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Logan
Hawkes
10/15/08
Crop News Weekly
Even the most diligent can get distracted from
time to time. And yours truly is certainly no exception! Thanks to an
alert reader that dropped me an email this week questioning my math
ability. Admittedly, math has never been my strong subject, but it was
more than a simple math mistake last week that caused a major blunder in
my editorial narrative. I quoted a source as saying if the U.S.
government bailout was divided among every American, we would each get a
check for $2 million. That would be nice if it were true. But in
reality, I should have said, to be more correct, that if every farmer
and his family members were to divide the bailout funds, each would
receive about $2 million each. Tit-for-tat - so much for rushing to
deadline. I stand corrected. And thanks for helping me with my P's and
Q's - er, two plus twos.
In the news this week, scheduling irrigation to use available water as
efficiently as possible requires knowledge of crop moisture needs and
soil properties. A little information on plant physiology wouldn’t
hurt either. Get the details below. Also this week, economic struggles
in the U.S. and world financial markets and a bearish crop report have
taken center stage in the grain markets, according to Brian Hoops,
market analyst with Midwest Market Solutions, speaking at the
Minneapolis Grain Exchange press briefing on USDA’s Oct. 10 crop
production report and supply and demand estimates. Also this week, cudos
go out to one of our own. Forrest Laws, associate publisher for Penton
Media’s Farm Press publications, was among those recognized when the
Mid America CropLife Association honored industry, media, and academic
leaders at its recent annual meeting in Indianapolis, Ind. Laws received
the Ruth White Media Award, presented to an individual who has a proven
understanding and track record in effectively reporting on the broad
spectrum of activities involved in production agriculture.
Congratulations Forrest! Finally this week, soybean harvest is now in
full-swing in most areas of southern and western Minnesota, as many
soybeans have now reached maturity, and timeliness is very critical to
prevent soybean harvest loss. The prospect for wetter weather conditions
in the next week or two in the upper Midwest has caused growers to be
quite aggressive with soybean harvest in the past week. Growers say they
hope to have harvest finished by the end of the month.
You'll find these stories and more in this issue of Crop News
Weekly. Happy reading.
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Knowledge
of soils, plants is crucial to efficient irrigation
Scheduling irrigation to use available water as
efficiently as possible requires knowledge of crop moisture needs and
soil properties. A little information on plant physiology wouldn’t
hurt either, says Texas Extension Agricultural Engineer Dana Porter.
Porter, speaking at the recent West Texas Agricultural Chemical
Association annual conference in Lubbock, said farmers should understand
soil and crop water needs, whether they use center pivot or subsurface
drop irrigation systems. “We need to know how much water we have in
the soil,” Porter said. “Is it saturated, at field capacity or at a
wilting point? Different soil types hold different amounts of water.
Sandy soils hold less, and loamy and clay soils hold more.” She said
knowing soil permeability helps schedule irrigation. “Determine how
much water can stay in the soil at various depths — 1 foot, 2 feet,
and 3 feet. Know how much water is available at different depths. -
Ron Smith, Farm Press Editorial Staff
(To read the complete article, click on the headline above)
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More
bearish news for grain markets
Economic struggles in the U.S. and world financial
markets and a bearish crop report have taken center stage in the grain
markets, according to Brian Hoops, market analyst with Midwest Market
Solutions, speaking at the Minneapolis Grain Exchange press briefing on
USDA’s Oct. 10 crop production report and supply and demand estimates.
The October report is the first grain report of the year based on actual
ear and pod counts. It will be followed in November by reports based on
harvesting data from producer surveys. USDA pegged U.S. corn production
at 12.2 billion bushels, which would be the second largest production in
U.S. history. Yield, at 154 bushels, is an increase from September of
1.7 bushels per acre, and 2.9 bushels better than a year ago. According
to Hoops, parts of northern Illinois and most of Iowa are experiencing
some of the best corn and soybean yields they’ve had in several years.
- Elton Robinson, Farm Press Editorial Staff
(To read the complete article, click on the headline above)
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Farm Press'
Laws recognized for work
Forrest Laws, associate publisher for Penton Media’s
Farm Press publications, was among those recognized when the Mid America
CropLife Association honored industry, media, and academic leaders at
its recent annual meeting in Indianapolis, Ind. Laws received the Ruth
White Media Award, presented to an individual who has a proven
understanding and track record in effectively reporting on the broad
spectrum of activities involved in production agriculture — cultural,
political, scientific, educational, economics, global, etc. According to
Bonnie McCarvel, executive director of Mid America CropLife Association,
“Forrest was selected for the Ruth White Media Award because he has
demonstrated an evidence of consistent, objective, and accurate
reporting on American agriculture and the myriad of issues involved in
modern agriculture, including the CropLife industry. He has also spent
most of his career in agriculture, and MACA recognizes those people who
do an excellent job of telling the story of agriculture, especially crop
protection.” (To read the complete article, click on the headline
above)
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Harvesting
increasing, grain markets declining
Soybean harvest is now in full-swing in most areas of
southern and western Minnesota, as many soybeans have now reached
maturity, and timeliness is very critical to prevent soybean harvest
loss. The prospect for wetter weather conditions in the next week or two
in the upper Midwest has caused growers to be quite aggressive with
soybean harvest in the past week. Early soybean yield reports are
predictably quite variable in southern Minnesota, ranging from near 30
bu./acre to around 55 bu./per acre. Most growers are reporting near
average to slightly below-average soybean yields thus far, mainly due to
the extremely dry weather pattern that existed in many areas in July and
August. On the whole, 2008 soybean yields in south-central Minnesota
will likely be slightly below 2007 yield levels, and well below the
excellent soybean yields of 2006. - Kent Thiesse, Corn & Soybean
Digest
(To read the complete article, click on the headline above)
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Brazil
sees modest soy crop increase
In its first estimates of Brazil’s 2008-2009 crop
production, the supply arm of Brazil’s agriculture ministry projected
soybean production will range from steady to 2.1% higher than last year,
while corn production will fall by 4.5%-6.1%. The National Crop Supply
Agency (CONAB) pegged Brazil’s next soybean crop at a record
60.10-61.27 million metric tons (mmt), up from last season's 60.02 mmt,
the Agriculture Ministry said Wednesday. Area planted to soybeans is
expected to rise to 21.5-21.9 million hectares, up 1.3%-3.2% from the
21.3 million hectares planted last year. - Richard Brock, Corn &
Soybean Digest
(To read the complete article, click on the headline above)
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Don't
remove too much corn residue this fall
In most fields, corn residue remaining after grain
harvest is incorporated into the soil with tillage or is left on the
soil surface. But corn residue is also becoming a commodity. It's being
harvested by some livestock producers, and there is interest in
producing ethanol from corn residue in the near future. However, soil
productivity (synonymous with soil carbon) will be reduced if all corn
residue in a field is harvested regularly and there is not another
source of carbon being returned to the soil. Increased fertilization in
fields where residue is harvested will help replace some of the
nutrients removed in the residue, but it will not compensate for the
lost carbon. Carbon is important; it is the backbone of soil organic
matter. - Corn & Soybean Digest
(To read the complete article, click on the headline above)
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Purdue
expert shares tips for figuring cash rents
With prices and input costs fluctuating, people need
to review their lease arrangements and adjust for the year ahead, says
Craig Dobbins, a Purdue University Extension farm lease and business
arrangements specialist. "Determining a fixed cash rent in the current
environment is a difficult task and will likely require multiple
discussions between landlords and tenants," says Dobbins. "It's a matter
of being able to put yourself in the other's shoes and understanding the
kinds of costs and risks that are being taken by all parties involved.
- Corn & Soybean Digest
(To read the complete article, click on the headline above)
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Maverick
action on RFS
Senator John McCain and the Republican National
Committee want to end the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). This is one
maverick action that just doesn’t wash. Without the RFS, a government
mandate that requires 36 billion gallons of biofuels to be blended into
gasoline by 2022, the oil industry would not blend anywhere near that
level and the U.S. will still be talking about its “addiction” to
foreign oil a decade from now. The only reason that some oil concerns
are working with renewable fuel companies now is because they “have
to.” They are working with farmers because they “have to.” -
Lynn Grooms, Farm Industry News
(To read the complete article, click on the headline above)
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Lessons
learned from the financial crisis for ag producers
Road Warrior Dave Kohl writes: "Many in the
agricultural industry, particularly the grain sector, are still on the
island of prosperity while the rest of the agricultural economy and
general economy are circling the wagons. What are some lessons learned
from the recent financial crisis that need to be heeded in the
agricultural segment? First, in the quest to improve the short-run
bottom line profits and quickly grow credit portfolios, low
documentation and no documentation loans were “en vogue” in the
go-go days. These drive-by acceptances of credit performed well when the
economy was humming and assets values were strong and headed north. How
quickly stress cracks emerged in loan portfolios when the economy slowed
and adversity surfaced in the marketplace..." - Corn & Soybean
Digest
(To read the complete article, click on the headline above)
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Syngenta's
Endigo insecticide registered for soybeans
Syngenta Crop Protection has announced that the
Environmental Protection Agency issued a Section 3 registration for the
use of Endigo insecticide on soybeans. With proven success in cotton,
Endigo insecticide protects against key soybean foliar insect pests that
damage the crop during reproductive growth stages, said Jeff Cecil,
insecticide brand manager with Syngenta Crop Protection. “As a
superior tool for resistance management, Endigo combines the proven
performance of lambda-cyhalothrin and thiamethoxam, offering effective
knockdown and long residual control of a broad range of damaging pests,
such as soybean aphid, bean leaf beetle, Japanese beetle, grasshoppers,
worms and stink bugs. (To read the complete article, click on the
headline above)
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USDA,
DOE release national biofuels plan
Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Ed Schafer
and Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman have released
the National Biofuels Action Plan (NBAP), an interagency plan detailing
the collaborative efforts of Federal agencies to accelerate the
development of a sustainable biofuels industry. "Federal leadership can
provide the vision for research, industry and citizens to understand how
the nation will become less dependent on foreign oil and create strong
rural economies," Secretary Schafer said. "This National Biofuels Action
Plan supports the drive for biofuels growth to supply energy that is
clean and affordable, and always renewable." The NBAP was developed in
response to President Bush's plans to change the way America fuels its
transportation fleets in the 2007 State of the Union Address. The
President's "Twenty In Ten" goal calls for cutting U.S. gasoline
consumption by 20 percent over the next 10 years by investing in
renewable and alternative fuel sources, increasing vehicle efficiency
and developing alternative fuel vehicles. (To read the complete
article, click on the headline above)
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Slowing
weed resistance a challenge
Growers in the upper Southeast continue to battle back
against the growing problem of weed resistance to herbicides. Knowing
herbicide mode of action is critical to making management decision
geared to reducing the resistance threat. The most common families of
herbicides typically have a number of different products sold under
different trade names and used in different crops. These materials look
different on target and non-target crops, but the mode of action is the
same. Speaking at the recent Northeast Ag Expo in Tyner, N.C., North
Carolina State University Peanut Specialist David Jordan showed
attendees a series of test plots sprayed with different herbicides.
Planning the use of herbicide families in crops this season should
affect what is used in the same field on a different crop next season,
he says. - Roy Roberson, Farm Press Editorial Staff
(To read the complete article, click on the headline above)
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It's
important to know candidates' positions
With the election a little more than a month away,
candidates for both major parties are scrambling to appease those
constituencies that will do them the most good in the voting booth. That
is precisely why — at the national level anyway — you as farmers are
being virtually ignored. As U.S. farmers become fewer and fewer, it
simply isn’t practical for a candidate for national office to spend
valuable time and resources courting your vote. With less than 2 percent
of the American population now making a living from farming, there are
thousands of interest groups with larger memberships ahead of you in
line. Of course, the other groups don’t provide the nation’s food
and fiber, but that’s mostly an overlooked point during the election
cycle. So the best you can do is to know the candidates’ stand on
agriculture, although it’s certainly no guarantee their position on an
issue will translate into policy if and when they take office. This
isn’t a cynical notion, but one of reality. A candidate can have the
best of intentions out on the campaign trail, but once entrenched in
power, positions can change rapidly. - Paul L. Hollis, Farm Press
Editorial Staff
(To read the complete article, click on the headline above)
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'Easy
Rider' ATVs hit the trail
Ten Years ago at our first ATV Rodeo, it was mainly
our Team FIN drivers who were tested. Riding the machines for hours at a
time could be grueling — not only because of the mud and mosquitoes on
the trails — but because the ATVs were often small, noisy
bone-rattlers. This year our Team FIN testers became easy riders. The
brand-new amenities on all the machines kept the drivers relaxed and
comfortable — and smiling all day long. “The field of ATVs is
greatly improved,” said Shirley Hodgen, a farmer from Roachdale, IN.
“They are a joy to drive. The power steering and new seats are
wonderful. The four-wheeler companies are adopting the same things that
tractor manufacturers have done with their cabs to make us less stressed
and fatigued. We can ride these all day and not feel beat up.”
Clearly, the bar keeps getting raised for ATVs, and manufacturers are
packaging as many features as possible into their new models. - Karen
McMahon, Farm Industry News
(To read the complete article, click on the headline above)
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T-Boone's
energy gospel could be part of solution
In the $58 million worth of TV ads with which he’s
been blanketing the airwaves in recent months, 80-year-old Texas
oilman/entrepreneur T. Boone Pickens comes across as the folksy,
worldly-wise, very rich guy that everyone would like to have as a
grandfather. Pickens, whose net worth is variously estimated from $2.5
billion to $4 billion, depending on the vagaries of the energy market in
which he’s heavily invested, solemnly intones in his commercials,
“I’ve never been as worried about our energy security as I am right
now — (it’s) the most serious situation since World War II. Our
growing dependence on foreign oil is extreme, dangerous, and threatens
the future of our nation.” Unless the U.S. takes positive steps to
stanch the tsunami of imported oil (something it hasn’t managed in the
35 years since the Arab oil embargo), he says, it stands to spend $10
trillion on foreign oil in the next 10 years. - Hembree Brandon, Farm
Press Editorial Staff
(To read the complete article, click on the headline above)
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City
trash plus farm leftovers may yield clean energy
Tomorrow's household garbage might be blended with
after-harvest leftovers from fields, orchards, and vineyards to make
ethanol and other kinds of bioenergy. Agricultural Research Service
(ARS) scientists are investigating this straightforward, eco-friendly
strategy in their laboratories at the agency's Western Regional Research
Center in Albany, Calif. In most instances, agricultural wastes like
rice straw, almond hulls, and the oversize outer leaves of iceberg
lettuce will have to be pretreated before being used as a bioenergy
resource. That's according to Kevin Holtman, an ARS research chemist
who's working out the details of the garbage-to-gas approach. The
garbage, known as "municipal solid waste," or "MSW," would also be
pretreated, Holtman noted. (To read the complete article, click on
the headline above)
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