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Soybean Seed Supplies
Tighten
Increased demand for soybean acreage is tightening the
supply of soybean seed -- even in the Midwest, where few soybean seed
production problems occurred last year compared to what occurred in
southern states, report seed company representatives.
"Supplies are getting tighter, especially for group three maturities or
later, due to drought in the South last summer and heavy rain during
harvest in the Mid-South that impacted seed quality throughout the
industry," says Scott Stein, Asgrow marketing manager. "Also, the
increased demand for acres has caused a collapsing in the available seed
supply. Asgrow is having a great year, so we have a number of soybean
varieties that are in a sold out position."
The Mid-South is hardest hit in overall varietal selection, adds Stein.
"The supply is tight in this market," he says. "We suggest working with
your supplier to evaluate the options available; growers may have to
make adjustments in their product choices."
For Midwestern states, the supply situation is more plentiful, adds
Stein. Asgrow has a number of new products that are sold out, but others
are still available, he says.
"The vast majority of our product line contains key traits like soybean
cyst nematode (SCN)," says Stein. "This broadens the product's
adaptability and ability to deliver consistent performance. We also have
a supply of Vistive (low-linolenic) seed products available, and all but
one Vistive product is SCN-tolerant."
Seed shortages for certain areas and varieties will likely be an
issue this year, but not as much in the Midwest, agrees Jerry
Harrington, Pioneer Hi-Bred sales and marketing public relations
manager. "In most of the country, soybean seed supplies are fine,
although there may be pockets of shortages of certain varieties," he
says. "For the mid-group threes and higher in the South, seed supplies
will be pretty tight due to the adverse growing conditions there last
year and the increased demand this year. However, we will be working
with customers to provide alternatives."
Syngenta's seed supplies in the South for maturity group fours and above
are also very tight, reports Steve Knodle, NK Soybean brand manager.
"There is some supply available, but it is very limited," he says.
"However, even this late there still may be limited inventory available
from local seed retailers and dealers."
The seed situation in the Midwest is much better, adds Knodle. "Syngenta
Seeds is in a favorable position, mainly due to a good production year,
which has allowed for the ability to meet supply needs," he says. "The
demand for soybeans is up to potentially 5 million acres more than last
year, and we have a very good supply of our top genetics, including
S24-J1 and S38-D5 brands, which both have proven to yield consistently
well across many yield trials in 2007."
There are geographies where growers haven't committed to soybeans yet.
Growers are either considering whether they should go back to corn, or
they are waiting to make decisions on planned acres, says Knodle. "Right
now, we feel pretty good about our supply availability, considering the
unique soybean year it has been," he adds.
Growers in Midwestern states like Iowa should still have good
choices available to them for soybean seed purchases this spring,
predicts Palle Pedersen, Iowa State University Extension soybean
agronomist. "You might be unable to get your number one pick, but there
are still plenty of varieties available with good yield ability and the
traits most growers want," he says. "Under the worst circumstances, you
might have to go to a different company than you normally would, but for
now it looks okay for Iowa."
More soybean seed may become available this spring when farmers make
their final decisions on what to plant and return any excess seed that
they have purchased for resale, notes Pedersen. Farmers who want to buy
a variety that is currently sold out should be in close contact with
their local seed dealer to make sure they are first in line to buy it
when and if that variety again becomes available, he adds.
Regulations restrict certain grower-to-grower seed transactions. By law,
only certified seed dealers can resell glyphosate-tolerant seed to
growers, points out Knodle.
For more information about soybean seed shortages in the South, click
here: deltafarmpress.com/news/seed-shortage-0208/.
For more information on how to recognize the stresses on soybeans, and
avoid having to replant, click here: deltafarmpress.com/news/minimizing-stresses-0208/.
By John Pocock
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Minnesota
Alerts Farmers To Potential Illegal Seed Sales
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is
alerting farmers about the possibility of purchasing illegal soybean or
small grains seed this spring. Commissioner Gene Hugoson says current
high crop prices may create a tempting situation for illegal sales or
"brown-bagging" of crop seeds. Farmers or others may unknowingly buy or
sell seed illegally.
"We want farmers to understand their rights to save seed and to protect
them when they purchase seed," Hugoson says. "It's illegal to brown-bag
seed, and those engaged in this practice can face significant
penalties."
Many popular varieties of agricultural crops are protected by the U.S.
Plant Variety Protection Act (PVPA). Most PVPA protected varieties may
only be sold as certified seed by seed dealers who are approved to
handle certified seed. The unauthorized sale of protected varieties for
reproductive purposes by unauthorized sellers, a practice commonly
referred to as brown-bagging, is prohibited by federal law. The PVPA
does provide farmers with the "right to save seed" to plant on their own
farm.
PVPA violators may be fined and face substantial civil penalties.
These fines can extend to the conditioner, seller, buyer and anyone who
assists in the unauthorized sale of protected varieties.
Seed buyers are advised to buy seed only from a reputable source, to
never buy seed that isn't labeled and to keep a copy of the label for
each lot of seed purchased. Seed sellers must be licensed to sell the
variety of seed they plan to market. They must label seed completely and
accurately and keep records of each lot sold.
To learn more about seed laws and the rights to buy and sell seed in
Minnesota, visit the MDA Web site at: www.mda.state.mn.us/licensing
or call 651-201-6123.
Source: The Minnesota Department of
Agriculture
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Soybean Rust
Confirmed In Mexico And Four U.S. States
Asian soybean rust (ASR) is already taking hold in the
south and may be in a position to spread into northern U.S states
earlier than it did in 2007, unless a freeze keeps the inoculum at bay,
cautions Carl Bradley, University of Illinois Extension Plant
Pathologist.
"The more plants that are infected early in the spring in the South, the
more likely you'll see rust spread to northern states, too," says
Bradley. "Also, the more rust spores that are blown this way, the
greater the odds the disease will spread."
ASR has been confirmed already on kudzu plants at two sites in Mexico
and in multiple sites in four U.S. states (TX, FL, AL & LA) this
January, points out Bradley. Last year, ASR had only been confirmed in
three states (FL, AL & GA) during January.
"ASR-infected plants are now being found and reported in Mexico, which
is important to help us track its progression north," says Bradley. "The
spores in Mexico don't stop at the border. Their spores are just as
important as the spores that could come from Texas or any other southern
state."
Still, it's still too early to make predictions about rust's impact on
Midwestern soybean yields during 2008, adds Bradley. "Last year, a
late-April freeze occurred that may have played a role in keeping rust
from progressing north earlier than it would have if temperatures had
remained warm throughout April," he explains. "A late freeze might do
the same thing this year."
2006 was the first year ASR was found in Illinois, but it came too late
in the season to cause yield reductions. Rust was also found in Illinois
late in the season in 2007.
"All the rust occurrences in Illinois have been late enough that they
didn't impact soybean yields," says Bradley. "This year, anything that
would slow down rust's progression over winter and spring would again
decrease its chances of being a problem here."
Rust's spread to the Midwest is dependent on multiple conditions,
agrees Anne Dorrance, Ohio State University Extension plant pathologist.
"It all depends on the weather," she says. "Rust only jumps from state
to state when a big rain front comes through. Rain storms move the
spores up from the South. However, drought is still predicted for much
of the South again this year, and hot, dry weather slows its spread."
The ASR fungi need water, cool weather and cloudy skies to proliferate,
says Dorrance. ASR is also different from wheat and corn rust, because
it is very sensitive to sunlight, she explains. Sunlight kills the
inoculum for ASR but not the inoculum for corn and wheat rust.
Growers should keep in touch with soybean specialists from their state
throughout the growing season to help rate the risk from ASR during
2008. "If there are a lot of rust reports coming out of the South during
mid-June, then the potential is there for it to spread to northern
states," says Dorrance. "Farmers can also check USDA's Web site for more
information."
To visit the USDA's public rust Web site, click here: www.sbrusa.net/cgi-bin/sbr/public.cgi.
To read an article about future rust-resistant soybean varieties, click
here: deltafarmpress.com/topstory/asr-resistance-0208/.
By John Pocock
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Farming Data
Fields
Most days, Bill Butler farms the same fields that his
ancestor Bartholomeaus Theiss farmed in Sublette, IL.
But in his office, he has broken down 1,313 acres into 50 x 50-ft.
square grids and 392,970 data fields. For nine years, he's used evolving
global positioning systems (GPS) and precision agriculture technology to
map which hybrid is planted where, which herbicides it received and
when, which rates of DAP and nitrogen (N) it received, what it yielded,
where his refuges are and how many nutrients each harvest removes by
soil type. This geo-referencing is especially helpful in tracking his
Roundup Ready acres and low-linolenic soybean acres.
To continue reading this article about using data fields to improve farm
management, click here: cornandsoybeandigest.com/precision-ag/butler-maps-farm-with-technology/.
By Susan Winsor
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Food Affordability Celebrated During
Check-Out Week
By the end of this week, most Americans will have
earned enough disposable income to pay for their food for the entire
year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. County and state
Farm Bureaus around the nation are celebrating the efforts of farmers
and ranchers, and the continued affordability of food, during Food
Check-Out Week, Feb. 3-9.
According to the most recent statistics compiled by the Agriculture
Department's Economic Research Service, American families and
individuals spend, on average, just 9.9% of their disposable personal
income for food. Applying the current statistic to the calendar year
means the average U.S. household will have earned enough disposable
income -- the portion of income available for spending or saving after
taxes are paid -- to pay for its annual food supply this week.
To read more of this article about food's affordability, click here: www.fb.org.
Source: American Farm Bureau Federation
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Food Vs.
Fuel
The old Buffalo Springfield band had a song with
lyrics that are very appropriate for the potential war between food and
fuel, "There's somethin' happenin' here/What it is ain't exactly
clear/There's battle lines being drawn..." In this case, it is not the
Vietnam era, but the potential challenges of food vs. fuel looming on
the horizon for the next decade.
To continue reading this article about the battle between crop use for
food or fuel, click here: cornandsoybeandigest.com/davidkohl.
By Dave Kohl
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Illinois SoyPosium Convenes Feb.
13
The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) will host its
annual research forum under a new name -- SoyPosium -- in Champaign, IL.
on Wednesday, Feb. 13. The SoyPosium is designed to provide the state's
soybean growers with the latest updates on soybean checkoff-funded
research and other projects from the university scientists leading the
work.
The SoyPosium will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn at 1501 S. Neil
Street, Champaign. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. with the program
beginning at 8:30 a.m. Registration is free and includes lunch. The
program concludes at 4:00 p.m. Pre-registration is strongly recommended.
To pre-register, growers should call the ISA office at (888) 826-4011
before Feb. 8. For more information on ISA, click here: www.ilsoy.org/.
Source: The Illinois Soybean
Association
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ASA Welcomes
Regulatory Approvals for Next Generation Soybean
Seed
The American Soybean Association (ASA) is pleased that
final regulatory approvals have been received in Japan, the Philippines
and Taiwan for Monsanto's, Roundup Ready 2 YieldT (MON 89788). U.S.
soybean producers anticipate commercialization of this new product in
2009.
"These approvals represent significant progress toward commercialization
of the technology," says ASA President John Hoffman, a soybean producer
from Waterloo, IA. "It is my understanding that Roundup Ready 2 Yield
soybeans will offer a 7-11% yield advantage over first-generation
Roundup Ready beans, while providing the same tolerance to the Roundup
herbicides we are now using to manage weeds. Higher soybean yields
increase the ability of U.S. soybean growers to supply food, feed and
fuel markets domestically and around the globe."
Last July, Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans completed the regulatory
process in both the U.S. and Canada. The product is currently under
scientific review by the European Food Safety Authority, as well as
regulatory authorities in China and other key export markets.
"Timely overseas regulatory approvals are critical because growers
around the world have rapidly adopted new biotech-enhanced seed
varieties as they became available," Hoffman says. "Livestock farmers
and feed industries around the world depend on access to imported,
protein-rich soybeans and soybean meal to nourish their animals and meet
the food demands of consumers. U.S. soybean growers welcome these latest
approvals in Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines, and we look forward to
timely regulatory approvals in other important export markets well prior
to planting in the spring of 2009."
Monsanto is planning a controlled commercial release of its Roundup
Ready 2 Yield soybean technology in 2009. A full-scale launch is
expected in 2010.
For more information on ASA's export promotion programs, click here: www.soygrowers.com/.
Source: American Soybean Association
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Twenty-Six
New Soy Products Hit the Market
The United Soybean Board (USB) and soybean checkoff
work to fund companies or institutions with new ideas for soy products.
In 2007, 26 new soy-based products saw commercialization, thanks in part
to initial funding from the checkoff.
The new products include soy foam innovations developed for use in the
headrests of vehicles; a new solvent developed by Soy Technologies; soy
glue developed by Purebond; and a new product called Durasoy, a
multipurpose coating developed by ECO Products and New Century Coatings.
For more information about soybeans being used in new products, click
here: www.unitedsoybean.org/Farmers.
Source: United Soybean Board
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Congratulations to our Fry-Daddy winners!
November winner: John Grandin of Williamsburg, Iowa
December winner: Lucian Moore, Hiawatha, KS
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Here. to play the Vistive Pop Quiz - and you could be a winner
too!
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Producers Cautioned To Control Volunteer Corn
In Soybean Fields
Volunteer corn is much more than a nuisance weed in
soybean fields. It could also be a potential threat to the effectiveness
of Bt corn hybrids.
A Purdue University entomologist, Dr. Christian Krupke, says that corn
hybrids containing insect-resistance genes could become more susceptible
to corn rootworms unless growers keep soybean fields free of volunteer
corn and continue planting refuge acres.
"What we found was that in areas where triple stack corn was planted in
2006 and soybeans in 2007, we had a great deal of volunteer corn in some
of those fields," Krupke says. "Most of that volunteer corn showed up as
being Roundup Ready and as having the Bt gene for rootworm."
What worries entomologists is that as producers rotate to soybeans the
following year, rootworms feed on volunteer corn and are exposed to Bt
toxins produced in the corn plant at less-than-toxic levels, increasing
the potential for insect resistance to develop.
Volunteer corn can be a recurrent problem in a typical corn-soybean
rotation. And while its potential to rob the soybean crop of water,
nutrients, sunlight and yield potential has always been known, insect
resistance concerns heighten the need for good volunteer corn control.
If you currently plant Roundup Ready corn in your fields, you will need
another herbicide besides glyphosate to spray in next year's Roundup
Ready soybean fields to control volunteer corn. "In many cases, if a
producer just uses glyphosate in his soybeans, he may need to go in with
a second post-emergence treatment containing a graminicide," says Bill
Johnson, Purdue University Extension weed scientist. "However, by then
the corn has had the opportunity to grow larger and it gives more time
for insects to feed, increasing resistance pressure."
This new information increases the need for effective volunteer corn
control, says Steve Hotovy, regional sales representative with Gowan
Company. "Volunteer corn is a yield robber, especially with current
commodity prices," he says. "Producers are looking for effective
control."
For more information on Gowan Company and control products for volunteer
corn, click here: www.gowanco.com.
Source: Gowan Company
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Meet Eric
Niemann - Soybean Board Chairman
Let´s go halfway around the globe to Malaysia, to
the International Oilseed Producers Dialogue. Leading producers of
soybeans, palm oil, rapeseed and other commodities are in attendance,
including a soybean farmer from northeast Kansas. How did this Kansas
farmer get to Malaysia? He is here in his capacity as chairman of the
United Soybean Board in the U.S.
Eric Niemann is the chairman of the United Soybean Board (USB). The USB
is not an association. Instead, it is a nationwide board of people with
the responsibility to allocate dollars from the national soybean
checkoff. Eric Niemann is the elected chair of that board.
Eric comes from a farm near the rural community of Nortonville, KS,
population 613 people. Now, that´s rural.
To continue reading this article, click here: www.oznet.ksu.edu/news.
For more information about the Huck Boyd Institute, click here: www.oznet.ksu.edu/huckboyd/.
By Ron Wilson, director, Huck Boyd National
Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University
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International Effort Seeks To Expand Biofuels
Market
The governments of the United States, Brazil and the
European Union (EU) -- the world's major producers of biofuels -- last
week released an analysis of current biofuel specifications with the
goal of facilitating expanded trade of these renewable energy sources.
Spurred by increased market demands, this report was solicited by the
U.S. and Brazilian governments and the European Commission (EC) on
behalf of the EU, with the work conducted by an international group of
fuel standards experts.
To read more about this report on biofuels specifications, click here:
www.nist.gov/public_affairs/biofuels.html.
Source: U.S. National Institute of Standards and
Technology
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What's The Biggest Soybean-Consuming State Of
All?
When most people think of agriculture and soybean meal
(SBM) consumption, they think of the Midwest; however, the top five
SBM-consuming states may surprise you. The United Soybean Board (USB)
and soybean checkoff work to communicate the importance of animal
agriculture to U.S. soybean farmers by showing them how SBM consumption
by animal agriculture directly impacts farmers' bottom lines.
The state that has the most animal consumption of SBM is Iowa, using
more than 3.3 million tons of SBM each year. The other top-four
SBM-consuming states are North Carolina, at more than 3 million tons;
Arkansas and Georgia, at roughly 2.1 million tons; and Texas, at 1.9
million tons of SBM each year.
For more information about USB programs and activities, click here: www.unitedsoybean.org/.
Source: United Soybean Board
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Study Shows Biodiesel Industry Steps Up To
Fuel Quality Challenge
The aggressive fuel quality outreach program put into
place by the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) has demonstrated positive
results. A new study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
shows the biodiesel industry has achieved a high degree of success in
meeting national fuel quality standards.
According to the results, which NREL Senior Chemist Teresa Alleman
recently presented at the National Biodiesel Conference and Expo in
Orlando, FL, the in-spec samples represent 90% of the biodiesel produced
in the U.S. last year. This demonstrates a significant improvement in
fuel quality since a previous NREL survey in 2006.
To continue reading this article about improvements in biodiesel quality
standards, click here: nbb.grassroots.com/08Releases/NRELstudy/.
Source: National Biodiesel Board
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USDA Holds First Biopreferred Biobased
Product Showcase
USDA will hold its first BioPreferred Biobased Product
Showcase and Training in conjunction with the 2008 General Services
Administration (GSA) Expo, April 21-24, 2008, in Anaheim, CA.
Visitors may register for the opportunity to network with over 6,000
federal and state procurement officials, to learn how to sell to the
federal government, and to learn more about the BioPreferredSM Program.
Additionally, biobased product vendors are invited to share limited
exhibit space with USDA to showcase products, answer questions from
potential customers and engage vendors seeking to sell biobased
products.
Persons wishing to attend the Showcase and Expo may register directly
at: www.expo.gsa.gov/registrationVisitor.cfm.
Vendors wishing to exhibit with USDA may visit: www.biopreferred.gov/ for
eligibility or contact Shana Love at Shana.Love@usda.gov or
202-205-4008.
Source: USDA
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Genome
Institute Releases Soybean Genome Assembly
A preliminary assembly and annotation of the soybean
genome, Glycine max, has been made available by the U.S.
Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI), to the greater
scientific community to enable bioenergy research.
The announcement was made by Eddy Rubin, DOE JGI Director, during his
keynote remarks Jan. 15 at the Plant and Animal Genome XVI Conference in
San Diego, CA. The preliminary data can be accessed at www.phytozome.net/soybean.
To read more about the announcement about the soybean genome, click
here: www.jgi.doe.gov/News/news_1_17_08.html.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome
Institute
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Are Trans Fat
Labels Working?
According to researchers at the University of
Minnesota, the food industry has made progress in reducing the trans fat
content in its products since a 2003 labeling mandate by the Food and
Drug Administration, but consumers should still read labels to be
certain the products are trans fat-free.
The researchers sampled products at Minneapolis-area supermarket to
assess levels of trans fat and saturated fat in margarines and butters;
cookies and snack cakes; and savory snacks. The researchers also
examined the cost of these now trans fat-free foods, because
technologies to reduce or eliminate trans fat are costly and create
challenges for food manufacturers that may be passed on to the consumer.
Most margarines and butters (21 of 29), cookies and snack cakes (34 of
44) and savory snacks (31 of 40) were labeled as containing zero grams
of trans fat. However, some of the products contained significant
amounts of trans fat.
The researchers conclude: "Consumers need to read product labels because
the trans fat content of individual products can vary significantly.
Products that are lower in trans and saturated fat tend to cost more,
which may be a barrier to their purchase for price-conscious consumers."
For more information, visit the American Dietetic Association at www.eatright.org.
Source: American Dietetic Association
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Seed Purchase
Strategies: A Note From The Soybean E-Digest
Editor
Thanks to readers who wrote to me recently, I found
out that the soybean seed supply was extremely tight in the South and
tight but not yet lacking in the Midwest. Some farmers have bought a
little more corn and soybean seed than they need and will return
whatever seed they don't decide to plant after they find out what market
prices offer later this spring. Others haven't yet purchased all the
seed they will need and are still shopping for the best deals or are
waiting to finalize agreements with landlords before purchasing more
seed.
Still others locked in their soybean acreage and crop rotations long ago
and have no desire to switch now. These growers are focused on having
the necessary crop inputs well ahead of time so that the risks of
planting delays are reduced.
If you'd like to share your seed and crop-input purchase strategy, and
why it works for you, I'd like to hear from you. You can write to me
(John Pocock) at: jpocock@csdigest.com. Just let me
know who you are, where you farm, what approach you take to seed
purchases and why it works. I plan to share whatever I find out in a
future issue of the Soybean E-Digest.
As always, if you have any thoughts on what you like or dislike about
this issue or have ideas on what you'd like to see more of in future
issues, please feel free to let me know. I hope to hear from you soon.
Thanks for your readership.
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