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Summit Livestock is more than a building

February 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It’s a very good time to be involved in the agriculture industry.  Coming off a record livestock exports in 2011, many in the livestock industry see it as time to rebuild herds. 

Loren Honegger is a design engineer with Summit Livestock and says they are more than just the building.  From increasing global demand, volatile input-costs and increasing regulatory demands from EPA, Summit Livestock addresses the challenges that today’s beef producers are faced with and need to take into account before making any expansion decisions. 

Honegger says as the trends in the livestock industry change, Summit Livestock works with producers to find the system that works best for their operation.

AUDIO: Loren Honegger, Summit Livestock (6:19mp3)

Learn more HERE

Filed Under: Feature Programs, Innovations Tagged With: , , , ,

Indiana Beef Cattle Association honors members

February 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Indiana Beef Cattle Association honored the state’s top producers at their annual awards meeting earlier this week.  IBCA presented the Friend of the Industry Award to Beck’s Hybrids for their continual support of the IBCA and junior producers at Hoosier Beef Conference.  Toby Jordan of Rensselear, Ind., an active participant in regional grazing seminars and the annual Beef Improvement Federation convention, received the IBCA Young Cattleman of the Year award.  Dr. Ron Lemenager of Lafayette, Ind., is a member of Purdue’s Animal Science faculty and serves as a mentor for students entering the field of animal science.  He was awarded the Outstanding Cattleman of the Year.  Virginia Davis received the Special Recognition Award to honor her over 25 years of service to the Indiana beef industry.

The evening’s most prestigious award, the Robert C. Peterson Lifetime Achievement Award went to Kenny Ramsay of Waveland, Ind., for his lifelong commitment to the beef cattle industry.

Filed Under: Livestock, News Tagged With: , ,

Preserving herbicide technology

February 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Herbicide resistance in weeds is a problem. According to Arlene Cotie, Communications Manager with Bayer CropScience, Palmer Amaranth and waterhemp can produce a minimum of one hundred thousand seeds to as many as a million seeds. What begins as one plant can quickly turn into a patch the second year and the third year, could take over an entire field.

Preserving herbicide technologies is the goal of a Bayer CropScience Program. Cotie tells Brownfield that the Respect the Rotation program is about proactive and preventative management so farming can be sustained.

Cotie told Brownfield that what is happening in the south with Palmer Amaranth should have the attention of farmers across the Midwest.

“Last year, the University of Arkansas did a calculation on what the losses were to one pigweed plant: 71 million dollars to soybeans.”

Cotie said farmers in the south are hiring hoeing crews to go through their fields.

One goal of the Respect the Rotation program is to bring attention to this weed resistance problem to farmers in the Midwest.

Cotie’s advice is simple:  Go back to your basics: use all the tools available to you. Abuse of any one product will destroy that tool.

Conversation with Arlene Cotie 02292012

Filed Under: 2012 Commodity Classic, 2012 Events, Featured, Special Reports Tagged With: ,

A little less profitable on the farm in February

February 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Farmers got a little less for their products in February. The Preliminary Index of Prices Received By Farmers show farm prices declined 4.3 percent from January. Producers received lower prices for milk, strawberries, celery and lettuce and higher prices for soybeans, corn, hogs and broilers. February farm prices were still 5.3 percent above those received in February of 2011.

The Crop Price Index decreased 3.8 percent from January. The average price of corn was $6.16 per bushel, up 9 cents; soybeans increased 40 cents to $12.30; all-wheat was a nickel higher at $7.09 per bushel and all-hay was $4 higher averaging $176 per ton. A 6.7 percent decline in vegetable prices and 0.6 percent decline in potatoes and dry beans pulled the index down.

The Livestock Price Index increased 0.6 percent from February. The average beef cattle price increased a dollar to $126 per hundredweight; hogs were $2 higher averaging $65.50 per cwt. Broilers were 3 cents higher at 52 cents per pound while turkeys slipped 1.8 cents to 63.9 per pound. Eggs were a little higher at 66.9 cents per dozen.

The Dairy Price Index fell 5.5 percent for the month; the all-milk price declined $1.10 to $17.90 per hundredweight. Florida has the highest all-milk price for February at $22 while California has the lowest, $15.80. The Wisconsin all-milk price will average $18.40; Illinois $18.20; Indiana $18.40; Iowa $18.20; Missouri $18.80; Minnesota $18.90; Ohio $19.10

Replacement dairy cow prices reflecting the lower milk prices, the average price received for milk cows in January was $1,460 compared to $1,480 last October. Michigan had the highest price at $1,600, Wisconsin was at $1,550, California averaged $1,400 and Missouri had the lowest price for dairy cows in January, $1,200.

The Index of Prices Paid By Farmers increased 0.5 percent from January reflecting higher prices for feeder cattle, feeder pigs, concentrates, nitrogen and mixed fertilizers, diesel and gasoline. We saw lower prices for feed supplements, potash and phosphate and LP gas.

Compared to February of last year, prices paid are 6.1 percent higher.

Read the full NASS report here:

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

The economic impact of an extra day

February 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The extra day in a Leap Year has quite an impact on annual consumption. University of Florida economist Rodney Clouser has estimated just in Florida, people will use more than 11.3 BTUs of energy for the day. They will eat 60.5 million pounds of meat, poultry, cereals, nuts and coffee. They will also eat 32 million pounds of fruit and vegetables and use around 18.35 billion gallons of water.

Dairy Herd Network notes Americans will consume an additional 17.1 million gallons of milk for the day.

A few other “observations” for Leap Day: Renters get a free day, if you are paid by the hour it’s good…if you are paid a salary, it’s not. The average American will pay an additional $70 in utilities because of the extra day.

As for the markets, Leap Day saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average slip back under 13,000 to close at 12,952. The NASDAQ and S & P 500 declined as well.

Commodities on the other hand were mostly higher on the Chicago Board of Trade.

Filed Under: Human Interest, News Tagged With: , , ,

Bayer CropScience in good health

February 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Bayer CropScience has enjoyed good growth in the past year and is looking forward to another prosperous 12 months. Lykele Van der Broek, Global Chief Operating Officer for Bayer CropScience is responsible for agricultural commercial operations worldwide. He told Brownfield that farmers benefit from Bayer’s health through innovation.

“Innovation,” explained Van der Broek, “is products and services with improved benefits for growers and for their customers.”

Van der Broek cites weed resistance management and the Respect the Rotation program as one example of Bayer’s innovation.

“One other example,” said Bayer’s COO, “is Stratego Yield in corn and soybean which not only fights fungus diseases but has a plant promoter component which increases the plant’s stress tolerance, harvestability and yield. I think that is innovation that is a strong benefit to the grower.”

Lykele Van der Broek told Brownfield it will be “all hands on deck” to increase productivity in agriculture to meet the growing demand for food as the global population continues to grow.   The challenge, he believes will be volatility. 

Conversation with Lykele Van der Broek 02292012

Filed Under: 2012 Commodity Classic, 2012 Events, Featured, Special Reports Tagged With:

Soybeans up thanks to continued Chinese demand

February 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Soybeans were higher on commercial and speculative buying. Ahead of the open, China bought 285,000 tons of U.S. beans with 175,000 tons of that old crop. However, the Chinese purchase can be viewed as old news after the recent trade agreement and the outside markets were bearish. Soybean meal was up and bean oil was down on product spread adjustments. USDA’s weekly export sales report is out Thursday at 7:30 AM Central. Soybeans are pegged at 900,000 to 1.3 million tons, meal is seen at 75,000 to 150,000 tons, and oil is placed at 5,000 to 40,000 tons.

Corn was modestly higher on technical and speculative buying, along with spillover from beans. Mexico bought 120,000 tons of optional origin new crop corn, some if not all of that will be U.S. corn, and overall demand continues to look solid with Dow Jones Newswires reporting South Korea is set to tender for around 420,000 tons of U.S. and optional origin corn. That said – aside from the export business, there was no fresh news and the trade expects at least some increase in U.S. acreage. Ethanol futures were mixed. Weekly U.S. corn sales are expected to be between 600,000 and 950,000 tons.

The wheat complex was mixed. Chicago and Minneapolis were up on short covering and spillover from beans while Kansas City was down on profit taking. There was no fresh supportive news and while the near term commercial outlook is good, the overall fundamentals remain bearish, especially on the global supply side. In any event, the trade’s got an eye on U.S. weather and is looking ahead towards next week’s supply and demand update. European wheat was up on talk of a smaller French crop following weather damage. In sell-buy-sell activity, Japan tendered for 120,000 tons of feed wheat and 200,000 tons of feed barley. USDA’s attaché in New Delhi estimates 2012/13 Indian wheat production at 87.5 million tons with exports at 1.5 million tons. The Ukraine Agrarian Federation, via Dow Jones Newswires, states it doesn’t expect 2011/12 grain exports to top 20 million tons; Kiev’s current marketing year ends June 30. Weekly U.S. wheat sales are estimated at 650,000 to 950,000 tons.

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

Closing Grain and Livestock Futures: February 29, 2012

February 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Mar. corn closed at $6.56 and 1/2, up 3 cents
Mar. soybeans closed at $13.13 and 1/2, up 8 and 1/4 cents
Mar. soybean meal closed at $351.20, up $4.70
Mar. soybean oil closed at 54.09, down 33 points
Mar. wheat closed at $6.64 and 1/4, up 2 cents
Apr. live cattle closed at $129.75, up $1.47
Apr. lean hogs closed at $89.42, up $1.40
Apr. crude oil closed at $107.07, up 52 cents
Mar. cotton closed at 89.86, down 180 points
Mar. Class III milk closed at $15.54, up 14 cents
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 12,952.07, down 53.05 points

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

The Andersons acquires an Iowa ethanol plant

February 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Andersons, Inc. has signed an agreement to acquire the ethanol production facility in Denison, Iowa.

The Denison plant is currently owned by Amaizing Energy Denison LLC and Amaizing Energy Holding Company LLC.

The Andersons owns three ethanol plants which are located in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. Company officials say the Iowa transaction remains subject to several contingencies, but is anticipated to close in the second quarter.

Filed Under: Crops, Events/Organizations, News, Renewable Energy Tagged With: ,

Cover crops and no-till systems to be discussed

February 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Dr. Randall Reeder, retired Extension ag engineer and conference organizer says the Ohio State University’s Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference on March 6 and 7 at Ohio Northern University in Ada will have sessions focusing on cover crops and no-till systems and include over 60 speakers, including some real veterans of the no-till movement, going back 50 years.

“Glover Triplett was on the staff at Ohio State when they started the no-till plots at Wooster in about 1960-61, he’s on the program,” said Reeder. “Bill Richards, Bill Haddad and Don Reicosky who retired from USDA in Minnesota is part of that mix also, so that’s going to be exciting as they talk about both the history and what they learned as they went through that development and what they see as the future of no-till.”

The full Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference schedule and registration information is available here.

Audio: Randall Reeder, Conference Coordinator (4:15 MP3)

Filed Under: Crops, Events/Organizations, News Tagged With: , , , , ,
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