This piece looks at the end of December Palmer Drought ratings in four top corn producing states the year before drought made U.S. corn yields fall 10% or more from trend.
While more than half of producers that responded to a Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board survey said they'd vote to approve increasing the checkoff fee to $1.50 per head, its not likely the levy will be increased anytime soon.
Nobody takes crop insurance expecting to make a profit, but today's $5.77 close on Dec futures contract for corn is a good omen for the farm safety net.
Feb. 1 marks the annual count down for the crop insurance price discovery for spring planted crops.
Mild temperatures and lack of snow across the Midwest and much of the nation likely to continue due to lack of mechanism to bring Canadian cold southward.
Ethanol futures slipped lower for the week on increased supplies and lackluster demand while corn prices inched higher in choppy trade. Energy markets saw a lot of daily action through the week, but by the end of the week, results was unimpressive.
Rains over the last month have saved the Argentine soybean crop, and more precipitation is forecast to nourish it through the flowering and pod-filling stages. However, renewed expectations of a 50 million metric ton crop do appear overly optimistic.
The news from Japan usually has a predictable quality about it. So American agriculture, which exports a lot to Japan, should take note when the country produces a genuine news flash, as it did recently.
2/3 2:16PM Soybeans finished with solid gains wiping out the week's losses. This helped pull corn higher in the last minutes of trade. Wheat tried to rally at the close but ended modestly lower on light technical selling.
Weather
Snow, Rain Across Midwest Saturday2/3 12:17PM Snow may linger Saturday over parts of the west-central Midwest while showers move through the southern part of the east Midwest and parts of the southeast U.S. region Saturday. The key central and southeast U.S. crop areas will be dry Sunday.
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
After a forced liquidation, this ranch rebuilt a more efficient cow herd from the ground up. (DTN/Progressive Farmer photo by Heidi Anderson)
Payback From a DroughtRebuilding the Herd With Better Traits1/30 11:24AM A drought is never a good time for a cattle producer. But sometimes it can turn into an opportunity.
Mon Jan 30, 2012 01:01 PM CST 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.
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.
LightSquared's proposed cell/satellite network would provide broadband access to rural areas, but critics say signals from the network's cell towers would also scramble vital GPS guidance signals for farm equipment, airplanes and other vehicles. (DTN/The Progressive Farmer file photo by Jim Patrico)
Telecom Officials Challenge GrassleyLightSquared Investor, Fine Point Technologies CEO Deny Improper Contacts With Senator2/2 3:33PM Following allegations made by Sen. Charles Grassley that a LightSquared investor and the chief executive officer of another telecommunications company have tried to influence the senator to drop an inquiry into LightSquared, the company officials are firing back.
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
The problem farm groups face in proposing new agriculture policies is the same one facing lawmakers: They don't know exactly how much money has to be cut from the farm bill. (DTN file photo)
Farm Groups Seek ConsensusMore Talks Needed to Find Common Ground on Farm Programs2/2 5:05PM Farm organizations issued a statement after two days of talks reflecting that there is a lot of work to do to reach a consensus on what direction to take commodity programs in the next farm bill.
Mon Jan 30, 2012 03:05 PM CST An Iowa senator has turned over to the Senate ethics committee information regarding contacts from telecommunications industry officials on LightSquared's rural broadband proposal.
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.
Wed Jan 25, 2012 02:26 PM CST House Ag Committee Chairman Frank Lucas says he will move heaven and earth to get a farm bill done this year.
Farm Life
Avoid family tensions later by planning now. (Progressive Farmer image by Jim Patrico)
Pass on Ownership the Right WayAvoid Pitfalls During Transition of Farm Ownership1/30 9:06AM Recurring problems plague families as they transfer farm ownership. Confronting issues now improves odds of a smooth succession.
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.
Mon Jan 23, 2012 10:47 AM CST Avoiding some common pitfalls can help the transition and leave the next generation a lasting legacy.
Featured Column
The last two years have seen U.S. corn yields fall well short of trendline, leading to smaller-than-projected total production. (DTN file photo by Katie Micik)
Newsom on the Market$3 Corn?2/3 12:56PM As we make our way through the offseason in the grain markets -- an offseason that comes to an end on March 31 -- the long-term price forecasts for corn are becoming more dramatic.
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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Develop a Common Vision for Transition
