Changes coming in CCC loans, LDPs
	Soybean checkoff outlines priorities
	Food prices drop again
	Farm equipment insurance
	ACRE signup begins in late April
	ACRE spreadsheet helps farmers
	Biodiesel board slams EC duties
	USDA rescinds Fed Lands Rule
	Conventional soybeans draw interest

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While late winter weather hangs on across parts of the Upper Midwest, a few growers are beginning the process of putting corn in the ground this week - at least in areas where the spring season has a hope of hanging on. And in spite of the late cold, just about every farmer will tell you, "It's about time". Forecasters are calling for improvements in the spring weather in the days and weeks ahead, and with Easter week upon us, it appears as though the time has just about arrived for quick progress on the 2009 planting season. Or at least we hope.

There's news this week that food prices have dropped, and news that there are changes coming in CCC loans. And from the United Soybean Board, supporting production research on increasing yields will remain the top target area for the farmer-leaders of USB along with improving the composition of the soybean for the end users of U.S. soybeans. In other news, farming is tough enough without having to tackle the foreign language spoken by lawyers and insurance companies. But if you want to buy the right equipment insurance, you need to learn to speak - or at least understand - the jargon.

You'll find these stories and more in this issue of Crop News Weekly. Thanks for stopping by.

Farmers can expect to see some changes if they decide to place their crops in the Commodity Credit Corp. marketing assistance loan or request loan deficiency payments on covered commodities beginning with the 2009 crop year.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the changes, most of which are required by the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, in a press release distributed by USDA today to media outlets.

“Both President Obama and I want to ensure that farmers can produce agricultural products without fear that they will not earn fair market value for what they harvest,” said Vilsack, referring to the market stabilizing effects of marketing assistance loans and loan deficiency payments. - Forrest Laws, Farm Press Editorial Staff

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Using priority issues established by the entire soy industry and feedback from U.S. soybean farmers, the United Soybean Board (USB) and the soybean checkoff have evaluated the checkoff’s current programs and selected the most critical areas on which to focus in the near future.

Supporting production research on increasing yields will remain the top target area for the farmer-leaders of USB along with improving the composition of the soybean for the end users of U.S. soybeans.

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Farm Bureau’s informal survey shows retail prices of 16 “marketbasket” items were down 5.5 percent from the fourth quarter of 2008.

Retail food prices at the supermarket dropped slightly for the second consecutive quarter, according to the latest American Farm Bureau Federation Marketbasket Survey. The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 food items that can be used to prepare a meal was $47.41, down $2.80 from the fourth quarter of 2008.

Of the 16 items surveyed, 11 decreased and five increased in average price compared to the prior quarter. The overall cost of the marketbasket of foods in the first quarter dropped just under 1 percent compared to a year ago.

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Farming is tough enough without having to tackle the foreign language spoken by lawyers and insurance companies. I’m in the insurance business and it confuses me at times. So today I will attempt to interpret a couple of very important terms and concepts that will help you in choosing the best insurance coverage for your farm.

Let’s start with something fairly basic. Should you insure equipment with blanket or specific insurance?

Just like it implies, blanket insurance covers everything that is designated under it. - Rudy Martin, Farm Specialist, The Destefanis Agency

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USDA will schedule the signup for the average crop revenue election (ACRE) program in April as part of its plan to complete sign-up for the 2009 farm programs.

Sign-up for ACRE is expected to start in late April, with an official sign-up announcement to be made in the coming weeks. Producers can elect to enroll in the ACRE program at their FSA county offices after the sign-up period commences.

The ACRE program, authorized by the 2008 farm bill, provides eligible producers a state-level revenue guarantee, based on the five-year state Olympic average yield and the two-year national average price.

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Farmers thinking of signing up for the countercyclical revenue program in the 2008 farm bill should not give up in despair, said a University of Missouri economist.

While benefit calculations seem complex for ACRE (Average Crop Revenue Election), new software speeds the decision, said Peter Zimmel at the MU Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI).

MU economists built a spreadsheet, called FARM Tool, posted on the FAPRI Web site. Farmers can download the tool for use in their farm office, Zimmel said. - Duane Dailey, University of Missouri, Cooperative Media Group

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The National Biodiesel Board has submitted formal written comments in response to the European Commission’s decision to impose provisional antidumping and countervailing duties on U.S. biodiesel entering the European Union. The NBB comments illustrate the significant procedural and factual shortcomings in the EC’s provisional ruling.

“The comments we have filed highlight that arbitrary procedural conclusions and inaccurate market assumptions were used by the EC as the basis for imposing provisional duties on U.S. biodiesel,” stated Manning Feraci, NBB vice president for federal affairs.

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Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that the rule terminating base acres on federal land has been rescinded. As a result of Vilsack’s action, farmers who lease federal land are again considered eligible to receive payments under the direct and counter-cyclical program (DCP) on federal land with base acres.

“Terminating base acres on federally-owned cropland would have hurt farmers across the United States and eroded the safety net for farmers and ranchers,” said Vilsack. “In keeping with President Obama’s commitment to American agriculture, we have decided to rescind this rule.” - Elton Robinson, Farm Press Editorial Staff

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Two-thirds of Grover Shannon’s soybean breeding program is dedicated to Roundup Ready varieties. When farmers call nowadays, however, it’s almost always about the third dedicated to conventional varieties.

“Monsanto is a great company and they’ve done a lot of good things with Roundup Ready soybeans (which were introduced in the mid-1990s),” says the University of Missouri professor, stationed at the Delta Center in Portageville, Mo. “You’ve got to hand it to them. The Roundup Ready system is easy to use. Some farmers won’t ever quit it — they like it too much. It provides more time to work on other things around the farm.” - David Bennett, Farm Press Editorial Staff

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