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| A Primedia Property | |
| February 9, 2005 | 050209 |
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Table of Contents Logan Hawkes Asian rust toolbox - scouting, sampling, fast response EU starts slowly with wheat subsidies High energy prices inflate fertilizer costs How to compensate producers who contract production News from the Top of the Hill Johanns to 'sell' consumers on farm program bargain Valent seeks EPA approval for rust product 'Austere' budgets likely to dominate congressional agenda At-planting treatment best option for pest control Hypoxia and fertilizer use not one and the same NCGA's Ag Budget Message: Stay the course Canadian soybean growers need to take precautions ADVERTISEMENT 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 
Letter from the Editor Logan Hawkes 02/09/05 Crop News Weekly So it's the middle of winter and an uneventful week in agriculture - right? Well, there is no such thing as an uneventful week, not on the farm where the work is never done. However, a few of us might be affected by the host of other major events that are happening in the world this week - Fat Tuesday (the start to Mardi Gras), the Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year), Ash Wednesday (the 40-day countdown to spring growing season) and Abe Lincoln's birthday. For me, I think I'll play it safe and just watch the corn grow. In a week full of special events, there are a few things to consider related to agriculture. First, tuning up the Asian rust toolbox is a high priority. Take an insider's look at what tools and procedures you will need as the growing season blossoms this year. Also in the news, as promised, the European Union has restarted its subsidy program - but slowly. And hold on to your hat, higher energy costs are going to drive up fertilizer prices. It's already happening. Also this week, take a look into the mind of the new U.S. ag secretary and find out how he plans on winning over the hearts of American consumers. Again - hold on to your hats - the congressional budget process may yet take its toll on ag programs. The struggle isn't over yet. It's a full week of news (and special observances) and we're glad to share it with you. Thanks for reading Crop News Weekly. Happy New Year - again. ADVERTISEMENT 
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From our Magazines Asian rust toolbox - scouting, sampling, fast response Elton Robinson 02/07/05 Farm Press Daily The battle against Asian soybean rust will be won with a 20X hand lens, judicious sampling of suspicious leaves and well-timed fungicide applications, according to the director of fungicide product development for a U.S. chemical company. "The most important factor for managing Asian soybean rust is initial scouting," said Jim Bloomberg, who spoke at the National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants annual meeting in Universal City, Calif. In March 2004 he visited the Mato Grosso do Sul area of Brazil, where the disease is now firmly entrenched. "The disease can go from no symptoms to complete defoliation in 10 days under ideal environmental conditions. It is not your typical disease which will nickel and dime you to death. There can be 60 to 70 percent yield loss with this disease." EU starts slowly with wheat subsidies Richard Brock 02/07/05 The Corn & Soybean Digest Last week the European Union granted export refunds worth a relatively low four euros per metric ton for 134,000 tons of wheat, its first such subsidies in 18 months, official data showed. The relatively low subsidy level provided light support for U.S. wheat futures markets and knocked French futures lower. Traders in France had earlier bid for almost 575,000 tons of free-market wheat at refunds ranging between 2.87 and 14 Euros a ton. Traders told Reuters News Service the low bids reflected the fact the initial refund licenses would be used for business already signed, and that exporters had placed small bids to be sure of winning the licenses. High energy prices inflate fertilizer costs Robert Burns 02/07/05 Southwest Farm Press Higher potassium prices are also connected to increased energy costs, but the link is a little more complex, according to Dr. Leon Young, Stephen F. Austin University. Farmers considering poultry litter as fertilizer this year had better go ahead and "get 'r done" as springtime supplies may be limited. Commercial nitrogen fertilizer costs have increased to 40 cents per pound from about 35 cents a pound last year. Potash (potassium) has increased from 15 cents per pound to 23 cents in the last six months, said Dr. Gerald Evers, forage management expert with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station at Overton. How to compensate producers who contract production Daryll E. Ray 02/07/05 Southwest Farm Press To attract new producers the company has to offer a price that will allow the producer to pay all of the variable costs and some return for management and risk. Contracting in U.S. production agriculture has grown by leaps and bounds over recent decades. At one time, contracting was primarily limited to vegetables and specialty crops. Not anymore. Broiler production was among the first meats to experience the growth of contract production. News from the Top of the Hill Scott Shearer 01/29/05 National Hog Farmer Congress & Canadian Border - In the Senate, Senator Tom Harkin (D-MO) has asked Secretary Johanns to withdraw the rule to reopen the U.S. border to Canadian cattle. Harkin stated that he is "concerned this rule was specially written to reopen the border with Canada and too little thought was given to its details and implications. Our first concern must be to assure the safety of our food supply and the health of our U.S. cattle industry." In the House of Representatives, Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth (D-SD) and Barbara Cubin (R-WY) introduced legislation that would require mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) be in place before the U.S. border is reopened to Canadian cattle. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) introduced identical legislation earlier in the Senate. NCBA Delegation Report on Canada - The National Cattlemen's Beef Association's (NCBA) delegation of cattlemen on a fact-finding mission to Canada will present their report to the NCBA membership at its convention this week. The delegation was in Canada on Jan. 17-20 to "get a first-hand account of Canada's beef production systems." Their key findings include:
Agriculture Coalition Supports CAFTA-DR - Over 50 producer and farm organizations, agribusinesses, and agricultural trade associations sent a letter to every U.S. Senator and Congressmen urging Congress to pass the Central American and Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR). According to the coalition letter, "over 99% of food and agricultural products from these countries already receive duty free treatment in the United States, while U.S. farm exports face significant barriers in these markets. Without implementation of the CAFTA-DR, U.S. agriculture will continue to be prejudiced by this non-reciprocal trade, and will be forced to continue to compete for those markets against third countries that currently maintain a competitive advantage." U.S. products expected to gain under the agreement are corn, wheat, rice, soybeans and meal, poultry, dairy products, pork, apples, and beef. This will be a very difficult trade vote with the strong opposition of labor and sugar. CAFTA-DR covers the countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. The groups signing the letter included: American Farm Bureau Federation, American Meat Institute, American Soybean Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Chicken Council, National Milk Producers Federation, National Pork Producers Council, and USA Rice Federation. House Agriculture Committee - The membership of the House Agriculture Committee has been named. Republicans - Congressmen Bob Goodlatte (VA), chairman, John Boehner (OH), vice chairman, Richard Pombo (CA), Terry Everett (AL), Frank Lucas (OK), Jerry Moran (KS), Bill Jenkins (TN), Gil Gutknecht (MN), Robin Hayes (NC), Tim Johnson (IL), Tom Osborne (NE), Mike Pence (IN), Sam Graves (MO), Jo Bonner (AL), Mike Rogers (AL), Steve King (IA), Marilyn Musgrave (CO), Devin Nunes (CA), Randy Neugebauer (TX), Charles Boustany (LA), Joe Schwarz (MI), Randy Kuhl (NY), Virginia Foxx (NC), Michael Conaway (TX), and Jeff Fortenberry (NE). Democrats: Collin Peterson (MN), ranking member, Tim Holden (PA), Mike McIntyre (NC), Bob Etheridge (NC), Joe Baca (CA), Ed Case (HI), Dennis Cardoza (CA), David Scott (GA), Jim Marshall (GA), Stephanie Herseth (SD), G.K. Butterfield (NC), Henry Cuellar (TX), Charlie Melancon (LA), Jim Costa (CA), John Salazar (CO), John Barrow (GA), Earl Pomeroy (ND), Leonard Boswell (IA), Rick Larsen (WA), Lincoln Davis (TN), and Ben Chandler (KY). Farm Bill & Agriculture Committees - Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, have indicated that they will begin work on the next farm bill this year and finish it early 2007. Goodlatte will begin hearings this year and continue in 2006. A concern of doing a farm bill early is if the Doha round of trade negotiations is still being conducted, this would give the U.S. less bargaining power in the negotiations. State of the Union - President Bush outlined his ambitious agenda for his second term during his Feb. 2-State of the Union address. The priorities outlined were restructuring social security, rewriting the tax code, liberalize immigration laws, and Iraq. Bush indicated his fiscal year 2006 budget, which will be sent to Congress next week, will reduce or eliminate more than 150 government programs and keep the growth in discretionary spending below inflation. Treasury Confirmations on Hold Because of Cuba - Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) announced that he was placing a hold on Treasury nominees until President Bush clarifies if banks need "special allowances" to finance U.S. exports to Cuba. The Administration is considering having Cuba pay for agricultural exports prior to shipment from the U.S. For the past three years, Cuba pays for the exports prior to unloading in Cuba. The concern of the agricultural community is that this change could cause a loss in exports to Cuba. Many believe this is another way for the Administration to limit trade with Cuba. President Bush is opposed to relaxing the embargo with Cuba. Johanns to 'sell' consumers on farm program bargain Forrest Laws 02/07/05 Southwest Farm Press Mike Johanns says U.S. consumers are getting a bargain on farm programs -- a case he'll try to make as he begins to travel the country as the nation's 28th secretary of agriculture. Speaking at his first new conference since being sworn in as secretary, Johanns said his years as an attorney and politician in Nebraska after growing up on an Iowa dairy farm have given him the opportunity to see things from the consumers' point of view. "This past weekend my wife Stephanie and I walked into a couple of grocery stores in this part of the world," said Johanns, whose first official day on the job was Jan. 24. "We were able to walk down aisles fully stocked with affordable foods, all kinds of foods, a tremendous array of foods, entirely safe." Valent seeks EPA approval for rust product Farm Industry News A fungicide used to control soybean rust in Brazil will be brought to the U.S. by Valent after the product receives approval from EPA. Valent USA Corp. reached an agreement with the fungicide's manufacturer, Isagro SpA, to market the fungicide called Domark in the U.S. The active ingredient in Domark is tetraconazole, which offers preventative and curative activity to control soybean rust, according to Valent. 'Austere' budgets likely to dominate congressional agenda Forrest Laws 02/01/05 Farm Press Daily "Reform of Social Security, funding the war on terrorism and making expiring tax cuts permanent will be expensive," said John Maguire, the National Cotton Council's senior vice president for Washington Operations. National Cotton Council leaders are bracing for a new round of attacks on farm program spending, specifically on cotton, as Congress prepares to deal with the president's legislative priorities at the beginning of his second term. President Bush's proposals for reforming Social Security are expected to dominate the congressional agenda for the next several months. But the need to pay for those and other administration priorities could dominate that of the cotton industry and other farm groups. At-planting treatment best option for pest control Ron Smith 02/01/05 Southwest Farm Press Over any ten-year period, growers will make more than enough additional yield with an at-planting treatment to cover treatment cost and pocket a tidy profit," says entomologist Jim Leser. At-planting treatments for early-season insect control make sense for irrigated High Plains cotton, says Texas A&M Extension entomologist Jim Leser. Leser recommends in-furrow insecticide applications or seed treatments and then to watch for pest thresholds to build later in the season before treating again. "My goal is to take care of those early pests (Western Flower Thrips, for instance), and then go clean for as long as possible," he says. Hypoxia and fertilizer use not one and the same Clifford S. Snyder and Terry L. Roberts Apply* Scientific evidence that nitrogen (N) fertilizer is polluting the northern Gulf of Mexico is not conclusive. Hypoxia in the gulf has been recognized since 1935, long before commercial fertilizer use became widespread in the 1960s. Fertilizer N use in the Mississippi River Basin has remained relatively stable in the last two decades, but the size of the hypoxic zone has fluctuated markedly, especially since 1988. ADVERTISEMENT 
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From the News Wire NCGA's Ag Budget Message: Stay the course 02/08/05 NCGA News The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) today stood fast in its strong support of the current farm bill as the White House proposed cutting $587 million in farm program spending for fiscal year 2006, which would generate $5.7 billion in savings to the Federal Government over the next 10 years. The proposed cuts are part of the administration's move to cut the federal budget deficit in half over the next five years. "NCGA's long-standing policy supports funding of farm programs at current levels and opposes reopening the farm bill before its expiration in 2007," said Jon Doggett, vice president of public policy. "If we start altering farm programs in the middle of the farm bill, we are going to have corn growers farming the programs and not their farms." Canadian soybean growers need to take precautions Illinois Farm Bureau Ontario growers selling soybeans to the food grade market may want to take some extra precautions before signing food grade soybean contracts each spring, Ontario Soybean Growers told Good Morning Ontario. Canada's largest food grade soybean markets Asia and Europe- insist on some level of assurance that the soybeans they purchase are non-GMO and if growers don't ask the right questions about the seed they're using and the GM thresholds in their export contract, they risk loosing the premium they were promised. |
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