USDA's numbers, while outside the ranges of pre-report estimates in some instances, didn't prompt any sea changes in attitudes among analysts we looked at Wednesday evening, but several did had some interesting insights.
A pair of senior Republicans on the Senate Agriculture Committee cautioned Obama administration officials not to get too carried away with these competition hearings that start Friday.
Even the government computers that run critical air traffic control systems are antiques of the digital age. So it's no surprise that Farm Service Agency computer snafus are short circuiting during the debut of SURE, the government's new permanent disaster program that is based on calculations of whole farm revenue.
A University of Missouri Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute study says that the ethanol industry's blenders' tax credit is costing taxpayers $4.18 per gallon and driving up grain prices, according to a blog written by Natural Resources Defense Council Director of Renewable Energy Policy Nathanael Green.
When someone with the credentials, track record and integrity of a Ron DeHaven recommends that this important question be given a second look, I would hope that some folks in and outside the government would have enough courage to reach for the can opener.
This season's soybean crop maybe a record, but it would have been even bigger if Brazilian farmers used better equipment, or learned to regulate their combines better.
In the context of our unusual times, when controversy over the future of agriculture rages, it's neither puzzling nor reprehensible that the USDA chief occupies the middle ground.
A freight train carrying ethanol derailed in eastern Connecticut, reported the Hartford (Conn.) Courant, but no injuries were reported. Providence & Worcester Railroad spokeswoman Marie Angelini said four cars at the end of an 80-car train derailed Thursday morning near Windham, Conn., but preliminary reports are that none of the cars had ruptured.
3/11 2:00PM A bearish weekly export sales report Thursday seemed to tip soybean's cart as the market quickly erased Wednesday's gains. The other grains were relatively quiet throughout the session.
Weather
Rain, Snow Continues Friday3/11 1:56PM Friday will bring more rain and snow to the western Midwest, further hindering transportation and keeping soils saturated. More flooding is also likely along with extensive field work delays. Rain will move into the rest of the Midwest during the weekend.
Crops
The 2010 season could tell the tale whether rootworms are becoming tolerant or resistant to current Bt traits. (DTN/The Progressive Farmer file photo by Jim Patrico)
Rootworms Strike Back
High Insect Counts, Crop Damage, Show in Some Bt Fields 3/11 10:36AM Entomologists are baffled why some Bt corn fields had rootworm damage in 2009. What they do stress is that problems continue to increase as the number of farmers planting insect-resistance-management refuges remains at less-that-desirable levels.
"During the last 90 days of gestation, the heifer or cow needs plenty of protein and energy," says Charlie Stoltenow, North Dakota State University Extension veterinarian. "I can't stress how important this is. Protein is directly related to colostrum quality and calf vigor. The calf needs to be able to bounce up and get off the cold ground." (DTN/Progressive Farmer image by Becky Mills)
Mon Mar 8, 2010 09:25 AM CST USDA's recent decision not to enforce a national ID system likely will restrict some potential beef sales to Japan, but the move will not have a big impact on the U.S. beef industry because the U.S. produces mostly for the domestic market, not for export, the managing director of the Tokyo-based Tyson International Service Center said.
Mon Mar 8, 2010 09:28 AM CST Researchers at the University of Illinois have found that high-protein distillers dried grains can replace 100 percent of the soybean meal in swine diets without affecting performance.
Land Management
He can't control commodity markets. So Ohio farmer Les Imboden's first line of defense is to cover his input costs. (Progressive Farmer image by Jim Patrico)
Iowa farmer Shawn Adam and his family implemented a farm succession plan after his 48-year-old mother died of cancer. (DTN photo by Elizabeth Williams)
Senior Partners - 1
Five Steps to Launch a Farm Transition2/25 6:13AM Begin farm business transfers early to avoid tax or cash flow shocks, farm families say. Here are some starting points.
Hydraulic systems have their enemies. They are dirt, vibration, water and heat. We might squeeze one more in there: the lack of preventative maintenance. It is a difficult exercise to shut down work to maintain a system that appears to be functioning perfectly well. But preventative maintenance is a practice that pays off with your hydraulic system. (Progressive Farmer image by Benjamin Krain)
Make Cents of Hydraulics
Here's How to Deal With the Enemies of Hydraulics3/8 2:01PM The great flexibility of hydraulics applications comes from the physical fact that fluid doesn't compress, but changes shape. Hydraulic oil can be forced under pressure to change into any shape as it travels from the oil reservoir, through the pump and then on to anywhere in the tractor and out to its implements before it recycles back to the reservoir.
Mon Mar 8, 2010 02:05 PM CST Vernon Nelson has been installing center-pivot irrigation units on his 3,000 Nebraska acres for years. More recently, he has put four more units in place???this time with some federal help.
Mon Mar 8, 2010 02:12 PM CST At first glance, Bill Schroeder's shop looks like most other buildings of its kind???rectangular and open. Walk around, however, and you'll discover features that serve Schroeder's needs.
Ag Policy
Rice, and its insurance coverage, may be a problem as southern farmers talk to their bankers. (DTN file photo by Marcia Taylor)
South Seeks Safety Net Solutions
Producers Face Losses From Last Year, But No Protection 2/24 7:42AM Rice and cotton farmers heard sympathetic words from House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., about their lack of a safety net. But they are having a hard time getting backing for a disaster package.
John Rice, of Ohio State Communications and Technology, is submerged in corn during a grain bin rescue demonstration at the Ohio Farm Science Review. (DTN/Progressive Farmer image by Susan K. Davis)
Trapped in Grain
Other Farm Accidents Down, But Grain Fatalities on Rise3/8 10:34AM While most on-farm deaths, such as tractor overturns and power-take-off shaft incidences, are decreasing, the number of children and adults being engulfed in grain is rising every year, reports Bill Field, Purdue University Extension safety specialist. In 2008 there were 34 grain entrapments nationwide compared to 33 in 2007. In five years, incidences increased 33%, according to Purdue University's National Grain Entrapment Database.
Mon Mar 8, 2010 10:38 AM CST The Dakota County farmer shows up at schools, community festivals and even the Minnesota State Fair dressed in a hard hat, goggles, white lab coat and huge fireman's boots.
Mon Mar 8, 2010 10:41 AM CST Recurring problems plague families as they transfer farm ownership. Confronting issues now improves odds of a smooth succession.
Featured Column
Wednesday's USDA reports provided more questions than answers. (DTN Graphic by Darin Newsom)
3/5 9:51AM With the much anticipated March USDA report out of the way, I find the markets, as well as DTN customers, are left with more questions than answers.
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New Herbicide Products Aim for Soybean Market
