CROP NEWS WEEKLY Penton Media February 25, 2009 Volume 9 Issue 10 If you want to view this on the web go to: http://enews.penton.com/enews/cropnewsweekly/v/314 ---------------------------------------- ADVERTISEMENT When it comes to protecting yield, all it takes is one-pass of Lumax(R) pre-emergent herbicide. A single pre-emergent spray stops weeds before they emerge - something research shows is critical to maximizing yield. To learn more, visit lumax-herbicide.com. Lumax is a Restricted Use Pesticide. http://www.lumax-herbicide.com/ ---------------------------------------- EDITOR'S NOTE Logan Hawkes 02/25/09 Spring planting is not that far away and the weather, albeit slow in the process, is changing. Farmers are wrapping up pre-planting projects and preparing to move back into the fields for another spring season. With an uncertain economy and the potential for unstable markets, the year offers up more challenges than usual. But in spite of tough times and the long road ahead, there are rumored pockets of optimism that suggest agriculture will survive the current crisis and emerge a better industry in spite of heavy regulatory control and government legislation. In spite of that, producers are finding it difficult to embrace that optimism as they head into the busy time just ahead. We explore the latest and developing issues in this issue of Crop News Weekly and offer up a chance to take an interactive part in our growing online community. Welcome back! ---------------------------------------- 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 ---------------------------------------- FROM OUR EDITORS --Merrigan choice for USDA deputy secretary Kathleen A. Merrigan is President Obama's nominee for deputy secretary of the Department of Agriculture. Obama, speaking of Merrigan and other nominees, said, "I am grateful that these distinguished men and women have chosen to put their unique talents and expertise to work serving our country. Together, I am confident that we will be able to tackle the challenges of our time as we work to right our economy and enact policies that give America's working families the relief they need." The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition praised the selection of Merrigan. "The farmers and rural constituents of our grassroots member organizations are excited to have a lifelong supporter of family farmers and sustainable and organic agriculture working with the (Obama) administration to reform U.S. food and agriculture policy," said the coalition in a statement to the press. To view the full article go to: http://deltafarmpress.com/legislative/merrigan-usda-0224/ --Finessing a fertilizer deal "What We've got here is a failure to communicate." It's a famous line from the 1967 movie classic Cool Hand Luke that starred Paul Newman. It's also a fitting theme for what's been happening in the crop input side of agriculture since last summer. Fertilizer prices hit new highs as a number of market forces aligned and caused an artificial spike. With corn and soybean prices also setting price records, many dealers filled their fertilizer barns in anticipation of a normal fall market, without any commitments from farmers. When the bottom fell out of the market, they found themselves with a high-priced product that their customers say they can't afford. - John Russnogle, Farm Industry News To view the full article go to: http://farmindustrynews.com/crop-protection/fertilizer/0215-fertilizer-hitting-highs/ --Traditional farm programs may be replaced Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the government must begin to look at new ways to support farmers -- including the use of "green payments" -- because of the impact of the recently passed economic stimulus package on the federal deficit. Vilsack, the former two-term governor of Iowa who became secretary on Jan. 21, said producers must begin to think creatively and innovatively about how they can use their land to absorb carbon, how they can structure a financial market for the use of their land and provide additional support for everyone who farms. - Forrest Laws, Farm Press Editorial Staff To view the full article go to: http://southeastfarmpress.com/legislation/farm-payments-0219/ --Some 'drive wedge' between consumers, ethanol New anti-ethanol commentary by environmental and food manufacturing organizations are "stirring up fear" among consumers at a time when all segments of the economy should be pulling together to bring about recovery. The Washington-based Environmental Working Group and the Grocery Manufacturers Association seem to be intent on destroying the ethanol industry at a time when the country needs to be reducing rather than increasing its dependence on foreign oil, National Corn Growers Association officials say. - Forrest Laws, Farm Press Editorial Staff To view the full article go to: http://southwestfarmpress.com/energy/corn-ethanol-0218/?smte=wl --Stimulus plan should help farmers The global economic slowdown may not affect agriculture as severely as it does other industries, but farm families are feeling the pinch with commodity markets and production inputs. Economist Jose Pena says tighter credit may not have as serious an effect on agriculture as it does on other industries. "Rural banks appear to have funds available to finance agriculture," he says. "But the financial crisis probably will dictate that agricultural lenders require more financial information and loan application documentation from borrowers, especially in terms of details on how they secure loans." - Ron Smith, Farm Press Editorial Staff To view the full article go to: http://southwestfarmpress.com/news/economic-stimulus-0223/ --Budgeting, marketing to play key roles Kenneth Wright spent a lot of time this winter pouring over figures, trying to find ways to match production cost cuts with what's likely to be a 15 percent income reduction from a Hunt County, Texas, wheat, grain sorghum, corn and soybean operation. He and son Kendall also will watch markets closely, closer than usual perhaps, looking for opportunities to lock in a profitable price.- Ron Smith, Farm Press Editorial Staff To view the full article go to: http://southwestfarmpress.com/grains/production-planning-0219/ --Europe must accept biotech Food imports produced through biotechnology should be less of a problem for European Union countries as the rest of the world adopts them, EU official Dan Rotenberg said at a seminar on U.S./EU trade relations during the American Farm Bureau Federation's 90th annual meeting in San Antonio. The EU must accept biotech food and feed or it won't be able to feed its livestock, Rotenberg said, and would then need to import meat from animals fed biotech crops in the United States or elsewhere. Rotenberg is the European Commission counselor to the United States. To view the full article go to: http://southeastfarmpress.com/grains/biotech-foods-0220/ --Beekeepers 'hanging on' For several years, U.S. honeybees -- key for good crop yields -- have been dying off or abandoning colonies en masse, resulting in fears for the pollination of U.S. crops. The die-offs and set of odd behaviors exhibited by honeybees is known as colony collapse disorder, a malady researchers have yet to pinpoint the cause of. In 2006-07, problems with colony collapse disorder-affected hives had largely been an East Coast problem. Tens of thousands of colonies were lost to the disease. By last summer, the problem had shifted to the West Coast, where crops like almonds rely heavily on the insects. - David Bennett, Farm Press Editorial Staff To view the full article go to: http://deltafarmpress.com/news/beekeepers-colonies-0220/?smte=wl --Money doesn't mean credit's easy On the day Barack Obama was taking the oath of office as the nation's 44th president, the U.S. stock market was tanking big-time. So much for optimism in the financial sector. Despite infusions of a trillion dollars or so by the U.S. Treasury into the financial system, almost daily the news reports are of more billions in losses by major financial institutions, more business failures, more thousands of job layoffs, and more ravaging of 401(k)s, IRAs, and market-based college savings plans. In 2008, an estimated $8.4 trillion vanished from U.S. equity markets. - Hembree Brandon, Farm Press Editorial Staff To view the full article go to: http://southwestfarmpress.com/news/brandon-column-0223/ ---------------------------------------- Residual control in a glyphosate corn herbicide. Very unexpected. New Halex_ GT gives you everything your current glyphosate does, plus residual weed control. It's the only herbicide specifically designed to improve your glyphosate corn program whether you grow AgriSure(R) GT or Roundup Ready(R) corn. Halex GT stays in the soil to take care of continuously emerging weeds. Its residual control lasts far into the season for better yield potential and a more convenient, more productive glyphosate program. Try Halex GT on your farm and see for yourself. ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- Prefix(R) pre-emergence herbicide combats early-season weed competition, helping growers capitalize on their crop's true yield potential. Prefix eliminates yield-robbing weeds that compete for soil moisture, light and nutrients. Prefix provides up to five weeks of residual control, helping soybean growers maintain clean fields. Click here to learn more. ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- 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. ---------------------------------------- KENT THIESSE ---------------------------------------- FARM PROGRAM SIGNUP MORE COMPLICATED Producers who have gone into county Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices to sign-up for the 2009 DCP farm program have found out that sign-up is more detailed and time-consuming than in the past. As part of the 2008 Farm Bill, USDA has implemented new payment eligibility and adjusted gross income (AGI) forms to be completed when enrolling in the DCP, MILC and other government farm programs. Farm program participants in 2009 will be required to complete either FSA Form CCC-9021 for individuals or Form CCC-902E for partnerships, corporations and other business entities. Each person in a farming operation who is eligible to receive farm program payments through FSA must complete this form. http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/ag-issues/0217-farm-program-signup-complicated/ ---------------------------------------- RICHARD BROCK ---------------------------------------- CORN DEMAND OUTLOOK WEAK USDA did not cut its estimates of U.S. corn demand any further in last Monday's supply/demand report, but odds are that it will have to make more cuts in coming months due to negative ethanol industry margins, reduced livestock numbers and the continued weakness in the general world economy. Although some of the U.S. ethanol plants idled this winter are expected to be brought back on line in coming months, the outlook for the ethanol industry remains gloomy due to negative operating margins and low gasoline prices. Plans appear to be in the works in Washington D.C. to grant fuel blenders at least a temporary waiver from the 10.5-billion-gallon renewable fuel usage mandate for 2009 because it is looking increasingly likely that there won't be enough ethanol produced to meet that mandate. http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/corn/0217-corn-demand-weak/ ---------------------------------------- AUDIO/VIDEO FEATURES ---------------------------------------- RECORD CROWDS AT FARM SHOW The attendance at the largest indoor farm show in the U.S. shows that the recession hasn't hit Midwestern agriculture yet. The National Farm Machinery Show boasted record exhibitors and attendance during its recent run in Louisville, KY. However, many companies reported some softening in sales, but a strong interest among farmers who were looking at equipment. Technology was the big draw at the show. For a video summary, http://farmindustrynews.com/tv/nfms09/0219-nfms09-summary/ THE ECONOMICS OF CORN POPULATION Corn populations have everything to do with yield. ISU Corn Agronomist Roger Elmore summarizes studies advising just how many corn plants/acre you need for maximum economic yield, and you can view the video workshop right now. - from CSD LIVE. See the video here: http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/tv/0219-economics-corn-population/ ---------------------------------------- MORE MAGAZINE HIGHLIGHTS ---------------------------------------- BIOMASS RECEIVES $800 MILLION FROM STIMULUS Biomass programs received a big boost from the recent stimulus plan signed into action by President Obama. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes an appropriation of $16.8 billion for the Department of Energy's Office of Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) programs and initiatives. Of this total, $2.5 billion will be allotted for Applied Research, Development, Demonstration and Deployment, including $800 million for biomass, $400 million for geothermal and $50 million for information and communications technology. Full story in BIOFuelLines: http://blog.farmindustrynews.com/biofuellines/ CURRENT POLL There's still time to vote in our latest poll. Your opinion counts! 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 http://cornandsoybeandigest.com ROAD WARRIOR OF AGRICULTURE You'll Never Go Broke Paying Income Taxes The quote of quotes in my seminar series last year came from a producer in Rochester, MN. He said, "You will never go broke paying income taxes." Since we are in the midst of tax season, let's drill down and examine his thoughts. First, I have been burned too often in my lifetime, so I will never say never. However, this producer's thought has validity in most circumstances. First, if you pay income taxes, regardless of whether you are on a cash or accrual accounting basis, it generally means you have had a profitable year. - Dave Kohl, Corn & Soybean Digest http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/ag-issues/0224-income-taxes/ ---------------------------------------- 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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