News
Today’s agriculture headlines and expert perspectives serving farmers, ranchers, crop consultants, livestock nutritionists and the entire U.S. ag community.
Fires continue to rage in the Northwest portion of the country. New numbers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show the cost of fighting wildfires topped $2 billion in 2017, a new record. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is using the new figure to stress the need to revalue the budget of U.S. Forest Service, which falls under USDA’s umbrella.
Commodity analysts live by the mantra “Big crops only get bigger,” and that appears to be the case in 2017. USDA boosted corn, soybean and cotton yields as well as production numbers this week. The revised numbers came in above the average trade guess and larger than August’s crop production numbers. Despite the report initially sending bearish waves through the markets, grain prices turned a corn mid-week, posting green on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). Jim Bower of Bower Trading is deeming 2017 as a “very unusual year” on U.S. Farm Report this weekend, while Standard Grain’s Joe Vaclavik says this is typically what happens as harvest heats up.
AgLaunch365 is a farm-centric program that will assist in field trials and attracting investments for ag startups.
These machines sold on Sept. 1 in Ohio
The Texas Farm Bureau is working to raise funds to help farmers and ranchers devastated by Hurricane Harvey.
Following a 5.3% decrease in 2015, cash rents in Minnesota declined by an average of 1.8% in 2016.
Learn Angie Setzer’s commodity marketing philosophy, advice for selling your crops and the most underappreciated marketing tool.
Farmers may be wondering what all the wet weather they had this season is doing to their soil and what does that mean for next years crop? Pam Fretwell sits down with Kurt Seevers Technical Dev. Manager with Verdisian about that subject.
Pythium, Phytophthora and SCN infestations can eat away at soybean yields and margins. SCN damage can reduce a would-be bumper crop significantly depending on the severity of infestation. As an example, a moderate infestation that reduced yields by 10 percent in a 50 bushel acre would translate to a 5 bushel loss. With soybean prices at $9 to $10 per bushel, that’s $40 to $50 in lost revenue on one acre alone. That approaches $5,000 lost per 100 acres of infested beans. And yield losses can go even higher.
Pythium is a soilborne pathogen that is present in nearly all soybean fields and causes seedling rot and/or damping-off. There is a broad range of Pythium species, meaning the disease can be active at soil temperatures ranging from 32°F to 85°F. Pythium can infect within 1.5 hours of planting.1
A clean soybean field is something that brings pride to many farmers. Doing everything to keep those rows neat by reducing weed and pest pressure helps ensure a strong harvest. However, even in the cleanest fields, there can be threats to yield below the surface that attack the roots of the plant. With tight margins and commodity prices remaining low, it’s important to identify and address these hidden threats to get the most.
Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) is present in soybean fields across 30 states and causes about $1.5 billion in economic loss to U.S. soybean farmers annually. This microscopic roundworm is virtually invisible to the naked eye and attacks soybean roots, reducing the plant’s ability to utilize nutrients.
In the Corn Belt, farmland prices did increase a bit after harvest, just as they did in 2016, but overall they remain steady.
The Farm Journal AgTech Expo was held in Indianapolis this past week, the first event of its kind to meet farmers where they fall on the agtech adoption curve. The interactive expo included dynamic demo sessions from exhibitors, an AgLaunch Startup Station that gave attendees a glimpse at new technology before it hits the market and live “AgriTalk” radio broadcasts both days. Two virtual reality stations, an airplane simulator and a race car simulator all brought lively fun and entertainment to the expo.