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Logan
Hawkes
07/02/08
Crop News Weekly
An early Happy Fourth of July to all! It can
sometimes become difficult, especially for farmers this time of year, to
give much thought to anything other than the business at hand. But I
know you, as all True Blue Americans, will take what little time you can
to pause and consider the significance of our Independence Day
celebration. Sure, it has been commercialized to a great extent. Not
even soy bean producers can rival the export volume of Chinese gunpowder
producers who peddle their fireworks to a world market hungry to
celebrate one thing or another. A lot of those, of course, come to
America. But, as well you know, Independence Day is much more than
setting off firecrackers or having barbecues in the backyard. It's about
the freedom to farm and the right to voice our opinions pro and con when
ever we want. It's about choosing which church we go to and which store
we frequent for our seeds and chemicals and feed and fertilizer. It's
about maintaining a democracy in a world that has gone to the ravishes
of war over religious differences and philosophical exceptions. It's
about the right to vote, to have that vote counted, and to exercise the
liberties of democracy and autonomy and the inalienable right to fair
representation and taxation; about the freedom of choice, the freedom of
speech and the freedom to bear firearms to protect our farms and
families. It's about the celebration of a strong and united nation and
the collective voice of the majority and the protection of the opinions
and views of the minority. It's about America, and if we don't allow the
spirit to die, it will never cease. And I guess this is where I say "God
Bless America." (Hey, who needs an inspired speech writer with a
short resume for speech writing? Call me.) Anyway - Happy Fourth.
In the news this week, Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin says the supplemental
spending bill passed by Congress late last week includes $479 million
for emergency conservation efforts for areas affected by the Midwest
floods. Also this week, Midwest corn producers are reporting losses of
around 1.2 million acres to extensive rains and flooding in June. And
The USDA's June Grain Stocks and Acreage reports revealed larger numbers
than generally expected. These current estimates were negative for corn
prices, but provided some support for soybean prices. You'll find these
stories and more in this issue of Crop News Weekly. Happy
reading.
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Congress
provides $479 million for flood relief efforts
Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin says the supplemental spending
bill passed by Congress late last week includes $479 million for
emergency conservation efforts for areas affected by the Midwest floods.
Harkin, chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and
Forestry, said the funding is needed to help farmers begin recovery from
the flooding that continues to inundate farmland in Iowa and the upper
Mississippi Valley. “The full extent of the damage inflicted on the
Midwest by the recent flooding and excessive rainfall is still
unknown,” said Harkin. “Yet in touring Iowa, it is evident that
there are a great deal of pressing conservation needs on the ground now
in terms of damaged conservation structures and debris removal
needs.
(To read the complete article, click on the headline
above)
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Rains
cut Midwest corn by 1.2 million acres
Midwest corn producers are reporting losses of around
1.2 million acres to extensive rains and flooding in June, according to
USDA’s June 30 Planted Acreage Report. USDA’s National Agricultural
Statistics Service reported the losses after re-interviewing
approximately 1,200 farmers June 23-25 in the flood-affected areas. NASS
says it will conduct a more extensive acreage update survey during July.
Findings from this study will be incorporated in the August crop
production report. Corn planted area for all purposes is estimated at
87.3 million acres, down 7 percent from last year. - Elton Robinson,
Farm Press Editorial Staff
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USDA
releases acreage reports
The USDA's June Grain Stocks and Acreage reports
revealed larger numbers than generally expected. These current estimates
were negative for corn prices, but provided some support for soybean
prices. "Taken together, the USDA reports were negative for corn
prices," said Darrel Good, University of Illinois Extension Economist.
"With a slowdown in corn use already happening, year-end stocks will
likely be at least 100 million bushels larger than the 1.433 billion
bushels projected by USDA earlier in the month. - Corn & Soybean
Digest
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Agronomist
offers tips for late soybean replanting
Where soybean stands have been devastated by
hailstorms, drowning, or some other factor, producers may be thinking
about replanting, said Kraig Roozeboom, K-State Research and Extension
crop production specialist. With later-than-optimal planting dates,
should producers make any changes in management strategies? Should a
shorter-season variety be substituted as we move into late-June planting
dates? "As planting is delayed, the situation begins to resemble
double-crop soybean production," Roozeboom said. "The soybean crop
following wheat is usually planted two to six weeks later than the
optimum date for highest yields. Since planting is delayed, often until
the end of June or early July, producers might be tempted to switch to a
shorter-season variety to ensure the crop will mature before frost. This
would be a mistake, however."
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The
Agri-Evolution of Telemetics
For those of you who like watching the news instead of
reading it, check out Farm Industry News featured video this week, The
evolution of telemetics. Editor Jodie Wehrspann reports from the
Agricultural Machinery Conference in Cedar Rapids, IA on advances in
telemetics products for the farm, and how they've come down considerably
in price. - Farm Industry News
(To read the complete article, click on the headline above)
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ROAD
WARRIOR: Perspectives from young producers
Dave Kohl writes: "The other day in a young and
beginning farmer/rancher institute, I put the junior generation on the
spot. After a grumpy older producer gave his perspective that there is
very little future in the agricultural industry, I let the younger folks
counter him. Here are their perspectives.
First, agricultural businesses can be profitable if operated as a
business with sound planning, strategy and execution.
Second, the younger generation indicated that this industry allows you
to work with new technology and cutting-edge sustainable practices. You
are a scientist, economist, and entrepreneur, all wrapped into one..."
- Corn & Soybean Digest
(To read the complete article, click on the headline above)
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Soil
conditions threaten corn growth
Corn roots may be suffering, if planted in damp soils
that became compacted then crusted with beating rains. University of
Illinois Extension crop specialist Emerson Nafziger says cultivation
could break up the crust and mulch the soil to retard evaporation, and
give oxygen to the roots. Corn with yellow leaves is not
photosynthesizing well and is standing in water. He says its roots will
not recover very fast due to slow soil drying. If your corn is yellow,
it is likely due to wet soils and depleted nitrogen, and there is little
that can be done until the soils dry out, Nafziger says. - Corn &
Soybean Digest
(To read the complete article, click on the headline above)
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Who
can afford corn? Almost no one, economist says
Inexpensive and abundant corn helped move the ethanol
industry onto the alternative fuels fast lane. With corn prices now at
record highs, demand outpacing supply and crop losses inevitable with
the Midwest floods, ethanol production could soon be stalled, a Purdue
University Extension agricultural economist said. As corn prices
continue climbing, fewer ethanol producers can afford the feedstock,
said Chris Hurt. In turn, domestic livestock producers and foreign
buyers are finding it more difficult either to pay the high prices or
obtain the grain they need, he said. - Corn & Soybean Digest
(To read the complete article, click on the headline above)
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Carbon
may be a cash 'crop' for producers
Agriculture producers may have a crop they can cash in
on without having to plant or harvest anything extra, Texas AgriLife
Extension Service specialists said. Dr. Steve Amosson, AgriLife
Extension economist in Amarillo, said carbon sequestration is getting a
lot of attention of late. Carbon sequestration is defined as the capture
and secure storage of carbon. It is estimated that U.S. agriculture
could sequester 275-900 million tons of carbon dioxide annually through
processes such as no-till or conservation tillage or rangeland
improvement, as well as reducing methane gas emissions, Amosson said.
“It’s a greenhouse gas reduction effort involving a pilot trading
program for emission sources and offset projects,” he said. “First
they determine eligibility, and then the carbon credits are sold on a
market – the Chicago Climate Exchange.” - Kay Ledbetter, Texas
A&M University
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USDA
implementing new farm bill
The new farm bill — which the Bush administration
opposed for many months — wasn’t completed until June 18. Although
displeased with the legislation, the USDA realized a tidal wave of
congressional support for the bill meant its passage was inevitable.
“Once it was clear what the outcome would be, we moved ahead, and on
June 12 we announced all of our 2008 marketing loan rates,” said
Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer, during a press conference. “We
wanted to make that program available as quickly as possible to
producers who may want to use it this year. Today (June 25) we’re
announcing that sign-up for the 2008 Direct and Counter-cyclical payment
program is now open. When producers sign up for the DCP, they will be
eligible immediately for a 22 percent advance on their direct
payment.” - David Bennett, Farm Press Editorial Staff
(To read the complete article, click on the headline above)
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Quality
loss program available
Eligible farmers who suffered quality losses to their
crops in recent years can enroll in the Crop Disaster Program 2005-2007
(CDP) at local FSA service centers, says USDA Farm Service Agency
Administrator Teresa Lasseter. The CDP provides benefits to farmers who
suffered losses to their 2005-07 crops from natural disasters and
related conditions. Producers who incurred qualifying quantity or
quality losses in 2005, 2006 or 2007 may receive benefits for only one
of these years. However, producers may apply for benefits for losses to
multiple crops as long as the losses occurred in the same crop year.
Only producers who obtained crop insurance coverage or coverage under
the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) for the year of
loss will be eligible for CDP benefits.
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Will
Midwest floodwaters swamp Mid-South?
As areas of the Midwest struggle with flooding,
Mid-South growers wonder what will happen when those floodwaters head
south. Only those with crops on the riverside of the Mississippi River
levee need to worry, said Jim Pogue, press liaison with the Army Corps
of Engineers Memphis office. Among Pogue’s comments on June 20: “The
Memphis District is from Cairo, Ill., to the mouth of the White River in
Arkansas. That includes about 355 river miles. We’re not expecting any
significant flooding (due to the Midwest water reaching the Mid-South).
Actually, the river will be much lower than it was in March. - David
Bennett, Farm Press Editorial Staff
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Late
soybean planting continues
You know the crop is late when, in mid-June, there are
still full-season soybeans to be planted, never mind a hefty double-crop
acreage. In Arkansas, those straggling, full-season fields “are in
areas that were very wet earlier this spring. Most of those fields
should be planted (by June 18),” says Jeremy Ross, Arkansas Extension
soybean specialist. “Double-crop planting is progressing well. South
Arkansas got a good start on wheat harvest. As long as there’s
adequate moisture, most everyone is putting in soybeans right behind.”
- David Bennett, Farm Press Editorial Staff
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Still
seeking a cause of colony collapse disorder
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the Apiary
Inspectors of America have conducted a combined survey of beekeepers to
get a snapshot of how well managed colonies made it through the winter
of 2007-2008. Surveyed beekeepers reported a total loss of about 36.1
percent of their honey bee colonies, up about 13.5 percent from the
previous winter. Losses attributed to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)
appear to be about the same, with just over one-third (36 percent) of
the operations reporting some lost colonies in which all adult bees
disappeared, a primary symptom of CCD, according to Jeff Pettis,
research leader of the ARS Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville,
Maryland. - Kim Kaplan, United States Department of
Agriculture
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Checkoff
builds soybean use in construction
Green construction continues to be a growing trend in
the United States. The United Soybean Board (USB) and soybean checkoff
promote the inclusion of soy in construction materials, creating a solid
foundation of soy-based products for use in this exciting segment of the
industry. Soy-based construction products have many environmental and
economic advantages compared with similarly performing petrochemical
products. Many soy-based construction products meet Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design (LEED) and/or Energy Star green building rating
standards.
(To read the complete article, click on the headline above)
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Farm
input costs threaten food supply
The long-term safety and affordability of the American
food supply is threatened by skyrocketing input costs that are straining
American farm families, agriculture leaders from the Southern United
States said recently. They called on Congress and the federal government
to address the crisis immediately. Many farmers could go out of business
if solutions aren’t found, forcing the nation to import more food, the
state agriculture commissioners warned. “I’ve had farmers in my
state come to me in tears because they don’t know what they’re going
to do,” Commissioner Ron Sparks of Alabama said during the annual
conference of the Southern Association of State Departments of
Agriculture in Lexington, Ky. Costs of fuel, fertilizer and livestock
feed are wiping out gains in crop prices. Livestock and poultry prices
generally are flat, so higher input costs are eating into producer’s
bottom lines. Record oil prices are driving up the cost of virtually all
farm inputs.
(To read the complete article, click on the headline above)
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