• USDA's projection of 85 mil. corn acres is in doubt because of planting delays, says Mike Woolverton at Kansas State, and that increases the chances of carryover stocks going low enough to initiate price rationing. He says a one mil. acre decline would cut the surplus to 8%, well below the 10-12% of the past 10 years. Read his latest newsletter at: http://www.agmanager.info/marketing/outlook/newletters/default.asp .
• Woolverton says if there is a two mil. acre decline in corn acreage, that would cut the carryover to only 5%, if delayed planting also caused a 3 bu. drop in the national yield. He says the last time that happened was in 1995, when corn futures spiked upward.
• With delayed corn planting and delayed wheat planting, how many acres will shift to beans, wonders Woolverton at Kansas St.? He says the market is anticipating anywhere from 2 to 4 mil. more soybean acres than the USDA's projection of 76 mil. Beans are still the strength of the market, attributed to the short crop in South America, US exports to China, and the prospect for ending stocks to be at critically low levels this year.
• Soybean acreage is an uncertainty because of delays in planting corn, says Melvin Brees at Missouri, but delays in planting soybeans could result in lower yields and production. Currently the USDA projected soybean price range is $8.45 to $10.45, and Brees says, "If the uptrend from the early March price low continues, following the trend higher with "trailing stops" is another alternative. However, if prices falter, current new crop bids offer profitable prices within the projected price range and the potential to avoid lower prices."
• Pork producers know the score, and currently they are on the losing end with the game in late innings for some producers, says Purdue livestock economist Chris Hurt. He expects some nearly ready to forfeit the rest of the game, unable to wait for the world to return to its 2008 healthy taste for pork, when 20% of US production was exported. Read his newsletter at: http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/marketing/weekly/html/052609.html
• Five weeks ago "swine flu" dominated the headlines until the pork industry convinced the media to label it H1N1 virus, but carcass values had lost $10 within a week and farmgate hog prices lost 17%. Hurt says the lower market prices were exacerbated by climbing costs of corn and soybean meal, with current losses around $25 per head.
• Purdue's Chris Hurt expects June to bring prices in the high $40 and low $50 range, not enough to cancel out high production costs that may cause $7 per head losses in the latter half of the year. The 2009 losses are expected to average about $12 per head. That should mean the breeding herd will continue to diminish for the rest of the year.
• The US wheat crop is having serious issues. Winter wheat acreage is down 7%. Spring wheat acres were supposed to be down 6%, but two mil. acres remain unplanted in MN and ND. Drought and freeze damage have hurt the Great Plains wheat crop. In OK where drought was a problem, early harvested fields have yields less than forecast.
• By the time you see wheat scab, it may be too late to do anything about it says IL Extension's Jim Morrison. But he's warning that current moisture and temperatures are perfect for its development. Morrison suggests wheat growers use an early warning system for managing wheat scab at www.wheatscab.psu.edu/ . In addition to seed variety resistance, management includes use of a fungicide in the triazole family.
• Got weeds? They are an equal opportunity commodity, but sometimes you just don't know what one is, and without a name, it is not easy to find an herbicide to control all of your unwanted visitors. Find the weed names with their pictures at these resources.
  1) Pest bulletin http://ipm.uiuc.edu/bulletin/pastpest/articles/200104h.html.
  2) Spring weeds http://weeds.cropsci.uiuc.edu/extension/Other/NCR614.pdf.
• Glyphosate guide #1. With at least 30 different formulations on the market, users need to compare alternatives by the number of pounds of acid equivalent per gallon of product. The concentration of the acid is what kills the weed, so compare before buying.
• Glyphosate guide #2. Some glyphosate products have surfactants, such as Roundup PowerMax and Touchdown Total. Others do not have a built in adjuvant system, and may perform less satisfactory under extreme conditions. When a surfactant is missing, add a high quality, non-ionic surfactant at 0.25 to 1.0% v/v.
• Glyphosate guide #3. Michigan St. weed specialists recommend the addition of ammonium sulfate to all glyphosate products, at the rate of 17 lbs per 100 gallons. AMS minimizes the impact of hard water on glyphosate and helps with velvetleaf control.
• Glyphosate guide #4. The optimum time for glyphosate applications is when weeds are 4 inches tall in narrow row beans and 6 inches tall in soybeans planted in 30 inch rows.
• You have made the decision to replant, but how do you eliminate the old corn crop?
  1) IL Extension's Aaron Hager is not facetious when he suggests tillage.
  2) Glyphosate is effective at controlling corn that is susceptible to glyphosate.
  3) Glyphosate resistant corn can be controlled with Poast, Poast-Plus, Fusion,
  Fusilade, Select, and Assure II, but there are delays before replanting corn.
• No one is certain, but if the weather is "normal" for the balance of the growing season, late planted corn could still perform well, and perform much better than in 1995 when late planting contributed to a 113 bu. average IL corn crop. That is the contention of IL Extension's Emerson Nafziger, who says corn is now more resistant to bugs and stress.
  1) Corn may have loss several hundred GDD, but sufficient temperatures should remain.
  2) The longest days and most light will arrive before full canopy, so grain will be less.
  3) Pollination is moved back, so rainfall will be more critical than normal.
  4) Damp soils mean compaction, so corn may have fewer roots and need more rainfall.
  5) Stalks will be more spindly and less able to hold larger ears.
  6) Grain development will be delayed to a time when leaves may be hurt by fungus.
• University of Wisconsin researchers are taking issue with the federal approval of an expanded label for Headline fungicide, and refuting some of the claims made by BASF. The WI staff says Headline was tested at its lab and, "To date, the results from our trials have not shown a consistent response for use of foliar fungicides, except when the level of disease has warranted the application of a fungicide." Their response to the Plant Health Label is at: http://ipcm.wisc.edu/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx
• Headline fungicide is a multi crop fungicide, but promotional claims were questioned by 46 WI researchers who said they were concerned about the broad statements about the perceived benefits of the product. Those statements included:
  1) Increased tolerance to environmental stresses.
  2) Improved plant utilization of nitrogen
  3) Increased tolerance to bacterial and viral infections
  4) Improved straw strength of small grains
  5) Improved stalk strength in corn, better hail tolerance, and more uniform seed size.
• Congratulations are due, if your soybean seedlings are healthy, but you won't really know without scouting. Pythium and phytophthora will attack the seedlings under the soil and cause rot, which are seen most frequently in fields with a hard crusty soil. IA State plant pathologist X. B. Yang says identification of those and other fungi are important steps for your 2010 seed selection and choice of fungicidal seed treatments.
• Ohio has a "perfect storm" for black cutworms, and some corn fields have densities that exceed recommended thresholds for rescue treatments. Entomologists are advising corn growers to scout for potential problems, and take a break from planting to do that and save what little corn has emerged. The economic threshold is 3-5% cutting. A refresher is at: http://ipm.illinois.edu/fieldcrops/insects/black_cutworm/index.html
• Balance the cost of cutworm control with the value of the crop, say Iowa State entomologists. Compared to this year, 2008 corn was more valuable and the treatment thresholds were lower. They have developed a decision aid based on crop values: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/CropNews/2009/0527hodgson.htm
• Poor growing conditions have been prevalent, and they have aided grubs, wireworms, seedcorn maggots, and cutworms in doing their dirty work. Purdue entomologists have found those larvae are not being controlled by low rates of Cruiser and Poncho applied to the seed, particular when populations are high. The upshot is when the seedling is not growing vigorously, such as this year, then the systemic insecticides work poorly.
• Relatively cool spring temperatures have minimized nitrogen losses in the mind of Purdue fertility specialist Jim Camberato. At least he does not believe there has been any more this year than normal. Based on fall application of anhydrous ammonia, he says the average loss would be about 30%, if a nitrification inhibitor was not applied also. Cut that number to 15% if the anhydrous ammonia was applied early this spring.
• You've probably lost some nitrogen, but it is difficult to say how much is lost. IL fertility specialist Fabian Fernandez say the conversion of ammonium to nitrate depends on temperature, and recently it would take 1-2 weeks for nitrogen to be lost to leaching or nitrate if it was applied after May 1. http://ipm.illinois.edu/bulletin/article.php?id=1137
• If you have switched to shorter season corn, how should your fertility program change? Fernandez says that means a reduced yield potential and less need for the N that you typically apply. "For each week that planting is delayed from the optimum for your area, it is recommended that you reduce N rate by 20 pounds per acre down to a minimum of 80 pounds per acre (for very late planting)." Plant first, apply N later.
• If your fertility program needs to be more cost-conscious, the reduced rate is a good start, says Fernandez. But he says get the N to where it can be used by the corn roots.
  1) Surface applications require rain or irrigation to move N into the root zone.
  2) Injected N needs to be between rows to reduce root injury. Roots grow toward it.
  3) Apply N to every other row, giving corn some N on at least one side.
  4) Aerial application should be under 125 lbs/A and not applied when corn is wet.
• Concerns about the carbon footprint of ethanol are addressed by Kurt Thelen of Michigan State, who says the effort to discredit ethanol because it will cause changes in other countries is misleading. He says the bottom line is the fact that burning gasoline emits 19.4 lbs of carbon dioxide per gal., but it takes 1.4 gal. of ethanol to do that.
• By growing corn to refine into ethanol, Thelen at Michigan State says all of the crop inputs for an acre would represent 1,250 lbs of carbon dioxide per acre, or 2.9 lbs per gallon of ethanol produced. He says that is a 78% reduction from the process of refining gasoline, and it will be 94% less than gasoline when perennial grasses are used.
• June Dairy Month will not be a high point of the year for many dairymen because of huge financial losses resulting from milk dropping from $18 to $12 per cwt in the past 6 months. IL dairy specialist Mike Hutjens says $16 to $18 is the current breakeven price for milk, and a 105 cow operation is losing $10,000 per month. He says much of the problem is due to the stronger dollar that has eliminated the dairy export business.
• So what is a dairyman to do? Hutjens says with a new forage year underway, look for any means of improving forage quality and quantity in dairy rations. Grain by-products such as corn gluten feed, wet brewers grain, and DDGS are good ways to replace soy meal and corn when trying to cut the cost of rations, which are 60% of expenses.
• Other opportunities in dairy profitability, according to IL Extension's Hutjens:
  1) Target feed costs under 9¢/lb dry matter & raise milk to feed efficiency to 1.6.
  2) Silage inoculants, monensin, buffers, yeast products & trace minerals are good.
  3) Ration reduction only will reduce milk yield and decrease health and immunity.
  4) USDA's MILC program will provide relief for farms with less than 150 cows.
  5) CME milk futures are at $15 for fall prices, but still below production costs.

• The market ought to be more worried about corn planting delays in the Eastern Cornbelt says IL Extension Specialist Darrel Good, who believes a potential 22 bu. per acre shortfall in IL, compared to 2008, could also be the case in Indiana and Ohio. Read his newsletter: http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/marketing/weekly/html/051809.html .
• Good says the market may be ignoring planting delays because a similar situation in 2008 was erased with perfect summer weather. As a result he says the market:
  1) may be primarily focusing on other supply and demand fundamentals.
  2) may expect higher ethanol and export demand, along with Wall St. stability.
  3) may not appreciate the yield implications of extremely late planting dates.
• An IL weather and yield model developed by IL ag economists predicts:
  1) A 175 bu. state average yield with average weather and only 14% planted late.
  2) A 157 bu. state average yield with average weather and 75% planted late.
  3) A 172 bu. state average yield with cool, wet weather and 75% planted late.
  4) A 134 bu. state average yield with hot, dry weather and 75% planted late.
• Planting delays will help push prices higher in a strong demand corn market believes Melvin Brees at MO Extension. His May newsletter says lower yields will lead to price strength, "One possible upside price objective is to target prices in December futures near the $4.70 high that occurred in January. Continued planting delays might provide the chance to increase price targets if prices continue to move higher." Read his newsletter at: http://www.fapri.missouri.edu/farmers_corner/mktng_newsletter/CurrentDM.pdf .
• June 1 begins the ACRE sign-up, and some farms will either be helped or hurt by ACRE. OSU economist Carl Zulauf says put some in and keep some out. http://aede.osu.edu/resources/docs/pdf/B76065CJ-MMN6-M5UA-NW3POF4Q6U6A3QZO.pdf
  1) For corn-soybean-wheat farms, the reduction in direct payment per planted acre usually will be smaller, the greater the share of base acres that are soybeans.
  2) Compared to the counter-cyclical program, ACRE better matches current production risk because its payment is based on planted acres (up to the farm's total base acres).
  3) The higher a farm's 5-year Olympic moving average yield, relative to the state's 5-year Olympic average yield for a crop, the higher the farm's ACRE revenue payment.
  4) The more yield has increased the higher will be a FSA farm's Olympic average yield. For example, recently tiled fields may have greater yield increases.
  5) The closer changes in yield on a FSA farm and state move together, the more similar is changes in farm and state revenue, implying better risk protection from ACRE.
• Flipping the switch. If you think that it is too late for corn and you are going to plant soybeans instead, work through a checklist from Vince Davis of IL Extension.
  1) Review the economic decisions. http://ipm.illinois.edu/bulletin/article.php?id=1118
  2) Variety selection will be a key, so look for university trial reports in your state.
  3) Choose a variety with SCN resistance different that what was planted last year.
  4) Warmer soils mean more fungal problems, so find varieties with disease resistance.
  5) You will not benefit from any nitrogen application, so check that off as lost.
  6) Check the label for issues with any corn pre-emergent herbicide that was applied.
  7) With the intense fieldwork in narrow windows, keep rested, alert, and safe.
• What little corn that has been planted in some states has been flooded out, and replant decisions are the top priority. IL Extension's Emerson Nafziger knows you are wondering about using a shorter season hybrid. He says, "Early-maturing corn planted late is likely to be hurt even more by weather-related problems than mid-maturity hybrids would be, and both will be damaged by early frost. This suggests that going to earlier hybrids, especially if they are not adapted, may provide little or no benefit when planting is late." Read more: http://ipm.illinois.edu/bulletin/article.php?id=1132.
• There is a similar philosophy from the OSU agronomists, who say, "In Ohio and Indiana, we've observed decreases in required heat units from planting to kernel black layer which average about 6.8 growing degree days (GDDs) per day of delayed planting. Therefore a hybrid rated at 2800 GDDs with normal planting dates (i.e. late April or early May) may require slightly less than 2600 GDDs when planted in late May or early June, i.e. a 30 day delay in planting may result in a hybrid maturing in 204 fewer GDDs (30 days multiplied by 6.8 GDDs per day)." Read: http://corn.osu.edu/#E .
• Some replant scenarios may have a farmer tearing up a marginal field that would have outyielded a newly planted late maturing field. Nafziger believes, "It is important to make the replant decision based on estimated effects on net income, not on an emotional basis or a need to "make the field look better." At the same time, listening to one's gut isn't always a bad thing," especially if the numbers make it look like a wash.
• The main problem with planting soybeans on drowned out corn is the issue of what pre-emergent herbicide was used. Purdue agronomists report, "The only herbicides labeled for use in corn which would allow replanting soybean immediately are Prowl and Python. All other soil-applied corn herbicides have a several month rotational interval which must elapse before beans can be planted. Most of the post-emergence herbicides have shorter rotational intervals, but would still require a couple of weeks before planting."
• Early planting requires higher planting rates, only because of the cooler soils earlier in the season. Later planting has the benefit of warmer soil temperature and germination improves, which may allow seeding rates to be lowered by 3-5% to reach the desired harvest population, since a higher percentage of seed will germinate.
• Even though your planting date is delayed, that is no reason to change your plant population, say OH State agronomists. Regardless of the date, final stands of 30-36,000 population were required for optimal yields. However, they found that the lack of response to higher population was related to increased stalk lodging.
• If moving from planting to spraying, IA St. ag engineers have several ideas to cut spray drift. http://www.extension.iastate.edu/CropNews/2009/0514hannaschaefer.htm They say a 100 micron drop will blow 96 ft. from a 3 ft. boom height, in a 20 mph wind.
  1) Increase droplet size to prevent small droplets from entering air currents.
  2) Use larger spray tips and operate them at lower pressures.
  3) Keep booms at the lowest height that still allows nozzle overlap.
  4) Drive slower near field borders if using spray controller that lowers pressure.
• The wet spring may have placed weeds lower on your priority list, but IA State weed specialist Bob Hartzler says act conservatively to minimize the risk of yield loss by letting weeds get out of control. He says if weeds are more concentrated than 10 per square foot, they need to be controlled before reaching 2 inches in height. They will not only take moisture away from an emerging crop, but will steal any applied nitrogen.
• Volunteer corn should also be on your priority list to control. Hartzler says one volunteer corn plant per 10 foot row of soybeans will cut yield by 1.3%. If your volunteer corn is glyphosate resistant, he says use paraquat or SelectMax, but if using the latter, there is a 6 day interval between spraying and planting to avoid residue issues.
• Weed control #1. In no-till fields which have yet to be planted, failure to control glyphosate resistant weeds before planting could lead to significant challenges in bean fields where few alternatives exist for post emergent weed control. IL Extension's Aaron Hager says glyphosate tank mix partners will be needed before and after planting.
• Weed control #2. While growth regulators can be effective, there must be a time lapse between application and planting. If you do not have that time, eliminate the growth regulator from the burndown or increase the rate of the non-selective herbicide.
• Weed control #3. Since larger weeds require a higher rate of herbicide application, delaying a burndown application until after planting may require high rates of application. For glyphosate burndowns, Hager recommends adding the full recommended rate of AMS, and be cautious of products without sufficient AMS.
• As weeds escape a particular set of POST herbicides and become increasingly hard to control, PRE herbicides, selected for those weeds, will minimize the selection pressure of the herbicide resistant or tolerant weeds in that field, say Purdue agronomists. "Even if some of the weeds are not totally killed by the PRE treatment, weed growth is reduced allowing the POST application to be made to smaller weeds, ensuring better coverage and increased control. While herbicide resistant crops have allowed for a wider window of application over the past decade, as weeds become more resistant to these herbicides, it is important to change to different modes of action or add an herbicide with a different mode of action to the herbicide program to keep weeds in check and yields high." Read more: http://extension.entm.purdue.edu/pestcrop/2009/issue7/index.html#soil .
• The loss of nitrogen will be minimal if you applied anhydrous ammonia, say OSU fertility specialists. They report it is "fairly resistant to microbial oxidation and eliminates the bacteria responsible for nitrification. Thus, that material can be in the field for a week or two prior to conversion to nitrate. Additionally, the speed of microbial oxidation is a function of soil temperature." They say GGD are less than normal.
• However, UAN dry or liquid may be more at risk of degradation, particularly if the field was waterlogged for more than a day. And liquid UAN, more so, than dry UAN. Again, temperatures are key to the speed of the nitrification, and coolness slows it down.
• "Refuge in a bag," also known as Pioneer's AcreMax, has not yet been totally adopted by a government advisory panel. The concept is to reduce the Bt refuge from 20% of acreage to only 5%, but the group said the blended seed did not prove to be either toxic or a repellant. The result is more study, and EPA is expected to soon weigh into the debate.
• Have corn rootworms drowned in the Eastern Cornbelt? Their mortality is high in saturated soils and standing water, but IL Extension entomologist Mike Gray asks if they have even hatched yet. Based on degree-days, Gray says we are at the midpoint of the hatch, and some are still in the egg stage and immune to the ponded fields.
• Consider the rootworm environment. Cool water and soil will preserve rootworm eggs. Warmer temperatures will decrease the survival rate. Larvae have survival problems, until they can find corn roots, then survival in standing water is improved. Planting delays will jeopardize their survival, since about half will die within 24 hours if they cannot find corn root tissue to enter. 95% will starve in 3 days without corn roots.
• Was wheat hurt by the recent cold nights? That is a possibility, but it depends on the variety, the growth stage, how cold it was, and the length of exposure to the cold. Spikes can be trapped, leaves discolored, flowers sterilized, and lower stems damaged. But, OSU agronomists say wheat is a winter crop and can tolerate cold temperatures.
• Cattle feeders are still seeing red ink says livestock economist Dillon Feuz, who says "Nebraska feedlots have averaged a $120 per head loss since January 2008." But he adds, "Cattle prices have strengthen this month to the point of a positive return for some producers. However, it would appear that feeder cattle that were purchased near the average market price and that have average feedlot performance will not break-even this summer. For those cattle to break-even, feeding costs would need to remain at present levels and the fed cattle market would need to regain that $2-3 per cwt that has been lost in the last two weeks." He thinks $85 would be breakeven for some fed cattle.
• Essentially, a catch-22 is what IA State ag law specialist Roger McEowen describes with the current federal policy on ethanol. He says the Obama administration wants the average fuel economy to increase to 35.5 mpg by 2016, but the move to increase the ethanol blend from 10 to 15% would cause a further reduction in fuel economy. His rather critical observation is at: http://www.calt.iastate.edu/ethanolupdate.html .

• USDA nibbled away at the corn surplus, cutting it to 1.6 bil. bu. by transferring 50 bil. bu. each to export and ethanol estimates. IL Extension's Darrel Good says the 12.09 bil. bu. production estimate parallels 2008, while the expected yield rose 1.5 bu. and harvested acreage fell by 800 thousand. Good says the projected 155.4 bu. average yield is a function of the trend line, adjusted for a slight decline due to planting delays.
• Corn consumption will climb over 400 mil. bu. going into next year, which USDA estimates will be 12.56 bil. 350 mil. additional bu. will be used for ethanol and 150 mil. for exports, while 100 mil. fewer bu. will be fed, leaving only 1.145 bil. in ending stocks. Read more at: http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/marketing/weekly/html/051209.html .
• Darrel Good expects a modest shift from corn to beans in the Eastern Cornbelt due to planting delays, which can also reduce yield. That is one reason for USDA's 1.5 bu. cut in the expected 2009 corn yield. He says without favorable weather like 2008, the slow planting will contribute to additional advances in corn prices.
• Weather and planting progress will remain the major driver for crop prices over the short term, says IA Extension's Chad Hart. "Longer term, the markets will continue to watch the development of biofuel regulations. The recent releases by the California Air Resources Board and the federal Environmental Protection Agency, incorporating indirect land use change and greenhouse gas emissions, were seen as negatives to the biofuel industry. But these policies are being phased in over a few years and are subject to additional review, so biofuel policy uncertainty remains," according to Hart.
• The soybean carryout for the current marketing year already was low, and USDA cut it further to 130 mil. bu. by increasing the crush and exports. Darrel Good says harvested acreage will climb 400 thousand and if the trend line yield of 42.6 bu. is reached, production will be 3.195 bil. bu. 2010 consumption is estimated at 3.107 bil. bu.
• USDA may have overestimated grain supplies in the May report says KS Extension's Mike Woolverton: http://www.agmanager.info/marketing/outlook/newletters/default.asp
  1) The 41.4 bu. wheat yield may be too high, given adverse weather and late planting.
  2) Unplanted wheat acres will shift to soybeans or other alternative crops.
  3) Global crop estimates were cut 4%, but major producers have production problems.
  4) Don't count on good weather to rescue US crops a second year from late planting.
  5) An inverse in the bean market indicates price rationing is already occurring.
  6) Global bean stocks can't increase with the poor South American yields.
• With oil prices pushing towards $60, gas prices have caught up with ethanol prices, says Jim Hilker at Michigan State. "If oil prices continue up, I would expect gas prices to over take ethanol prices. Up to this point the higher gas prices haven't affected the ethanol price a lot, just like the ethanol prices quit dropping, due to the mandates and blender credits, at prices not way below where they are now. If oil prices continue up, it will help corn prices, if they stay where they are at, it will put a better support under corn prices."
• Soybeans have been in an up trend since the end of February, and recently they have caught up with corn. Or in Hilker's words, "returns per acre are a tossup for the average farm." He suspects soybean prices will now move more consistently with corn, if corn plantings are on target, if not, relative corn prices may pull back ahead. Hilker says, "Strongly consider pricing remaining old crop soybeans on this rally."
• Dec corn futures have a price risk premium, says IA Extension's Steven Johnson, due to the fact much of the Cornbelt is not planted, and that provides a pricing opportunity. He says based on the past 18 years, there is a 79% chance the May corn price will be higher than the October price for Dec corn futures. His newsletter details that logic at: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/polk/news/agmarketingstrategies.htm
• Consider new crop pricing, says Johnson if you have revenue crop insurance that guarantees a $4.04 corn price, the current price exceeds that level by 45¢. He says don't commit too many pre-harvest bushels, and use forward contracts or hedge-to-arrive. He says hedges or options can complement your cash contracts to manage your futures risk.
• Even with a US wheat crop that is 366 mil. bu. less than last year, USDA projects average prices to decline from the $6.85 this year to a range of $4.70 to $5.70 for the new crop. Darrel Good at Illinois says one of the reasons is the larger foreign wheat stocks.
• Failed wheat may earn a SURE disaster payment, but the temptation to plant an alternative crop may be a financial disaster. OK Extension's Rodney Jones says any replacement crop that jeopardizes a SURE payment, must not only make a profit itself, but cover the loss of the SURE payment, and that is not guaranteed. Read more: http://www.agmanager.info/crops/insurance/risk_mgt/rm_html09/OSU.asp
• Benchmark Farm Yield is the term FSA will be using to determine whether your farm will be eligible for an ACRE payment, should you decide to enroll. OH Extension's Mike Gastier says BFY may be the only effective way to prove yields in the Farm Bill. He adds, "It's in a producer's best interest to establish a strong Benchmark Farm Yield because the higher the Benchmark Farm Yield the more likely it is that the farm trigger is met and the higher the payment per acre will be should both triggers be met."
• How do you establish a Benchmark Farm Yield? Gastier says it is computed from your 2004-2008 yields, with the high and low years eliminated. Acceptable yield proof will include actual settlements or weight tickets through a commercial grain facility or crop insurance data including NAP or the APH database, but yield monitors will not be acceptable. If the data is not available, the default is 95% of the county average yield.
• Corn lesson #1. IL Extension's Emerson Nafziger says wet soils restrict the availability of oxygen to the corn seedlings that have germinated. He says the warmer the soil, the more oxygen that is needed because the growth rate is higher than with cooler soils.
• Corn lesson #2. Mid-May brings the threshold for yield loss of 1.5 bu. per day that corn is not planted. While some may want to "mud it in" the resulting soil compaction from working soil that is too wet can have a detrimental impact later in the summer if the weather turns hot and dry. Compacted soil will restrict moisture availability to the corn.
• Corn lesson #3. Nafziger says poor emergence could be the result of crusted soils:
  1) A healthy, but thickened coleoptile means a crust or clod physically interfered.
  2) A discolored and mushy seed indicates disease has set in and it will die.
  3) Insect larvae may have eaten parts of the seed or seedling, which stopped its growth.
  4) Reduced oxygen supply will allow roots to grow, but not the leaf shoot.
  5) A seedling that is growing slowly is subject to invasion by soil-borne diseases.
• Replanting is a decision some farmers will have to make, based on poor stands from the initial planting. IA State agronomists offer a guide to making that decision easier, comparing the potential yield from the first stand, versus the potential yield from any replanting, but they say actual losses could be greater or less. Find the chart at: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/CropNews/2009/0514elmoreabendroth.htm .
• Northern Cornbelt farmers who need to plant or replant, face critical decisions on dates, says MN Extension's Jeff Coulter. He says MN corn planted after mid-May faces a 9% yield loss at a minimum. And he says stick with original hybrid choices until the last week in May before switching to an earlier maturing hybrid. Review his charts and calculations at: http://www.extension.umn.edu/cropenews/2009/09MNCN08.html .
• Your corn is emerging in a weed field. Now what? IL Extension's Aaron Hager says:
  1) If you planted in wet soil and the seed furrow did not close, the corn seedlings can be exposed to a soil residual herbicide applied after planting, with severe injury resulting.
  2) If your corn is within a day or two of emerging, don't consider applying a pre-emergent herbicide that is not supposed to be applied to post emergent corn.
  3) Many, but not all, soil residual herbicide can be applied after corn emergence. However not all of them will control weeds that have emerged along with the corn.
  4) Consult his newsletter: http://ipm.illinois.edu/bulletin/article.php?id=1120
• Corn pests #1. Corn planted into pasture or CRP may attract wireworms which can remain in the larval stage for 6 years before becoming an adult beetle. They prefer cool soils, so earlier corn will be at a higher risk. With no rescue treatment for wireworms, the only preventative measure is the use of seed treatments, but they are becoming so commonly used, NE researchers detect that insect resistance is a possibility.
• Corn pests #2. White grubs prefer to feed on grasses, which includes corn. Annual grubs will not be a problem, but heavy damage can occur from three-year grubs in the last two years of their larval stage. Damage to corn will not show up until after they are done feeding. There is no rescue treatment, but some fields will require replanting.
• Corn pests #3. Cutworms will be at work within 7 days after emergence of corn, and may not be affected by any seed treatments or Bt traits. Cutworms will be heaviest in fields that had a high weed infestation prior to corn planting. Use a rescue treatment if 5% or more of the corn has been cut and worms are one inch or under. If soil is dry or crusted, rotary hoeing immediately before or after Lorsban (chlorpyrifos) application may enhance control. Any insecticides that are Pyrethroids should not be incorporated.
• Think ahead about weed control in soybeans with an insecticide strategy. NE Extension's Stevan Knezevic reports that weeds are more successful in soybeans that have suffered some insect defoliation because the canopy is reduced. He says, "Soybeans with 30%-60% insect damage have a shorter weed control window and potentially fewer weed control options. Early season bean leaf beetle feeding and defoliation can reduce yield two ways: directly, through soybean plant damage, and indirectly, by moving the critical period of weed control forward -- from 20 days after emergence to 10 days."
• As you plant soybeans, think about soybean rust, since it has been found on kudzu in FL, GA, AL & LA. So far it has not been found on soybeans, but this is the earliest it has been found in some locations. The problem this year is the delayed planting of beans will keep them at risk of rust for a longer period of the growing season. Rust has been showing up throughout the Cornbelt, but usually too late to do any serious damage. Keep track of soybean rust at: http://sbr.ipmpipe.org/cgi-bin/sbr/public.cgi .
• Most farmers who investigated organic production were concerned about their income in the required transition period. USDA will provide up to $20,000 per farm to ease the conversion process. Program sign-up is underway at local NRCS offices through 5/29. Producers may also qualify under the EQIP program, which has larger funding limits.
• Another cropping alternative is switchgrass production for biofuel, grazing, or wildlife/conservation. But how do you grow it? Drill or broadcast the seed, but do not cut or graze it during the establishment year, so its roots can develop. Weed management is an issue, and WI Extension has a factsheet on switchgrass cultivation along with a weed control guide. http://www.uwex.edu/ces/forage/pubs/switchgrass.pdf .
• The price went down and the weight went up on hogs while the "swine" flu was underway. MO Extension's Glenn Grimes says producers held hogs back from the market and they gained 3.4 pounds in late April and 5.9 pounds in early May, compared to prior years. He says the ailment cut about a half billion dollars out of the hog market.
• Expect more regulations on farming and food processing as the result of increasing globalization of agriculture. That is the forecast of IL Extension economist Bob Spitze who says our food supply now can originate from any field or processor on the planet, and carelessness at a peanut processor affected the whole world almost immediately. The Emeritus professor says those interconnections focus attention on quality and safety.
• Farmers who were unpaid after delivering corn to VeraSun Energy, can file a proof of claim, says IA State ag law specialist Roger McEowen. He says the deadline is May 25, or 30 days after a contract has been rejected. Follow his instructions, download the forms, and get the address at: http://www.calt.iastate.edu/verasunforms.html .

• Soybean prices have climbed about $3.50 in the cash market reaching fall 2008 levels, while Chinese purchases of US soybeans outpace those of last year. China has bought more than 600 mil. bu. of US beans, which IL Extension's Darrel Good says surpasses 2008 purchases by 189 mil. bu. Currently, China has purchased 60% of US bean exports. Read more: http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/marketing/weekly/html/050409.html .
• Soybean exports are outpacing the domestic use says Good. USDA had projected 1.21 bil. bu. in soybean exports this year, and the current total is near 1.05 bil. bu. Good says the pace of the crush remains slow, but with the brisk export business, soybean ending stocks could drop below the current estimate of 165 mil. bu. He says that is helping push old crop bean prices above $11 and new crop bean prices toward $10.
• On the other hand, the corn market is "anemic" in comparison to beans, says Good. Corn exports have been healthy, and only minimal amounts need to be sold for the balance of the year to reach USDA's 1.7 bil bu. projection. However, the slower use of corn for livestock feed and ethanol production may keep ending stocks near 1.7 bil. bu. Good says planting delays have not had a substantial impact on corn prices.
• If you are pricing grain, Good says use the spring revenue insurance guarantees as your base, which means new crop soybean prices have a $1 premium and new crop corn prices are offering a 25¢ premium over the crop insurance spring guarantees.
• Volatility in grain markets is expected by marketing specialist Chad Hart at Iowa State. He says weather conditions, biofuels policies, and the H1N1 flu outbreak will contribute to continued market volatility. Regarding biofuels, he says watch ethanol news:
  1) CA's new fuel standard is unfriendly to ethanol due to criticism of corn production.
  2) US EPA has proposed a new fuel standard with specific greenhouse gas limits.
  3) EPA has accepted input on the proposal to increase ethanol from 10% to 15% blend.
• When the lean hog contract caught the H1N1 flu, May contracts fell from over $70 on April 24 to $58 on May 1, and down to $55 when a human infected some Canadian hogs. IA Extension's Shane Ellis says the basis tightened from $6 to $1 in that time. He expects markets to recover, but the summer rally will be delayed for a few weeks.
• If you sign up for ACRE, FSA offices will require historical farm yield information. At this time, USDA has not released the rules on what documents are required, and what happens if you don't have them, says IL Extension economist Nick Paulson. Those rules may come soon, since the announced sign-up period for ACRE begins on June 1.
• Planting delays may shift your preference to soybeans says IL Extension's Emerson Nafziger. Using a $4 corn price and $11 soybean price, he says, "By May 10, gross income from corn is being lost at the rate of $4.93/A for each day of delay, while beans are losing only $1.80 (northern IL) and 16¢/A (southern IL) per day of delay. By May 30, corn is losing about $9.15 per day of planting delay while soybeans lose $4.78 and $3.92 in northern and southern IL, respectively. As expected, the loss in gross income as soybean planting is delayed stays well behind that of corn throughout May, and this difference widens in June." More: http://ipm.illinois.edu/bulletin/article.php?id=1118 .
• Nafziger says, "While planting delays mean faster loss of yield and gross income from corn compared to soybean, the date at which planting soybeans will be more profitable than planting corn depends on expected net incomes for the two crops."
• If looking for shorter season seed corn, OH Extension agronomists urge you to move slowly on that concept. "Don't worry about switching hybrid maturities unless planting is delayed to late May. If planting is possible before May 20, plant full season hybrids first to allow them to exploit the growing season more fully. Research in Ohio and other Cornbelt states generally indicates that earlier maturity hybrids lose less yield potential with late plantings than the later maturing, full season hybrids."
• If higher soybean seed costs have caused you to consider reducing your seeding rate, keep in mid that soybean plants compensate well to low stands by adjusting pod and seed number per plant and expanding their growth to make a canopy that suppresses weeds, says IL Extension's Vince Davis. http://ipm.illinois.edu/bulletin/article.php?id=1115
• Seed beans with many biotech traits will cost between 15¢ and 45¢ per 1,000 seeds for most farmers, says Davis. "Economically optimum seeding rates fluctuated by 26,000 seeds per acre in that seed price range. From this research trial, optimum rates in the range of 25¢ to 45¢ per 1,000 seeds would have been between 100,000 and 129,000 seeds per acre. This is much lower than current recommendations for 30-inch rows in Illinois, and a little lower than I would be comfortable recommending."
• If planting soybeans late, consider your equipment, says OSU agronomist Jim Beuerline. He says the later planting is accomplished, the greater the response to narrow rows and increased seeding rates. And he adds, "If you are tempted to use the corn planter to punch in a lot of acres fast, keep in mind that thirty-inch row beans planted May 10 will produce less yield than drilled beans planted two weeks later. The goal is to attain rapid canopy closure and maximize sunlight collection."
• With corn coming up (in some states), the accumulation of heat units, and the collection of black cutworm moths being recorded, Purdue entomologists are predicting black cutworm larvae will begin cutting seedlings on May 10, if corn is present where they hatch. They say cutworms can be managed effectively with scouting and insecticides.
• Young corn looks tasty to black cutworm larvae, so scouting should include looking for pinholes in corn seedlings. IL Extension's Jim Morrison says, "Cut, missing, or wilted corn plants are typical symptoms of black cutworm larvae damage. Feeding mainly at night, larvae will move up the row as they feed. On average, one larva may cut 3-4 plants in its lifetime." He says treat when 3-5% of the plants are cut and larvae are present.
• Iowa may have escaped a bean leaf beetle problem this year because of winter weather conditions, says entomologist Erin Hodgson. The predicted mortality is due to "an exceptionally harsh winter" and models indicated 99% of the bean leaf beetles bit the dust across the northern third of Iowa and 75% across the southern third of Iowa.
• Both bad and good bugs may be in your wheat, and it is your assignment to know the predators from the bad bugs. A good balance could prevent the cost of an insecticide treatment, which would kill both the friends and the foes. Check the economic thresholds before spraying. More: http://ipm.illinois.edu/bulletin/article.php?id=1110 .
• The bugs are not winning, but two noted Extension entomologists have departed from their university research positions to take similar positions in the corporate world. Marlin Edwards at Iowa State University shifted his focus earlier this year to Pioneer and now Kevin Steffey at the University of Illinois will be headed to Dow AgroSciences.
• Unplanted fields that are "wooly" with weeds will need pre-plant attention before seeding, and depending on your weed crop, different tactics may be necessary. IL Extension's Aaron Hager says tillage may not be sufficient to clear the field, if weeds ball up in a cultivator, or some weeds escape being cut off and re-grow. Consider:
  1) Glyphosate and other translocation herbicides need time to work before tillage.
  2) Don't till soon after spraying growth regulators or it will impact your seedlings.
  3) Contact herbicides may begin impacting weeds quicker than translocators.
  4) Burndown herbicides can be mixed with soil-residual herbicides, but any subsequent tillage may not provide the most desirable distribution of the chemical in the soil.
• If you do tank mix a burndown and residual herbicide, OH Extension's Mark Loux says, "Where weeds are large, the inclusion of residual herbicides (or application in 28%) can reduce the activity of glyphosate and the weed control. This can be compensated for somewhat by increasing the glyphosate rate." More: http://corn.osu.edu/#C .
• Planting corn without an herbicide application is possible according to Ohio State agronomists. Instead of delaying the required time after applying the herbicide, Mark Loux says forge ahead and plant. "Reconsider applying pre-emergence herbicides where it's unlikely to rain before the weeds emerge (you can check by digging down to see what the weeds are doing), and consider switching to an early post-emergence approach. The good news here is that most pre-emergence corn herbicides can be applied to emerged corn, and some of them have enough foliar activity to control small, emerged weeds without the need to include post-emergence herbicides." More: http://corn.osu.edu/#D
• Weeds of every specie are coming up in many Cornbelt fields where soils have been perfect for weeds, but unwelcoming for tillage, sprayers, and certainly planters. Purdue weed specialists suggest a two-fold approach to clearing fields that are quite weedy.
  1) Use glyphosate + 2,4-D or 2,4-D + paraquat + Sencor (beans) or atrazine (corn) if you desire more rapid desiccation of weed biomass. In the glyphosate-based program, use the 1.5 lb ae/A rate with 1 pt/A of 2,4-D. Most labels require you to wait 7 days before planting corn or soybean with this rate of 2,4-D.
  2) In the paraquat-based program, use the upper end of the rate range for more effective control of large weeds. But be prepared for re-growth if weather remains wet and cool.
• Control thistles in the first of their 2-year life cycle, which can be achieved with a herbicide application. Once the thistles sends up a spike in its second year, it will produce viable seeds, surviving your weed-killing spray. IL Extension's Robert Bellm says a combination of low ground mowing followed by an herbicide works best.
• If you applied nitrogen last fall, is it still there? IL Extension's Fabian Fernandez says it depends on the time of application, soil temperature, and whether the soil has been saturated, which would reduce bacterial activity. So there is no quick answer. But check his calculations to estimate your loss: http://ipm.illinois.edu/bulletin/article.php?id=1116
• If you need to apply more nitrogen, Fernandez says, "If the field is already planted, the best way to apply the additional N would be, 1) injected anhydrous ammonia or UAN solutions, 2) broadcast ammoniated products (ammonium nitrate or ammonium sulfate), 3) broadcast urea, 4) UAN solution dribbled between rows, and 5) broadcast UAN solution. If you have not planted your field yet, plant now and apply additional N later.
• But what about P & K? Crop requirements for P and K can often be met with starter applications placed in bands two inches to the side and two inches below the seed, say OH agronomists. "Application of P and K is only necessary with the starter if they are deficient in the soil, and the greatest probability of yield response from P and K starter is in a no-till situation." They say the longer planting is delayed the less benefit received from a P & K starter, because at later planting dates soil temperatures are higher (this is not necessarily true for no-till soils and that is why they are more likely to be responsive).
• Diesel prices will continue to be under 2008 prices through November 2009. KS State economist Kevin Dhuyvetter calculates that diesel prices will be about 54% less than they were last year for much of the summer, then the price difference narrows, because of falling prices late in 2008, not because of price increases he expects in 2009.
• Four stomachs and at least 22,000 genes. That is what makes a cow a cow, and now researchers have mapped the bovine genome. ""Having the genome sequence is now the window to understanding how (a cow works), how ruminants ended up with four stomachs instead of one, how the cow's immune system operates and how it is able to secrete large amounts of protein in its milk," says IL researcher Harris Lewin.
• It is not your 120' Deere planter, and it is not your great-grandfather's wooden single seed corn planter he pushed in the ground with his foot. But a new invention by Univ. of IL ag engineering students will allow farmers in Africa and other developing countries to plant corn with a device that jabs into the ground and deposits a seed where farming equipment is completely absent. The hand held corn planters have been tested and will be manufactured and distributed with funds from the Howard Buffet Foundation.

Early cutting has begun in some of the early planted corn and sweet corn in the county. Damage may be more widespread in a spring like 2009, where wet field conditions have allowed for weed growth to grow without tillage or spraying taking place. One tool available for predicting cutting date is at http://www.isws.illinois.edu/warm/pestdata/sqlchoose1.asp?plc= You can select black cutworm from the list of pests, click on a town, and enter an intense moth capture date to get an estimated date of first cutting. From data available, the first estimated date of black cutworm damage would be May 14. That's not to say lower numbers of moths came through prior to the intense capture time, which happened to be April 4 in Piatt County.

Early damage appears as pinhole feeding in leaves, and this occurs when larvae are not yet big enough to actually cut plants. The next stage is usually cutting leaf tips or upper portions of plants, but other types of cutworms will have similar damage and these other cutworms are mainly leaf feeders. Finally with black cutworms, cut plants will appear. Finding the cutworms is important so correct identification can be made. Descriptions can be found at this website http://ipm.illinois.edu/bulletin/pastpest/articles/200204c.html .

Watch fields, especially those with good egg-laying sites provided by early weed growth. Treatments are justified when 3-5% plant cutting is occurring. Listed products include most of the pyrethroids, and Lorsban.

• Like pork, grain markets have caught swine flu, says IL Extension's Darrel Good, who blames sharp declines in corn, bean, and wheat markets on false perceptions. He says, "The extent of reported cases of swine flu will be important in determining the depth of demand worries." http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/marketing/weekly/html/042709.html .
• In his weekly newsletter, Good cites other fundamentals influencing crop prices:
  1) The domestic soybean crush is 10% less than last year, right at USDA forecasts.
  2) Robust Chinese soybean purchases may push exports beyond USDA forecasts.
  3) Corn exports have surpassed 1 bil. bu., and USDA projections may be reachable.
  4) California fuel policies are changing, which would restrict ethanol consumption.
  5) Despite slow planting and more forecasts for rain, there is little market concern.
• Your marketing plan should accommodate another year of price volatility says Darrel Good. He says pricing the new crop "can still be anchored to the spring price guarantees of crop revenue insurance." And spikes above that level may trigger small sales.
• The market is anticipating a switch from corn to soybeans, says Mike Woolverton at Kansas St. He says low ending stocks, poor South American yields, and Chinese demand has pushed old crop futures above $10, but the new crops remains a dollar less. He says recent higher prices for corn and wheat has encouraged those to be planted if possible.
• If switching crops is in your plans IL Extension's Emerson Nafziger says the decision is complicated because of recent price moves of both corn and beans. He suggests reading his April 10 newsletter at http://ipm.illinois.edu/bulletin/article.php?id=1079 , and basing any decision to switch from corn to beans on costs and expected yields for a given date. If considering staying with corn, but switching to an earlier hybrid, Nafziger discourages that because most hybrids have a Growing Degree Day cushion and can be planted later.
• If you tend to mope about planting delayed by the weather, crop specialist Emerson Nafziger says just hope 2009 turns out like 2008. He says IL ag economists say April rains, even slightly above average, have a positive impact on yield. He says it is not the case for dry Aprils to have good yields and wet Aprils to have poor yields from delays. But Nafziger says, "A wet April that turns into a wet May could well be another story."
• Nafziger offers some quick guidance to consider if your planting is delayed by weather:
  1) Planting should take priority over operations like N application.
  2) Apply N, only if planting is not delayed, and soils are not compacted while doing that.
  3) Planting into warm soils means that crops emerge faster and more uniformly.
  4) Growing Degree Days are only average, so early planted crops have emerged slowly.
• Watch Monday's crop condition report from USDA for any improvement on the 2009 wheat crop. KS Extension's Mike Woolverton says 73% of TX wheat is poor to very poor, and only 11% good to excellent. In OK, 64% of the wheat is poor to very poor, 9% was good and 0% excellent. Central KS wheat has been hurt by freezing temperatures.
• No-till fields are pretty, but the last thing you want is a flower garden. Effective control depends on identification of the weeds you are cultivating, and these pictures can help.
  1) Pest Management Bulletin http://ipm.uiuc.edu/bulletin/pastpest/articles/200104h.html
  2) Early Spring Weeds http://weeds.cropsci.uiuc.edu/extension/Other/NCR614.pdf
• Weeds #1. Wet soils in the Cornbelt have hampered planting, but benefited weed growth. While priorities are on planting, IL Extension's Aaron Hager says, "Existing weed vegetation should be controlled before planting by utilizing tillage, herbicides, or a combination of tactics so the corn can become established under weed-free conditions."
• Weeds #2. Some winter annual weed species are beginning to flower, but others are setting seed. While applying herbicides to species already making seed may not appreciably reduce seed production, species in the early stages of flowering should be controlled soon to prevent seed production and addition to the soil seed bank.
• Weeds #3. If using 2,4-D for a burndown application, several ester formulations allow pre-plant applications without a specified interval, but others require 7 days. Some also indicate that tillage should not be performed for at least 7 days after application. Beware.
• Weeds #4. Cool temperatures can slow the activity of many herbicides, both contact and translocation varieties. Contact herbicides may not be affected as much by coolness. When the forecast calls for several nights of cool air, symptoms of herbicide activity on weeds may develop sooner with a contact herbicide than with a translocated herbicide.
• Rewind back to 2008 to address black cutworm issues. 2009 is a carbon copy with late planting, a heavy infestation, and timing that is perfect for the cutworms. IL Extension's Kevin Steffey says seed treatments such as Cruiser and Poncho and transgenic traits to control caterpillars will prevent black cutworm injury, but not if infestations are heavy. For late planting advice on insects, http://ipm.illinois.edu/bulletin/article.php?id=926 .
• Black cutworm moths arrive at your farm by chance. Purdue entomologists say the moths use their minute energy to fly straight up. "Once in the jetstream, they are often caught up in wind currents in southern regions of the United States and carried to the Midwest. They are then deposited back to ground level by spring storms. Predicting the location and intensity of a spring thunderstorm is difficult," (and infestations, as well.)
• The Purdue bug gurus say, "In predicting insect infestations, timing is everything. There are other variables to consider, but timing of when and how all these factors (migration, food availability, development temps) "collide" ultimately determines the infestation." They say Mother Nature usually wins out over preventative treatments.
• When should cutworm treatment be applied? Iowa State's Jon Tollefson says, "The economic threshold for black cutworms is: 1) When larvae average less than ¾ inch in length, an insecticide should be considered if 2-3% of the plants are wilted or cut; 2) If cutworms are longer, treatment should be applied if 5% of the plants are cut, and 3) If the field has a poor plant population, (20,000 or less) these thresholds should be lowered."
• Do you apply insecticide for cutworms, while applying herbicide? IA Extension's Jon Tollefson says no, "If you are planting 1,000 acres of corn and, based on past experience, it is probable that you will have 10% infested with cutworms. If you purchase insecticide at $4 per acre and treat all of the fields, the cost would be $4000. If you scouted the fields and treated the 10% infested, assuming there is a treatment cost for the insecticide and its application of $12 per acre, the cost to you would be only $1200."
• Should seed beans be inoculated? IA Agronomist Palle Pederson says not unless:
  1) The field has not been seeded with beans in the last 3-5 years, the soil pH is below 6.0, there is low organic matter in the soil, or the field has been flooded for more than a week.
  2) The field was flooded for an extended period in 2008 and soybeans were injured or died. A field with such anaerobic conditions last year may have reduced soil bacteria.
• Avoid continuous soybeans, but IA Extension's Palle Pederson says it is OK to plant them in 2 successive years, if just returning to a normal crop rotation. But ask yourself:
  1) What would a soil test say about the K level, since beans remove more than corn?
  2) Were there any soybean diseases in 2008 that would require resistant seed in 2009?
• Corkscrew corn seedlings indicate an emergence problem. While it usually ends in death of the seedling, Purdue's Bob Nielsen says it is a rare occurrence, but can be attributed to dense soil, and even from compaction during planting. Read more: http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/news/timeless/Corkscrews.html
• Crusted soils after a heavy rain can be an impediment to corn and bean seedlings trying to emerge. Iowa State soil specialists recommend judicious use of a rotary hoe:
  1) Soil surface moisture should allow the soil to crumple in your hand with moisture left.
  2) Hoe at speeds 8 to 10 miles per hour unless safety is a concern.
  3) Ensure both cotyledons of the soybean seedling are not being broken off by the hoe.
  4) A 1-2% stand loss in corn is acceptable, since a crusted soil would have been worse.
  5) If the loss rises to 3-5%, then slow the tractor speed to become less aggressive.
• Although the public wants protection from hogs they believe created swine flu, pork producers should take precautions to protect their stock from flu spread by the public. MO Extension veterinarian Beth Young provided suggestions for on-farm protection:
  1) Use NPPC standards to reduce transmission of virus between pigs and people.
  2) Ensure ventilation systems in hog barns are in good working order or upgrade them.
  3) Seal facilities to prevent any type of birds from entering which can introduce a virus.
  4) Store feed in closed containers to prevent contamination from any bird feces.
  5) Vaccinate pigs for swine influenza to reduce animal and human exposure.
  6) Vaccinate swine farm workers and their families to protect them and your herd.
  7) Provide workers with clothing and boots worn only while working around animals.