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Logan
Hawkes
10/01/08
Crop News Weekly
October has arrived and harvest is underway. In
parts of the Midwest, fields are wet or still flooded and moisture
remains high in corn. But growers remain hopeful there is still plenty
of time remaining before frost sets in. Yields for both corn and
soybeans are reported anywhere from good to bad, depending largely on
weather extremes over the last several months. Many are still unable to
reach their fields, others are cranking combines and getting to work.
Here's hoping your harvest is a good one.
In the new this week, on Monday, Congress passed bipartisan legislation
aimed at righting a USDA misinterpretation of the farm bill base acre
provision. Until the provision was suspended for a year by the
congressional action, USDA had required producers to have a minimum of
10 base acres to receive program benefits. Elsewhere this week, join
Forrest Laws as he explores the politics of farming. How much should we
be concerned about who wins the White House in November? Is one
candidate more farm friendly than the other? Get the full skinny below.
Also this week, according to the latest “Monthly Energy Review”
issued by the U.S. Energy Information Administration on Sept. 24,
renewable energy accounted for more than 10 percent of the
domestically-produced energy used in the United States in the first half
of 2008. Through June 30, the United States consumed 50.673 quadrillion
Btu (quads) of energy — of which 34.162 quads were from domestic
sources and 16.511 quads were imported. Finally, crop maturity continues
to lag as much as three weeks behind normal, but the U.S. corn harvest
is slowly picking up steam and was 5% done at the end of last week
according to USDA’s weekly crop update.
You'll find these stories and more in this issue of Crop News
Weekly. Happy reading.
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Congress
suspends base acre provision
On Monday, Congress passed bipartisan legislation
aimed at righting a USDA misinterpretation of the farm bill base acre
provision. Until the provision was suspended for a year by the
congressional action, USDA had required producers to have a minimum of
10 base acres to receive program benefits. H.R. 6849, as amended by the
Senate, makes technical corrections to the permanent crop disaster
program included in the 2008 farm bill. It also temporarily reverses the
USDA’s published notice regarding the farm bill’s 10 base-acre
provision, which would have denied farm program benefits to hundreds of
thousands of producers nationwide by refusing to allow for the
aggregation of small base acreage. (To read the complete article and
view the video, click on the headline above)
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Farmers'
decision will not be easy in November
I was having breakfast with a group of folks that I
didn’t know very well when someone asked me what I thought about
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s speech at the Republican National
Convention. I started to respond but caught myself and reminded them
that as a media person I was supposed to be neutral, etc., etc., and not
express my personal feelings. The person asking the question seemed to
accept that, and I breathed a sigh of relief. We hear a lot about media
bias these days. Conservatives complain about the “liberal” media,
while liberals note that most of the nation’s media companies are
owned by businessmen more likely to take a conservative stance on
political issues. As businessmen, farmers tend to fall into the latter
category, although you can’t blame them and other industry members for
feeling a little adrift when they contemplate their choices for the Nov.
4 elections. - Forrest Laws, Farm Press Editorial Staff
(To read the complete article and view the video, click on the
headline above)
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Renewable
energy tops 10 percent of U.S. production
According to the latest “Monthly Energy Review”
issued by the U.S. Energy Information Administration on Sept. 24,
renewable energy accounted for more than 10 percent of the
domestically-produced energy used in the United States in the first half
of 2008. Through June 30, the United States consumed 50.673 quadrillion
Btu (quads) of energy — of which 34.162 quads were from domestic
sources and 16.511 quads were imported. Domestically-produced renewable
energy (biomass/biofuels, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind) totaled
3.606 quads — an amount equal to 10.56 percent of U.S. energy
consumption that is domestically-produced. This share is only slightly
less than the contribution from nuclear power (11.98 percent). (To
read the complete article and view the video, click on the headline
above)
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THIESSE'S
THOUGHT: Harvest Ready To Begin
Above-normal temperatures during most of the month of
September in southern Minnesota, have allowed the 2008 corn and soybean
crops to either reach maturity, or be very close to maturity. Many of
the early planted corn hybrids have now reached physiological maturity,
while some later-planted corn may need another week or so to reach
maturity. Many soybeans are now turning color and dropping leaves, with
some early varieties now being harvested. Full-scale soybean harvest
should begin around Oct. 1 in many portions of southern Minnesota. Areas
of the state that incurred later planting dates will require one to two
weeks, or longer, without a killing frost in order for crops to reach
maturity. - Kent Thiesse, Corn & Soybean Digest
(To read the complete article and view the video, click on the
headline above)
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Corn
Harvest 5% Complete
Crop maturity continues to lag as much as three weeks
behind normal, but the U.S. corn harvest is slowly picking up steam and
was 5% done at the end of last week according to USDA’s weekly crop
update. At 5% complete, corn harvest progress trailed well behind the
year-earlier pace of 20% complete and the five-year average of 14%. USDA
did not provide an estimate of national soybean harvest progress. Corn
harvest is well behind in southern areas of the Corn Belt with
Missouri’s harvest only 9% complete against a five-year average of 47%
and the Kansas crop only 11% harvested against an average of 35%. -
Richard Brock, Corn & Soybean Digest
(To read the complete article and view the video, click on the
headline above)
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Conventional
soybeans offer high yields at lower cost
Conventional soybean varieties are making a comeback.
Lower seed and weed-control costs, price incentives at the grain
elevator and yields that rival Roundup Ready beans have renewed interest
in conventional varieties, says Grover Shannon, an agronomist at the
University of Missouri (MU) Delta Research Center. In the 1990s,
Monsanto introduced soybeans and other plants genetically modified to
tolerate its popular herbicide Roundup (glyphosate). Now there's a
resurgence of interest in conventional soybean varieties. Farmers can
grow them cheaper and they will yield just as well, Shannon says.
Shannon discussed his conventional-variety breeding program at the MU
Delta Research Center field day, Sept. 2, in Portageville. Overseas
demand for non-biotech soybeans and the tripling of costs for glyphosate
herbicide have made conventional varieties more appealing to many
growers, he says. - Corn & Soybean Digest
(To read the complete article and view the video, click on the
headline above)
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Importing
gasoline, no; greater ethanol production, yes
With the energy department stating today that 5% of
the nation’s refining capacity is still shut down due to Hurricanes
Gustav and Ike, the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) reminds leaders
that there is an alternative to waiting for more gasoline imports —
increasing the ethanol content per gallon of gas. “Ethanol production
continues to increase while the rest of the fuel industry struggles to
find enough supply. Instead of waiting for other countries to ship us
gasoline, why not look right here at home for a solution?” says Brian
Jennings, executive vice president of ACE. “The government should
temporarily allow the ethanol content in gasoline for standard vehicles
to be raised from 10% to 15%, which will help refiners and consumers out
of this tough spot.” - Corn & Soybean Digest
(To read the complete article and view the video, click on the
headline above)
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Great
Taste Or Less Filling For The Economy? Part 3
Road Warrior Dave Kohl writes: "In the past two
columns, I have given a perspective on the less-filling side of the
economy, or the reasons for a downturn. Now I will turn the table and
discuss factors for an economy that does not fall into a recession.
First out of the gate is the continuation of a weak dollar that bolsters
agricultural and manufacturing exports. Areas of the country with a
focus in these two areas would continue to thrive. The question becomes:
Will it be enough?" - Corn & Soybean Digest
(To read the complete article and view the video, click on the
headline above)
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Toner
recognized with Presidential award
Printers and copiers around the globe will soon be
changed for the better as they will begin to use soy-based toner – an
environmentally friendly technology developed in Ohio and most recently
recognized by the U.S. Government. The Ohio Soybean Council (OSC),
Battelle and Advanced Image Resources (AIR) – key investors in the
research, development and commercialization of soy resins and toner –
were recently awarded the 2008 Presidential Green Chemistry Award by the
EPA. This new and innovative technology is being commercialized by AIR,
a Georgia-based company, and will be available on the market later this
year. AIR will produce the soy-based resin that serves as the building
block for the new toner, sold under the trade names BioRez and
Rezilution. - Corn & Soybean Digest
(To read the complete article and view the video, click on the
headline above)
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LibertyLink
soybeans big step forward
I continue to get a lot of questions about LibertyLink
soybeans. A lot has been written about the technology lately and there
appears to be a lot of grower interest. We have been at a weed control
technology standstill since the introduction of Roundup Ready and the
weeds are catching up. It was very predictable from the beginning that
Roundup Ready would put a damper on new herbicide chemistry development
in industry. Because of this, new technology is going to come in the
form of traits. In my opinion, the introduction of the
LibertyLink/Ignite herbicide technology into the market is a big step
forward. It will provide a broad-spectrum over-the-top alternative to
Roundup Ready and glyphosate. - Ford L. Baldwin, Practical Weed
Consultants, LLC
(To read the complete article and view the video, click on the
headline above)
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Great
potential for U.S. sorghum exports
The European market offers “tremendous” long term
export opportunities for U.S. sorghum producers, according to
participants of the U.S. Grains Council’s 2008 Sorghum Mission to
Europe. Last week the team visited Germany and Spain to explore U.S.
sorghum export opportunities in each market. “There is tremendous
long-term opportunity for U.S. sorghum to be exported into Europe
because end-users will have better access to sorghum, know how to use it
due to ongoing education efforts and will build it into their rations at
high inclusion rates,” said Troy Skarke of the National Sorghum
Producers and USGC Board member. Skarke said last year nine European
Union countries imported U.S. sorghum for the first time, making the
region the United States’ largest sorghum export market. Mexico
imported larger quantities of U.S. corn because of the competitive price
for U.S. sorghum spurred by the new demand from Europe. (To read the
complete article and view the video, click on the headline above)
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Weather
monitoring in Kansas enters new phase
The next generation of Kansas weather monitoring has
begun, according to Kansas State climatologist, Mary Knapp. With 14 new
and improved weather data collection towers installed by the end of the
year, Kansas will benefit from more accurate and detailed weather
information, said Knapp, who runs the Kansas Weather Data Library, based
in K-State Research and Extension. "The goal is to locate
underrepresented sites for automated weather data collection in Kansas -
particularly in the north central area and the Flint Hills of southeast
and east central Kansas - and fill in the gaps with improved automated
monitoring towers," Knapp said. New 30-foot towers have been installed
in Jefferson, Clay, and Washington counties, and plans call for similar
towers in Wabaunsee, Cherokee, and other counties. (To read the
complete article and view the video, click on the headline above)
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K-State
to hear experts on climate change
National authorities on global climate change will be
at Kansas State University Oct. 21, leading the first open-to-the-public
session ever offered as part of a K-State Research and Extension Annual
Conference. "We designed the afternoon session as professional
development in a subject that´s shaping up to be a real scientific and
educational challenge for our statewide network of faculty from now on.
Then we realized, however, that by inviting the public, we´d also get a
head start on meeting that challenge," said Daryl Buchholz, K-State´s
associate director of Extension and Applied Research. Many Kansans
already are concerned about climate change – which actions to take,
what policies to adopt and whether "green" income is even possible, he
said. Many also want to know what´s fact and what´s guesswork in
today´s climate-change discussion. (To read the complete article and
view the video, click on the headline above)
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Initiative
to diversify oilseed production
The Tennessee soybean producer of today could be the
Tennessee oilseed producer of tomorrow if an initiative to diversify
west Tennessee agriculture is successful. PETE MOSS, a bioenergy
consultant with Frazier Barnes and Associates, says a diversity of
oilseed production in west Tennessee will benefit farmers. The idea
behind the Tennessee Oilseed Diversification Program, initiated by the
Memphis Bioworks Foundation in conjunction with Frazier Barnes and
Associates, is to identify high-value oilseed crops that can be produced
in Tennessee, and to develop a plan to get them processed locally into
bio-based products such as biodiesel. It will take a special effort to
pull together new processing technologies, willing investors and new
oilseed crops. In fact, it will be a lot like starting from scratch.
- Elton Robinson, Farm Press Editorial Staff
(To read the complete article and view the video, click on the
headline above)
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Soybean
rust spreads slowly across Mid-South
Wind and rains generated by a trio of recent
hurricanes pushed Asian soybean rust deeper into the Mid-South. However,
despite the list of soybean rust-hit counties seeming to grow by the
day, most of the region’s soybeans are nearly out of danger.
“We’re almost out of the woods although the state does still have
some soybeans between R-1 and R-5,” said Scott Monfort, Arkansas
Extension plant pathologist, in late September. “We’re only worried
about very small acreage. “A week ago, we did put out a recommendation
that growers have a good look at their soybeans and make an educated
decision about whether to apply a fungicide. We did that because the
rust was popping up everywhere.” So far, the northernmost Arkansas
county with confirmed rust is Woodruff. - David Bennett, Farm Press
Editorial Staff
(To read the complete article and view the video, click on the
headline above)
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