Crops
U.S. corn and soybean futures climb to multi-year highs and wheat futures are up on tight supplies and weather woes.
Tuesday was another dynamic day in the grain markets. Soybean futures hit contract highs and nearby corn futures climbed above $6. Clinton Griffiths discovers what’s behind the market moves.
For the Horas, not much field work has danced across their Iowa soils so far. They planted a few acres this past weekend, but fieldwork has been minimal due to the cold and wet conditions this year.
USDA’s weekly Crop Progress Report started tallying soybean planting progress. In the first report of the year to include soybeans, USDA showed 3% of the soybean crop is planted, one point ahead of average.
West Texas farmer Blake Fennell says if rains don’t hit West Texas fields in the next month, it’ll be devastating to the area’s cotton crop with the outlook for cotton acre abandonment already high.
Commodity prices jumped even higher to start the week, with May corn futures topping $6 again Tuesday. Farmers are reporting local elevators posting new crop corn bids over $5, as well. What’s driving the momentum?
You know the agronomic headaches weeds cause. Do you know how they hit your bottom line?
If your weather conditions are tanking, consider answering two important questions Ken Ferrie asks before you head to the field.
After a jumpstart to the 2021 planting season for many, colder temperatures and even snow will bring planting to a halt again this week.
Cotton prices have been on a rollercoaster ride this past year. The start to 2021 showed a story of improved prices, which is a dramatic change from just a year ago, as geopolitical issues also come into play.
Just this week, USDA confirmed U.S. sorghum shattered records last week, with a total of 33.9 million bushels of purchases. The total smashed the previous record set in August 2020 by 10 million bushels.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s statistics division is conducting a “deep dive” review of how it conducts its quarterly U.S. grain stocks reports, an official said during an online conference on Wednesday.
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows from North Dakota to Texas, all the way west to California, the most severe levels of drought didn’t ease across the U.S. this past week.
Between 10% and 20% of yield potential can be lost, if you plant corn in unfavorable conditions.
North Dakota just endured its driest September to March ever on record. On Thursday, Governor Doug Burgum declared a state of emergency due to drought. Farmers are now forced to make tough decisions, early.
U.S. farmers are facing a changing scenario this year. From wet conditions impeding planting in 2020, to now drought concerns creeping in, one analyst thinks weather could be a major market mover in 2021.
The latest drought monitor shows a dramatic shift. A year ago, 100% of the state was drought free. And today, 100% of North Dakota is seeing some level of drought; a concern for farmers who fear drought will linger.
USDA’s latest Crop Progress Report revealed 85% of New Mexico is seeing short to very short topsoil moisture conditions, and 83% of North Dakota is seeing topsoil conditions that are desperately dry.
While weather this week is helping bring moisture to portions of the Plains, climatologists say you have to go back a couple decades to see a drought scenario similar to this year. The dryness is planting concerns.
Farmers are entering into spring planting season with drought covering a most of the western half of the country. A new study looking into the problem shows dry periods between rain have become longer in the West.
Getting plants up and running is important to a successful growing season. To do that many farmers are using well-placed fertility to Win the Furrow.
To win the furrow this planting season means making sure plants have all the nutrition they need early. There are plenty of options for farmers to consider during the planter pass.
Some of those annual limiting factors can be addressed in-furrow via the planter.
As cover crops make their way on to more acres, dealing with that new planting environment brings its own challenges.
Planting a crop isn’t just dropping seed in the ground and hoping for record results. In order to “Win the Furrow,” it starts with uniform germination and emergence.
If it’s not already, it will be go-time for farmers across the country in just a matter of days farmers gear up for another pass at a successful crop.
Brazilian production of ethanol from corn rose 58% in the newly passed year as dozens of recently built plants in the country’s grain heartland ramped up production.
Northwest Indiana farmers had a jumpstart to the 2021 planting season, with some farmers planting soybeans the earliest they ever have. As farmers push the planting dates, they say it pays to plant soybeans early.
Want to save yourself headaches later this season? Take a rainy day this spring to set up your sprayer and create your 2021 application plan.