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Logan
Hawkes
02/15/06
Crop News Weekly
Another week nearer to the spring season and
cold weather has finally decided to become a problem. Or has it? With
all the weather records being broken in recent years, who knows what to
expect anymore? But then, was weather ever really predictable? As far as
I can tell, weather just happens.
In the top of the news this week, a WTO dispute settlement panel has
issued a preliminary ruling that the European Union engaged in an
illegal moratorium on the importation of genetically modified foods as
charged in a complaint brought by the United States, Canada and
Argentina. Also this week, the unveiling of a new academic web site
about soybeans that is a must visit for growers. And speaking of a
must-do list, the largest indoor farm show in America begins today and
ends Saturday, in Louisville, KY. The massive show covers the extensive
indoor facilities located on grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center.
You shouldn't miss this one. Elsewhere, should the best ground be
fertilized heavily, or should the less productive land be fertilized to
make it produce more like the best land? And a bit of bad news for corn
growers: High fertilizer prices are shaping up to be a significant
factor for lower U.S. corn acreage this year. Finally this week, if you
haven't got rid of your 2005 soybean crop, now may be the time.
You'll find these stories and more in this issue of Crop News
Weekly. Happy reading.
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spectrum of seed and foliar-feeding insects and all major seed- and
soil-borne disease pathogens providing soybean growers with better plant
stands, vigor, quicker canopy and higher yields.
Visit http://www.cruisermaxxpak.com
to learn more.
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WTO rules
against EU's biotech 'moratorium'
02/10/06
A WTO dispute settlement panel has issued a
preliminary ruling that the European Union engaged in an illegal
moratorium on the importation of genetically modified foods as charged
in a complaint brought by the United States, Canada and Argentina. The
ruling, which reportedly runs more than 1,000 pages, said similar bans
imposed separately by France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Luxembourg and
Greece also violated WTO rules. U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman
applauded the preliminary ruling, calling on EU officials to provide a
"timely, transparent and scientific review of agricultural biotechnology
products" now that the dispute settlement panel has issued its
long-delayed ruling. - Forrest Laws, Farm Press Editorial
Staff
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Syntinel RustTracker is a Web-based, interactive Geographical
Information System (GIS) used as a rust-monitoring and mapping tool.
This state of the art system combines AccuWeather.com weather data with
spore location information to provide growers and retailers with the
earliest soybean rust warning system available. For more information on
Syntinel RustTracker, please visit http://www.soybeanrust.com/.
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Budget
proposals could harm farm safety net
02/14/06
NCGA
President George W. Bush's proposed reductions for
fiscal year 2007 in USDA spending programs -- including across-the-board
cuts in crop payments to farmers by 5 percent -- could harm the farm
safety net put in place by the 2002 Farm Bill, the National Corn Growers
Association (NCGA) says. NCGA President Gerald Tumbleson says growers
are concerned with the proposals in the president's budget pertaining to
protecting the 2002 Farm Bill and enhancing agriculture's role in
improving the economy. - The Corn & Soybean Digest
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Web
site knows beans about soy production
A new Purdue University Web site spills the beans
about Indiana's top legume. "Cool Bean," a Web site located at
www.CoolBean.info, provides soybean growers a clearinghouse of
information about the row crop. "'Cool Bean' covers all facets of
soybean production within Indiana and the Eastern Soybean Belt," says
Shawn Conley, Purdue Extension soybean specialist and the Web site's
creator. "The site has a searchable database where users can find
information on all subjects related to soybeans, whether it be in weed
science, entomology, plant pathology or crop production." Conley's site
does for soybeans what a longstanding Purdue Web site does for corn. Bob
Nielsen, a Purdue Extension corn specialist, maintains "King Corn." That
site can be found at www.kingcorn.org. - The Corn & Soybean
Digest
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Last summer, Axial™ herbicide was showcased during field trials in
the Pacific Northwest, North Dakota and Minnesota. Grower and retailer
guests witnessed the effectiveness of Axial against a broad-spectrum of
mixed annual grasses, as well as its crop safety on wheat and barley.
This year, growers will experience that control and crop safety
firsthand as Axial is now registered for use. For more information on
Axial herbicide, please visit http://www.axial-herbicide.com.
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Be
sure to attend the National Farm Machinery Show
02/14/06
The largest indoor farm show in America begins
Wednesday, Feb. 15, and ends Saturday, Feb. 18, in Louisville, KY. The
massive show covers the extensive indoor facilities located on grounds
of the Kentucky Exposition Center. Farm Industry News is a sponsor of
the annual event. Growers will find the latest in farm equipment and
tools at the show. Nearly 800 exhibitors fill the 1.2 million square
feet of exhibit space. The show opens each day at 9 a.m. and closes at 6
p.m. Check out the exhibitor line-up at this show! - Farm Industry
News
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Planning
now can save time, money in the spring
02/10/06
Should the best ground be fertilized heavily, or
should the less productive land be fertilized to make it produce more
like the best land? Winter can be fairly slow regarding soil and crops
issues, so Noble Foundation soil and crops specialist Eddie Funderburg
suggests producers take time to reflect on the previous year and plan
for the coming one. "You've probably noticed that fertilizer prices are
up a bit -- well, maybe more than a bit," Funderburg says. "They
aren't coming down until natural gas prices come down." What can you do
to make sure your fertilizer money is well spent? The first thing is to
take good soil samples. - Steven Rhines, Farm Press Editorial
Staff
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ADVERTISEMENT
 Over the last five seasons, Quadris®
fungicide revolutionized yield and quality in soybeans. Quadris protects
soybeans from damaging foliar diseases and provides an average increase
of 5 to 6 bu/A, even in the absence of severe disease pressure. For more
information on Quadris fungicide, please visit http://www.quadris-fungicide.com
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News from the Top of the
Hill
02/10/06
National Hog Farmer
US-Korea Enter FTA Negotiations - President
Bush announced that the United States and South Korea intend to
negotiate bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Secretary of Agriculture
Mike Johanns said, "A free trade agreement will greatly improve access
for our producers to Korean consumers that seek high quality and
affordably priced U.S. products. Korea already is a significant market
for our corn, soybeans, wheat, processed foods, cotton, citrus, nuts and
fruit juices." The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) commended the
administration for entering into the negotiations. NPPC said, "South
Korea is an important export market for U.S. pork producers, but further
growth is imperiled by increased South Korean imports of Chilean pork.
So getting a free trade deal done with South Korea is imperative to U.S.
producers." The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) said, "We
support the launch of this free trade agreement with South Korea, and
expect to see the full re-opening of this market to all U.S. beef,
significant reductions of Korea's tariffs, and resolution of important
sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) issues." Currently, South Korea is the
sixth largest market for U.S. agriculture. In 2004, Korea imported $10.6
billion in agricultural products. U.S. pork exports to South Korea have
increased by 492 percent since implementation of the Uruguay Round in
1995.
Quality Grade & Imports - Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth (D-SD)
has introduced H.R. 4689 which would prohibit the USDA quality grade
from being used for imported beef or lamb. Pork is not covered under the
legislation. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) has introduced a companion bill
in the Senate.
Budget FY 2007 - President Bush sent his $2.77 trillion fiscal
year 2007 budget to Congress this week. The budget contains $93 billion
for USDA which is approximately $3 billion below FY 2006. Nearly 77
percent of the budget will be for mandatory programs, which include
commodity and conservation programs, nutrition assistance, and export
promotion. Discretionary programs will account for 23 percent of the
budget. This includes rural development loans and grants, research and
education, soil and water conservation technical assistance, domestic
marketing assistance, and the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.
Items included in the budget are:
Market Access Program (MAP) - reduced from $200 million to $100
million. MAP was authorized at $200 million in the 2002 Farm Bill.
Foreign Market Development Program - $34.5 million, which is the
same as last year's budget.
User Fees - $105 million in user fees for meat and poultry
inspection.
Avian Influenza - $82 million to continue to work with states in
domestic surveillance efforts and to improve preparedness and response
capabilities. This is a $66 million increase.
Food and Agriculture Defense Initiative - $322 million for the
multi-agency program ($127 million increase) to continue improving the
safety and security of the nation's food supply and agriculture.
BSE Surveillance Program - $17 million to test approximately 40,000
animals as part of the BSE Surveillance Program.
ARS Animal Disease Research - The Agricultural Research Service
would receive an increase of $40 million to research ways to control
exotic and emerging disease, including avian influenza, foot-and-mouth
disease and BSE.
FSIS - The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is funded at
$987 million which is an increase of $35 million over FY '06. This
includes $105 million in user fees.
Wetlands Reserve Program - Over $400 million which allow for an
additional 250,000 acres to be enrolled in the program for 2007.
Conservation Reserve Program - $2.1 billion.
EQIP - $1 billion which USDA estimates will allow 55,000 producers
to participated in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
which will cover nearly 20 million acres.
Energy Initiatives - $85 million (increase of $18 million) for
renewable energy research and demonstration projects.
School Lunch - $13.9 billion which is a $700 million increase. The
school lunch program is estimated to serve a record 30.9 million
children.
USDA Budget Calls for Farm Bill Cuts - The proposed FY '07 budget calls
for $1.1 billion in cuts in farm programs. They include:
Reducing program payments including marketing loan gains to
$250,000
Reducing all commodity payments to producers by 5 percent
Applying a 1.2 percent market assessment on sugar processors
Implementing a 3 cent per hundredweight assessment on milk
marketings
These cuts are similar to what was proposed by the President last year
which Congress rejected. There will be resistance again this year to
these proposed cuts. Many will advocate that these proposals should be
addressed when Congress considers the 2007 farm bill.
WTO Rules in Favor of Biotech - According to press reports the
World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled that the European Union has a
"de facto moratorium on agricultural biotechnology products that is
inconsistent with WTO rules." In a statement, Secretary of Agriculture
Mike Johanns and U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman said, "We believe
agricultural biotechnology products should be provided a timely,
transparent and scientific review by the European Union, and that is why
Canada, Argentina and the United States brought the case in the first
place."
New House Leadership - Congressman John Boehner (R-OH) was
elected House Majority Leader by the House Republican Conference.
Boehner defeated favored Congressman Roy Blunt (R-MO) who had been
serving as acting Majority Leader since Congressman Tom DeLay (R-TX)
stepped down. Blunt will continue as House Majority Whip. Boehner was
first elected to Congress in 1990 and serves as Vice Chairman of the
House Agriculture Committee.
Correction - Last week's column had a mistake in the item
regarding "Farm Numbers Decline in 2005" concerning hog operations. The
correct information is: "the number of operations with hogs totaled
67,330 during 2005, down 3 percent from 2004 and 9 percent from 2003.
Places with 2,000 or more head accounted for 79 percent of the
inventory." This information comes from USDA's National Agricultural
Statistics Service's report, "Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock
Operations - 2005 Summary." - Scott Shearer
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Corn
acres expected to decline
02/10/06
High fertilizer prices are shaping up to be a
significant factor for lower U.S. corn acreage this year, according to
David Asbridge, Doane Ag Services, St. Louis, Mo. Asbridge spoke at the
National Alliance of Agricultural Crop Consultants in Tucson, Ariz., in
January. High natural gas prices are part of the reason why fertility
prices are skyrocketing, although not directly, according to Asbridge.
Rather, high natural gas prices are forcing U.S. nitrogen manufacturers
to cut back on production, leading to more imports, which is increasing
global demand in a tight supply situation. - Elton Robinson, Farm
Press Editorial Staff
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2006:
More soybeans
02/09/06
Soybean producers, that hot breath on the back of your
neck is a bear's. As of Jan. 19, March soybean futures had dropped
another 5.5 cents and Scott Stiles said the rough treatment was likely
to continue. "I wish we could have done this (talk) three weeks ago,"
Stiles, Arkansas Extension economist, said at the Arkansas Seed Growers
Association annual meeting in Brinkley. "There would have been a little
better news to talk about in the soybean market." The prevailing belief
is most private analysts "made their final sales around mid-December.
The bulk are now saying, 'If you haven't gotten rid of your old crop,
now's the time.'" - David Bennett, Farm Press Editorial Staff
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Let
the numbers do the talking
02/07/06
Agriculture Road Warrior Dave Kohl writes:
"Dick Wittman, who lectured about financial management at the Executive
Program for Agricultural Producers, was able to obtain financial
information on this year's participants. Approximately 30 businesses
filled out the survey, which provided some interesting results. The
median gross revenue was $1.4 million, while median owned assets totaled
$3.6 million and median liabilities of slightly over a million dollars
were listed. The median operating profit margin was 16.7 percent, while
the maximum reported was 33 percent." - The Corn & Soybean
Digest
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Congress
will reject Bush budget, ag leaders say
02/08/06
President Bush has once again asked Congress to make
across-the board cuts in farm programs, and congressional leaders once
again are saying the president's proposals for agriculture won't fly.
The fiscal year 2007 budget proposal the President presented Monday
includes a 5-percent reduction in all commodity payments for savings of
nearly $1 billion the first year and $7.7 billion over the next 10
years. The President also wants to place assessments on the sugar and
milk programs and tighten payment limits. - Forrest Laws, Farm Press
Editorial Staff
|
Plants
for disease relief
02/08/06
The announcement last week that Dow AgroSciences was
granted the world's first regulatory approval for a plant-made vaccine
marks another step toward the commercialization, and legitimizing, of a
technology that holds much promise for new ways of treating a myriad of
human and animal diseases. And it may allow the production of more
effective medicines at a lower cost than present methods that are based
on expensive animal component research/manufacturing systems. Down the
road, researchers envision plant-derived human vaccines that wouldn't
require refrigerated storage, would have few side effects, and could be
given in pill, inhalant, or patch form -- no more needles! -
Hembree Brandon, Farm Press Editorial Staff
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Give
eavesdroppers a helping hand
02/09/06
Dear government spy: By now you have probably hacked
into my computer files and are, even as we speak, so the speak,
scratching your head in bewilderment and assuming that I am up to no
good. Let me assure you that nothing could be farther from the truth.
But to protect myself from unfortunate investigation and even more
unfortunate incarceration and disagreeable torture, let me explain a few
anomalies. - Ron Smith, Farm Press Editorial Staff
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Sign Up For
MarketMaxx
02/15/06
Sign up and play The Corn And Soybean Digest's fantasy
grain game called MarketMaxx. It's easy, fun and hopefully you'll learn
a little more about how to market the corn and beans your raise. It's
easy to sign-up. Just log on to http://www.marketmaxx.net and
register at the top left and begin trading your fictitious 100,000 bu.
of corn and 50,000 bu. of soybeans. If you're a winner at the end of the
game on October 31 you could take home the grand prize of a year's use
of a Massey Ferguson tractor or combine. Or, win additional prizes such
as a computer system from Syngenta Crop Protection, customized rugged
mobile computers from Grayhill Custom Mobile Solutions or a high-speed
satellite Internet service from Agristar Global Networks. - The Corn
& Soybean Digest
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Corn & Soybean Digest
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Richard A. Brock
Check out the latest corn and soybean market advice from
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