The Indiana Grain Indemnity Board has approved claims submitted for the grain failure of Mentone Agri Center LLC.
Those with approved claims will be able to pick up their checks on Thursday, May 5 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Akron Community Center Conference Room. For anyone unable to pick up their checks, a signed subrogation form must be returned to the Indiana Grain Buyers and Warehouse Licensing Agency in Indianapolis .
The Izaak Walton League is hosting meetings in several states to encourage discussion about the importance of conservation programs amid tough financial times and to encourage members of Congress to preserve them. The League’s Program Director Brad Redlin says they’re looking forward to discussions in Missouri which is a model conservation state.
“We fully recognize that it’s really set the standard in a lot of ways for the rest of the country to emulate and to learn from in terms of how to make sure conservation occurs in the agricultural system and the real advantages from it.”
Redlin says Missouri producers are leaders in implementing the Conservation Security Program. Given the tight budget, he says the 2012 Farm Bill will be a challenge to write and his group wants to make sure Congress understands the importance of funding conservation programs, which he says have been shown to contribute to economic growth. The first of six meetings in Missouri is this Thursday, April 28th in Kansas City at the All Souls Unitarian Church.
There is very little action in cattle country on Wednesday following a light to moderate movement on Tuesday. The best trade volume surfaced in Nebraska. Although some deals were marked at 188.00, the bulk of the dressed trade came in at 187.00. In Kansas cattle traded at 116.00 on a live basis and 183.50 dressed. While cleanup business could surface in some areas, business for this week seems to be essentially done. Asking prices on the balance of the show lists are around 118.00 in the South and 188.00 in the North.
Boxed beef cutout values are lower at midday. Choice beef is down .63 at 184.93, and select is .23 lower at 180.38.
Feeder cattle receipts at the Philip Livestock Auction, Philip, SD totaled 3717 head on Tuesday. Compared to two weeks ago, an accurate comparison on feeder steers cannot be made, but a lower undertone was noted. Feeder heifers sold steady, with a higher undertone noted on replacement heifers. Buyer attendance was good with moderate demand. 310 feeder steers medium and large 1 weighing an average of 736 pounds averaged 136.92. 201 heifers weighing 632 pounds brought 140.55 per hundredweight.
Barrows and gilts in the Iowa/Minnesota direct trade are .82 higher at 90.12 on a carcass basis, the West is up .51 at 89.81, and the east is .32 lower at 91.45. Missouri direct base carcass meat price is steady to 1.00 lower from 85.00 to 86.00.
While hog sales were generally lower on Tuesday, country movement remains rather light. We’ve seen this pattern many times over the last 30 to 60 days — so often that packers have been forced to reconsider spending at midweek in order to cover chain speed plans.
Many weather aficionados like to compare current weather patterns to those of previous years. One of them—DTN ag meteorologist Bryce Anderson—says 2011 is starting to set up a lot like 2008. Anderson says we may be well into May before this wet weather pattern starts to relax. And, like 2008, the U.S. is currently under the influence of a strong La Nina. Anderson says that system should start to moderate by early June, which would mean “near-normal” summer temperatures.
Compared to last year you’re probably behind getting corn planted, and it’s almost May, so naturally some worry begins to creep in. But Sonny Beck, President of Beck’s Hybrids at Atlanta, Indiana says there is still time to get the corn crop planted and when you consider what’s average, it may not be as bad as we think.
Nancy Chapman, nutritionist and executive director for the Soy Foods Association of North America, says soy is the only plant protein with nutrition equivalent to animal protein. Soy products like milk, tofu and meat alternatives all have high amounts of protein among other attributes.
The President and CEO of Butterball has resigned from the company effective April 25th. No reason was given for the sudden departure of Keith Shoemaker. He was president of Carolina Turkeys when it bought Butterball from ConAgra in 2006; he then took the top job at Butterball.
A joint venture led by Seaboard Corporation bought Butterball last December; Seaboard CEO Steven Bresky says no other changes are expected at Butterball.
Shoemaker also was a former director at large for the National Turkey Federation and president of the North Carolina Poultry Federation in 2007.
Flooding is becoming a real concern in the nation’s midsection as storm-after-storm rolls through the area. A levee failed at Poplar Bluff, Missouri Tuesday morning after 4.8 inches of rain fell in the previous 24 hours. The Black River is well-above flood stage and rising quickly from the Elgin Ferry to Annapolis.
Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster has gone to federal court in an attempt to block the Army Corps of Engineers from blasting a hole in the Mississippi River Bird’s Point levee in southeast Missouri. The Corps says it needs to breach the levee to take pressure off of Cairo, Illinois from the flooding Mississippi River.
The Missouri River is at or slightly above flood stage from the Pipestem Reservoir to Hermann, Missouri.
The National Weather Service is forecasting the Ohio River to rise to 55 feet at Paducah, Kentucky, 16 feet above flood stage, and two feet above the previous high – water mark set in 1950. The Ohio is well-above flood stage and still rising from Paducah to Cairo, Illinois.
The governors of Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky have declared emergencies.
The Mississippi River is above flood stage starting at Dubuque although water levels were receding as far south as Grafton, Illinois Tuesday afternoon. The locks at Bellevue, Pleasant Valley, Rock Island and Quincy were opened Monday. Meanwhile Lock 13 at Fulton, Lock 16 at Illinois City, Lock 17 at New Boston, 18 at Gladstone, 20 at Canton and 22 at Saverton remain closed.
The Corps is advising that the river is moving swiftly and recreational boaters should use extreme caution. Those who live along the river should continue to monitor water levels.
The lastest river information is available here:
The Missouri Farm Bureau says farmers and landowners could face a “disaster of historic proportions” in an area of southeast Missouri if the Army Corps of Engineers intentionally breaks a Mississippi River levee. The Farm Bureau says they agree with Governor Jay Nixon who says “intentionally breaching (the) levy would be a harmful and inappropriate action.”
Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst says more than 130-thousand acres would be flooded and the Farm Bureau says its productivity may be ruined for the future.
Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster has gone to federal court today in an attempt to block the Corps of Engineers from blasting a hole in the Bird’s Point levee in southeast Missouri. The Corps says it needs to breach the levee to take pressure off of Cairo, Illinois from the flooding Mississippi River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Memphis office is meeting today with the Mississippi River Commission to decide whether to blow out the levee.
Meanwhile, evacuation has begun of the Mississippi River town of Charleston and further west in Poplar Bluff where thousands of people have been evacuated due to the breech of a levee along the Black River. That river is a tributary of the Mississippi. Governor Nixon is assessing damage with other officials in the Poplar Bluff area and beyond.
Soybeans were lower on profit taking and technical selling. Overall, there’s no real fresh news and traders expect at least some increase in U.S. soybean planting due to corn planting delays. Past that – Canada’s expected to make a big year to year increase in canola planting, from 16.818 million to 19.225 million acres on the surge in price and expected strong global vegetable oil demand. Also, even with the continued harvest delays in parts of South America, the trade expects a record crop from Argentina and Brazil. Soybean meal and oil were lower on spillover from soybeans and profit taking.
Corn was mostly lower on profit taking, the tight nearby supply and old crop/new crop spread trade. There was no real fresh news and contracts were due for a correction after Monday’s gains. Still, the trade’s keeping an eye on planting delays in some of the key areas of the Cornbelt, with some estimates putting planting at the slowest pace in more than 20 years. According to Dow Jones Newswires, the CME Group is considering raising the trading limit on corn to $.50 following the recent surge to all time highs. Ethanol was mixed, pretty much mirroring beans. Also according to Dow Jones, Ukraine will lift corn export restrictions “soon” thanks to a surplus.
The wheat complex was lower on profit taking and technical selling. Wheat’s near term fundamentals remain bearish, especially on the demand side. That said – traders continue to keep an eye on the weather at all three U.S. pits. Aside from the U.S. weather issues, the trade’s watching Western Europe, the North China Plains and sections of the Canadian prairie. European wheat was higher on those weather concerns. Iraq bought 150,000 tons of U.S. wheat and 150,000 tons from Australia, while Saudi Arabia picked up 275,000 tons from the U.S. and Australia with no breakdown listed. Japan’s tendering for 163,700 tons of U.S. milling wheat. Statistics Canada projects 2011 wheat planting at 24.724 million acres, up sharply on the year, but notes that estimate may come down due to poor planting conditions.
The Brownfield Blog
Latest: 
