CROP NEWS WEEKLY NEW Penton Media February 4, 2009 Volume 9, Issue 5 If you want to view this on the web go to: http://enews.penton.com/enews/cropnewsweekly/v/310 ---------------------------------------- ADVERTISEMENT Glyphosate was supposed to be all you needed to control every weed, every time. But resistant weeds like giant ragweed, waterhemp, Palmer pigweed and marestail have proven you need more. The Syngenta Resistance Fighter_ Solutions Module helps you find all the right products to fight resistance in your fields. http://www.resistancefighter.com ---------------------------------------- EDITOR'S NOTE Logan Hawkes 02/04/09 It's February already and farmers are gearing up for the start of the new season - in spite of the rough winter weather experienced across large areas of the nation. But before putting the cart before the horse, don't forget it's also the perfect time to catch up with the latest in farm technology, equipment news and regulatory developments, and perhaps the best way to do that is at one or more of the great industry conferences coming our way in the days and weeks ahead. These conferences and farm shows are far too many to list here, but keep an eye on the latest issue of CNW each week for the latest info about all the events in your area. And, of course, we'll always keep you updated with the latest industry issues and are committed to providing you an opportunity to sound off with your opinion. That's what our monthly CSD Poll is all about. Check out this week's new poll question and don't forget to weigh-in with your vote. Speaking of the news, the issues and the latest developments, let's get right to it. We're full of great information this week, so get started. And happy surfing. ---------------------------------------- ADVERTISEMENT Soybeans are a lot like growers. The earlier they get up, the more they get done. CruiserMaxx(R) Beans brand insecticide/fungicide seed treatment gets your soybeans off to a vigorous start, aiding in a quicker canopy closure. Early season stresses aren't so stressful anymore for beans boosted by the patented vigor effect of CruiserMaxx Beans. And healthy beans from the get-go, means healthy profit potential at harvest. Learn more at cruisermaxxbeans.com ---------------------------------------- FROM OUR EDITORS --Fertilizer prices vary at the retail level After reaching unprecedented price levels last year, fertilizer markets are adjusting to a dramatically different economic situation, making it hard for fertilizer dealers to set their prices and causing some farmers to delay their purchases, says Bruce Erickson, a Purdue University specialist. "Fertilizer markets are now much more global, not only from the demand side, but also in the production of our key fertilizers," says Erickson, director for Purdue's cropping systems management. "Fertilizer use in other parts of the world has been up sharply and most nitrogen (N) used in the Corn Belt is imported from other countries, so we are at the mercy of whatever happens around the world. - Corn & Soybean Digest To view the full article go to: http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/inputs/fertilizer/0128-fertilizer-prices-vary/ --EPA approves new corn trait On the heels of Syngenta's new Agrisure corn trait event, MIR162, receiving registration approval by the Environmental Protection Agency, the company has given the trait a name: Agrisure Viptera. The Agrisure Viptera trait will be included in stacks with the Agrisure CB/LL trait for the control of lepidopteran corn pests. The MIR162 event uses a new proprietary technology from Syngenta that features a novel insecticidal protein called Vegetative Insecticidal Protein 3A (Vip3A). In Syngenta trials, the trait has been shown to provide enhanced control of a wide range of lepidopteran corn pests including corn earworm, western bean cutworm, black cutworm and fall armyworm. - Farm Industry News To view the full article go to: http://farmindustrynews.com/news/new-corn-trait-0114/ --Researchers identify drought-hardy soybeans The United Soybean Board (USB) and soybean checkoff are pleased to congratulate Tommy Carter, PhD., and his team of researchers as they prepare to release a line of drought-tolerant soybeans. In addition, the soybean checkoff is proud to have played such a major role in helping fund the project in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS). "In 1980, when I started this type of research, we all knew drought-tolerance was important to farmers. But from the research side, we didn't know anything about drought-tolerance or if we could do anything about it genetically," Carter said. "Because of climate change, there's been more awareness recently in the scientific community that drought research is a priority. To view the full article go to: http://southeastfarmpress.com/soybeans/soybean-research-0203/ --Obama should overturn lands rule With snow from a mid-January dusting of Mid-South crop fields lingering on the ground and the inauguration of a new president still fresh on our minds, it's no surprise what people are thinking. "Wow, it didn't take President Obama long to cure global warming did it?" Just kidding. Everyone knows that the man hasn't achieved the power to change global weather dynamics, unless of course, he's discovered a hidden magical thermostat somewhere in the White House. What many in agriculture are wondering though is how the president will manage agricultural policy. I'm concerned, as are many of you, as to whether President Obama will recognize the importance of preserving America's wealth-producing base, i.e., industries, including agriculture, that actually create the cash that runs most businesses as well as the U.S. government, or if he'll subscribe to the theory that the WTO and environmental groups should decide who produces the world's food, fiber and fuel. - Elton Robinson,Farm Press Editorial Staff To view the full article go to: http://deltafarmpress.com/legislative/robinson-column-0203/ --Weed science societies meet Feb. 9-13 Recent developments and trends in weed management are the focus of an upcoming joint meeting of two of the nation's leading weed science organizations. The Weed Science Society of America and the Southern Weed Science Society will meet Feb. 9-13 at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. The event is drawing hundreds of scientists, students, educators and professionals from public and private organizations who are interested in sustainable weed control practices. This is the 49th annual meeting for WSSA and the 62nd annual meeting for SWSS. - Weed Science Society of America To view the full article go to: http://deltafarmpress.com/events/weed-society-0203/ --Machinery Show Seminars New planters, combines and precision technology for sprayers will be highlights in seminars at the National Farm Machinery Show. Farm Industry News is sponsoring three, one-hour seminars during the show 2009 held in Louisville, KY. Leading manufacturing companies will give detailed information on their newest products. The seminars are designed to help attendees understand the diverse, new technology at the show and to find the exhibitors with this equipment. Cookies and coffee will be served. - Farm Industry News To view the full article go to: http://farmindustrynews.com/nfms/0130-nfms-seminars/ --One-pass tillage Labor. Time. Fuel. Those are three things Tim Jamerson saves by running a new plow after harvest on his Hornersville, MO, farm. Jamerson recently completed his first year of running the One Pass TerraTill plow in his corn-soybean-cotton rotation. "I really like it," says Jamerson, who practices 100% conservation tillage. "After corn harvest, we ran the plow behind the combine and had the ground completely prepared for planting in the spring. We also planted a wheat cover crop in the middles with a Gandy air seeder attached to the one-pass plow. This helps prevent excessive erosion. We saved two to three trips with this new equipment." The One Pass TerraTill is manufactured by Bigham Brothers in Lubbock, TX. It is available in four- and six-row units. It is designed to cut through heavy residue, till the row, undercut the stalks, press them into the row and bed up over the stalks in one pass. - Farm Industry News To view the full article go to: http://farmindustrynews.com/farm-equipment/one_pass_tillage_0109/ --Sorghum playing bigger biofuels role Southerners may best know sorghum as sweet, biscuit-topping syrup. But the small grain's uses range from a dependable, drought-tolerant food crop to a biofuel source, says a University of Georgia researcher. "Sorghum's importance is enormous," said Andrew Paterson, a distinguished research professor and director of the Plant Genome Mapping Laboratory. PGML is a joint unit of the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Paterson and his collaborators -- from as close as South Carolina and as far away as India, Pakistan and Germany -- have mapped and analyzed the genome of sorghum bicolor, placing 98 percent of its genes in their chromosomal context. At 730 million bases, or letters of DNA, sorghum has a genetic code a quarter the size of the human genome. The results of the study appear in the Jan. 29 issue of the international science journal Nature. - Stephanie Schupska University of Georgia To view the full article go to: http://southeastfarmpress.com/grains/sorghum-genome-0202/ ---------------------------------------- RFD TV Live! Monday, Feb. 9th & Feb. 23rd, 2009 (7 p.m. CST) Join Syngenta and a panel of experts for two shows discussing the latest in weed resistance management. RFD-TV can be found on Dish Network channel 231, DirecTV channel 345 as well as Mediacom, Comcast, Charter, NRTC, Bresnan and NCTC cable systems. http://www.resistancefighter.com ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- Callisto(R) herbicide delivers superior, season-long broadleaf weed control with exceptional crop safety, allowing your corn to yield more of its full potential. http://www.farmassist.com/promo/callisto_landing/index.asp?nav=callistoLanding.html ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- For early season grass and broadleaf weed control, nothing works harder than Lexar(R) herbicide. With three modes of action, Lexar shuts out even the most stubborn yield-robbing weeds. And unlike its early-season rivals, Lexar doesn't quit working until the job's done. http://lexar-herbicide.com. Lexar is a Restricted Use Pesticide. ---------------------------------------- KENT THIESSE ---------------------------------------- Exercise Caution On Cash Rental Rates Cash corn and soybean prices reached the highest prices ever during 2008, with local cash grain prices in southern Minnesota topping out over $6/bu. for corn, and around $15 for soybeans. The very high grain prices in summer 2008 led to some very rapid and dramatic increases in land values, and in annual cash rental rates. Cash corn prices in southern Minnesota have now dropped well below $4/bu., and cash soybean prices have been slightly above $9 in recent weeks. Current cash forward price opportunities for 2009 at local grain elevators are near $3.75/bu. for corn, and near $8.50 for soybeans. Most of the significant increases in 2009 cash rental rates were based on the corn and soybean prices that existed in summer 2008, and not on current 2009 grain market projections. ---------------------------------------- RICHARD BROCK ---------------------------------------- Vilsack: Helping Ethanol Industry a priority Helping the U.S. ethanol industry survive current hard times is a priority, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Monday, adding that he will be looking at a variety of different ways to do that. One specific way to help out is through offering government assistance to make sure that refineries are as efficient as they can be, he said. But there may also be other ways to help a U.S. ethanol industry that has been plagued with bankruptcies and production halts from companies that suffered from sharply fluctuating corn and gasoline prices in 2008, Vilsack told Dow Jones Newswires. ---------------------------------------- MORE MAGAZINE HIGHLIGHTS ---------------------------------------- NEW POLL Your opinion counts! Log on to the Corn & Soybean Digest and cast your vote on our new poll question: What is your biggest concern as you enter the 2009 planting season? *Nitrogen prices *Spring and summer weather *Land/rent prices *Credit Cast your vote at cornandsoybeandigest.com SDSU EXAMINES DEPENDENCY ON ETHANOL INDUSTRY Ethanol production used less than 5% of the nation's corn in 1990-1991, or 333 million bushels, but used as much as 24% -- 3.1 billion bushels -- by 2007-2008, a South Dakota State University (SDSU) economist says. SDSU Research Associate Yonas Hamda's article, "Dependency on the Ethanol Industry," is included in a recent issue of the SDSU Economics Commentator. It's available online at an SDSU department of economics Web site, www.econ.sdstate.edu. - Corn & Soybean Digest http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/biofuels/0203-dependency-on-ethanol-industry/ UNL: CORN ETHANOL EMITS 51% LESS GREENHOUSE GAS Corn ethanol directly emits an average of 51% less greenhouse gas (GHG) than gasoline, as much as three times the reduction reported in earlier research, thanks to recent improvements in efficiency throughout the production process, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) research shows. A Journal of Industrial Ecology article(http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-9290.2008.00105.x) outlines the research, conducted by an interdisciplinary team of UNL researchers, which evaluated dry-mill ethanol plants that use natural gas. Such plants account for nearly 90% of current production capacity. - Corn & Soybean Digest http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/corn/0128-corn-ethanol-emits-less-greehouse-gas/ ECONOMY COULD IMPROVE BY '09 The U.S. and global economy will get better, perhaps as soon as the fourth quarter of 2009. But before the worm turns, it's likely to eat further into employment numbers and the health of crucial industries such as housing, banking and auto manufacture. Bob Young, chief economist, American Farm Bureau Federation, speaking at the Beltwide Cotton Conferences in San Antonio, said U.S. job losses likely will continue through the second and third quarter of 2009, as will a "soft economy." Improvement could begin in late 2009 or early 2010, spurred by low interest rates and an expected economic stimulus package from Congress. There is a lot of ground to make up. Young showed graphs depicting the capitalization of the world stock market from 1995 through October 2008. Capitalization peaked in late October 2007 at $63 trillion. In late 2008 that number had dropped to $33 trillion. - Ron Smith, Farm Press Editorial Staff http://deltafarmpress.com/cotton/beltwide-young-0129/ 2009 AG SYMPOSUIM Brock Associates is hosting the 2009 Agricultural Economic Symposium on Feb. 23-25, just before Commodity Classic. "This year's Agricultural Economic Symposium will again be immediately prior to the Commodity Classic, and this year we're all headed to Dallas, TX," says Richard Brock of Brock Associates. "This arrangement allows you to attend two great industry events in one convenient location." Sessions include Agriculture and The World in Transition, Farmland Values, Farm Transition Planning, Managing in New Economic Times, The Economics of Innovation, Weather--Long-Term Impact, The Impact on Grain and Livestock Prices, Meeting Global Demands Through Innovation, Ethanol --Will the Growth Continue and Grain Price Outlook--Where Are We Headed? "The 2009 Agricultural Economic Symposium is jam packed with dynamic, high profile speakers who are among the sharpest minds in the industry," says Brock. "We are once again fortunate to have Rob Fraley from Monsanto on the program. Also on the program will be the ever-popular Dr. David Kohl." Registration for the conference is $325, and includes all sessions, handouts, breaks, meals and a reception on Monday evening. To register, call 800-558-3431 or go to www.brockreport.com/seminars.php ---------------------------------------- ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER You are subscribed to this newsletter as #email# To subscribe to this newsletter go to: http://subscribe.cropnewsweekly.com/?tc=NLSUB To unsubscribe from this newsletter go to: http://subscribe.cropnewsweekly.com/?tc=NLSUB&cid=#message_id#&lid=#list_id#&email=#email# For information on advertising in Crop News Weekly, please contact: Roger Randall at mailto:roger.randall@penton.com For questions concerning delivery of this newsletter, please contact our Customer Service Department at: US Toll Free: 866-505-7173 International: 847-763-9504 or mailto:cropnewsweekly@pbinews.com To get this newsletter in a different format (Text or HTML), or to change your e-mail address, please go to your profile page here: http://subscribe.cropnewsweekly.com/?tc=NLSUB&email=#email# Penton Media | 249 W. 17th Street | New York, NY 10011 Copyright 2009, Penton Media. 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