Crop News Weekly: Late Planting & Soybean Production

Happy Father's Day! In a post-modern world it's good to know that family values still hold a high place among farm families. Much in this world has changed, and often for the good instead of the bad. For instance, no farmer in his right mind wants to hitch up the horses to plow the fields. We enjoy enormous benefits from agricultural research and development, and no one wants to return to the days before the modern technologies that make farming more productive and profitable. Yet some things should never change. And the values of America's agricultural community remain some of the highest in the land. Farming is more than a tradition - it's a way of life. And in spite of the long, hard hours required to get the job done, the core principles of the family unit remain largely unchanged through the generations, and for this, I believe, we should be thankful.

That's my speech in honor of Father's Day. It's just an opinion and may not be worth much to many. But it's my way of wishing all the Dad's in the farming world a happy and rewarding Father's Day. Now -- let's get to the week's news and issues below.

Nearly a week after Asian soybean rust was located in south Louisiana and Alabama soybeans, the fungal disease hadn’t been found elsewhere. It was not from lack of looking, though.

“We’ve continued to scout and make (leaf) collections, but nothing has been found since the St. Martin Parish outbreak,” said Clayton Hollier, LSU AgCenter plant pathologist on June 12.

Having already found rust in south Louisiana kudzu, “my associate looked at several fields that Blaine Viator — a consultant that has helped us out a lot with rust monitoring — has maintained. She found rust in two of Viator’s sentinel plots.” - David Bennett, Farm Press Editorial Staff

Soybean growers are full-speed ahead with planting, however, the wet spring has put many of them behind schedule.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Weekly Weather Crop Bulletin, 48 percent of Kentucky soybeans were planted as of June 7. This is well behind the five-year average of 71 percent.

Soybeans planted after June 15 are considered late and could cause yield loss. Producers currently planting need a final stand count of 100,000 plants per acre. This number should increase to 140,000 plants per acre for soybeans planted after June 15 and 160,000 plants per acre for double-crop soybeans to help offset yield losses, said Chad Lee, grain crops Extension specialist with the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. - Katie Pratt, University of Kentucky

Forget the fanciful “24.” Americans should know that the nation’s farmers — their livelihoods and yields in the balance — really do face frequent, ticking time-bomb situations.

Pests are capable of incredibly quick proliferation and fields often need immediate pesticide applications and can’t wait; the spraying needed to be done yesterday.

So what happens if that application can’t be made?

That is a serious concern following a January decision by a three-member panel of the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Since the ruling, farmer and ag-chemical advocacy groups have been in full voice warning that U.S. agriculture is under threat. - David Bennett, Farm Press Editorial Staff

The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Data Analysis released an economic study on Tuesday regarding the impact a cap-and-trade system would have on the agriculture community. The study maintains that cap-and-trade is “an energy tax in disguise” that will cause farm income to drop dramatically because of higher operating costs. It further argues that people living on fixed incomes and struggling in tough economic times can expect higher food prices as the result of this policy. - Corn & Soybean Digest

The Dust Bowl may be long gone, but wind continues to erode an average 1.3 tons of topsoil each year from every one of Kansas’ 1.8 million acres of cropland.

That’s well beyond tolerable limits, according to the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service.

“Clearly, windbreaks continue to have important roles to play in the Great Plains. They can affect everything from crop yields to rural home comfort. Given what people like you and I can see from the road, however, this living resource has long been in a decline, perhaps for up to six decades,” said Bob Atchison, rural forestry coordinator for the Kansas Forest Service (KFS).

USDA expects world feed grains to decline 23 million tons. Stock markets continue to assert a major influence over grain, oilseed and fiber market prices.

Planting delays for grain crops are expected to reduce yields. Soybean potential has yet to be assessed with planting unfinished.

World food production must double before 2030 to keep up with demand.

Fuel consumption is expected to exceed drilling capacity before that time.

USDA anticipated pork exports to increase substantially. This will increase feed grain demand. It takes about 10 pounds of grain to produce 1 pound of pork. - Ray Nabors

Market opportunities for the 2009 corn crop and the 2009-2010 wheat harvest depend on factors as close to home as how much it rains in Iowa, as far off as how long it stays dry in Australia and as varied as how high or how low crude oil futures will move.

Blake Bennett, Texas AgriLife Extension economist, says overestimates of the 2009 wheat crop have moved prices up in recent weeks. Trouble with the Southwest winter wheat crop and problems with spring wheat planting support a price increase.

Texas and Oklahoma wheat production will be down as much as 50 percent from 2008. Kansas farmers are not as hard hit, but are still not expecting a bin buster, Bennett said during the North Texas Small Grains Field Day in Leonard, Texas. - Ron Smith, Farm Press Editorial Staff

Crop rotation and cover crops enhance the effectiveness of no-till cropping systems by reducing disease and weed pressure, improving soil moisture holding capacity and increasing soil organic matter content.

“It’s hard to think about no-till without crop rotation,” said Oklahoma State University graduate student Silvano Abreu at the No-Till Oklahoma Conference in Oklahoma City earlier this year.

“I have not seen no-till success without rotation,” he said. “Rotation promotes healthy soil and makes it more productive.”

He said wheat after wheat in no-till systems promotes weed and disease pressure. “Rotation to corn or milo breaks that cycle. Rotation helps manage weeds such as shattercane.” - Ron Smith, Farm Press Editorial Staff

EDITOR'S NOTE

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