– David P. Anderson, Professor and Extension Economist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Originally posted on the BEEF Newsletter
Brisket prices are heating up just like summer temperatures. One of the most interesting beef demand trends over the last few years has been the growth in demand for briskets. It’s not just new craft bbq joints popping up everywhere in Texas, but even big chains like Arby’s jumping in and they all serve brisket.
Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County, OSU Extension, Originally posted on the BEEF Newsletter
There are days where every farmer wonders what they got themselves into. Days where the work ahead is overwhelming, the kids are sick, the cows are calving, your 4×4 is stuck in the mud, and to top it off, you are running low on stored feed and stored energy in your soul. Farming is tough. No doubt about that.
Continue reading Farming with Family through the Tough Times
Source:Ben Brown, Sarah Noggle, Barry Ward, OSU Extension
Consistent rains across Ohio and the Corn Belt continue to delay planting progress as the June 17 USDA Planting Progress report showed that 68% of intended corn acres and 50% of intended soybean acres have been planted in Ohio. Nationwide, roughly 27 million acres of corn and soybeans will either be planted or filed under prevented planting insurance. Across Ohio, the Final Plant Date (FPD) for soybeans is June 20. Soybeans can be planted after the FPD, but a one percent reduction in the insurance guarantee occurs. This brief article outlines economic considerations for soybean prevented planting under three scenarios: planting soybeans on corn acres, planting soybeans late, and taking prevent plant soybeans. There are three sections to this article: a brief market update on corn and soybeans, a policy update on Market Facilitation Payments, and then finally the scenarios listed above. This article contains the best information available as of release, but conditions may change. Farmers should check with their crop insurance agents when making prevented planting decisions. OSU Extension is not an authorizing body of federal crop insurance policies.
Continue reading Mid to Late June Prevented Planting Decisions
Today managing your corn crop requires knowledge of the different growth stages of the corn plant. Growth stage identification is critical for scouting and proper timing of fertilizer and pesticide applications. Each week throughout the growing season I will discuss the various corn growth stages and management issue at each stage. This week I will focus on the emergence VE & V1.
WOW, the rain continues!! Corn stands throughout the county look remarkably well considering the conditions they were planted in and the weather we have experienced since planting. Each week throughout the growing season I will highlight and discuss the various corn growth stages. This week I will focus on the emergence VE & V1.
Photo source: Iowa State University
Emergence occurs when the first internode on the corn plant (the mesocotyl) elongates toward the soil surface and continues until the coleoptile (or spike) reaches light, above the soil surface. At the VE stage, the growing point is normally 1 to 1.5 inches below the soil surface. The growing point remains below the soil surface for three to four weeks, protecting this growing point from physical injury, including frost, surface insects, grazing animals and as we have already seen in some parts of the county this year – HAIL.
Management: Scout for seed attacking pests: wireworm, white grub, seed corn maggot, seed corn beetle, slugs and varmints.
Photo source: Iowa State University
V1 usually occurs about 1 week after emergence. These plants have one leaf collar visible. The leaf has a rounded tip, all other leaves will be pointed. This leaf serves as the starting point for counting leaves to determining the vegetative growth stage. Nodal root development is beginning. The growing point remains below the soil surface.
Management: Scout for seed attacking pests: wireworm, white grub, seed corn maggot, seed corn beetle and slug, varmints, seedling diseases, and nutrient deficiencies.
Begin to look for early season weed emergence.
Begin taking stand counts to document emergence (measure 17.5 feet for 30 in. Rows)
Source: Anne Dorrance, OSU Extension
Let me say upfront that much of the information in this piece is based on a study published (Crop Science 53:1086-1095 in 2013) by Dr. Susan Goggi’s lab and others at Iowa State University, Dept. of Agronomy & Seed Science Center. As a scientist, we store both untreated and treated seed over years, but it is healthy and it is in cool and always dry conditions. But this year we have several issues. The seed raised in 2018, due to the rains through our long drawn out harvest, left a lot to be desired. Last week, we had one day to plant and now we are making decisions on what to do with the seed we purchased that is treated. Treated seed cannot enter the market and must be disposed of through planting, incineration, or burial based on the label. All of these are costly.
In a study at Iowa State, they compared 24 different seed lots which were treated with a fungicide, fungicide plus insecticide and not treated under 3 conditions: 1) a warehouse; 2) a climate controlled cold storage (50 F, ~60% RH); or 3) warm storage (77 F, ~31 % RH). The seed itself was high germination (95 to 98% germination), dry (<8%), and there was a very low percentage of seedborne pathogens.
Source:Peter Thomison, OSU Extension
I have received several reports of corn leaning because of the high winds we have experienced recently along with the heavy rains. It is not uncommon for young plants to exhibit “lodging” as a result of strong winds. Last week, Amanda Douridas, ANR Extension Educator in Champaign Co., shared observations of corn leaning at approximately the V3-V6 stage in several fields (see Fig. 1). Usually, this leaning is short-lived and plants recover within several days. Amanda reported that about 24 hours after the wind event the plants had already straightened up. Sometimes the wind-induced leaning is associated with excessive vegetative growth which gets ahead of the root system supporting the plant, especially when the root system is restricted.
Source: Farm & Dairy
May 2019 was the second-wettest month in U.S. history.
Drenching rains and historic flooding last month contributed to a record-wet, 12-month period, from June 2018 through May 2019, according to the latest climate report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA.
For Ohio, it was the wettest year on record in the last 124 years. (Scroll down for a chart with historical perspective of Ohio’s rainfall totals.)
Soggy conditions from June 2018 through May 2019 led to the wettest 12-month period on record in the U.S., with 37.68 inches, 7.73 inch above average. The previous June-May record was 35.47 inches and occurred from June 1982-May 1983. The previous all-time 12-month record was 36.20 inches and occurred from May 2018-April 2019.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue requesting a USDA Secretarial disaster designation for Ohio amid heavy rainfall impacting Ohio farmers.
In his letter, Governor DeWine notes that record rainfall through the spring planting season has been devastating to Ohio farmers, with flooding and saturated fields preventing them from planting crops. Only 50 percent of Ohio’s corn crop and 32 percent of Ohio’s soybean crop have been planted as of June 10, 2019.
“The harsh reality for Ohio farmers is that many acres will remain unplanted,” Governor DeWine said. “Our dairy and livestock sectors also face serious forage and feed shortages. We recognize the tremendous challenges facing our agricultural community, and we are working to identify any and all sources of possible relief.”
The letter is a formal request to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a USDA disaster declaration for Ohio so that assistance can be made available to Ohio farmers.
“I visited with several farmers this week and saw firsthand the impact of this devastating rainfall. Fields are visibly filled with water and weeds instead of crops,” said Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Dorothy Pelanda.
Excessive rainfall presented challenges as early as last fall. Because of poor field conditions, some 2018 crops are still in the field and yet to be harvested. Currently, producers are dealing with erosion of their cropland, delayed fieldwork and planting, manure application challenges, and concerns among livestock producers that forages will be in short supply.
1. Todd Hubbs provided market outlook: Bullish corn, bearish soybean
2. Jonathan Coppess provided a policy outlook: Still uncertainty on Market Facilitation Program and Disaster Assistence Programs
3. Gary Schnitkey provided farmer decision making: Corn planting is coming to the end, Don’t plant soybeans on corn prevent plant acres, little downside and upside on planting on planting soybeans on intended soybean acres for the next week.
The webinar video is available on our YouTube Channel now (Click Here)
Two more webinars will be conducted on the next two Wednesdays (June 19, June 26) at 8:00 am (Central Time). Click here to register.