There is still a lot of unplanted corn acreage in some areas. Tom Odeen handles crop insurance for BMO Harris Bank in Wisconsin, he says right now we are in the “late plant” period so coverage is declining one-percent-per day up to June 25th. Most livestock producers need forage and most agree, corn silage offers the best option so they will still try to get it planted. Odeen says you want to make sure your crop insurance agent and FSA know what you are doing.
Biotech pioneers picked for World Food Prize
June 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Three biotech crop scientists have been chosen for this year’s World Food Prize, often referred to as the Nobel Prize for agriculture. Two of the laureates are from the U.S. Robert Fraley is an Illinois native who worked on genetic engineering of crops for Monsanto since 1981.
“The biotechnology area has been really exciting,” Fraley says, “t’s also had controversy. So, the fact that the World Food Prize chose to recognize the three individuals who really helped move the biotechnology into crops is really special.”
Fraley says supporters and critics of GM crops should find common ground in the shared challenge of doubling food production in the next 30 years to keep up with the anticipated population boom.
“I think, really, the only way to do that is to use technologies like biotechnology, like molecular breeding, like new information-based technologies that can provide growers with new tool,” says Fraley.
A second 2013 Food Prize winner is Mary-Dell Chilton who works for Monsanto’s top competitor, Syngenta. Chilton says more countries are beginning to accept GM crops from the U.S.
The third winner is Marc Van Montagu from Belgium. He’s the founder and chairman of the Institute of Plant Biotechnology Outreach at Ghent University.
The three will be awarded the prize at the Iowa State Capitol in October.
The World Food Prize was created in 1986 by the late Norman Borlaug of Iowa, who became known as the “Father of the Green Revolution” for his work in developing cereal grain varieties to meet the desperate food needs of the developing world.
~Brownfield’s ‘sister’ network, Radio Iowa, contributed to this report~
Strong gains for grains and oilseeds
June 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Soybeans were higher on commercial and technical buying. The nearby supply is tight and domestic demand is solid with the cash basis firm at midday on Wednesday. In any event, the trade’s waiting for next week’s quarterly stocks and planted acreage numbers out on the 28th. Informa Economics sees 2013 U.S. soybean acreage at 77.756 million acres, down from their May guess, but larger than USDA’s most recent projection. Soybean meal and oil followed soybeans higher. South Korea’s Major Feedmill Group purchased 60,000 tons of soybean meal from South America. Argentina’s Ag Ministry projects soybean production at 50.2 million tons, down 400,000 from May but still up 25% on the year and potentially their second largest crop on record.
Corn was higher on technical and commercial buying. Development weather’s the big factor right now for corn with more rain in the near term forecast for some key growing areas. Corn’s also waiting for next week’s USDA reports, expecting lower than originally projected planted area. Informa estimates 2013 U.S. corn acreage at 95.262 million acres, compared to USDA’s March guess of 97.282 million acres. Ethanol was mixed with nearbys weak and deferreds firm. According to Argentina’s Ag Ministry, corn production should be a record 26.1 million tons, a little larger than the May estimate and up 23% from 2012.
The wheat complex was higher on technical buying and short covering. Chicago and Kansas City are watching winter harvest activity and Minneapolis is keeping an eye on forecasts for more rain in the Northern Plains. Informa projects 2013 U.S. spring wheat acreage at 11.971 million acres with durum at 1.751 million acres, both down on the year. Japan and Taiwan are tendering for U.S. wheat this week, but want assurance there’s no GMOs in the shipments. There was talk of China needing to buy more wheat and picking up a large amount from France, but no confirmation yet. Dow Jones Newswires reports November European wheat was higher. Ukraine’s Ag Ministry has lowered their grain export estimate to 23 million tons. Ukraine’s next marketing year starts July 1. Jordan bought 100,000 tons of optional origin wheat.
Closing Grain and Livestock Futures: June 19, 2013
June 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Jul. corn closed at $6.82 and 1/4, up 9 cents
Jul. soybeans closed at $15.23, up 12 and 1/4 cents
Jul. soybean meal closed at $453.60, up $1.80
Jul. soybean oil closed at 49.35, up 54 points
Jul. wheat closed at $7.07, up 19 and 1/2 cents
Jun. live cattle closed at $120.47, up 97 cents
Jul. lean hogs closed at $99.97, up $1.27
Jul. crude oil closed at $98.24, down 20 cents
Jul. cotton closed at 85.40, up 42 points
Jul. Class III milk closed at $18.04, up 6 cents
Jun. gold closed at $1,373.60, up $7.00
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 15,112.19, down 206.04 points
Free screenings for waterhemp resistance
June 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment
The University of Illinois is offering free screenings to farmers to identify herbicide resistance in waterhemp weeds. Waterhemp is a competitive weed that grows and spreads very rapidly. University of Illinois Associate Professor of Weed Science, Aaron Hager, says that knowing where the plants are is not their only concern.
“It really helps us also understand better how this evolution is happening and some of the factors and mechanisms that are basically responsible for these plants not being controlled by our common herbicides anymore,” says Hager.
Some waterhemp plants are becoming resistant to as many as three different herbicide families, leaving farmers few options for controlling the weed. Hager says that smaller yields result from higher resistance.
He says, “Research has shown yields losses in soybeans from full season interference of waterhemp that can exceed 40 percent.”
Farmers can participate in the screenings by sending in five different samples in separate bags. They ask that the samples be from surviving plants following the application of glyphosate. Remove the top inch or two with new, healthy leaves, and place in bags. Overnight the samples to Chance Riggins, 320 ERML, 1201 West Gregory Drive, Urbana, Illinois 61801. If samples cannot be mailed right away, they should be placed in a refrigerator.
A submission form is available at http://tinyurl.com/mgal6ya to print and send with samples.
Is this the new normal?
June 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Last year it was the worst drought in years. This year – farmers have been battled cool, rainy temperatures to get the crop in the ground. Purdue extension agronomist Bob Nielsen says farmers may need to take into account the variability in weather patterns when planning for their growing season.
But – that doesn’t mean changing how you farm.
Mostly higher day for grains and oilseeds
June 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Soybeans were mostly firm with July down on profit taking and the others up on crop development concerns. Planting is 85% complete, compared to 91% on average, and emergence is slow, but it is worth noting the crop is in better shape than it was last year at this time. Monday’s NOPA crush numbers were bullish and China bought 240,000 tons of new crop U.S. beans Tuesday. Soybean meal was higher and bean meal was weak on the adjustment of product spreads. DTN reports Taiwan Sugar Corp. canceled a tender for 12,000 tons of U.S. beans, expecting the price to come down in the near future.
Corn was higher on commercial and fund buying. There are more than a few producers who’d dispute it, but USDA says this year’s crop is officially planted and emergence does remain slower than average. In any event, the near term supply is tight, the cash basis is firm and trade’s waiting for USDA’s grain stocks and acreage numbers out on the 28th. Ethanol futures were mostly firm. South Korea’s Nonghyup Feed Inc. bought a total of 127,000 tons of optional origin corn, 69,000 of that either U.S. or South American, while Taiwan Sugar Corp. canceled a recent tender for 23,000 tons of U.S. corn because, according to DTN, they expect a decline in price.
The wheat complex was mixed. Chicago and Kansas City were up on short covering, Minneapolis was weak, watching the weather. There are a lot of concerns about hard red winter condition and yields and the continued slow spring planting pace. Still, the market has had trouble sustaining any upward momentum due to expectations for world production improvements. November European wheat was modestly higher. Japan issued a tender for 152,321 tons of milling wheat (60,882 tons Canadian western red spring, 35,543 tons U.S. dark northern spring, 29,450 tons U.S. hard red winter, and 26,446 tons Australian standard white), while South Korea’s Nonghyup Feed Inc. canceled a tender for 55,000 tons of feed wheat, citing the premium to corn.
Early corn crops turning yellow and purple
June 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment
With the struggle to get corn in the ground, it’s likely that farmers are seeing uneven plant growth and some strange colors. Yellow and purple corn crops have been common as soil conditions change. University of Illinois crop sciences professor, Emerson Nafziger, says that purple corn is the result of cool, dry soil, which prohibits root growth and inhibits the taking up of phosphorus.
“The basic cause of corn turning purple is that sugars build up in the plant,” explains Nafziger. “The purple corn problem solves itself. If it hasn’t, why, then I’d certainly start to look around in the roots, look at roots, dig up plants, see what’s going on, but that one doesn’t concern me very much.”
In the case of yellow corn, poor root growth because of wet soil causes nitrogen deficiency. Nafziger suggests that farmers wait until the soil is dry again before adding more nitrogen.
“It’s mostly a problem of the roots not being able to get to the nitrogen that’s there,” he says. “If we get some drying weather and get a good root system going on these crops, they’re going to be able to go down and take up water from deeper depths in the soil, and that water will carry nitrogen up with it. Even if we think the nitrogen is lost, a lot of that that we think is lost is probably deeper in the soil.”AUDIO: Emerson Nafziger (17:00) mp3
Nafziger warns farmers to be cautious before adding nitrogen, as most fields will improve on their own with warmer, drier weather.
As for yields, he says that he doesn’t predict any great losses unless the color doesn’t improve with more favorable weather conditions.
Closing Grain and Livestock Futures: June 18, 2013
June 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Jul. corn closed at $6.73 and 1/4, up 4 and 3/4 cents
Jul. soybeans closed at $15.10 and 3/4, down 1 and 3/4 cents
Jul. soybean meal closed at $451.80, up $2.70
Jul. soybean oil closed at 48.81, down 3 points
Jul. wheat closed at $6.87 and 1/2, up 7 cents
Jun. live cattle closed at $119.50, down 32 cents
Jul. lean hogs closed at $98.70, up 75 cents
Jul. crude oil closed at $98.44, up 67 cents
Jul. cotton closed at 84.98, down 245 points
Jul. Class III milk closed at $17.98, down 19 cents
Jun. gold closed at $1,366.60, down $16.20
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 15,318.23, up 138.38 points
Planting lags in Southern Indiana
June 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Statewide, 93 percent of intended soybean acres in Indian have been planted, five points ahead of the 5-year average, but in southern Indiana planting progress slips down to just 76 percent. Overall, 81 percent of the soybean crop is in fair-to-good condition.
The Indiana corn crop has a rating of 78 percent fair-to-good and the winter wheat crop is rated 75 percent fair-to-good.
As of Sunday, June 16, first cutting alfalfa was 78 percent complete, just 4 points behind the 5-year average, 74 percent of the state’s pastures are in fair-to-good condition.
Topsoil moisture in the state is 97 percent adequate to surplus.
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