Northern Illinois agronomist John Kultgen describes June as a wet month for growers. He reports that it has been a challenging time, but alfalfa will be ready for the second cut and wheat will be ready for harvest in 1-2 weeks. Strong storms have caused some damage with the corn crop. Kultgen highly recommends growers scouting crops and talking local Pioneer agronomist.
If you don’t have the dates already on your calendar, the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games begin September 25 at the Kentucky Horse Park. And like most major events, one of the big events is the opening ceremony for the games. But that’s not all, Alltech, the title sponsor of the World Equestrian Games, has planned, how about a statewide entertainment festival.
Dr. Jeff Armstrong, Dean of the Michigan State University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources says the difficulty, is not defining sustainability in agriculture, the difficulty is when economics and social issues butt heads. At the recent BASF Media Summit in Chicago Dr. Armstrong talked about taking a holistic approach.
AUDIO: Dr. Jeff Armstrong, Michigan State University (3:00 MP3)
USDA’s Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report shows continued herd contraction, but a closer look at the numbers indicates that contraction is slowing down.
In an interview with Brownfield’s John Perkins, Steve Meyer, President of Paragon Economics, says that’s not a surprise following the good profits producers have seen so far this year. Meyer says the numbers haven’t caused him to change his price projections and he expects very good prices this fall.
China has lifted a ban on imports of Canadian beef, making Canada the first among countries affected by BSE to regain market access to that country. And that’s not sitting well with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).
NCBA president Steve Fogelsong blames both the Bush and Obama administrations for failing to aggressively address the issue with China. In his words, “China is thwarting us almost across the board on animal agriculture trade issues, while the level of U.S. engagement has been poor at best.”
Fogelsong also criticized Congress for what he calls its “do as we say, not as we do” attitude when it comes to science-based trade protocols. He cites the case of the cooked poultry issue with China, saying those types of actions are hurting the United States’ reputation with international trading partners.
Fogelson says it’s “absolutely critical” to expand opportunities to sell beef in the international marketplace in order to keep American family farms in business.
For the first time since 1999, Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District officials are starting to talk about a full Lake McConaughy.
According to an Omaha World-Herald report, the state’s largest reservoir reached 83 percent full this week. And Central officials believe that by fall or winter, Big Mac could rise another 10 and one-half feet to reach capacity.
It’s quite a turnaround for McConaughy, which reached its lowest volume ever in the fall of 2004, when it dropped below 20 percent of capacity.
Meanwhile, officials in Wyoming tell the Scottsbluff Star Herald that most of that state’s reservoirs are at or near capacity.
For the third time this month, the U.S. Senate has failed to clear the 60 vote hurdle necessary to move forward on legislation reinstating the biodiesel tax incentive.
On Thursday, an amendment to the American Job and Closing Loopholes Act of 2010, which included a retroactive reinstatement of the biodiesel tax incentive through December 31st, 2010, failed by a 57-41 margin. And according to Iowa Renewable Fuels Association biofuels manager Grant Menke, this latest defeat is particularly damaging, as the Senate has no current timeline to take up the tax extenders legislation again. Menke says if the Senate is serious about creating green jobs and reducing the country’s dependence on crude oil, “it can start by reinstating the biodiesel tax incentive immediately.” He says the lack of action “has served no purpose other than assuring that the U.S. biodiesel industry remains stagnant at best and in a freefall at worst.”
Faced with growing concerns about the firewall between their organization’s policy and checkoff divisions, leaders of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association say they are suspending discussions on proposed changes to the governance structure of NCBA. They say a vote on the governance proposal, scheduled for the mid-summer meeting of NCBA in late July, will not take place.
The chairman of the Federation of State Beef Councils, Wyoming cattleman Scott George, made the announcement during a conference call with reporters Friday afternoon. He says the decision was made to allow the Federation to clarify its role and intentions to all industry shareholders.
“It was clear to us as leaders that controversy around NCBA’s governance proposal was getting in the way of an accurate discussion about the Federation,” George says. “We believe delaying the discussion about our governance is not only the right thing to do for our state partners, it is essential to the effectiveness of the beef checkoff program.”
NCBA’s action follows this week’s Cattlemen’s Beef Board recommendation that the Federation completely separate itself from NCBA. Other ag organizations, including the American Farm Bureau and National Farmers Union, have made the same request. George says that is a decision to be made by the individual state beef councils.
“It is their organization. They have the vote—they have the right to decide,” George says, “and we want to make sure that we have got enough understanding of where they want to be and how they want to be.”
The executive vice president of the Illinois Beef Association, Maralee Johnson, says she is ”disheartened” by the separation recommendation from the Cattlemen’s Beef Board. “Separating the Federation from NCBA in a time of intense issues and declining resources leaves state beef councils without the support and expertise to address this mountain of beef demand-building work,” says Johnson.
George says NCBA is not turning its back on revising its governance structure. He says they’re calling a “timeout” to clarify the roles of the various entities involved in the discussion.
USDA’s Quarterly Hogs and Pigs update did show continued herd contraction, but a closer look at the numbers reveals that contraction is slowing down.
According to Steve Meyer, President of Paragon Economics, that’s not a surprise following the good profits we’ve seen earlier this year, “Right now, based on the crop condition and on the hog numbers we see coming, I think we’re going to have profits for the next, at least, twelve, maybe 18 months. It’s not a surprise that liquidation has slowed; it’ll probably be March of next year though before we get this breeding herd year over year growth in it and that’s kind of normal about a year after we see profits return.”
Meyer adds the numbers haven’t really shifted his price projections and he expects very good prices this fall.
Steve Meyer on what the numbers mean for the markets (2 Minutes, 30 Seconds, MP3)
President Obama praised lawmakers who reached a compromise on Wall Street Reform early this morning, including House and Senate Ag Committee chairs, Collin Peterson and Blanche Lincoln.
Obama says the compromise legislation makes up 90 percent of what he proposed. Transparency in the financial system, he says, is the key, and the bill accomplishes that. The bill, among other things, maintains strong regulation of the derivatives market.
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