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Logan
Hawkes
12/10/06
Crop News Weekly
There's a lot to be said about the holidays,
those warm, fuzzy days with family around the fireplace or Christmas
tree, exchanging gifts and roasting chestnuts around an open fire. Well,
let's not get carried away. But chances are, in the least, most of us
will be spending some quality time with family around the holidays
reflecting on the abundant life we lead. Sure, farming is full of
challenges and hard work. But it is an honorable profession. There's
nothing like freedom to work our own land, to make our own decisions, to
choose the path we will take in our fight for personal liberty and
independence, and to know, in the end, we did it our way. (This is where
the patriotic music with a holiday theme would come up and huge
fireworks would explode across a sky blanketed by the image of Old Glory
waving in the wind).
All joking aside, it is the time of year to greet our friends with
heartfelt wishes of goodwill and to enjoy the comfort of family and home
and all the things we hold near and dear. For many there is so much
less. For us, there is much to be thankful about and it is a good time
to remember all that makes our life special and wonderful, like the
freedom to celebrate our faith and religion as we see fit. It is a time
to reflect on the Christmas message and to embrace the future with the
same kind of faith and hard work and determination that has become the
standard for the American farmer. Happy holidays agriculture!
Now down to business. We're packed full of pre-Christmas news and issues
this week so dig in and enjoy.
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Glyphosate
resistance a real 'eye-opener'
12/18/06
Stanley Culpepper wasn't too concerned at first by a
grower complaint about not being able to control Palmer amaranth with
glyphosate. "This is not uncommon," says Culpepper, Extension agronomist
with the University of Georgia. "We get 20 to 25 of these a year --
someone didn't use a residual herbicide, or they didn't make the
application properly. We didn't think much about it." Culpepper
collected some seeds from the grower's field and took them back to the
laboratory at the University of Georgia's Rural Development Center in
Tifton for testing. What he found "scared us quite a bit," he noted.
- Forrest Laws, Farm Press Editorial Staff
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This year we are again seeing excellent control of bean leaf beetle and
some early aphid suppression with CruiserMaxx Beans." - Tim Danberry,
Janesville, MN
Visit cruisermaxxbeans.com and give
your beans The power to perform.™
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Congress'
performance doesn't measure up
12/18/06
Was the glass half-empty or half-full? How you rate
Congress' performance in the session just ended may depend on your
perception of how government should function. If you believe in laissez
faire; he who governs least, governs best, you were happy to see
Congress leave Washington before it could do any more damage to the
Republic. If you believe in taking seriously the responsibilities
spelled out in Article I of the Constitution (the one that begins
"Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties and excises,
to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare
of the Unites States") you probably were disappointed. - Forrest
Laws, Farm Press Editorial Staff
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Conference
offers opportunities for minority farmers
12/15/06
Small, minority and/or limited resource farmers will
have their choice of more than 50 practical sessions, six half-day field
trips and opportunities to network, learn and share with other farmers
at the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group conference in
Louisville, Ky., Jan. 25-28. Federal funds earmarked for scholarships
are available for small, minority and limited resource farmers to attend
the conference. Scholarships cover lodging, registration,
transportation.
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grow into a healthy, productive crop. Visit syngentaseedtreatment.com
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find out more. And for protection from insects and disease, visit cruisermaxxbeans.com and give
your beans The power to perform.™
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U.S.
still wanting in emergency preparedness
12/16/06
Five years after the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001,
U.S. emergency health preparedness is still wanting. That's according to
the fourth annual report, "Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health
from Disease, Disasters, and Bioterrorism."
Released this week by the non-profit Trust for America's Health (TFAH),
the 84-page report, available online at: http://healthyamericans.org/reports/bioterror06/BioTerrorReport2006.pdf,
provides state-by-state preparedness scores based on 10 indicators.
Based on those 10 indicators, half of states scored six or less,
Oklahoma scoring the highest with 10 out of 10; Kansas scored a nine.
California, Iowa, Maryland and New Jersey scored the lowest with four
out of 10. TFAH's policy recommendations for agroterrorism and naturally
occurring toxins are part of the all-hazards approach to public health
preparedness. - Joe Roybal, BEEF Magazine
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News from the Top of the
Hill
Scott Shearer
12/15/06
National Hog Farmer
Congress Adjourns for the Year -- The 109th
Congress has adjourned for the year. In the closing days, Congress
passed a continuing resolution to fund the government, including
agriculture, through February 15. A number of tax provisions were
renewed including the research and development tax credit, state sales
tax deductions, and college tuition deduction. Other tax provisions
important to agriculture include:
Tariff on imported ethanol: extends the 54-cent-per-gallon tariff on
imported ethanol until January 2009. The tax was due to expire October
1, 2007.
Cellulosic ethanol: 50 percent bonus depreciation for new qualified
cellulosic ethanol plants placed in service through December 31, 2012.
This provision applies to cellulosic ethanol derived from feedstocks
such as switchgrass, wood fibers, shell hulls, agricultural residue, and
organic sources.
Wind energy: extends the wind energy production tax credit until
December 31, 2008.
Energy taxes: extends credits and deduction, including credit for
electricity produced from renewable sources. The 110th Congress will
begin on January 4, 2007.
Vietnam PNTR Approved -- Congress on the last day of session
approved permanent normal trade relations status (PNTR) for Vietnam.
This was strongly supported by the agricultural community. Products
benefiting will be beef, pork, dairy products, grapes, apples, pears,
and soybeans. Under the bilateral agreement, tariff rates for
approximately 75% of U.S. agricultural exports to Vietnam would decline
to 15% or less. According to USTR, tariffs would be reduced as
follows:
Pork: Tariffs on pork offals will be immediately cut from 20% to 15%
with further reductions to 8% over four years. Tariffs on other key pork
and pork products will be reduced by 50% over five years, including
tariffs on hams and carcasses, which will fall from 30% to 15% in that
timeframe. Rates on processed pork products will be reduced from 20% to
10% over five years.
Beef: Tariffs on U.S. beef offals will be reduced from the rate 20%
to 15% immediately and phased down to 8% over four years. Boneless beef
will be cut from 20% to 14% over 5 years. The duty on beef sausages,
currently at 50% will drop to 40% immediately and will be reduced to 22%
over five years.
Hides and Skins: Tariffs on hides and skins will be bound at zero
immediately. This is currently one of the United States largest exports
to Vietnam.
Grains: Vietnam will bind its applied rate of 5% for both corn and
wheat.
Soybean products: Tariffs on full fat soybean meal and flour will be
reduced from 30% to 8% over five years. Tariffs on soybean oil also will
be significantly reduced, from 50% to 30% with additional reductions to
20% over five years.
Senators Send Warning on Korea FTA & Beef -- Seven members of
the Senate Agriculture Committee sent a letter to Secretary of
Agriculture Mike Johanns and USTR Ambassador Sue Schwab stating that
without South Korea's resumption of U.S. beef exports and the acceptance
of a bone tolerance for future shipments, they would oppose a free trade
agreement (FTA) with South Korea. The Senators stated in the letter, "As
Members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry,
we regret coming to this decision since Korea is an important ally and
trading partner. However, we cannot reward bad behavior and must stand
behind farmers and ranchers in the United States who produce the safest,
highest quality product the world has to offer." Signing the letter were
Senators Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), chairman of the Senate Agriculture
Committee, Norm Coleman (R-MN), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Pat Leahy (D-VT),
Pat Roberts (R-KS), Jim Talent (R-MO), and Craig Thomas (R-WY).
Senators Concerned about Cloned Meat and Milk -- Senator Pat
Leahy (D-VT) and other Senators have written the Secretary of Health and
Human Services stating their concerns with the Food and Drug
Administration's (FDA) plans to allow the inclusion of meat and milk
from cloned animals in commercial markets. The Senators ask FDA to
re-submit FDA's new draft risk assessment to scientific peer review by
the Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee. The letter states, "The
availability of new scientific data demands that FDA pursue
comprehensive scientific scrutiny on this issue." Others signing the
letter were: Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Norm Coleman (R-MN), Mike
Crapo (R-ID), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Herb Kohl (D-WI), and Arlen
Specter (R-PA).
Keenum Confirmed for USDA Post -- The United States Senate
confirmed Mark Keenum as Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign
Agricultural Services. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns said, "Mark
has built a reputation as an honest, hard-working and insightful person.
Those qualities will serve him well in his new role overseeing both our
domestic farm support programs and our global efforts relating to
agricultural trade." Keenum has been serving as chief of staff to
Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS). He has been involved in a number of
previous farm bills and is a former assistant professor of economics at
Mississippi State University.
Final Election Results -- The last Congressional race was
decided this week when Ciro Rodriguez defeated Congressman Henry Bonilla
(R-TX) in a runoff election. Bonilla served as chairman of the House
Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture. The Democrats will control
the House 230-205.
USDA Annual Outlook Forum -- USDA announced that the 83rd
annual Outlook Forum, "Agriculture at the Crossroads: Energy, Farm &
Rural Policy," will be held March 1-2, 2007. The forum will focus on
bioenergy and its implications for agriculture. Secretary of Agriculture
Mike Johanns said, "USDA's 2007 Forum will consider the outlook for
renewable energy and the enormous opportunity it represents for
agriculture and rural America." The forum will also feature perspectives
on the 2007 farm bill. Additional details may be found at: http://www.usda.gov/oce/forum.
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Thiesse's
Thoughts: Focus On Agriculture
12/12/06
Some would argue that we no longer need the
traditional commodity-based federal government farm programs, and that
the next Farm Bill should be a totally different approach to farm policy
in the U.S., thus freeing up federal funding for rural development,
renewable energy and other less traditional agriculture-related federal
programs. Others would argue that the current farm policy in the U.S.
has made the agriculture industry strong and has provided the necessary
safety net to support and protect producers, but hasn't hampered growth
and innovation in the agriculture industry. This debate will likely be
the crux of framing the issues during next several months. - Kent
Thiesse, The Corn & Soybean Digest
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Road
Warrior: Shoot from the hip management
12/12/06
Dave Kohl writes: "This is the time of year
when many of you are taking time to think about your business in 2007
and beyond. I was asked a question concerning the effectiveness of
business planning in a webinar I conducted. A recent study at Virginia
Tech of approximately 350 producers from five different states provides
some insight. A general overview of the results finds the larger your
business becomes, the more important deliberate and objective growth and
business planning is..." - The Corn & Soybean Digest
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Product
Review: Shaver stump grinders
12/15/06
Farm Industry News magazine works hard to bring you
the latest information about products you can use, like the new Shaver
StumpBuster Series stump grinder. Check out the latest issue of "Buyer's
Express" and discover new products that can make life on the farm and
ranch better. like seed tenders, bale feeders, corn shields and more.
- Farm Industry News
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Farm policy
debate: Extension of current program
12/15/06
A year ago, an extension of the 2002 farm bill was the
best agricultural commodity organizations could have hoped for as debate
on the 2007 farm bill began. Today, the 2002 farm bill is "the
foundation on which we can build, it is no longer a ceiling," said U.S.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest, R-Texas, speaking at
the USA Rice Outlook Conference in Las Vegas. The reason the debate has
flipped, according to Combest, is primarily due to higher commodity
prices driven by the strong demand for renewable fuels, which has cut
the cost of farm policy. - Elton Robinson, Farm Press Editorial
Staff
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$3.50
cotton futures attracting more attention to corn
12/14/06
What a difference a year can make. Last winter, when
the organizers of the Delta Ag Expo in Cleveland, Miss., announced the
beginning of its session on corn production, three-fourths of the
audience got up and walked out. Next month, when Mississippi Extension
Corn Specialist Erick Larson begins the same session, he may be speaking
to a standing-room-only crowd. The difference: Sharply higher corn
prices brought on by rising demand for ethanol is creating more interest
in planting corn. - Forrest Laws, Farm Press Editorial Staff
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Slightly
bearish news for wheat
12/13/06
USDA projected higher U.S. ending stocks and lower
exports for wheat, higher exports for rice and lower domestic use for
cotton in its Dec. 11 supply and demand estimates. Projected U.S. wheat
ending stocks for 2006-07 were raised 20 million bushels to 438 million
bushels, a number higher than in November, but generally already
anticipated by the trade. - Elton Robinson, Farm Press Editorial
Staff
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2007
sign-up for Conservation Innovation Grants
12/13/06
USDA has announced a request for proposals for
Conservation Innovation Grants. The CIG program is designed to stimulate
the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and
technologies. "CIG rewards the creation of new and innovative approaches
to managing the nation's natural resources more effectively and
efficiently," said Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns. "It allows
applicants to come up with practical solutions to address conservation
and resource management on a local, regional or national scale."
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Wear
your corn crop?
Think ethanol is the only hot value-added product made
from corn? Think again. These days you can cover up with a blanket,
perfect your golf swing off a tee and even get a good night's sleep on a
pillow all made from -- you guessed it -- corn. A plastic called
polylactide (PLA), manufactured in the U.S. by NatureWorks LLC, has
revolutionized the use of corn in everyday products. It can be used to
make everything from packaging for food products to apparel to carpet to
fiberfill. - Kate Royer, The Corn & Soybean Digest
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"Eye On Energy"
Conference
Spiraling energy costs are forcing farmers to examine
every agronomic practice on their operations, especially tillage. That's
the focus of the 2007 Conservation Tillage Conference and Expo, Jan.
30-31, themed "Eye On Energy" and slated for the Ramkota Hotel and
Conference Center in Sioux Falls, SD.
University experts and conservation-focused farmers will detail how
conservation practices can help stretch energy dollars. The conference
provides tillage info for beginners, as well as veteran no-till, strip
till, ridge-till and mulch-till growers. Offered are four tracks:
Track I: Learn the basics: Tillage 101
Track II: Keep corn-on-corn profitable
Track III: Manage your energy costs
Track IV: Match new technology to tillage.
To register, visit www.tillageconference.com or
call 800-722-5334, ext. 14698. The conference is sponsored by The Corn &
Soybean Digest and Farm Industry News.
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Market News
Richard A. Brock
Check out the latest corn and soybean market advice from
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