At the 112th annual convention of the Indiana Hardwood Lumberman’s Association this week, the organization honored Tim Werner of Dubois County Indiana with the title, Logger of the Year. In the letter nominating Tim, consulting forester Thom Kinney described Tim as the kind of professional logger the industry needs.
Privilege to vote
January 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Commentary
I’ve heard many people say “I don’t trust any of ‘em” referring to candidates for political offices at every level of government- from County Sheriff to State Governor to President of the United States of America.
So, you ask “Why vote?” I believe that that attitude and level of complacency is at the heart of most of the problems we have in this country.
Not everyone has the privilege to participate in the government process the way we in the United States of America do. I vote because it is an honor and a privilege and my right as a citizen of this great country
The formula for no-tilling 300 bushel corn
January 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment
University of Illinois plant physiologist Fred Below was one of the featured speakers at the recent National No-Tillage Conference in Des Moines, Iowa. He talked about what it takes to grow 300-bushel no-till corn, focusing on what Below calls “The Seven Wonders of the Corn Yield World.” Below says those are the top seven factors every year that can positively—and sometimes negatively—impact corn yields.
USMEF president/CEO discusses export issues
January 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Phil Seng is the president and CEO of the U.S. Meat Export Federation. In an interview with Brownfield’s Ken Anderson, Seng discussed a wide range of topics, including the outlook for beef exports in 2010, the recent dispute with Taiwan, the political situation in Japan and how it could impact beef imports, and the importance of free trade agreements.
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Extreme winter weather’s impact on calving
January 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Calving season is getting underway in some parts of the country. We asked Dr. H. Nielsen, professional services veterinarian for Novartis Animal Health, how much impact the extreme winter weather we’ve experienced will have on those pregnant cows and heifers—and, just as importantly, their newborn calves.
Brownfield coverage of the Cattle Industry Convention is sponsored by:
Washington Co. couple named Tree Farmer of the Year
January 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The 2010 Tree Farmer of the Year in Indiana is Mike and Leane Goering of Washington County Indiana. Mike says that a significant part of their tree farm is producing maple syrup.
“We produce about 800 gallons of syrup a year, we do wholesale syrup in Indiana” said Goering. “And we buy syrup from the Amish in Orange County and we also buy sap.”
In addition to producing maple syrup, the Goerings also host an annual Maple Syrup Festival the last weekend in February and first weekend in March.
“The first couple of years it was just a pancake festival and we had just a few hundred people,” Leane said. “Now we have music and vendors and you know, just a huge festival with at least 8,000 people each year.”
AUDIO: Mike and Leane Goering, IHLA Tree Farmer of the Year (MP3 7:45)
Cattle mostly higher, lean hogs firm: January 28, 2010
January 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures were mostly higher on spreading and short covering ahead of widespread cash business. Contracts were mixed mostly weak for much of the day ahead of that cash trade with February and April gaining late on oversold indicators. USDA’s semi-annual cattle inventory report is out Friday at 2 PM Central. February was up $.27 at $85.65 and April was $.22 higher at $89.20.
Feeder cattle were also mostly firm following the lead of the live pit. January expired at $96.80 and March was down $.05 at $98.47.
By Thursday afternoon, fairly active trade had developed in the North at $135 to $135, generally down $2 from last week, with light live trade in western Nebraska at $83.50. Asking prices in the South are around $87 to $88 with the trade keeping an eye on weather in the Panhandle. Boxed beef cutout values were weak on light demand and moderate offerings with Choice down $.42 at $140.05 and Select $.27 lower at $136.69. The estimated cattle slaughter Thursday was 115,000 head, 13,000 less than last week and 10,000 below last year.
Hogs closed higher on oversold signals, short covering and contracts’ discount to the cash index. However, gains were limited by the fundamentally negative cash and wholesale trade. David Kohli does note that the trade think the wholesale market may be close to a near term bottom. February moved above the 40-day moving average and April managed to close above Wednesday’s high. February was $.20 higher at $66.77 and April was $.45 higher at $69.40.
Bellies were lower on profit taking and sell stops. February was down $.30 at $81.40 and March was $.45 lower at $82.05.
Direct cash hogs continued lower on the wholesale drop and tightening packer profit margins. The Eastern Cornbelt was down $1.36 with a weighted average of $63.58, the Western Belt was $.73 lower at $63.97 and Iowa/Southern Minnesota was down $.67 at $63.96. Butcher hogs at the terminal markets were mostly steady with tops at $39 to $46.50 and the Missouri Direct base carcass meat price was unchanged with a top at $61. The pork carcass cutout value lost another $1.32 to $69.24 in slow trade with mostly light demand and moderate offerings. The estimated hog slaughter of 427,000 head was up 23,000 from a week ago but down 3,000 from a year ago.
Grains and oilseeds modestly higher: January 28, 2010
January 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Soybeans closed higher on oversold signals and end of the month short covering. Demand continues to look strong over the near term with weekly export sales and shipments solid. Those late gains were limited by the outside markets and expected record South American crop. Also, there are continued concerns about China canceling U.S. recent purchases and switching to South American origin soybeans and products as early harvest progresses in Brazil. Soybean meal was higher following the lead of beans while oil was lower on product spread trade and the lower crude oil. The U.S. Census Bureau’s December soybean crush report showed the crush a little bigger than expected at 173.048 million bushels with meal stocks at 571,554 short tons and oil stocks at 2.935 billion pounds.
Corn was higher on technical buying and short covering. Contracts were oversold and due for a bounce after the recent losses with weekly export sales solid but not spectacular. However, while demand has improved, the supply remains very large, limiting interest, and shipments are slow. There wasn’t any real fresh news one way or the other with the 2009 crop largely in the bins and farmers still figuring out 2010 planting intentions. March managed to hold above support at $3.60. Ethanol futures were lower.
The wheat complex was higher on short covering and technical buying. Wheat was also oversold and due for a bounce. That said – the dollar was higher, limiting gains and export competition, and wheat’s supply and demand fundamentals remain very negative. Overall, with not much fresh news one way or the other, wheat should continue to be a follower of row crops and the dollar. Japan bought 86,000 tons of U.S. wheat, along with 21,000 tons from Canada and 20,000 tons from Australia. Tunisia purchased 50,000 tons of optional origin durum and 42,000 tons of optional origin soft milling wheat.
Closing Grain and Livestock Futures: January 28, 2010
January 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
March corn closed at $3.61 and 3/4, up 3 and 1/2 cents
March soybeans closed at $9.31 and 3/4, up 2 and 3/4 cents
March soybean meal closed at $281.60, up 30 cents
March soybean oil closed at 36.15, down 17 points
March wheat closed at $4.87, up 3 and 1/4 cents
February live cattle closed at $85.65, up 27 cents
February lean hogs closed at $66.77, up 20 cents
March crude oil closed at $73.64, down 3 cents
March cotton closed at 69.19, down 9 points
February Class III milk closed at $14.11, down 1 cent
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 10,120.46, down 115.70 points
Wild horses not just a public land issue
January 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The issue of wild horse management is starting to heat up. The Humane Society of the United States is becoming more vocal about what it calls “the Bureau of Land Management’s cruel and unnecessary wild horse roundups” and has enlisted several celebrities to help with their cause. At the Cattle Industry Conference, we visited with Gene Fults, who is a rangeland management specialist with the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative. Gene’s territory is the 13 western states, so he is well aware of the wild horse issue. Gene says that the wild horse population is increasing rapidly and needs proper management. And he says it’s not just a public lands issue—it’s also spilling over onto private lands.
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