TODAY ON AGDAY:
JUNE 22, 2011
SOYBEAN PROGRESS:
CORN PLANTING IS OVER AND SOYBEANS ARE NOW AHEAD OF AVERAGE. FARMERS WILL BE WRAPPING UP SOON. THAT'S THE GOOD NEWS. HOWEVER, BOTH CROPS HAVE A LONG WAYS TO GO THIS GROWING SEASON. THIS WEEK'S CROP PROGRESS REPORT SHOWS 94% OF THE SOYBEANS ARE NOW IN THE GROUND. THAT'S ACTUALLY AHEAD OF LAST YEAR AND THE FIVE YEAR AVERAGE. INDIANA, KENTUCKY AND OHIO ARE A BIT BEHIND. 68% OF THE CROP IS CALLED GOOD OR BETTER.
LOUISIANA SOYBEANS:
IN LOUISIANA, THE SOYBEAN CROP IS SUFFERING. MORE THAN HALF IS RATED AS FAIR TO POOR. DRY CONDITIONS HAVE STUNTED PLANT GROWTH AND WILL LIKELY LEAD TO YIELD LOSS. PROVIDED BY THE LSU AGCENTER, TOBIE BLANCHARD HAS DETAILS FROM THE PARCHED FIELDS. LSU MENTIONED ONE POSITIVE POINT ABOUT THE DROUGHT - - LACK OF DISEASE PROBLEMS ON THE CROP, SUCH AS SOYBEAN RUST. ACCORDING TO PURDUE UNIVERSITY, SOYBEAN RUST HAS BEEN SLOW TO DEVELOP IN THE U-S THIS YEAR DUE TO DROUGHT CONDITIONS IN MOST SOUTHERN STATES. OF COURSE, WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL DICTATE HOW QUICKLY THE DISEASE DEVELOPS. AS OF YESTERDAY, THE RUST MONITOR SHOWS ONLY TWO CASES - AND THOSE ARE IN SOUTHERN FLORIDA. RESEARCHERS FOUND IT ON KUDZU PLANTS, WHICH HARBORS THE BEAN PATHOGEN.
CROP PROGRESS:
LOOKING AT THE SORGHUM CROP, ABOUT A QUARTER HAS STARTED TO HEAD. THAT'S EIGHT POINTS AHEAD OF AVERAGE. HOWEVER, THE CONDITION RATING SHOWS 42% IS FAIR. BUT IN DROUGHT-STRICKEN NEW MEXICO, ONLY 2% OF THE SORGHUM IS GOOD. THE REST IS FAIR TO VERY POOR. THE PEANUT CROP ISN'T MUCH BETTER. USDA SAYS 41% IS FAIR...70% IS FAIR TO VERY POOR. ALABAMA, FLORIDA AND GEORGIA LEAD THE POOR RANKINGS. AND NOW TO THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL PLAINS WHERE WHEAT HARVESTERS ARE MOVING RIGHT ALONG.
ABOUT A THIRD OF THE CROP IS NOW IN THE BIN. THAT'S WELL AHEAD OF LAST YEAR AND THE FIVE YEAR AVERAGE. STATE BY STATE, KANSAS IS ABOUT A QUARTER OF THE WAY THRU. TEXAS IS NEARLY THREE-QUARTERS COMPLETE. OKLAHOMA AND ARKANSAS ARE QUICKLY WRAPPING-UP HARVEST.
MM GPS WEBSITE:
SAVE OUR GPS. THAT'S THE RALLYING CRY OF A GROUP OF AGRICULTURAL GIANTS MAKING NOISE ABOUT A POTENTIAL DISASTER IN GPS GUIDED PRECISION AGRICULTURE. AS WE TOLD YOU LAST WEEK, A COMPANY CALLED LIGHT SQUARED WANTS TO INSTALL A NATIONAL 4-G BROADBAND NETWORK. BUT THE SIGNAL FREQUENCY LIGHT SQUARED PLANS TO USE IS NEXT TO THE FREQUENCY GPS USES ON THE WIRELESS SPECTRUM. THAT'S CAUSING DISRUPTION AND INTERFERECE WITH GPS SATELITE FEEDS. AGRICULTURE ISN'T THE ONLY ONE AFFECTED. CONSUMER GPS AND AVIATION GUIDANCE IS ALSO GETTING NOISE FROM THE LIGHT SQUARED SIGNAL, WHICH THE COMPANY WANTS TO BROADCAST FROM ABOUT 40,000 TRANSMITTERS AROUND THE U.S. NOW THE FCC IS GIVING LIGHT SQUARED UNTIL JULY FIRST--A TWO WEEK EXTENTION-- TO OFFER AN INTERFERECE REPORT AND POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS. THE FCC SAYS THE NETWORK CAN'T BE TURNED ON UNTIL THE PROBLEMS ARE RESOLVED. COMPANIES LIKE CNH, JOHN DEERE, HEMISPHERE GPS AND MORE HAVE FORMED A COALITION TO SAVE GPS FOR AGRICULTURE.
G20 MEETING:
IN AGRIBUSINESS LEADERS OF THE WORLD'S 20 RICHEST NATIONS WILL MEET THIS WEEK AND AGRICULTURE IS AT THE TOP OF THE AGENDA. AG SECRETARIES AND MINISTERS FROM THE G20 NATIONS ARE GATHERING IN PARIS FRANCE. AFTER THIS PAST YEAR'S SURGE IN GLOBAL COMMODITY PRICES AND INCREASING COSTS FOR FOOD, LEADERS WANT TO DISCUSS THE FUTURE OF GLOBAL AGRICULTURE. FRENCH PRESIDENT NICOLAS SARKOZY SAYS HE BELIEVES COMMODITIES MARKETS NEED MORE REGULATION. ONE EARLY IDEA IS BUILDING A SHARED CENTRAL DATABASE OF FOOD STOCKS AND PRICES TO HELP CONTROL MARKET VOLITLITY AND KEEP SPECULATORS IN CHECK. FRANCE ACKNOWLEDGES GETTING TO THAT AGREEMENT WON'T BE EASY.
WORLD BANK HEDGE FUND:
AND JUST AHEAD OF THE G20 SUMMIT, THE WORLD BANKS SAYS IT'S NOW OFFERING A TOOL TO HELP DEVELOPING COUNTRIES PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM SHARP SWINGS IN FOOD PRICES. CALLED THE AGRICULTURE PRICE RISK MANAGEMENT TOOL, IT'S A FOOD PRICE HEDGE FUND AND THE FIRST OF ITS KIND. THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CORPORATION IS PARTNERING WITH JP MORGAN. THE FUND ALLOWS PRODUCERS, COOPERATIVES AND EVEN BANKS TO HEDGE THEIR RISK EXPOSURE IN AGRICULTURAL MARKETS. TOGETHER THE FUND OFFERS 4 BILLION DOLLARS IN PROTECTION...FOR POOR AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
ANALYSIS:
RICHARD BROCK
4-H STORM DONATIONS:
IN TIMES OF WEATHER DISASTERS, THE NATIONAL 4-H COUNCIL SAYS COUNT ON 4-H'ERS AND EXTENSION. BUT THEY NEED YOUR HELP TO FULFILL THEIR MISSION. THE NATIONAL 4-H COUNCIL IS HELPING TO CLEAN-UP IN SEVERAL TORNADO-RAVAGED AREAS, LIKE JOPLIN MISSOURI. CLUBS ARE ALSO HELPING IN STORM-RAVAGED ALABAMA AND TENNESSEE. THE 4-H COUNCIL LAUNCHED AN ONLINE AND MOBILE FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT THE VOLUNTEERS. NOW THROUGH JUNE 30, TEN DOLLAR DONATIONS CAN BE SENT BY TEXTING THE WORD "CLOVER" TO 50555 TO SUPPORT THE CLEAN-UP EFFORTS. 4-H SAYS ALL FUNDS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED EQUALLY AMONG THE STATES. GO TO WWW.4H.ORG FOR MORE INFORMATION.
IN THE COUNTRY; GRIDIRON GARDEN:
WHEN IT COMES TO ATHLETICS IN TEXAS, ONE SPORT HAS REIGNED FOR GENERATIONS - - FOOTBALL. FROM PEE-WEES TO PROS, TEXANS LOVE TO PAD-UP AND HIT THE GRIDIRON. BUT AT ONE COLLEGE IN DALLAS, PLAYERS NO LONGER BATTLE IT OUT UNDER THE LIGHTS. INSTEAD THIS GRIDIRON NOW 'SPORTS' A GARDEN. AS TOLD BY MATT FELDER OF THE TEXAS FARM BUREAU, THIS PATCH OF LAND IS A BIG WIN FOR AGRICULTURE...AND FOR THE STRUGGLING COMMUNITY. PAUL QUINN COLLEGE IS A PRIVATE, FAITH-BASED, COLLEGE SERVING PRIMARILY AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN POPULATION. IT HAS ENROLLMENT OF ONLY 200 STUDENTS. THE COLLEGE PRESIDENT GOT RID OF THE FOOTBALL PROGRAM IN 2008. STILL TO COME FOOD AND YOUR FAMILY.
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