Crops
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows nearly 10% of the contiguous U.S. is now under an “exceptional drought,” which is the highest the rate has been since 2011.
USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says dryness is a major factor impacting corn condition ratings in some areas. U.S. corn crop condition ratings dropped another 4 points this week, according to the latest USDA report.
Could Palmer amaranth, the king of resistant weeds and crippler of herbicides, be dethroned by its own sex drive? A herbicide-free technology is under testing and aims to attack pigweed with its own pollen.
Soybean prices saw the largest single-day drop in history on Thursday. Prices crashed vigorously, with July and August soybeans down more than $1 on Thursday. This tops any one-day record for a deferred contract.
Iowa farmer Kyle Mehmen will join Farm Journal Editor Clinton Griffiths to answer your questions and share his experiences with carbon programs at 9 a.m. Central on June 22.
To get the best return-on-investment from your nitrogen (N) applications in corn consider pairing them with sulfur.
Thursday’s historic price loss was spurred by weather forecasts, but it wasn’t the only factor that fueled the drop. As prices clawed back Friday, analysts say it will take multiple factors to see higher highs.
U.S. farmers are poised to expand plantings of sorghum by nearly 20% this year, a far larger percentage than soy or corn acres, as sorghum is particularly appealing this year since it’s more resistant to drought.
Along with that issue, Ken Ferrie addresses corn rootworm and other pests and diseases that he’s observing and addressing in the field now.
Wild weather over the weekend left some farmers are assessing the damage. Powerful winds and heavy rain hit some fields hard, with down corn as a result. after weekend rains and winds hit some fields hard.
USDA’s weekly Crop Progress report released Monday shows the corn crop condition ratings fell nationwide, down to 65% good to excellent. That compares to the 68% rated posted last week.
ICE cotton futures rose to their highest in nearly a week on Tuesday, propelled by fears of damage to the natural fiber crop in the delta region due to heavy rains.
Some parts of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska saw precipitation this past week, but dry weather prevails in many areas.
Kansas Wheat Tour scouts say the crop is behind schedule in terms of development, along with pockets of disease, drought and freeze damage. However, yield potential on day produced a yield of 59.2 bushels per acre.
Yield prospects for hard red winter wheat in central Kansas were above average, scouts on an annual crop tour said on Tuesday, although yield-robbing diseases, primarily stripe rust, were prevalent in some areas.
Whether the mercury is too high or the rain gauge too low, those producers who have already put away the planter now play the waiting game. And as always, the stakes are high.
Corn prices closed in the green Tuesday, but old crop soybean prices were under pressure again. AgriTalk host Chip Flory digested Tuesday’s market action with Joe Vaclavik of Standard Grain.
Reuters reported POET is in talks with Flint Hills Resources to buy all its ethanol assets. The possible deal would increase POET’s production capacity to up to 3 billion gallons a year.
The latest USDA Crop Progress Report shows 80% of the corn crop is now planted, which is 12 points ahead of the five-year average. Soybean planting is 61% complete nationwide.
U.S. corn futures rose 1.5% on Tuesday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) pegged planting progress behind market expectations, stoking concerns over global supply.
It can be difficult to decide when to tear out a field and start over. Get Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie’s recommendations here.
A federal appeals court upheld a $25 million judgment and trial verdict finding Roundup caused a California resident’s non-Hodgkin lymphoma, dealing a blow to Bayer’s hopes of limiting legal risk over the weed killer.
As the extreme volatility and extended price limits played out in the markets this week, Joe Vaclavik of Standard Grain says the main issue traders are watching are possible changes to corn acreage this year.
China’s corn buying spree continued Friday with a sale of 1.36 million metric tons (mmt). The announcement came on the heels of a week of consistent new crop sales.
Federal and state water projects say they will provide little to no irrigation water to many agricultural customers, so farmers must calculate how much food they can grow with their limited supplies.
The unexplained suspension of operations of a key Chinese agricultural data provider has left traders, analysts and brokers scrambling for other sources of information on one of the world’s most important farm markets.
A U.S. government weather forecaster said on Thursday La Nina has ended and El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) neutral conditions are likely to continue through the northern hemisphere summer.
Dry weather and poorly timed planting are weighing on Brazil’s second corn crop this year, reviving fears of another surge in feed prices like the one that battered big meatpackers after a 2016 drought.
USDA’s first look at new crop in the May WASDE indicated higher crop prices could start to erode demand. However, USDA points out greater domestic use could help offset the idea of lower exports.
After a slow start here to planting in portion of Iowa, farmers are now planting the 2021 crop at a record pace. One Rock Rapids, Iowa farmer can’t recall a year he was able to finish this fast.