ADVERTISEMENT
By using a one-pass, pre-emergence application of LUMAX, growers can
achieve excellent, season-long control of most troublesome weeds coupled
unsurpassed crop safety, which results in higher yields. Click
Here to see LUMAX vs. the competition.
|
|
|
|
|
Logan
Hawkes
03/08/06
Crop News Weekly
Did someone say it was going to be a tough year for
agriculture? Was that you mumbling about fertilizer costs and increased
prices for fuel and motor oil? Don't feel alone. With the threat of
continued drought, out of control energy prices and farm bill woes, the
deck seems to be stacked the wrong way. It reminds me of last year. And
the year before. So what's new?
In the world of agriculture news and issues this week, Senator Tom
Harkin has filed legislation designed to make certain that the biodiesel
tax credit program is carried out as promised by Congress. The tax
credit was passed to spur U.S. biofuels production and stimulate the
rural economy. Also in the news, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns has
announced the release of USDA's Energy Estimator for Nitrogen, a
web-based awareness tool that farmers and ranchers can use. Elsewhere,
the National Cotton Council has echoed what other farm groups are
saying, 'what faith can American growers have in the World Trade
Organization (WTO)'? Also this week, have you been considering multiple
inlet irrigation? There are many benefits, and a few considerations to
make before making a final decision. In other news, environmental groups
have filed suit again demanding the government rescind its approval of
herbicide-resistant alfalfa. The Center for Food Safety, Sierra Club,
the Cornucopia Institute and others of similar ilk want to toss out at
least two decades of research and years of field trials. Finally this
week, the threat of resistant weeds is on the rise, technology comes to
the rescue on the farm, ethanol use is up, and more rust spores are
detected in the Southland.
It's a jam-packed issue of Crop News Weekly. Get reading!
|
|
ADVERTISEMENT
By combining a crop safe triazole with azoxystrobin, the active
ingredient contained in Quadris fungicide, Quilt® fungicide offers
excellent control of soybean rust while enhancing yield and quality.
For more information on Quilt fungicide, please visit http://www.quilt-fungicide.com.
|
|
Harkin
pushes to close biodiesel tax loophole
03/07/06
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) announced legislation that
would ensure the biodiesel tax credit is carried out as Congress
intended. The biodiesel tax credit was passed to spur U.S. biofuels
production and stimulate the rural economy and Congress listed a number
of vegetable oils as eligible for the tax break. The IRS is giving the
biodiesel tax credit for production from palm oil, a feedstock not
listed under statute and often imported from foreign countries. Harkin's
bill would close this loophole and clarify that only feedstocks listed
by Congress are eligible to receive the biodiesel tax credit. - The
Corn & Soybean Digest
|
ADVERTISEMENT
 Experts discuss
glyphosate resistance on RFD-TV Live! Monday, March 13th
On March 13, 2006, RFD-TV Live! will focus on glyphosate resistance in
the Midwest. Syngenta and University experts will discuss the latest on
glyphosate resistance and the issues surrounding it on the live call-in
show. http://www.agrimarketing.com/show_story.php?id=38728
Please plan to tune in and participate in this informative show.
RFD-TV Live! with Syngenta discussing glyphosate resistance airs:
* Monday, March 13th, 2006 from 8 to 9 p.m. EST (7 to 8 p.m. CST)
* RFD-TV can be found on Dish Network channel 9409, DIRECTV channel 379
and Mediacom cable.
|
|
Johanns
announces nitrogen fertilizer tool
03/07/06
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns has announced the
release of USDA's Energy Estimator for Nitrogen, a web-based awareness
tool that farmers and ranchers can use to identify potential nitrogen
(N) cost savings associated with major crops and commercial N fertilizer
applications. "The Energy Estimator for nitrogen provides our nation's
producers with another new tool to reduce their energy costs and protect
the environment," says Johanns. "Encouraging proper fertilizer
management is part of USDA's comprehensive energy strategy to help
farmers and ranchers mitigate the impact of high energy costs." - The
Corn & Soybean Digest
|
Weather
and agriculture markets
03/07/06
The big "D" word (drought) is getting a lot of
discussion by weather prognosticators and by grain market analysts
during the late winter period, as we're preparing to plant the 2006
crop. Many areas of the Southwest U.S. and large portions of Texas and
Oklahoma have been extremely dry this winter, as have some areas of
Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois. Even Southern Minnesota and
Northern Iowa have been relatively dry the past couple of months;
however, most of these areas have above average stored soil moisture as
we head into the 2006 growing season. - Kent Thiesse, The Corn &
Soybean Digest
|
ADVERTISEMENT
 Flexibility is a necessity in farming.
Axial™ herbicide offers a wide window of application timing for
crops and grass weeds, can be tankmixed with a variety of broadleaf
herbicides for one-pass weed control, and has a short soil half-life,
which provides rotational crop Plus a single use rate; excellent crop
safety profile; and the ability to use Axial on winter wheat, spring
wheat and barley, is why Axial reinvents the term flexibility for cereal
grass herbicides. Learn more at http://www.axial-herbicide.com.
|
|
NCC
'losing confidence' in WTO process
03/06/06
The latest proposal from the C-4 West African
countries for "reforming" the U.S. cotton program is only serving to
undermine what little confidence U.S. farm groups have left in the World
Trade Organization, the National Cotton Council says. The proposal
submitted by the trade ministers of Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali
calls for even deeper cuts in farm program payments to cotton producers
than those tabled by U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman at the WTO
meetings last fall. - Farm Press Editorial Staff
|
Conservation
systems increase efficiency, profit
03/03/06
Multiple inlet irrigation can help reduce the quantity
of water runoff from fields and reduce pumping by as much as 20 percent,
according to studies conducted in the Arkansas Delta. These findings
were among the more than 80 presentations at the ninth annual National
Conservation Systems Cotton and Rice Conference at Robinsonville, Miss.,
to update farmers on the latest findings on conservation tillage and
other management techniques and systems. Because of Total Maximum Daily
Load (TMDL) issues related to non-point source pollution, information
has been needed on how farmers can take a proactive, preventive stance
in managing irrigation water applications and runoff. - Hembree
Brandon, Farm Press Editorial Staff
|
ADVERTISEMENT
New Gramoxone Inteon™ herbicide gives you the fast-acting burndown
you love in an easy-to-use formulation. It even helps you to manage
glyphosate resistance -- good news at a time when more and more weeds
are becoming harder to control.
Visit http://www.gramoxoneinteon-herbicide.com
for more information.
|
|
News from the Top of the
Hill
03/03/06
National Hog Farmer
Price Reporting Recommendations - Producer
groups have written Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns requesting
that USDA implement the recommendations of the Government Accountability
Office (GAO) study on price reporting. The report, "Livestock Market
Reporting: USDA Has Taken Some Steps to Ensure Quality, but Additional
Efforts Are Needed," which was released last December made six
recommendations to enhance price reporting for cattle, swine, and sheep.
The recommendations were to: "(1) prepare publicly available reports on
the volume of transactions excluded by reporters and their effect on
report prices, and take steps to increase public awareness of reporting
methods and processes; (2) clarify AMS reporters' instructions while
following federal and departmental statistical and information reporting
guidance; (3) post quarterly audit information on its website and
identify additional audit information to add in the future; (4) develop
auditing methods to allow conclusions to be drawn about overall data
accuracy; (5) review its auditing methods to increase the overall
effectiveness of the compliance program; and (6) conduct a further
inquiry into the issues raised during one of the Grain Inspection,
Packers and Stockyard Administration's (GIPSA) investigations." Those
signing the letter were: National Pork Producers Council, National
Cattlemen's Beef Association, American Sheep Industry Association, and
American Farm Bureau Federation. The groups also indicated that they
will continue to press Congress to renew mandatory livestock price
reporting.
US-Colombia FTA Completed - USTR announced that the United States
and Columbia have completed a free trade agreement (FTA). US Trade
Representative Rob Portman stated, "The United States and Colombia
agreed on terms for a comprehensive trade opening agreement that will
enhance economic growth and prosperity between the U.S. and Columbia.
The free trade agreement with Colombia will generate export
opportunities for U.S. agriculture, industry, and service providers, and
help create jobs in the United States." The National Pork Producers
Council (NPPC) said in a news release that the tariffs on some pork and
pork products will be eliminated immediately while the tariffs on others
will be phased out over a five-year period. Colombia is the second
largest agricultural market for the U.S. in Latin America with exports
of $667 million in 2005. Coarse grains, wheat, cotton, and soybeans are
the major agricultural exports.
Coalition Opposes User Fees - A coalition of over 40 producer
organizations and agribusinesses have written members of the U.S. Senate
and Congress opposing the Administration's proposal to implement $105
million in user fees for meat and poultry inspection. In a letter to
Congress, the coalition said, "Food safety "user fees" would also create
the perception of conflict of interest between inspectors and the
industries they are supposed to regulate, which could erode public and
international confidence in the U.S. food safety inspection system."
Those signing the letter included the American Farm Bureau Federation,
American Meat Institute, Grocery Manufacturers Association, National
Cattlemen's Beef Association, National Chicken Council, National Pork
Producers Council, and National Turkey Federation.
World Meat Congress - The 2006 World Meat Congress will be held
April 26-29 in Brisbane, Australia. This is the world's largest meat
industry conference. The theme of the conference is "2020: Meat the Road
Ahead." The conference will focus on the needs of the consumer in 2020,
how we are to supply these needs, the communities' expectations, and
what is in store for us regarding trade policy. More information
regarding speakers, program, registration, etc. concerning the Congress
can be found at http://www.2006worldmeatcongress.com.au.
- Scott Shearer
|
Environmental
wackoes at it again
03/03/06
The environmental wackoes are at it again. The same
old group of warm and fuzzy-sounding organizations have filed suit in
federal court demanding the government rescind its approval of
herbicide-resistant alfalfa. The Center for Food Safety, Sierra Club,
the Cornucopia Institute and others of similar ilk want to toss out at
least two decades of research and years of field trials. They cite the
same old lame and scientifically unfounded allegations of pollen
contamination from GMO crops and are even tossing in concerns that
herbicide-resistant alfalfa introduced this season will harm alfalfa
export markets. The mass media will pick up the press release and you
can read all the inflammatory quotes and half truths there -- no
questions asked. Harry Cline, Farm Press Editorial Staff
|
Threat
of resistant weeds increasing
03/03/06
Donna Lee's take-home message is this: glyphosate
resistance in weeds is a "real problem heading right toward us. A
proactive approach is needed to sustain glyphosate-tolerant technology.
It's a great thing, and we need to keep it around. "We'll have to become
more and more cognizant in order to keep it viable," said Lee, a
Louisiana Extension agent in East Carroll Parish. "There are no new
products to take glyphosate's place. If we end up with (ubiquitous)
resistance to glyphosate, we are in for major problems." - David
Bennett, Farm Press Editorial Staff
|
Automated
systems simplifying farm data
03/03/06
Agriculture is on the cusp of technology that can make
really complex recordkeeping simple, says Ted Macy. "It's a very
exciting time" in terms of hardware and software that will automate
generation, storage, and analyzing much of the data related to crop
production, he said. "Precision agriculture technology has become a
given, an integral part of everyday farming operations." Macy, who's
president of MapShots, Inc., Cummings, Ga., says many of the
hardware/software incompatibilities that have limited the use of such
technology are now being resolved as the industry becomes more
standardized. - Hembree Brandon, Farm Press Editorial Staff
|
Ethanol
use rising, but corn acres falling
03/02/06
U.S. corn growers are counting on more U.S. motorists
to put a new tiger in their tank in 2006 and 2007, but the same factors
that are increasing the demand for the tiger -- ethanol -- could
also lead to lower corn acres. USDA is projecting that corn use for
ethanol will increase by 550 million bushels or 34 percent in the
2006-07 corn marketing year as oil distributors substitute renewable
fuels for the more expensive petroleum-based kind. - Forrest Laws,
Farm Press Editorial Staff
|
Soybean
rust spore discoveries spark concerns
03/01/06
Soybean rust was found at the end of February at three
sites in Montgomery County, Ala., creating concern for over-wintering of
disease spores farther north than central Florida. The three sites in
Alabama were found on kudzu in areas protected by old buildings. Finding
live spores in Montgomery County is significant, for two primary
reasons: Montgomery is in the center of Alabama, roughly 140 miles north
of the Gulf of Mexico and the area recently recorded low temperatures in
the mid 20s F, which caused die back of most annual plants, but did not
destroy these host plants. - Roy Roberson, Farm Press Editorial
Staff
|
Farmers
will get their share of cuts
03/02/06
Saxby Chambliss says farmers should get a "deficit
reduction" credit for the $13 billion the government was expected to
spend on farm programs in the first three years of the 2002 farm bill
but didn't. Chambliss, the Senate Agriculture Committee chairman, said
farmers are willing to share in the Bush administration's budget-cutting
efforts, but he believes they made a big down payment to that end in
2002-04. That was then and this is now, says Agriculture Secretary Mike
Johanns. He says that, even with the farm program reductions the
president proposed on Feb. 6, the administration expects to spend $7
billion more in fiscal 2007 than projected in the 2002 farm bill. -
Farm Press Editorial Staff
|
Crop
insurance decisions
02/28/06
During the next couple weeks, many farm operators will
be finalizing their crop insurance decisions for the 2006 crop year.
March 15 is the deadline to purchase crop insurance for 2006. Producers
need to analyze how crop insurance fits into their risk management and
grain marketing strategies for the coming year. There are very few
changes in the various types of crop insurance policies for 2006, as
compared to last year. Most producers have a pretty good handle on the
mechanics of standard APH (yield only) Multi-Peril Insurance policies,
compared to RA and CRC revenue coverage policies (yield and price). -
Kent Thiesse, Corn & Soybean Digest
|
Soybean
checkoff touts safety of U.S. poultry
02/28/06
With the recent case discovered in Iraq, avian
influenza has been a hot topic in the news lately, but it doesn't
currently affect the health and safety of U.S. poultry. The soybean
checkoff is working with other agricultural groups to make sure this
stays that way. "U.S. poultry has no cases of the highly pathogenic
avian influenza virus," says Phil Bradshaw, USB Animal Agriculture
Initiative (AAI) Team Lead and soybean farmer from Griggsville, IL. "It
is important to stress that U.S. poultry production is safe and a high
quality product when prepared correctly." - The Corn & Soybean
Digest
|
Get CEU credits with online spray drift
course
03/08/06
More than 500 American Society of Agronomy (ASA)
Certified Crop Advisers (CCA) from 37 states and Canada have completed
an accredited continuing education (CEU) course offered free online at
The Corn And Soybean Digest Web site and the Farm
Press University Web
site. The course on spray drift management developed by the magazine
staff was launched six months ago and has drawn strong support
nationwide, says publisher Greg Frey. "We've been gratified by the
positive response received from Certified Crop Advisers from Maryland to
Florida and from Georgia to New Mexico and California."
Here are some of the comments of those who completed the free online
course:
"Great course with good information." - Logan, NE, CCA Darwin
Frey.
"Great way to earn CEUs." - St. Peter, IL, CCA John Henson.
"This course on spray drift management is well-designed." - Pierre,
SD, consultant and certified CCA Allison Kiesz.
"Good test." - Lebanon, MO, consultant and certified CCA Dwight
Betherum.
"Thank you for the opportunity." - Phillip Cox, farmer/manager and
CCA from Canton, MS.
The course features a series of texts and 27 multiple-choice questions.
The participant can proceed only if he or she answers the questions
correctly. An incorrect answer takes the CCA back to the area of the
text where the correct answer is found.
The course may be printed out before taking it online, but it must be
completed online to earn credit. Middleton, WI, consultant/farm owner
Robert Perry likes that feature. "I appreciate being able to print the
course and study offline," he says.
"This is a great way to earn CCA credits," says Madera, CA, CCA Irving
Gates. "I often struggle finding time to attend events offering CCA
credits. Having the capability to do it online, late at night or early
morning, is a great option."
Benjamin Jahnke, Manchester, WI, farm owner and CCA says "Thank you for
saving me time, money and gas."
The ASA has accredited the course for one unit in integrated pest
management until August, 2008.
When a CCA completes the course, he or she e-mails the course
administrator, who then notifies ASA of the completion. There is a
verification of completion the CCA can also print out for his or her
records.
|
|
ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
You are subscribed to this newsletter as #email#
To get this newsletter in a different format (Text or HTML),
or to change your e-mail address, please visit your profile
page to change your delivery preferences.
For questions concerning delivery of this newsletter, please contact our
Customer Service Department at:
Customer Service Department
Delta Farm Press
A Prism Business Media publication
US Toll Free: 866-505-7173
International: 847-763-9504
Email:cropnewsweekly@pbinews.com
US Toll Free: (866) 505-7173
International: (402) 505-7173
Prism Business Media
9800 Metcalf Avenue
Overland Park, KS 66212
Copyright 2006, Prism Business Media. All rights reserved. This article
is protected by United States copyright and other intellectual property
laws and may not be reproduced, rewritten, distributed, re-disseminated,
transmitted,
displayed, published or broadcast, directly or indirectly, in any medium
without the prior written permission of Prism Business Media.
About This Newsletter
To unsubscribe from this newsletter go to: Unsubscribe
To subscribe to this newsletter, go to: Subscribe
For information on advertising in Crop News Weekly, please contact: Mike Santi.
|
|
|
|
Farm Industry News
Product
of the Week
View and read about the Farm Industry News Product of the
Week.
Click here to visit farmindustrynews.com
Corn & Soybean Digest
Market News
Richard A. Brock
Check out the latest corn and soybean market advice from
marketing guru Richard Brock by visiting cornandsoybeandigest.com
|
|
