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Logan
Hawkes
04/09/08
Crop News Weekly
While winter weather continues to linger in
parts of the country, already forecasters are talking about a strong
weather summer season for much of the nation. Well respected veteran
forecaster William Gray of Colorado State University has been predicting
tropical weather for most of his life and issues annual tropical
outlooks several times each year. With Gray's coveted forecast set to be
issued this week, a preview reveals another risky season of tropical
storms and hurricanes are expected to assail U.S. coastlines. Gray
predicted at the end of last year we should see 13 tropical storms and
seven hurricanes that threaten the U.S. coast. But Gray hints that he
may increase those numbers in his updated forecast because global
weather conditions indicate an abnormally busy season ahead.
In the top of the news this week, the framework for a new farm bill is
in place, however, funds to pay for it remain elusive. That's according
to Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, chairman of the Senate Agriculture
Committee. Harkin says he hopes the farm bill can be wrapped up by the
April 18 extension deadline. In other news, the grain trade is looking
for a substantial reduction in the projected 2007-2008 U.S. corn
carryout and modest increases in soybean and wheat ending stocks. USDA
is expected to release their latest monthly supply/demand update on
Wednesday. Elsewhere this week, cool, wet soils can cause extra hazards
to soybean seed being planted this spring. Caution should be taken at
planting time to assure good stands, says Bill Wiebold, a University of
Missouri Extension agronomist and soybean specialist. And finally, for
the second year in a row, farmers in many parts of the Midwest are
facing moisture-saturated soils that could leave corn short on both
nitrogen (N) and yield in 2008. That’s despite the fact that they
applied, or are planning to apply, nitrogen at rates that typically are
adequate to produce a bin-busting crop.
You'll find these stories and a lot more in this issue of Crop News
Weekly. Happy reading.
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Harkin:
farm bill framework in place
The framework for a new farm bill is in place.
However, funds to pay for it remain elusive. Speaking at an April 4
press conference, Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, chairman of the Senate
Agriculture Committee, said the framework — which he isn’t
enthusiastic about — had come about as “the result of very intense
negotiations between the Senate and House. “In consultation with the
conferees … we’ve made a good deal of progress towards crafting the
bill. (We’re) working diligently towards the April 18 deadline, when
the current short-term extension expires. - David Bennett, Farm Press
Editorial Staff
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acres, Quadris® fungicide offers superior control of foliar soybean
diseases and impacts plant physiology to improve pod retention for
better harvests, often boosting yields an average of 5.5 bu/A in
research trials and field tests conducted in your area. With Quadris,
growers can expect better quality, higher performing plants and the
ultimate in quality and yield benefits. For more information on Quadris
fungicide, please visit www.quadrissoybeans.com.
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USDA
seen cutting corn carryout 9%
The grain trade is looking for a substantial reduction
in the projected 2007-2008 U.S. corn carryout and modest increases in
soybean and wheat ending stocks when USDA releases its latest monthly
supply/demand update on Wednesday morning. Those expectations are based
on last Monday’s quarterly Grain Stocks Report, which showed
lower-than-expected March 1 corn stocks and higher-than-expected soybean
and wheat stocks. - Richard Brock, The Corn & Soybean Digest
|
Soybean
seed supply increases need for good planting
Cool, wet soils can cause extra hazards to soybean
seed being planted this spring. Caution should be taken at planting time
to assure good stands, says Bill Wiebold, a University of Missouri
Extension agronomist and soybean specialist. “Bad things can happen to
good seed,” says Wiebold. “Worse things happen to poor-quality
seed.” Extra precautions may be needed this year to avoid a need for
replanting, Wiebold says. “With a short seed supply and high demand
for seed for increased soybean acreage, there may be a short supply of
elite seed available for replant.” - The Corn & Soybean
Digest
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High
corn prices, saturated soils: Spotlight on nitrogen
For the second year in a row, farmers in many parts of
the Midwest are facing moisture-saturated soils that could leave corn
short on both nitrogen (N) and yield in 2008. That’s despite the fact
that they applied, or are planning to apply, nitrogen at rates that
typically are adequate to produce a bin-busting crop. The possibility
that soil moisture conditions could cause large N losses is especially
daunting with corn futures prices above $5/bu. and in-season N expected
to cost 60+¢/pound, says Dr. Tracy Blackmer, research director for the
Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) On-Farm Network. - The Corn & Soybean
Digest
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Price
of herbicide versus pre-emergence chemicals
Rising input costs have crop farmers looking for
price-competitive alternatives, says Kevin Bradley, a University of
Missouri Extension weed scientist. With a doubling in price for
glyphosate – a post-emergence herbicide that is most popular with
soybean producers – pre-emergence herbicides became price competitive,
says Bradley. “In the past, the cost of two applications of glyphosate
on a Roundup Ready soybean field has been unbeatable from an economic
standpoint,” Bradley says. - The Corn & Soybean Digest
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Seed
placement vital when planting corn
When a researcher from a state that annually plants 13
million acres of corn speaks, farmers generally listen. Researcher
Emerson Nafziger, professor of crop sciences at the University of
Illinois, had plenty of attentive ears, if you will, when he discussed
corn planting for information-hungry producers attending the
Conservation-Tillage Cotton and Rice Conference in Tunica, Miss.
Nafziger said seed placement, both horizontally and vertically, into a
soil environment that provides good seed-soil contact, a good rooting
medium and adequate plant nutrients and water are vitally important in
producing top corn yields. - Elton Robinson, Farm Press Editorial
Staff
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Controlling
soybean Asian rust
In the coastal areas southwest of New Orleans, La.,
Asian soybean rust is likely to pop up anywhere each and every spring.
It’s up to Blaine Viator, a Plattenville, La., consultant, to make
sure that the disease does not cause economic damage for his clients.
Viator, speaking at the National Alliance of Independent Crop
Consultants annual meeting in Seattle says soybean production plays an
important second fiddle to sugarcane in Iberia Parish, where Viator
consults. Over the years, sugarcane producers have learned that planting
Roundup Ready beans once every four to five years can control the weeds
that crop up in sugarcane. - Elton Robinson, Farm Press Editorial
Staff
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Volatility
and risk management practices
Road Warrior Dave Kohl writes: "For producers,
a home run hitter without a marketing plan gets the bragging rights at
the coffee shop this year. In the long run, developing budgets with a
range of probabilities, scenarios and outcomes given known costs and
breakevens is very critical for long-term success. Having a diversified
marketing and risk management plan that mitigates risk in a worst-case
scenario and positions the business to capture profits during a
favorable part of the cycle is critical. Producers need to be very
careful not to lock themselves into fixed and variable costs, such as
high rents, just in case the market crashes." - The Corn & Soybean
Digest
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Argentina
bids to end farm strike
In a bid to resolve a 19-day farm strike that has
produced severe food shortages and a major political crisis,
Argentina’s economy minister on Monday announced measures to
compensate small-scale farmers for the effect of a recent controversial
tax hike on soy exports. Martin Lousteau says the government would offer
refunds on export taxes equivalent to the loss that these smaller
producers have incurred since the tax was raised under a new system
introduced on March 11, when it provoked farmers to block roads and
withhold supplies. - Richard Brock, The Corn & Soybean Digest
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It's
a tall order
Last Year was very good for the grain-handling and
storage equipment industries, and 2008 looks to be a continuation of it.
It's a simple matter of numbers: More corn acres mean more grain to move
and store. And bottlenecks can be created on the farm with
smaller-capacity equipment trying to handle the influx of grain.
“There's no question that producers are looking for larger, faster
grain-handling systems for their farms,” notes Greg Ver Steeg, vice
president of marketing for Sudenga Industries. “A few years back, a
popular size for a bucket elevator for the farm would be something with
a capacity of 5,000 bu./hr. Today, it's not uncommon to see a bucket
elevator that can handle 10,000 bu./hr. on a farm. Some of these new
on-farm grain-handling and storage systems rival local cooperatives.”
- Mark Moore, Farm Industry News
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Tips
for planting corn focus on seed placement
When a researcher from a state that annually plants 13
million acres of corn speaks, farmers generally listen. Researcher
Emerson Nafziger, professor of crop sciences at the University of
Illinois, had plenty of attentive ears, if you will, when he discussed
corn planting for information-hungry producers attending the
Conservation Tillage Cotton and Rice Conference in Tunica, Miss.
Nafziger said seed placement, both horizontally and vertically, into a
soil environment that provides good seed-soil contact, a good rooting
medium and adequate plant nutrients and water are vitally important in
producing top corn yields. - Elton Robinson, Farm Press Editorial
Staff
|
Evolutionary
process: staff changes at Farm Press
With your indulgence, I’ll use my space this week to
note a couple of Farm Press staff changes and to do a bit of
horn-tooting. First of all, we’re pleased that after a short hiatus,
our publisher for the previous four years, Greg Frey, has returned as
group publisher. To the readers of a publication, the publisher, for the
most part, is mostly a name in the masthead, involved chiefly with the
business aspects. To that extent, Greg hasn’t been a visible, week-in,
week-out presence for our readers — but his appreciation for, and
leadership of Farm Press have been a strong, guiding force in keeping
our publications at the top of the heap in the agricultural publishing
business. - Hembree Brandon, Farm Press Editorial Staff
|
Search for
Missouri Century Farms continues
If your Missouri farm has been in your family since
Dec. 31, 1908, you can apply to have it recognized as a Missouri Century
Farm. To qualify, farms must meet the following guidelines.
• The same family must have owned the farm for 100 consecutive
years.
• The line of ownership from the original settler or buyer may be
through children, grandchildren, siblings, and nephews or nieces,
including through marriage or adoption.
• The farm must be at least 40 acres of the original land acquisition
and make a financial contribution to the overall farm income.
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Tips for
planting corn focus on seed placement
When a researcher from a state that annually plants 13
million acres of corn speaks, farmers generally listen. Researcher
Emerson Nafziger, professor of crop sciences at the University of
Illinois, had plenty of attentive ears, if you will, when he discussed
corn planting for information-hungry producers attending the
Conservation Tillage Cotton and Rice Conference in Tunica, Miss.
Nafziger said seed placement, both horizontally and vertically, into a
soil environment that provides good seed-soil contact, a good rooting
medium and adequate plant nutrients and water are vitally important in
producing top corn yields. - Elton Robinson, Farm Press Editorial
Staff
|
Stakes
ever higher with herbicide drift this year
A couple of articles ago, I wrote that this would be
the highest risk crop that most Arkansas farmers have planted. The
outlook is excellent, but the input costs are far above what we have
ever experienced. With that in mind, the risk associated with any
potential herbicide drift is also at a record high. A farmer can not
afford to lose a crop in any field any year, but the potential
consequences of a loss for any reason this year are even greater. I have
already had two calls this spring from a farmer and a consultant saying,
“This guy just got through spraying a burndown herbicide with the wind
blowing right toward my wheat.” I hope things will be fine in both
situations, but the farmers will not know for sure until the wheat heads
develop. In both cases the guys have a ton of money in the crop and have
it booked at a high price. - Ford L. Baldwin, Practical Weed
Consultants, LLC.
|
NCGA
urges House to protect genetic research
The National Corn Growers Association has asked
members of the U.S. House of Representatives to protect the focus of the
National Plant Genome Research Program on crops that are
“agronomically important” — plants grown to bring value back to
the consumer and the taxpayer, as stated in the program’s original
intent and mandate. Pam Johnson, a farmer from Floyd, Iowa, and
chairwoman of NCGA’s Research and Business Development Action Team,
presented testimony to the House Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related
Agencies Appropriations subcommittee and discussed the program’s
successes, which led to the announcement in February of the completion
of a draft sequence of the corn genome.
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Bush
camp tightens ag spending reins
As of late March, USDA officials tasked with carrying
out President Bush’s farm bill wishes were unwilling to bend on
several issues. aising taxes and large program funding increases are
particularly unacceptable. Legislators have been warned that any bill
produced must hew to the president’s desires or it will be vetoed. If
the USDA officials are to be believed, it is Congress — still moving
slowly on producing a bill despite planting season arriving in the South
— that is most to blame for the new bill’s lateness. Further, the
Bush administration claims measures Congress has come up with to fund
the new farm bill are shaky. Defraying costs by only funding a portion
of the bill’s life (also known as “timing shifts”) are among the
shakiest. - David Bennett, Farm Press Editorial Staff
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Market News
Richard A. Brock
Check out the latest corn and soybean market advice from
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