Crop News Weekly: Soybean Acres At Record High

Happy Independence Week! Amid all the planting, spraying and cultivating, it's time once again to observe our National Independence this weekend. The annual Fourth celebration rarely falls on the weekend, but this Saturday most farmers get the chance to fire up the smoker out back and spend a few hours with the family as we observe the founding of our Nation. Sure, it's just another day in the week; another day for the seedlings and weeds to grow and yet another distraction from the farming business that burdens the grower who spends countless hours each day nurturing the fields. But for Americans it's also one of most important holidays of the year. It reminds us that we have the opportunity to ply our trade and plow our fields in relative safety, protected by a constitutional guarantee of freedom and liberty and justice for all. We shouldn't take it lightly. Many have died protecting those principles, and it is good and just for us to honor the day appropriately. Happy Fourth to all!

In the news this week, reports are out that indicate soybean acres are at a record high. There are still weather problems across much of the Midwest. There's a growing fear of more ag cutbacks this year and plenty of room for concern over water and environmental programs. You can catch up with all the latest in this issue. Happy reading!

U.S. farmers planted a record-breaking soybean crop this spring, according to USDA’s June 30 Planted Acreage report.

According to the estimate, soybean acres are up 2 percent from last year, while corn acres are up 1 percent. Cotton acres are down 4 percent.

Soybean planted area for 2009 is estimated at a record high 77.5 million acres, up 2 percent from last year. Area for harvest, at 76.5 million acres, is up 3 percent from 2008, and will be the largest harvested area on record, if realized. - Elton Robinson, Farm Press Editorial Staff

Recent legislation supported by President Obama is a threat to farmers across the U.S.

Obama’s proposed budget would cut hundreds of millions of dollars from conservation programs that was promised under the 2008 farm bill. The President’s budget would cut $30 million in funding in 2010, and $175 million over the next three years.

Another program under-the-gun from the President’s proposed cuts is the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, or EQIP, which is earmarked for a $250 million cut. - Roy Roberson, Farm Press Editorial Staff

Biotechnology offers a realistic means to not only improve important seed components, but also to boost the overall nutritional quality of seeds, according to a recently published book edited and partly written by Hari B. Krishnan, an Agricultural Research Service scientist.

The book, “Modification of Seed Composition to Promote Health and Nutrition,” can serve as a textbook for students as well as a primer for scientists, according to Krishnan, a molecular biologist at the ARS Plant Genetics Research Unit in Columbia, Mo.

Published by the Crop Science Society of America, the new book contains up-to-date information on biotechnological improvements of seed composition from some of the world’s leading scientists in the field.

The National Corn Growers Association has commended House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson for his negotiations on pending climate change legislation, H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

(For more, see 'House climate bill deal' below)

“We appreciate the dedication Chairman Peterson has shown to U.S. corn growers and the agriculture industry during this legislative process,” said Bob Dickey, NCGA president. ”He has been a true champion for our industry during negotiations and his amendment to the climate change legislation will make several steps in the right direction.” - National Corn Growers Association

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is urging producers to learn about the new Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program before the August sign-up deadline.

Congress created ACRE in the 2008 farm bill to give producers an additional option to help manage the risks associated with farming. Farm Service Agency Administrator Doug Caruso has launched an educational campaign on the ACRE program this week in North Dakota during a series of meetings with farmers, including an event with the North Dakota Farmer's Union.

"The ACRE Program is an innovative risk management tool and I encourage producers to seriously consider whether to adopt this option," said Vilsack.

Honey bee colony losses nationwide were approximately 29 percent from all causes from September 2008 to April 2009, according to a survey conducted by the Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

This is less than the overall losses of about 36 percent from 2007 to 2008, and about 32 percent from 2006 to 2007, that have been reported in similar surveys.

“While the drop in losses is encouraging, losses of this magnitude are economically unsustainable for commercial beekeeping,” said Jeff Pettis, research leader of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Md. ARS is USDA’s principal intramural scientific research agency.

New mathematical models developed by Agricultural Research Service scientists and colleagues could eventually help farmers use climate patterns to predict corn yields.

Farmers could use this information, which indicates yield cycles of about two years, to adjust their production practices. For instance, crops grown in low-yield years may require less fertilizer.

These adjustments, in turn, could reduce the flow of excess nitrate from crop fertilizers into the surrounding watershed, which may help control hypoxia downstream in the Gulf of Mexico.

Recent actions by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seem to signal a move away from locally-led, cooperative approaches to controlling nonpoint source pollution from agriculture and toward greater federal regulation, said Trey Lam, president of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts (OACD) in a letter sent to the members of the Oklahoma Congressional Delegation.

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