CROP NEWS WEEKLY Penton Media March 18, 2009 VOLUME 9 ISSUE 11 If you want to view this on the web go to: http://enews.penton.com/enews/cropnewsweekly/v/317 ---------------------------------------- ADVERTISEMENT "Waterhemp is a significant problem in soybeans, and the potential for it to be an even bigger problem is huge. I've seen a yield reduction of 40 to 50 bushels per acre when it's taken over the field. It's one of those weeds you have to remove from the field -- physically remove. If you just pull it up and leave it there, it'll re-root and remain or gain as a problem." Ken Dahlenburg, grower, central Illinois. Learn more at http://www.resistancefighter.com ---------------------------------------- EDITOR'S NOTE Logan Hawkes 03/18/09 While the Irish were celebrating green this week, farmers were thinking green - or at least about how they hope for spring green in the fields soon. With the official start to the spring season just a week away, last minute prep is taking place all across the Midwest as producers gear up for what they hope will be a positive, eventful start to the new crop year. In this issue of Crop News Weekly we explore the current political climate and how it is affecting farmers now and in the year ahead. With the recent change in the White House, other changes, we know, will be coming. But what will be the bottom line for America's farmers when all is said and done? Explore the issue this week. And take time to surf through an abundance of other issues and features you'll find in this issue. Thanks for stopping by, and happy reading. ---------------------------------------- ADVERTISEMENT Prefix(R) pre-emergence herbicide offers two modes of action to help combat glyphosate- and ALS-resistant weeds like waterhemp, common ragweed and Palmer amaranth. With nine confirmed glyphosate-resistant weeds in 20 different states, Prefix helps achieve a weed-free field all season, maximizing the potential for higher soybean yields at harvest. Click here to learn more. HTTP://www.prefix-herbicide.com ---------------------------------------- FROM OUR EDITORS --Obama direct payment plan criticized Criticism continues to rain down on the Obama administration's proposal to reduce government spending by phasing out direct payments to agribusinesses with more than $500,000 in annual sales, capping payments to individual farmers at $250,000 and ending cotton storage payments. The latest outpouring came in a letter from 39 farm organizations to the chairmen and ranking members of the agriculture and budget committees in both houses of Congress expressing "strong opposition" to the $16 billion in ag spending cuts in the administration's 2010 budget. But the sharpest condemnation may have come from Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., during a hearing of the Budget Committee he chairs. It occurred as Conrad, who also serves on the Agriculture Committee, scolded White House Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag for administration comments on the farm bill. - Forrest Laws, Farm Press Editorial Staff To view the full article go to: http://deltafarmpress.com/legislative/direct-payment-0313/ --Rural agenda for Senate Democrats Senate Democrats have unveiled a "rural agenda" for the 111th Congress and a Web site highlighting issues important to rural communities and promoting policies that will benefit rural areas. The developments were announced by Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. She serves as chair of Rural Outreach for the Senate Democratic Caucus. "Our rural communities are suffering during these tough economic times, and it is critical that we focus on policies that will give them the economic boost they desperately need and deserve," said Lincoln. "This agenda will help guide Senate Democrats as we work toward policies that will revitalize and reinvest in the rural economy." To view the full article go to: http://southwestfarmpress.com/legislative/rural-development-0317/ --USDA - under secretaries announced President Barack Obama has announced his intention to nominate James W. (Jim) Miller to be under secretary of agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services and Dallas P. Tonsager to be under secretary of agriculture for Rural Development. "Jim Miller and Dallas Tonsager are well aware of the challenges and opportunities in rural America. They have dedicated their lives to enhancing the success and improving the lives of farmers, ranchers and those living in rural areas," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Miller currently is chief of staff for the National Farmers Union, a position he accepted in 1999 after serving four years as senior analyst for agriculture and trade on the majority staff of the Senate Budget Committee. Miller also has served as chief economist for the National Farmers Union and as vice president for government relations for the National Association of Wheat Growers. To view the full article go to: http://deltafarmpress.com/legislative/miller-tonsager-0317/?smte=wl --Farmers - enthusiasm not missing I should no longer be surprised -- but I am. In a year in which commodity prices promise less than excellent returns and rainfall is little more than a distant memory and production costs continue to hover around merely outrageous, farmers remain upbeat about the possibilities. I've visited several farms in the last few weeks and talked with quite a few farmers at various meetings I've attended and have been a bit surprised that folks aren't hanging their heads, muttering to themselves about how poor the economy looks and wondering out loud just how they'll make ends meet in 2009. Most, if not enthusiastic about the prospects for the coming season, are at least hopeful that rain will arrive in time to germinate spring-planted crops and that prices some time during the year will offer at least an opportunity to make a profit. - Ron Smith, Farm Press Editorial Staff To view the full article go to: http://southwestfarmpress.com/news/smith-column-0313/ --ABC 'tragedy' for local economies "When are we going to have a Secretary of Agriculture who is for agriculture?" That rather pointed query from Marianna, Ark., cotton producer/ginner Larry McClendon, in response to the current secretary's recent comments on farm programs at the National Cotton Council's annual meeting in Washington, echoes the frustration of many in the farming community about the direction in which ag policy seems headed. "The new secretary, when asked about farm program payments, said they have to take into consideration environmental issues, trade, the budget deficit, etc.," McClendon said at the annual meeting of the Southern Cotton Ginners Association at Memphis. - Hembree Brandon Farm Press Editorial Staff To view the full article go to: http://deltafarmpress.com/legislative/brandon-column-0316/ --Whittling away at the farmers' safety net Former President Gerald Ford once said, "A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take everything you have." More and more farmers are feeling the ironic sting of this caution firsthand. Toward the end of February, we heard about President Obama's proposal calling for the elimination of direct payments to large "agribusinesses," which has drawn a strong reaction from members of Congress and some of the nation's farm organizations. Before that, and out of the blue, farmers who lease and farm federally-owned lands were told by USDA that their crop bases were being eliminated. For many of them, it starts now. - Elton Robinson, Farm Press Editorial Staff To view the full article go to: http://southwestfarmpress.com/legislative/robinson-column-0317/ --Weed control in conventional soybeans I've enjoyed getting more involved in soybean weed control again. For years I did more soybean work than anything else. The work Dick Oliver and I did on reduced rate herbicide programs years ago was one of the most rewarding things I have done professionally. Being in on the ground floor of evaluating the Roundup Ready technology and having a part in developing the weed control recommendations for Arkansas was probably the most fun I ever had as a weed scientist. I am on record many times as saying Roundup Ready is miracle technology. However, ever since it received widespread grower acceptance, there has not much demand for an applied weed scientist in soybeans -- until now. - Ford L. Baldwin, Practical Weed Consultants, LLC. To view the full article go to: http://deltafarmpress.com/soybeans/weed-control-0316/ ---------------------------------------- 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/ ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- 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 ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- Enter the Syngenta Field Performance Sweepstakes for a chance to win a prize package designed to bring you performance on and off the field. Click here to tell your own Plant Performance story and get a shot at the ultimate performance experience. Be among the first 50 to respond and you'll also receive an official NCAA Division I college hat featuring the team of your choice http://plantperformance-sweeps.com ---------------------------------------- KENT THIESSE ---------------------------------------- THIESSE'S THOUGHTS: 2010 FEDERAL BUDGET PROPOSAL Anytime agricultural policy is enacted by Congress -- such as the 2008 Farm Bill -- there are always two parts to the final resulting actions of the legislation. The first part is enacting the policy portion of the legislation (the farm bill), and second is authorizing the funding to carry out the policies enacted by the legislation. President Obama and Congress are now in the process of developing the federal budget for fiscal year 2010, which will authorize funding for USDA, and various aspects of the 2008 Farm Bill. The federal budget can also eliminate or change funding for certain programs. http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/ag-issues/0310-federal-budget-proposal/ ---------------------------------------- RICHARD BROCK ---------------------------------------- TRADE SEES SMALLER SOY STOCK, LARGER CORN CARRY The grain trade is expecting USDA to trim its estimate of the 2008-2009 U.S. soybean carryout a bit further in Wednesday's monthly supply/demand update, while raising its projections of corn and wheat ending stocks. Trade estimates of the 2008-2009 U.S. soybean carryout average 200 million bushels in a range from 177 million to 220 million bushels compared with USDA's February estimate of 210 million. http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/corn/0310-grain-trade-stocks/ ---------------------------------------- AUDIO/VIDEO FEATURES ---------------------------------------- LibertyLink soybeans, Ignite alternative to glyphosate LiberyLink soybeans are finally hitting the market this spring and accompanying it is Ignite herbicide, a powered up version of Liberty. Andy Hurst, Bayer CropScience, says the LibertyLink trait is the first new trait introduced in soybeans in a decade and it's coming at a good time. The new trait is resistant to Bayer's Ignite (glufosinate), an alternative to gylphosate, which now has widespread weed resistance. Ignite controls 120 broadleaf weeds and grasses. Watch the video with Hurst at: http://farmindustrynews.com/tv/0313-bayer-ignite-herbicide/ Commodity Classic videos The attendance was high and exhibit hall busy at the 2009 Commodity Classic held in Grapevine, TX. Farm Industry News took the video camera to the show and taped some segments from exhibitor booths. See the "renegade" combine displayed in MachineryLink's booth and the latest Calmer combine head. Be sure to check back frequently as more videos will be posted later at http://farmindustrynews.com/ ---------------------------------------- MORE MAGAZINE HIGHLIGHTS ---------------------------------------- THE SUNSCREEN EFFECT IN CORN Could a gene that produces a thicker waxy coating on corn seedlings really help corn produce more biomass and less grain? A University of Illinois researcher is trying it out. If it works, a hybrid with more biomass will be good for ethanol production and for livestock feed. Apparently, the waxy coating acts like a sunscreen and helps the plant put more energy into the stalk and leaves during the hot, sunny days of summer. - By Lynn Grooms For the full story, go to http://blog.farmindustrynews.com/biofuellines/ ---------------------------------------- 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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