tax dollars in areas where they've had good yields this year."
For more information on the outlook for N prices from Heartland Co-op,
click here: www.heartlandcoop.com/index.aspx?ascxid=pagedetail&pid=16220.
For more information about fertilizers from Yara, click here: www.yara.com/en/products/fertilizer/index.html.
By John Pocock
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Fertilizer
Sticker Shock?
The decision to buy fertilizer has become a guessing
game -- not unlike the traditional anguish of when to sell corn and
beans.
The days of fixed prices are gone and so are many of the American
manufacturers that used to stabilize the market. Today's market is
worldwide and just as unpredictable. Do you know that the U.S. now ranks
third behind China and India in fertilizer use? Single contracts for
millions of tons of fertilizer aren't unusual for those countries.
Do you know that the U.S. now imports half the nitrogen (N) fertilizer
it uses? Fewer than 10 years ago the U.S. produced 85% of its N, but
more than 25 plants have gone out of business and others are idle.
Cheaper natural gas has pushed that production to the Caribbean and Arab
Gulf.
You probably know average fertilizer prices reached an all-time high in
April this year. But, do you know the same thing is likely to happen in
2008? The ethanol boom and the resulting increase in corn acres are part
of the reason. A 19% increase in corn acres in 2007 adds pressure to the
N market around the world.
To read this article in its entirety, click here: cornandsoybeandigest.com/equipment/sticker-shock-worldwide-market/.
By John Russnogle
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Senate
Committee Passes 'Reform' Farm Bill
The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and
Forestry voted unanimously to report a farm bill that includes a new
average crop revenue (ACR) option for row-crop producers and greatly
expanded conservation, energy and nutrition programs.
But anyone who expects the committee bill to be the last word on those
and issues such as payment limits only had to look at the outpouring of
criticism of the bill from farm and environmental groups and the words
of committee members themselves to see how far the process has to
go.
To read this article in its entirety, click here: deltafarmpress.com/news/071026-senate-passes/.
By Forrest Laws
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Senate
Committee Improves Farm Bill
"The comprehensive farm legislation that emerged from
the Senate Agriculture Committee today is a significant improvement over
the initial legislative package the committee started with earlier this
week" according to a statement by Bob Stallman, American Farm Bureau
Federation (AFBF) president, on Oct. 25.
"We will work with key senators to further improve the bill so it
provides a reliable safety net for America's farmers and ranchers when
weather and market conditions are unfavorable," adds Stallman. "We are
pleased the Senate Agriculture Committee completed this important step
and urge Senate leaders to commit to scheduling floor time for further
consideration of this vital legislation in early November."
For more information from the AFBF, click here: www.fb.org/index.php.
Source: American Farm Bureau
Federation
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NCGA Both Pleased And Disappointed In Farm
Bill Markup Results
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is
pleased the Senate Agriculture Committee included a revenue option in
the 2007 Farm Bill, but is disappointed by the committee's action to
strip a key component of the optional revenue-based counter-cyclical
program, the integration with federal crop insurance. It is a missed
opportunity to provide a better risk management tool in the new farm
bill, says NCGA President Ron Litterer.
For more information on NCGA's position on the 2007 Farm Bill, click
here: www.ncga.com/news/notd/2007/october/102507a.asp
and here: cornandsoybeandigest.com/ag-issues/news/groups-advise-renewable-fuels-standard/.
Source: National Corn Growers
Association
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Corn 'Potentially More Profitable Than Beans'
In Corn Belt
With December 2008 corn futures above $4/bu., corn
still appears to be potentially more profitable than soybeans in the
heart of the Corn Belt for 2008. The strength in competition for U.S.
corn acres in 2008 will depend on the magnitude of increase in U.S.
winter wheat acreage and the magnitude of increase in South American
corn and soybean acreage.
In a perfect world, U.S. producers would forgo an increase in wheat
acres and devote acreage to corn and soybeans, since a number of other
countries can competitively produce wheat. That does not appear likely
to happen, however.
The price of corn early in the 2007-2008 marketing year is much
higher than a year ago. The average overnight cash bid in central
Illinois was $3.15 in September 2007 compared to $2.21 in September
2006. The average in the first half of October 2007 was $3.13 compared
to $2.61 a year earlier. For all of 2006-2007, the average daily cash
bid in central Illinois was $3.33. This compares to the USDA estimate of
the weighted average U.S. farm price of $3.04 for the 2006-07 marketing
year.
For the current year, the USDA projects that the weighted average U.S.
farm price will fall in a range of $2.90-3.50. With 20% of the 2007 U.S.
crop likely already sold at an average price above $3/bu. and the
futures market contracts for the 2007-2008 marketing year trading from
$3.69 to $4.04, it seems likely that the average price for the year will
be near the upper end of the USDA's projected range for the average
price. Daily cash bids over the next 10 months and beyond could trade in
an extremely wide range of $1 or more.
Basis levels were generally very weak in the pre-harvest and early
harvest periods, but strengthened somewhat as harvest progressed. Basis
levels are still on the weak side by historic comparisons with some
additional strengthening likely. Along with the relatively large carry
in the futures market, there still appears to be a good return to farm
stored corn in the form of basis appreciation.
To read this article in its entirety, click here: www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/marketing/grainoutlook.
By Darrel Good, University of Illinois Extension
economist
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Haste Creates
Waste When Applying Fall N
Farmers should be careful to monitor soil temperature
before applying fall anhydrous ammonia, cautions David Harms, founder of
Crop Pro-tech crop consulting, Waverly, IL.
"The soil temperatures aren't 50° yet [as of last week] and there
has been a lot of anhydrous being put down without a nitrogen (N)
inhibitor," he says. "The N loss that results from putting N down too
early will require farmers to apply more in the spring, either pre- or
post-emergence."
More N loss often results from a pre-emergence spring application than a
post-emergence application, he adds, but the application window for a
spring pre-emergence application is wider. Both could be avoided
entirely, however, says Harms, by waiting until fall soil temperatures
are cool enough to avoid N loss when applying anhydrous ammonia and by
using an N-inhibitor, when appropriate.
Applying anhydrous ammonia too early is bad for the environment
and the farmer, says Dave Coppess, Heartland Coop, vice-president, sales
and marketing and president of Agriculture's Clean Water Alliance
(ACWA). That's why the "ACWA Fall Nitrogen Code of Practice was adopted
back in 1999, when it formed," he says. "It's been an ongoing agreement
among retailers here that is consistent with guidelines from Iowa State
University."
This code is a formal agreement among fertilizer retailers in the
Raccoon River watershed to wait to distribute anhydrous ammonia for fall
application until soil temperatures reach 50° F at a depth of 4 in.
(60° F with use of an N inhibitor) with a forecast of cooling soil
temperatures. "We want to make sure that our fall N applications don't
lead to environmental problems," says Coppess, "but we also want farmers
to get the full value of their dollar for what they are paying for N."
The Raccoon River watershed reaches from Des Moines up to north-central
Iowa, says Coppess. "The Des Moines Water Works draws from the Raccoon
River and is responsible for 17% of the water used by consumers in
Iowa," he says. "It was assumed that there was a direct correlation
between N spikes that occurred in the public water about the same time
farmers were applying N. We've learned since that there are many
variables leading to water nitrate issues. Soil mineralization and point
source contributors represent the higher percentage source of water
impairment. Fall-applied fertilizer is actually a very small
contributor."
The ACWA has set up 40 sampling sites along the Raccoon River
with certified samplers checking the water from April through October,
says Coppess. Last winter, the Agribusiness Association of Iowa (AAI)
also adopted the fall N code, he adds.
"We're now expanding our efforts to the Des Moines watershed," says
Coppess. "We've added six more ag retailers as members of ACWA and will
begin certified sampling next spring."
For more information about the ACWA and AAI fall N code of practice,
visit the following Web links:
For more information on Crop Pro-tech, click here: www.cropprotech.com/.
By John Pocock
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Manage Soil Compaction When Harvesting Wet
Fields
Heavy machinery on wet soils is a sure prescription
for compaction. But there are three ways to minimize the compaction:
Look at axle loads, properly inflate tires of field equipment and
control field traffic.
Heavy axle loads and wet soil conditions will increase the depth of
compaction in the soil profile. Tracks and duals have better flotation
than single tires. If you can equip your combine or grain carts with
either of these choices it will increase flotation and allow the combine
a few extra passes before it gets stuck. To help minimize the compaction
due to the weight of the combine, unload the combine on the headlands or
unload the combine more frequently.
Check your tire pressure before using any equipment in the field. Not
only does this help reduce soil compaction, it also improves tractor
efficiency. Studies have shown that given the same axle load, inflation
of the tires (psi) will determine the depth and severity of the
compaction. Check with your tire manufacturer or search the Web for
proper tire size and inflation rate for the carrying capacity of your
equipment.
The theory behind controlled traffic is that 80% of the compaction
happens on the first pass, so use this to your advantage. While it may
take awhile to replace equipment that will use the same wheel tracks,
there is one piece of equipment that should receive special attention:
the grain cart. The grain cart has the highest potential to compact the
soil due to the large carrying capacity (up past 1,000 bu.) and a single
axle on which to carry that weight.
When using a grain cart, try to use the same paths across the
field. When unloading the combine, use the combine's previous wheel
tracks. After loading, follow those tracks down the field and take the
headlands back to the semi or field entrance. Never cross the field
diagonally. If you can't park the semi trucks on the adjoining road,
keep them on the headlands.
To manage ruts left by fall harvest, wait as long as you can before
getting into the field for tillage. Let the soil dry out as much as
possible. For sandier soils, try going 6-8 in. deep and filling in the
ruts. For heavier soils, stay as shallow as you can while filling in the
ruts. Even with the best management, producers say they have observed
yield losses in the rutted area for three to five years.
Instinct would lead you to believe that you should till as deep as
possible to shatter any smeared soil or compacted layers that were
created. However, your soil's best natural defense against compaction is
soil structure. The deeper you till and the more aggressive your
operations, the more structure you will damage, leaving your soil
susceptible to further compaction.
Preventing soil compaction or decreasing the affected depth will
increase water infiltration and storage capacity -- and timeliness of
field operations. It will also decrease the stress on plant roots and
decrease disease potential.
By Jodi DeJong-Hughes, University of Minnesota
Extension
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Producers Can Use Web Tools To Save Energy
And Money
October has been designated as Energy Awareness Month,
offering an opportunity to inform producers how wise energy choices can
save money, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect natural
resources and the environment. USDA-NRCS has various services and tools
to help producers reduce their energy costs, including four Web-based
energy awareness tools for tillage, nitrogen fertilizer, irrigation
management and animal housing. These tools are designed to reduce the
impacts of high energy costs and to help develop long-term solutions for
producers.
USDA launched the first energy estimator -- tillage -- in December 2006.
Since then, the four Web-based tools have received nearly 111,300 visits
and about 376,300 page views. Producers also can receive incentives for
energy enhancements to their operations through the Conservation
Security Program. USDA-NRCS is using its Conservation Innovation Grants
to find ways to help producers enhance energy efficiency on their farms
and ranches. Click on the following Web links for more information:
Source: USDA-NRCS
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Booklet
Tackles Uncommonly Resilient Common Lambsquarters
Common lambsquarters sounds as gentle and harmless as
its namesake. The weed behaves more like a predatory animal, however,
and a new publication is designed to help farmers tame the leafy beast.
"Biology and Management of Common Lambsquarters" is the seventh in a
series of publications on weeds that are developing resistance to
glyphosate. The booklets are produced by Purdue University weed
scientists and their colleagues at 15 other universities that make up
the Glyphosate, Weeds and Crops Group.
"This new publication discusses the biology of the weed, the factors
that make it difficult to control with glyphosate and some of the
management tactics that we would like to see growers employ in order to
get effective management of common lambsquarters," says Bill Johnson,
Purdue Extension weed scientist and a member of the publication
development team.
A summer annual weed, common lambsquarters can cause yield losses in
both corn and soybeans, although the weed is a bigger problem in
soybeans, Johnson said. No glyphosate-resistant populations have been
confirmed in Indiana, but there have been cases of lambsquarters
resistant to aceto-lactase synthase (ALS) inhibitors. ALS inhibitors
kill weeds in much the same way as glyphosate -- by preventing them from
producing essential amino acids necessary for growth.
"Four out of the last five years we've had widespread instances of
lambsquarters control failure in our soybean fields," says Johnson. "We
feel that this weed is one of our more competitive weeds and very
difficult to control with almost any postemergence herbicide, including
glyphosate.
"Common lambsquarters has developed resistance to ALS inhibitors and
triazine herbicides. Triazine resistance is widespread in the eastern
part of Indiana. Many of our growers there no longer rely on triazine
herbicides to provide effective control of common lambsquarters, and
they are forced to go with other herbicide modes of action.
ALS-resistant lambsquarters are probably somewhat scattered throughout
the state but certainly are present in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and
throughout the Midwest."
Lambsquarters is troublesome because it grows rapidly during the
early part of the crop season and can remain viable when crops are
mature, says Johnson.
"Yield losses in patches of heavy lambsquarters infestation can be
30-50%," he says. "The other problem that lambsquarters causes is that
if a person is trying to harvest their soybeans before a frost, the weed
remains green very late into the growing season and can plug up
harvesting equipment and also put trash into the grain."
Farmers attempting to keep common lambsquarters at bay must implement a
proactive control program, says Johnson. "It's imperative that growers
with lambsquarters problems start with a clean field," he said. "If they
are no-till producers, they need to have 2,4-D in with their burndown
program, particularly if they've got a lambsquarters population that's
tolerant to glyphosate.
"The best thing that we can do for lambsquarters control is use
soil-applied herbicides. Almost every soil-applied herbicide that we use
in corn and soybeans has some activity on lambsquarters."
"Biology and Management of Common Lambsquarters," Extension publication
GWC-11, can be downloaded at the Glyphosate, Weeds and Crops Web site at
www.glyphosateweedscrops.org.
Other publications in the series include:
- "Facts About Glyphosate-Resistant Weeds"
- "Understanding Glyphosate to Increase Performance"
- "Biology and Management of Horseweed"
- "Biology and Management of Wild Buckwheat"
- "Biology and Management of Giant Ragweed"
- "Corn and Soybean Herbicide Mode of Action Chart"
Future publications will cover glyphosate resistance in common ragweed
and common waterhemp, and the economics of glyphosate stewardship.
The publications are produced with financial support from herbicide
manufacturers and commodity groups. For additional information about
weed management, visit the Purdue Weed Science Web site at www.btny.purdue.edu/weedscience/.
Source: Source: Purdue University
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Insurance
Workshop Helps Producers Sort Through the Details
A Nov. 7 insurance workshop at College Park in Grand
Island, NE, will help participants sort through the details of crop and
livestock insurance. "Policy and Structural Changes Affecting
Agricultural Risk," jointly sponsored by Extension at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln, Kansas State University and Colorado State University,
will give producers, crop insurance agents, lenders and others the
information they need to make smart risk management decisions, says Doug
Jose, UNL farm management specialist at the Institute of Agriculture and
Natural Resources.
"The information will help producers formulate the best plan for their
needs," Jose says. "Grain merchandisers, farm managers, commodity
brokers, crop consultants and financial advisers also should benefit
from the workshop. The workshop also will be offered Nov. 6 in Brush,
CO, and Nov. 8 in Salina, KS.
Presenters will include university agricultural economists and
government specialists. Topics include:
- Whither the Farm in the Farm Bill Debate?
- Options, Livestock Risk Protection and Livestock Gross Margin
- The Future of the Ethanol Market
- Crop Insurance in Transition: Combo Policies and Impacts of the Farm
Bill
- How Much Can I Afford to Pay for Harvest Price Option?
- Water Issues in Colorado/Nebraska/Kansas
Cost is $75 if postmarked by Nov. 2 and $90 after that date. For more
information or to register, visit the Web at www.agmanager.info/events/Insurance
or call (800) 535-3456.
Source: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Extension
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Microbes Plus Sugars Equals Hydrogen Fuel?
Wanted: Bacterium that can eat sugar or sludge; must
be team player or electrochemically active; ability to survive without
oxygen, a plus. Thus might read the bacterial "job description" posted
by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Washington University (WU)
scientists who are collaborating on ways to make microbial fuel cells
more efficient and practical.
According to Mike Cotta, who leads the ARS Fermentation Biotechnology
Research Unit, Peoria, IL, the project with WU arose from a mutual
interest in developing sustainable methods of producing energy that
could diminish U.S. reliance on crude oil.
Cotta's team specializes in using bacteria, yeasts or other
microorganisms inside bioreactors to do work, such as ferment grain
sugars into fuel ethanol.
To read this article in its entirety, click here: www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2007/071025.htm.
By Jan Suszkiw
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Are Deer
Eating Your Profits? Reduce the Losses with OSU Extension
Workshop
Deer may be quiet, elusive creatures, but the
pronounced damage they leave behind eats away millions of dollars a year
in profits.
Ohio State University's South Centers (OSU) at Piketon will offer a deer
exclusion workshop on Nov. 2 to educate those in the agricultural,
forest and horticultural industries how to best manage deer populations
and reduce economic losses from deer damage. The workshop will be held
at OSU South Centers at 1864 Shyville Road, Piketon, OH.
The workshop will run from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Registration is
$30/person and covers the cost of workshop materials and lunch.
Registration deadline is Oct. 29 and is limited to 75 participants.
Annual conservative estimates of deer damage are reported to exceed $2
billion nationwide, including more than $100 million in agricultural
crop damage, $750 million in damage to the timber industry and more than
$250 million in damage to home landscape and nursery plantings,
according to the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
During the workshop, specialists in deer biology and control will
provide insight on how to protect land from the increasing deer
population. Participants will also hear from vendors on what is
available on both a small and large scale for deer deterrent and
exclusion.
For more information about the workshop, or to register, call (740)
289-2071, ext. 223, or visit the OSU South Centers Web site at southcenters.osu.edu.
Source: Ohio State University
Extension
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Deer Control Tips: A Note From The Corn
E-Digest Editor
If you've had trouble with deer munching more than
their fair share of your corn and have had success in curbing their
damage to your fields, please let me know who you are, where you farm
and what specific things you did to keep your yield losses from deer
feeding to a minimum.
If you have any other ideas on what you'd like to see covered in a
future issue of the Corn E-Digest, or if you have concerns or questions
about this issue, please write me (John Pocock) at: jpocock@csdigest.com.
As always, thanks for your readership.
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