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It was a good week for Wisconsin crops

June 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

The hottest week of the year was just what the crops needed in Wisconsin. The weekly Crop Progress Report from the National Ag Statistics Service Wisconsin Field Office says temperatures in the mid to upper 80′s were 7 to 8 degrees above normal last week and pushed the average corn height to 24 inches, an 11-inch jump from the previous week. That is still 4 inches short of the five-year average. The crop is rated 81% in good to excellent condition.The Badger State soybean crop is rated 74% good to excellent condition and the oats are 72% headed up from 44% a week ago. First crop haying is 94% complete and about 4% of second crop is made. A number of county reporters say, weather permitting, that number will jump substantially this week.

Soil moisture conditions still range from 19% surplus in the Southeast to 12% very short in the Northwest. Madison year-to-date precipitation is 6.3 inches above normal; Milwaukee is nearly 5 inches more than usual while Eau Claire is more than 3.5 inches below normal.

Filed Under: Crops, News Tagged With: , , , ,

Illinois topsoil moisture still high

June 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Warmer temperatures across Illinois this past week helped jump start crop development. Outside of some scattered precipitation, the state was dry for the majority of the week. Topsoil moisture is 97 percent adequate to surplus.Corn’s averaging 29 inches high, which is less than last year and less than the five-year average. The crop is 58 percent good to excellent. Soybean emergence, at 76 percent is also behind last year and the five-year average and the crop is 55 good to excellent.

Filed Under: Crops, News

Moisture and heat help Nebraska crop development

June 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Warmth and high humidity helped Nebraska crop development this past week. Over three-quarters of the wheat is turning color and the first
fields have been harvested in the southeast and south central parts of the state.The high heat and humidity caused livestock losses in several counties, but the Nebraska moisture situation is better than it’s been in almost a decade.

Corn is 82 percent good to excellent, much better than last year at this time. Soybeans are 85 percent good to excellent, which, again, is much better than last year. Wheat is 73 percent good to excellent and 13 percent ripe with the first fields being harvested.

Filed Under: Crops, News

Saputo buys California cheese company

June 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Saputo continues to expand. The Montreal, Canada cheese company is acquiring F & A Dairy of California. Saputo says it will continue to operate the Newman, California plant which employs 113 people and made about 60 million pounds of mostly Mozzarella cheese last year. The cash deal is expected to close on or about July 20th.

It was just over a year ago that Saputo acquired Alto Dairy Cooperative in Wisconsin and two years ago they bought Land O’ Lakes West Coast Industrial Cheese Business. Suputo employs more than 5,500 people in the U.S., Canada, Argentina and Europe with annual revenue of $3.6 billion.

Filed Under: Dairy, News Tagged With: , ,

Iowa crops get needed warmth

June 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

The first week of summer brought warm weather to Iowa making for good corn and soybeans growing conditions except for where a thunderstorm cut across Iowa Tuesday. Rain prevented many fields from being sprayed and high temperatures caused livestock stress. Topsoil and subsoil moisture are 97 percent adequate to surplus across the state.

Nearly all of Iowa’s corn has emerged and the crop is 81 percent good to excellent. The tallest Iowa corn averages 51 inches. Soybean planting is 99 percent complete and the crop is 78 percent good to excellent.

Filed Under: Crops, News

Crop farmers made more in June, livestock did not

June 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

The Preliminary All Farm Products Index of Prices Received by Farmers in June increased 3.8% compared to May. The Crop Index jumped 8% higher while the Livestock Index slipped .9%. The National Ag Statistics Service says producers were paid more for soybeans, broilers, tomatoes and cantaloupes and less for cattle, milk, hay and strawberries.

In the Crop Index, producers were paid an average $3.39 per bushel for corn in June, down 4 cents from May. The June all wheat price paid to farmers was $5.69 per bushel, 15 cents lower than in May. All hay was $8.00 per ton lower at $123 per ton. The big jump was from soybeans which gained 90 cents per bushel from May to average $11.60 per bushel. Sorghum grain was a dime higher averaging $6.08 per bushel.

Cattle, hogs and milk all helped pull the Livestock Index down for the month. June beef cattle averaged $80.80 per hundredweight down $2.40 from May. Hogs dropped 60 cents to average $43.90 while the all-milk price was 20 cents lower at $11.40 per cwt. Fluid grade milk was 20 cents lower while manufacturing grade was 10-cents higher.

Poultry and Egg Index was up 3.5% from June. While eggs slipped 2.6 cents to average 38.6 cents per dozen in June, broilers were 2 cents higher at 51 cents per pound and turkeys gained 2.2 cents to average 52.3 cents for the month.

The overall Index of Prices Paid by Farmers was up 1% from May as producers paid more for gasoline, diesel, LP and complete feeds. They paid less for feeder pigs, feeder cattle, hay and forages and mixed fertilizer.

Filed Under: News, USDA/Government Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Midwest wolves back under federal protection

June 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Grey wolves in the upper Midwest are back under Federal Protection for the time being. In May, the wolves were taken off the Endangered Species List and management of the population in Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota was turned over to state agencies by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A coalition of environmental and animal rights groups filed suit charging the Obama Administration did not conduct the required 60-day comment period before adopting the rule which turned management over to the states. An agreement between the government and the groups puts the wolves back under federal control while the public is given 60 days to comment on the change or the Humane Society of the United States wins a pending lawsuit against the delisting.

There are an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 grey wolves in the three states as the result of a successful effort to reintroduce the wolf to the Great Lakes area. Livestock interests contend the population is getting too large and needs to be thinned down to a manageable level.

Filed Under: News, USDA/Government Tagged With: , , ,

Pfaff to lead Wisconsin FSA, Gruszynski Rural Development

June 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack has named Brad Pfaff to be the Director of the Farm Service Agency in Wisconsin. Since 1997, Pfaff has been a Policy Advisor to U.S. Representative Ron Kind. Prior to this he worked on Senator Herbert Kohl’s state staff performing constituent outreach. He now provides guidance on agricultural and natural resource issues, convenes listening sessions with agricultural producers and commodity groups, and has contributed to farm bill and dairy legislation.Prior to his work with Congressman Kind, Pfaff was a legislative staff member for Wisconsin State Representative Virgil Roberts. Pfaff was an instructor at Marymount University in government studies. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from George Mason University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Stan Gruszynski will serve as Wisconsin State Director for Rural Development at the USDA. Gruszynski is currently the director of Rural Leadership and Community Development for the Global Environmental Management Center at the University of Wisconsin’s Stevens Point College of Natural Resources. Prior to that, he served as the Director of Public Affairs for USDA Rural Development in Stevens Point for seven years. Gruszynski was also appointed acting State Director for several months in 2003.

From 1984-1994, he represented the 71st district in the Wisconsin State Assembly and served on both the rural affairs and natural resources committees. Gruszynski served as the Majority Caucus Director for the Wisconsin State Senate and is currently a board member on several environmental and academic organizations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Northland College in Wisconsin.

Filed Under: News, USDA/Government Tagged With: , ,

U.S. soybean planting 96% complete

June 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

U.S. soybean planting is just about wrapped up as of Sunday. According to USDA, 96% of soybeans have been planted, ahead of last year’s pace of 95% but a little behind the five year average of 98% following a late start in some critical growing areas with 4 states at or less than 90% planted (Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina and Tennessee). 91% of the crop has emerged, compared to the five year average of 95%, and 5% is blooming, compared to 10% on average. 68% of soybeans are in good to excellent condition, up 1% on the week.

4% of the corn crop is silking, compared to the five year average of 8%, with slower than normal development noted in a number of states including Illinois, Indiana and Missouri. 72% of corn is in good to excellent shape, 2% more than a week ago.

40% of the winter wheat crop is harvested, ahead of the year ago of 36%, but behind the five year average pace of 46% with delays reported in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska and a handful of others. 45% of winter wheat is in good to excellent condition, unchanged from last week.

15% of spring wheat has headed, compared to 26% a year ago and the five year average of 40%. Spring wheat is in 76% good to excellent condition, down 1% from a week ago.

57% of U.S. pastures and rangelands are in good to excellent shape, down 2% on the week following hot weather across much of the Midwest.

Filed Under: Crops, News, Top Stories Tagged With: , , , , ,

Grains and oilseeds mostly lower ahead of USDA reports: June 29, 2009

June 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Soybeans were mostly lower on old crop/new crop spreading and pre-report position squaring. July was up on that spread activity and the tight supply and good demand while deferreds were lower on spreading, good near term weather forecasts and expectations for increased acreage in the USDA update Tuesday morning. Old crop beans had additional support from the higher Dow Jones Industrial Average and strong trade in crude oil. According to the USDA, as of Sunday, 96% of soybeans are planted, compared to 98% for the five year average, 91% have emerged, compared to 95% on average and 5% is blooming, compared to 10% on average. 68% of soybeans are rated in the good to excellent category, up 1% from last week.

Corn hit new two month lows on fund and technical selling. Crop weather is generally good across much of the Cornbelt and is expected to stay that way for the next couple of weeks. There are still a lot of uncertainties ahead of the USDA acreage update due out at 7:30 AM Central Tuesday morning with analysts’ estimates falling in a fairly wide range. The USDA will also be updating quarterly stocks with corn expected to be up modestly from a year ago. As of Sunday, the USDA reports that 4% of corn has silked, compared to 8% on average and 72% of the crop is in good to excellent condition, up 2% from a week ago. Ethanol futures were mostly lower. Unknown destinations bought 118,000 tons of U.S. corn (60,000 tons 2008/09 and 58,000 tons 2009/10) and a total of 232,000 tons of purchases were switched from an unnamed buyer to South Korea.

The wheat complex was lower on technical and fund selling, along with the higher dollar. The fundamentals remain negative with a large supply and weak demand. For the winter wheat crop, 40% has been harvested as of Sunday, compared to 46% on average but forecasts do look good for harvest activity this week and 45% of the crop is in good to excellent condition, unchanged on the week. For spring wheat, 15% has headed, compared to 40% on average and 76% of spring wheat is in good to excellent shape, down 1% from last week. European wheat was higher on consumer buying and a lack of new selling interest ahead of the end of the month and end of the quarter; November Paris was up 1.6% and November London was 1.5% higher.

Filed Under: Closing Futures & Livestock Briefs, Markets Tagged With: , , , , ,
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