Iowa farmers are giving their seal of approval to the new Yield Trend Adjustment option meant to correct for yield drag in federal crop insurance coverage, attendees at a DTN-Iowa Soybean Association "Marketing Through Mayhem" course told me last week.
Why are we seeing limited amounts of winter weather across the nation while for the third winter in a row we have a La Nina condition across the Pacific? The answer is likely because of the lack of high latitude blocking in the correct position to deflect the polar jet stream southward to deliver cold air into the U.S.
Ethanol supplies continue to move up to a 6 1/2-month high while production of ethanol is still slipping in 2012. The implication that ethanol demand is struggling to keep pace to previous weeks is likely not as much of a concern as at first glance.
Argentina-based Los Grobo sold 20% of its Brazilian operations to Mitsubishi in order to boost its export trade business in a further example of mega farms vertically integrating down here.
The New York Times food blogger and best-selling cookbook author wields a lot of influence. But he isn't about to bring down animal agriculture and the grain growers who provide the feed for the animals.
1/27 11:41AM Grain trade is narrowly mixed at midday in slow trade, nearby corn is the upside leader.
Weather
Key Crop Areas Mostly Dry This Weekend1/27 11:54AM A little light snow or snow showers will move through the southern and eastern Midwest Friday night and early Saturday. The balance of the key U.S. crop areas will be dry through Saturday. Most of the U.S. crop areas will continue dry Sunday as well.
Crops
Gray leafspot has spread across much of the Midwest. Agronomists tell farmers that it has become a permanent guest. (Progressive Farmer image by E.L. Stromberg, American Phytopathological Society)
Disease Spreads Deep Into MidwestGoss's wilt and frogeye leafspot raise radar for yield-killing pathogens.1/3 12:25PM Count the Midwest a permanent home to leaf diseases like Goss's wilt, gray leafspot and northern corn leaf blight. They thrive because pathogens that cause these diseases survive in crop residue, while some pathogens enter healthy plants injured by strong storms, wind and hail.
Thu Jan 12, 2012 09:34 AM CST Any shortage of seed corn seems to be sporadic, and if one dealer doesn't have the preferred variety, the dealer down the road might.
Mon Jan 23, 2012 10:33 AM CST Some producers will need to tweak planters and drills to allow for smaller soybean sizes and higher planting rates due to lower germination percentages. It's a year to ask questions and read seed germination tags carefully.
Livestock
In the past 18 months, bank regulators have raised flags about an overheated land market. Some lenders have imposed per-acre caps on what they'll finance, no matter what the sale or appraised value. (DTN photo by Chris Clayton)
Land OutlookMore Upside for Rents Than Land Prices1/23 11:08AM In the farm real estate stratosphere, be prepared to pay mostly cash and don't set any outrageous records on purchase price. Just in case this is a land peak, you might still make money.
Mon Jan 23, 2012 11:23 AM CST Like most cattle producers, Traci Talley has to cut corners at times. But don't ask her to shortchange her fescue, orchardgrass and clover pastures.
Mon Jan 23, 2012 11:16 AM CST A windshield survey of cattle country on Monday told DTN Livestock Analyst John Harrington as much if not more about the ongoing dynamics of beef supply than the most reliable totals USDA enumerators can correlate.
Mon Jan 23, 2012 11:21 AM CST Do I really need to have my high-performing bull checked before breeding?
Land Management
Many experts expect a correction in land prices over the next five to seven years. (Progressive Farmer image by Jim Patrico)
Land: Love It or Leave ItInfatuation Continues; Use Sound Financial Decisions to Buy Land 1/10 1:57PM Farmland prices have risen dramatically over the past seven years, driven by increasing demand, skyrocketing commodity prices and outside investors who know that, on average, farmland provides steady returns.
Tue Jan 24, 2012 02:34 PM CST Tony Schroeder, of Plymouth County, Iowa, saw that with the way manure was applied to his fields -- disk blades throwing a low mound of dirt over manure applied by a honey wagon -- a lot of stubble was being covered.
Tue Jan 24, 2012 02:16 PM CST My neighbor's mess is infringing on my property. What are my rights?
Farm Business
Averages can vary by county and actual records, but an Iowan with a 190-bushel corn yield might add 13 to 24 bushels to their corn APH. (DTN file photo by Scott R Kemper)
Crop Insurance TweakedRMA Fills Yield Gaps1/23 3:39PM Corn and soybean farmers like what they see in RMA's new Trend-Adjusted APH Yield Option. With one reform, it automatically lowers deductibles.
Tue Jan 24, 2012 03:01 PM CST Kawasaki recently announced an addition to its all-terrain vehicle (ATV) family: the Brute Force 300, the smallest member of its ATV lineup.
Tue Jan 17, 2012 03:23 PM CST DTN's Russ Quinn reminisces about decorating his family's farm for Christmas.
Ag Policy
This aerial photo shows the existing Keystone pipeline. A hearing Wednesday discussed the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. (DTN file photo by Dan Davidson)
GOP Pushes Keystone ProjectBill Would Strip State Department Authority 1/25 2:05PM Federal officials expressed concern about proposed legislation that would allow the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to review the Keystone pipeline project.
Fri Jan 13, 2012 02:39 PM CST Last year's floods carried almost twice the average amount of silt to the Mississippi River, and a thin Army Corp budget last year means some of that silt still needs to be dredged. Add to it that dry weather across the river basin is contributing to dropping water levels, and you have recipe for creating a shallow channel.
Wed Jan 25, 2012 10:48 AM CST U.S. ag producers would pay a hefty price if the aging lock and dam infrastructure on the nation's waterways were to fail, according to a new study.
Mon Jan 23, 2012 11:07 AM CST Late last year, there was a farm equipment auction outside of Omaha that mainly featured old, steel-wheeled equipment, but one piece in particular, drew this DTN reporter's interest -- the Western Wheeled Scraper.
Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:11 PM CST A proposed cell/satellite network would provide broadband access to rural areas, but detractors say signals from the network's cell towers would also scramble vital GPS guidance signals for farm equipment, airplanes and other vehicles.
Chris Chinn is an advocate for family farms. When she speaks to public groups, she uses large photos of her young family as props. (Progressive Farmer image by Jim Patrico)
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Land Prices Stable for Now
