You'll find these stories and more in this issue of Crop News Weekly. Happy reading.

From our Magazines
MarketMaxx trading has begun
01/05/05    The Corn & Soybean Digest
Don't miss out! MarketMaxx trading has begun. MarketMaxx is a fantasy grain marketing contest from The Corn And Soybean Digest. Now's your chance to try commodity futures trading without the margin calls or try an options strategy without paying real commissions. Participants will make trades on 100,000 bu. of corn and 50,000 bu. of soybeans until Oct. 31, 2005. Farmers with the best average price will be declared winners at the end of the game. And big winners will get big prizes, like a year's use of a Massey Ferguson combine or tractor, a guided lightbar system from Mid-Tech or a complete computer hardware and software system provided by Syngenta Crop Protection. Those who start early have the most opportunities to market, and therefore to win. To get started on this online contest, visit http://www.marketmaxx.net and sign up to play today.

Early Brazil soy harvest under way
Richard Brock
01/03/05    The Corn & Soybean Digest
Producers in Brazil's No. 1 soybean state of Mato Grosso are beginning to harvest the 2004-2005 crop, roughly on par with last season's start of harvest, according to a report from Reuters News Service. One producer in northern Lucas do Rio Verde has already begun combine work in the fields. Various other growers in the municipality are waiting until next week to allow the soy to dry out a little more before starting, Reuters reported on Monday.

Thiesse's Thoughts: DCP Farm Program update for 2005
Kent Thiesse
01/03/05    The Corn & Soybean Digest
It's hard to believe, but the 2005 crop year will represent year four of the new Farm Bill that created the new "Direct and Counter-Cyclical" (DCP) Farm Program, which is scheduled to be in effect through the 2007 crop year. We are now past the mid-point of the current program, and already there is talk of what the next Farm Bill might look like. As we head into a new farming year, it is a good time to review current government farm programs and what to expect for 2005.

Bush signs crop competitive act
01/03/05    Western Farm Press
President Bush has signed the Specialty Crop Competitiveness Act, landmark legislation revolutionizing federal funding policy for the nation's specialty crop industry. The SCCA authorizes $54 million annually for five years to enhance the competitiveness, both domestically and internationally, of each state's fresh produce crops, mostly through block grants to the state departments of agriculture.

The Road Warrior of Agriculture
Dave Kohl
01/03/05    The Corn & Soybean Digest
Dave Kohl writes: "2005: Happy New Year! We ended last year with a column focusing on the 10 most common questions that I'm asked on the speaking circuit. Let's start 2005 off with some new year's resolutions that you may want to consider: check your credit history; saving on the farm; liquidity; knowledge and goals..."

The man who found Asian soybean rust in America
David Bennett
12/29/04    Farm Press Daily
Whether it was luck, divine guidance or something in between, Ray Schneider's eyes were the first to see Asian soybean rust in an American bean field. His November discovery in Louisiana set off a frenzied chain of events involving various state and federal agencies. The rust has now been found in many Southern states -- including all five Delta states. Colleagues say Schneider, a professor of plant pathology with the LSU AgCenter in Baton Rouge, La., should be lauded for his finding. If not for Schneider, Asian soybean rust could have been discovered in the midst of ruining next season's soybean crop.

Budget concerns top list of congressional priorities
Ron Smith
12/29/04    Southwest Farm Press
Newly elected U.S. Representative Randy Neugebauer says the United States must get back to a role as a producer instead of a consumer nation. Budget cuts, the war on terrorism, taxes and Social Security top the list of priorities for the U.S. legislature in 2005, says Neugebauer. Neugebauer was keynote speaker at the recent Texas Commodity Symposium, an annual conference held during the Amarillo Farm and Ranch Show.

Column: Best fish story of all bubbles to surface
Harry Cline
12/30/04    Western Farm Press
Tell one fish story and a dozen more will follow. The yarn last month about hugging your pet carp elicited the fish story of all fish stories. It came from a reader who will remain anonymous to protect his professional stature. University of British Columbia, Vancouver scientists apparently with time on their hands have discovered that herring communicate using a noise they call Fast Repetitive Tick (FRT). Ben Wilson of UBC calls it a "high-pitched raspberry." Newspaper columnist Dave Barry called it breaking wind, but I won't use that term. Get the picture?

Workshop gives owners leg up on handing down farm
Purdue University
The Corn & Soybean Digest
Businesses that fail to plan often plan to fail. The axiom holds true whether the business owner reports to work at a high-rise or a crop field, said Alan Miller, a Purdue University Extension farm business management specialist. An important area many small business owners -- including farmers -- overlook is a succession plan, Miller said. Farmers who put together a plan ahead of time ensure a smoother transition when they pass the farm on to a child or business partner, he said.

2005 Conservation Tillage Conference & Expo
The Corn & Soybean Digest
No-till, strip-till, ridge-till and mulch-till all fall under the umbrella of conservation tillage. For several years, many of these tillage practices have been addressed at the annual one-day University of Minnesota (U of M) Midwest Ridge- and Strip-Till Conference. Now, The Corn And Soybean Digest becomes the facilitator of this expanded, one-of-a-kind conference where speakers will take an in-depth look at the entire area of conservation tillage. The program will be developed with help from farmers and university experts from the University of Minnesota, South Dakota State University, Iowa State University, University of Nebraska and the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC).

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Experience in Brazil has shown that soybean rust can be managed, as long as growers act early, decisively and with proper timing of fungicides that control the disease. Talk with your Syngenta retailer or call 1-866-SYNGENT(A) (796-4638) to get a local recommendation. http://www.soybeanrust.com

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