Crop News Weekly: EPA Challenged On Land Use

In spite of the late planting of corn and some soybeans in parts of the Midwest the growing season is well underway and early reports indicate the weather, at least for the moment, is cooperating and promoting growth. The next order of business would be a few more showers now that fields are seeded - and the hope for an extended summer. The long planting days have now turned into the long growing days, and last week's solstice reminds us the clock is ticking for a healthy crop before harvest arrives a few months away. And so the world turns.

As always, we're loaded up with news and issues this week you will find interesting and useful. Dig in and get started -- and thanks for reading Crop News Weekly

If the situation wasn’t so serious, it would almost be funny.

The U.S. economy, by any measurement, is in a heckuva mess. The country has lost 6 million non-farm jobs since 2007. On top of that, gasoline prices have begun moving up again as oil companies take advantage of increased summer driving.

So someone at the Environmental Protection Agency has decided this country’s energy future should be held hostage to Brazilian subsistence farmers who might want to whack down a few more acres of Amazon rainforest.

Farm and alternative fuel representatives tried to make nice with EPA during two days of hearings on its Proposed Rule for Changes to Renewable Fuel Standard Program June 8 and 9. But their frustration with the agency’s fixation on “indirect land use change” showed through at times.

The Renewable Fuels Association’s Bob Dinneen said EPA’s lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) analysis of biofuels, including emissions from ILUC, is puzzling at best. “No evidence exists biofuel production in the U.S. has influence over land use decisions in other countries, and we have deep concerns over EPA’s methodology,” he said. - Forrest Laws, Farm Press Editorial Staff

Furrow diking not only saves water, but reduces irrigation costs to a point where it makes economic sense, according to Agricultural Research Service scientists.

Furrow diking is a tillage system where soils are plowed into ridge-like barriers running alongside row crops. The ridges hold irrigation and rain water, allowing it to soak into the soil instead of washing away.

Agronomist Russell Nuti at the ARS National Peanut Research Laboratory in Dawson, Ga., is exploring the use of furrow diking in the Southeastern United States, where runoff is a problem and water is a valued commodity. Farmers in the Southeast must irrigate to supplement rainfall, but reducing runoff would reduce the need for irrigation.

About 40 Central Virginia farmers got insights into how to make their operations more energy efficient at a recent conference.

“Managing Energy on Virginia Farms” was held at the Cumberland County Community Center. Sponsors were Virginia Cooperative Extension; James Madison University; the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy; the Virginia Foundation for Agriculture, Innovation & Rural Sustainability; and Virginia Tech.

Speakers addressed agricultural lighting and fan ventilation, wind and solar energy and U.S. Department of Agriculture energy programs and funding during the first half of the daylong conference.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the appointment of John Ferrell, a native of Iowa and graduate of Northwest Missouri State University, as deputy undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs at USDA.

In this position, Ferrell will help establish policies which enhance domestic and international marketing of U.S. agricultural products, ensure the health and care of animals and plants, and participate in setting national and international standards.

“John Ferrell has extensive experience in the development of agriculture policy, and he is a welcome addition to USDA where he will help advance our efforts to improve competition, transparency and fairness in the marketing of agricultural products,” Vilsack said.

New data released by the federal government shows consumers are paying less for groceries today than they were just six months ago. This decrease comes amid increased production and use of ethanol, often the scapegoat of choice by food manufactures and meat processors when grocery prices rise.

According to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for groceries (food consumed at home) declined for the sixth straight month, and prices for all the major grocery store individual food groups declined compared to April. The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs showed the largest one-month decrease at -0.9 percent. Prices for dairy products, fruits and vegetables, and beverages also showed noticeable declines.

Mother Nature gives no warning. One week, we were wondering if the thunderstorms and cool temperatures would ever end, the next, summer imposed its will on the Mid-South and another spring was history.

The season had arrived, farmers were excited. It’s time to start, uh, sequestering carbon.

Chuckle if you will, but in reality, carbon sequestration could be a big part of farm conservation plans of the future. The world’s farmers could be required, and incentivized, by governments to implement practices on the farm designed to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that many believe are causing global warming. - Elton Robinson, Farm Press Editorial Staff

For several years now we have looked at numerous herbicides applied in the fall for residual weed control. Some of this has been for general winter annual weed control and some protocols have been specifically written for glyphosate-resistant horseweed management.

In general, I have always been skeptical of these treatments. Valor is one product that has led the charge for these applications.

In many cases, what we have observed is that even though fields are clean all winter, they would “break” prior to planting, requiring a spring burn-down prior to planting. - Robert C. Scott, Extension Weed Specialist, University of Arkansas

Mid-South soybean associations, the American Soybean Association, and Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, are seeking applicants for the 2010 Young Leader Program.

The Young Leader Program is recognized for identifying and cultivating the producer leaders who are shaping the U.S. soybean industry.

“The Young Leader Program is an exceptional leadership training program,” said Johnny Dodson, ASA president and soybean producer from Halls, Tenn. “ASA and Pioneer are committed to developing the next generation of leaders for the soybean industry. As a graduate of this leadership program, I can tell you that it opens up a lot of opportunities for you."

This spring, not only did Parkin, Ark. — a town about 35 miles northeast of Memphis — get an abundant dose of rains but the area also drains excess water from the north. Considering the waterlogged spring, it’s understandable why area crops are so late. - David Bennett, Farm Press Editorial Staff

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