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Minnesota Corn: Can Fall Sulfur Application Work for You?
The benefits of sulfur application have been widely seen across Minnesota for the last ten years. One question that seems to persist is, what is the best option when applying sulfur in the fall? Coming back in spring with a second pass of dry fertilizer is not always an option. While the sulfate form of sulfur is mobile in the soil, there are a few things to consider when deciding which source of sulfur to choose and when to apply. Movement of sulfate in the soil profile is not as rapid as nitrate.
Weekly Cotton Market Review - USDA
Cotton bales in gin warehouse. ©Debra L Ferguson Stock Images Spot quotations averaged 261 points lower than the previous week, according to the USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service’s Cotton and Tobacco Program. Quotations for the base quality of cotton (color 41, leaf 4, staple 34, mike 35-36 and 43-49, strength 27.0-28.9, and uniformity 81.0-81.9) in the seven designated markets averaged 66.07 cents per pound for the week ending Thursday, February 14, 2019.
Georgia Pecans: Pruned Trees - Taking a Look a Year Later
Last year we focused on pruning our newly planted pecan trees. Don’t underestimate the importance of pruning young pecan trees in order to train their growth. I have some pictures of trees that we pruned last year and how they look this year. If we do it right, the trees appear butchered. This of course is why I wanted UGA Pecan Specialist Dr. Lenny Wells to do this so nobody would chase me out of the county.
Texas Livestock: Forage Sorghum - Viable Option if Sugarcane Aphid Controlled
Forage sorghum comparison of freshly harvested chop length. LEFT sample represents heavily infested forage sorghum while RIGHT sample represents the forage sorghum with low levels of sugarcane aphid damage. Photo: Dr. Ed Bynum, Texas A&M AgriLife Forage sorghum silage in the Texas High Plains is a viable option with sugarcane aphid control, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service study. Texas High Plains feedlots and dairies demand large quantities of quality silages.
Electric Pickups? Amazon Bets $700 Mln You’ll Be Interested
The concept of an electric pickup truck took a positive turn this week with the announcement that Amazon is investing $700 million in Rivian, which is developing electrically powered pickups and SUVs. That’s the word from Engadget. Earlier in the week reports circulated that Amazon and General Motors were considering putting money into Rivian, whose vehicles rival the performance of supercars and have unique designs to say the least.
Shurley on Cotton: 2019 Will Be a Pivotal Year for Growers
For at least a few reasons discussed here, 2019 will shape up to be an important and pivotal year for many farms and cotton growers. A lot has happened, more will happen, and the economy on the farm is wrought with uncertainties. Market Situation The new crop Dec futures price is challenging support at the 72 to 73 cent area. After hanging around 74 to 75 cents for a while, prices are showing additional weakness. Dec futures at 73 cents or less excites no one that will be growing cotton this year.
Drought Monitor Weekly: West Remains Wet; Southern Plains Dry
Southeast Dryness and drought only exist in southeastern Florida. Several tenths of an inch fell on northern sections of the dry area, and little or none fell on central and southern portions. No substantial changes in conditions and impacts were noted, so the Drought Monitor depiction remained the same as last week.
North Carolina Cotton: Thrips - Seed Treatment or In-Furrow?
Thrips injury on young cotton. ©Debra L Ferguson Stock Images Lots of folks are wondering what to use downstream for thrips in cotton. It’s critical to not only get the 1) active ingredient from your dealer, but also to get the 2) rate of insecticide applied to the seed (0.375 mg ai/seed is common for most). This is because brand names change and the active ingredients associated with these brands change over time. Once you have this information, you will be able to make a decision.
Cotton: Georgia Still Left Hanging On Hurricane Michael Relief
Cotton lint blown to the ground by Hurricane Michael. Photo: Andrew Sawyer, University of Georgia The Georgia Cotton Commission is disappointed by a lack of response to the aftermath left by Hurricane Michael from our partners in the federal government. Over four months after the storm wreaked havoc to communities in southwest, central, and east Georgia, farms and agribusinesses are left with more questions than answers on federal assistance.
Webinar: Legal Checkup on Checkoffs - Current Events, Feb. 20
Checkoff programs offer vital research and information for both producers and consumers of agricultural commodities. Over the past year, these programs have undergone a number of legal and policy changes relevant to their future operations. Commonly referred to as research and promotion programs, checkoff programs operate without reference to specific producers or brands, and play a critical role in supporting industry promotion, information and research efforts.
Georgia Pecans: Tin Fungicide Under Review for Re-Registration
Photo: University of Georgia TPTH or Tin fungicide (Super Tin, Agri-Tin) is under review for re-registration by EPA, who has some concerns regarding its use. EPA has a comment period open until March 15. Growers should respond with comments at the link below regarding the importance and value of TPTH as a part of our arsenal of fungicides with which to control pecan scab. Be sure to mention its value for resistance management in rotation with and in tank mixes with other fungicide materials.
Moving Grain: 2019 Barge Shipments Lower Than Usual
Grain barges. Photo: Kansas State University 2019 Grain Barge Shipments Lower Than Usual Since the beginning of 2019, down-bound grain barge shipments on the Mississippi, Ohio, and Arkansas Rivers have been hampered by severe cold weather and difficult navigation conditions. For the week ending February 9, total year-to-date (YTD) grain barge shipments were 2.7 million tons, 7 percent less than the same time last year and 27 percent less than the 3-year-average.
Georgia: Keep Wild Pigs from Wildlife Feeders with Panel Fencing
Wild hogs with welded wire fence. Photo: University of Georgia Wildlife managers and hunters across the nation manage many properties for the betterment of deer herds, but pest species like wild pigs literally eat into their efforts. Game feeders are often used to provide high-protein supplemental feeds to increase the body condition, antler size and overall survival rates within deer herds.
Corn Prices Shaped by Federal Policy and World Wars - Commentary
Corn field landscape, pre-tassel. Photo: ©Debra L Ferguson One of the issues that intrigues us as agricultural policy analysts is the factors that influence crop prices over long periods of time. Recently we decided to seriously examine corn prices. While agriculture was important in the early history, it was not until 1862 that the federal government established the USDA. By 1866, the USDA was reporting annual production and season average prices for farm commodities, including corn.
Cotton: Californian Named National Cotton Ginner of the Year
Cotton gin stand at work. ©Debra L Ferguson Stock Images The Cotton Ginner of the Year award was recently presented at the annual meeting of the National Cotton Ginners Association in San Antonio, Texas. This year’s winner is Kirk Gilkey, manager of the Cross-Creek II Gin in Corcoran, California.
South Carolina: Farm Transfer Planning Workshops, Feb.-April
Clemson Cooperative Extension is partnering on a program aimed at guiding South Carolina farmers through what can be an intimidating process: developing and implementing a transition/succession plan for their farms and timberland property.
New Holland Launches Genesis T8 Tractors, PLM Intelligence
New Holland Agriculture announced today the new GENESIS T8 Series tractor with Precision Land Management (PLM) Intelligence (New Holland’s intuitive precision farming platform) built in-house from the ground up. The new GENESIS T8 with PLM Intelligence is designed to adapt to every individual farmer’s unique needs.
Precision Ag: Is More Data Confusing USDA’s Forecast Accuracy?
Soybean harvest. Photo: Iowa State University A flood of precision agriculture technology to America’s farm fields over the past two decades has created an abundance of information, a mixed blessing for such agencies as the U.S. Department of Agriculture as it tracks the country’s crop production. The USDA publishes weekly and monthly reports on current prices, volume, quality and other market data related to crops grown in the United States.
Iowa Soybeans: Evaluating Foliar Fungicides in 2018
Advanced Septoria brown spot symptoms on soybean leaves. Photo: Oklahoma State University Soybean foliar fungicides were evaluated for foliar disease management and yield response across seven Iowa State University research and demonstration farms in 2018.
Pesticide Label References Available Online
This cold and snowy weather hopefully has everyone dreaming of warmer days this spring. The 2019 growing season will be here before we know it, but now is a great time to plan for the year. While many farmers have already purchased pesticides for the growing season, it’s important to read the labels for these products before use.
Iowa Corn: Evaluating Fungicide Efficacy in 2018
In 2018, we tested various foliar fungicides on corn at six locations in Iowa: ISU Northwest Research and Demonstration Farm (NWRF), Sutherland; Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm (NERF), Nashua; Northern Research and Demonstration Farm (NRF), Kanawha; Southwest Research and Demonstration Farm (SWRF), Lewis; Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm (SERF), Crawfordsville; and the Ag engineering and Agronomy Farm near Boone.
Farm Bill: A Closer Look at the Conservation Title
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS) published an overview of the Conservation Title of the 2018 Farm Bill. Today’s update looks at a couple key points from the ERS summary. After highlighting several changes to specific programs in the Conservation Title, ERS turned to a broader focus on the economic implications of the new provisions.
Ag Economy: Signs of Strain as Chinese Trade Talks Continue
Flags of China and the United States of America. Photo: sldesign1 China purchased more U.S. soybeans last week as trade negotiations between the two countries are set to continue this week in Beijing. Meanwhile, a front page article in the Wall Street Journal last week pointed to signs of strain in the U.S. agricultural economy. It appears that farmers will continue to deal with uncertainty on the trade front as 2019 unfolds.
Mississippi: How Will the Farm Bill Benefit the State’s Ag? - Podcast
Mississippi: How Will the Farm Bill Benefit the State’s Ag? – Podcast February 13, 2019 By Jason Bond and Bobby Golden ©Debra L Ferguson Stock Photography Justin Ferguson of the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation sat down with Jason and Bobby during the Tri State Soybean Forum in January to discuss the function of Farm Bureau and the benefits of the new farm bill to Mississippi agriculture.
Fuel Report: Diesel Little Changed, Gasoline Moves Higher
Diesel, gas pump. ©Debra L Ferguson The U.S. average diesel fuel price remained at $2.97 per gallon on February 11, nearly 10 cents lower than a year ago. Midwest prices rose 1 cent to $2.85 per gallon. Rocky Mountain prices fell more than 1 cent to $2.87 per gallon, East Coast prices decreased nearly 1 cent to $3.03 per gallon, and Gulf Coast prices fell less than 1 cent, remaining virtually unchanged at $2.78 per gallon. West Coast prices were unchanged at $3.44 per gallon.
North Dakota Wheat: Drought Reduces Midge Populations for 2nd Year
Wheat midge likely will be less of a problem this year, reducing the need for insecticide applications. Soil samples in North Dakota indicate low levels of overwintering wheat midge larvae (cocoons) for the 2018 season, according to Janet Knodel, North Dakota State University Extension entomologist. A total of 2,000 soil samples were collected from 21 counties in the fall of 2018 to estimate the regional risk for wheat midge in the 2019 field season.
Webinar: Making Your 2019 Crop Insurance Decisions, Feb. 19
©Debra L Ferguson Stock Photography An upcoming webinar on Tuesday, February 19 “Making Your 2019 Crop Insurance Decisions” will be hosted by Purdue’s Center for Commercial Agriculture. The webinar will begin at 1 p.m. and conclude at about 2 p.m. (EST). During the webinar, Michael Langemeier and James Mintert, ag economists at Purdue University, will discuss the key issues facing crop producers making 2019 crop insurance decisions.
Webinar: Global Economy, Trade, and Mother Nature Driving Ag Markets, Feb. 21
Join us Thursday, February 21 at 3 p.m. CST to hear from Terry Barr, a nationally recognized economist and senior director for CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange Division. He will be speaking trade and other factors’ influence on the global economy. Agriculture and rural America will face significant challenges in 2019-20 as the U.S. and global economies slow and trade uncertainties continue.
Thompson On Cotton: Too Much Uncertainty Bears On The Market
If adverse field conditions weren’t enough to contend with this past year, market volatility has brought added challenges. We’ve seen cotton prices incrementally decline from their highs in the 90s last June to yesterday’s close of 69.78. To put that another way, from we moved from profitable levels to that which will require higher yields and managed input costs to net a positive return.
Crop Insurance: Supplemental Coverage Option - Is It Right for You?
Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) was introduced in the 2014 Farm Bill but was limited to acres where Price Loss Coverage (PLC) was the commodity title program choice. More farmers likely will be choosing PLC for the 2019 and 2020 marketing years, leading to more acres being eligible for SCO. SCO may be attractive to those farmers who find the costs of Revenue Protection (RP) at an 85% coverage level too high. Farmers interested in SCO should discuss eligibility options with crop insurance agents.
Nebraska Corn: How Does Reducing N Rates Affect Profitability, Nutrient Loss?
Corn fertilizer application. ©Debra L Ferguson Stock Photography Nitrogen losses to the environment are related to fertilizer N rate. The UNL N rate recommendations are intended to maximize profit per acre from fertilizer N use or to apply at the economically optimal N rate (EONR). However, we see that the changes in yield due to N rate are small near EONR and applying a few pounds of N/ac more or less than EONR has little effect on grain yield.
Texas Field Reports: Wet Conditions, Low Supplies Could Mean Good Year for Corn Growers
Emerging corn. Photo: Texas AgriLife Extensions A full soil moisture profile and tightened supplies could mean a good year for grain growers, if they can get their crops planted in time, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts. MARKET CONDITIONS Dr. Mark Welch, AgriLife Extension economist, College Station, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a report showing national corn supplies carried over from 2018 were lower than expected.
Louisiana: Sugarcane Acreage Likely to Increase in 2019
Sugarcane acreage in Louisiana is likely to increase this year after the recent successful harvest, LSU AgCenter sugarcane specialist Kenneth Gravois predicted at a recent meeting for sugarcane growers in Iberia and St. Mary parishes. Gravois said the 2018 crop totaled 459,000 acres, an increase of 19,000 acres from 2017. Most of the increases are occurring in the north and western edges of the sugarcane belt.
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