Corn exports are the largest in a decade says IA Extension's Bob Wisner, which is 42% more than last year, and already 35% of USDA projections have been shipped. He said the rate cannot be sustained because of inadequate transportation capacity. Part of the reason is that global wheat prices are so high, livestock feeders are switching to corn.
Domestic feed use of corn was 660 mil. bu. less than expected in the last USDA quarterly Stocks Report, says Iowa State's Wisner, who says the number may be later revised. He says the issue at the center of the debate is how much distiller's dried grain was fed, versus corn, which has been impacting estimates for several years. But, he adds: 1) Corn could have been replaced in feedlots with some low quality wheat. 2) Southern corn was harvested early, and could have been fed by late summer.
CBOT ethanol futures are thinly traded, but indicate declining prices of ethanol in the wake of high prices for corn. That was the problem earlier this week when VeraSun said it was halting construction on a new ethanol plant in IN. But Extension's Wisner says, "With more capacity scheduled to come on stream in the next several months, ethanol margins may deteriorate further." He says limited blending and transportation capacity has reduced prices. http://www.econ.iastate.edu/outreach/agriculture/periodicals/ifo/ .
How do you calculate the cost of storage to determine your breakeven price for either corn or beans? Iowa State has a worksheet with 34 factors, and you don't need a calculator. Find it at: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/crops/xls/a2-33.xls .
Wet corn can be costly to dry, but there are a variety of ways to manage stored corn to avoid spoilage, says NE Extension's Tom Dorn. Heated air has the potential to pick up more moisture per unit volume passing through the grain than natural air. "A rough rule of thumb is the relative humidity drops by one-half for each 20°F rise in temperature." Consult his extensive grain drying fact sheet at: http://cropwatch.unl.edu/ .
Tinderbox conditions in parts of the Cornbelt have spawned more field fires than average. Rural volunteer fire departments have been busy, but many combines, trucks and crops are lost when a blaze breaks out from an exhaust pipe insulated with a blanket of crop dust. Carry your fire emergency numbers in your combine cab. Also: 1) Keep disc or field cultivator attached to a tractor to create an emergency fire break. 2) Keep multiple fire extinguishers on your combine to put out small fires. 3) Keep fire extinguishers and shovels in truck and tractor cabs, with fire numbers.
Shatter loss is highest in beans under 13% moisture, but there are some measures that can be taken to reduce field loss. Adjust the reel to run about 25% faster than ground speed. For a 42-inch diameter reel, this is about 10 to 11 RPM per mile per hour of ground speed (i.e. 30 rpm for 3 mph). Harvesting in dew, light rain, or high humidity will reduce shattering. Four beans per square foot behind the combine is one bu./A.
With a quick harvest, some fall tillage has been completed in some parts of the Cornbelt and nitrogen application is being contemplated. "Stop!" says Extension's Fabian Fernandez, until soil temperature at the 4 inch level remains below the recommended 50 degrees. Use a nitrification inhibitor if nitrogen has to be applied between 50 and 60 degrees. For more information: http://www.ipm.uiuc.edu/bulletin/article.php?id=859 .
Corn Stover #1. Ohio State research says, "Removing up to 50% of corn residue decreased yields in sloping lands by an average of 1,740 pounds per acre or about 31 bu. per acre. The DOE-funded study suggests that the presence of residue helps to regulate soil temperature and store more water for plant use, resulting in higher crop yields.
Corn Stover #2. IL research says stover removal directly impacts the corn-nutrient requirements that need to be included in fertilization plans for the following crop. To calculate an estimated stover value, multiply the amount of nutrients removed in stover by the current price of each corresponding nutrient. At plant maturity, corn stover on average contains 7 pounds of P2O5 per ton and 30 pounds of K2O per ton. The stover yield per acre generally equals the amount of corn grain produced, pound for pound.
A winter La Nina should bring needed moisture to the eastern Cornbelt says Purdue climatologist Ken Scheeringa, but the fall will remain warm and dry. His colleague Dev Niyogi says every El Nino and La Nina is different in terms of impact and how it spans out, and there is no way of predicting when La Nina is going to be really active.
Before you plant soybeans next spring, test the soil this fall for SCN. Statistics show that more than 80% of farmers who don't think they have a problem, have a serious SCN problem. Obtain 15-20 soil samples at the 6 to 8 inch depth scattered over a field. Combine and mix the samples and label. Consult your Extension office for locations to obtain an analysis. More info: http://www.planthealth.info/scn_scout_midseason.htm .
With high wheat prices, many farmers will be experimenting with a variety of crop rotations. WI Extension agronomists say there are some definite do's and don'ts when it comes to wheat. http://ipcm.wisc.edu/WCMNews/tabid/53/EntryID/383/Default.aspx . 1) Wheat grain yields were greatest when following soybean crops. 2) Third, fourth, and fifth year wheat yields were lower than other rotations. 3) Growers should plant wheat after soybean first, then corn, and lastly wheat. 4) The risk of head scab will be greater when wheat follows corn or wheat.
Farmers, who are a bit rusty on continuous wheat production, should remember to plant a seed variety that has a strong disease package and avoid bin-run seed. Consider using a fungicide treatment, but it is not a cure-all. If planting into no-till wheat, ensure the seedbed is free of living volunteer wheat, which could carry barley yellow dwarf virus, and use a herbicide that will burndown the food supply for aphids spreading BYD.
If you are planning corn rootworm management for 2008, IL entomologist Kevin Steffey says some farmers, but not everyone, may see benefit from using both a Bt hybrid with an insecticide. That tactic has worked in some locations, but has not proven true in others. Review his results at: http://www.ipm.uiuc.edu/bulletin/article.php?id=838 .
Western bean cutworms are being blamed for an increasing amount of damage in corn fields, but farmers should be careful in diagnosing damage before being assured of the culprit to blame. The Western bean cutworm moth can easily be confused with the moth of the yellow striped armyworm, and the larvae can be confused with corn earworms.
Sudden Death Syndrome has hit Iowa harder than usual this year and plant pathologists are uncertain why. Iowa State's Allison Roberts says symptoms of the disease showed up in fields later than in 2006, when they showed up in mid July. While environmental conditions are a key factor in determining the disease, exact conditions are unknown.
Pork Supply. The last Hogs and Pigs report was the largest Sept. estimate in 34 years says Iowa State's Shane Ellis, who says the circovirus vaccine has reduced mortality and there are more pigs per litter. He says fall slaughter capacity has been a past concern, but with a 2.2 mil. weekly capacity, he believes it may not be as tight as once feared.
Pork Demand. Stability comes from the high price of competing meats says Ellis. "August broiler retail prices were up 9% from a year ago, beef was up 6%, and pork was only 3% higher. Competition from poultry is likely to continue to grow in the coming months as egg sets and chick placements remain consistently higher than a year ago."
What did the Mad Cow cost cowboys? NE economists said the 2003 case of BSE led countries to ban US beef exports that cost $623 million in export sales, but gained $935 million in domestic beef value when the border was closed to Canadian imports.
Congratulations go to the University of Illinois and Iowa State to placing #1 & #2 in the rankings for having the best agriculture engineering programs as rated by U.S. News and World Report. IL retained its top spot for the second year. Purdue tied for 4th place.
Mark your calendar for a Dec. 13 conference in Bloomington, IL to update your information technology skills that apply to your farm. Extension's Dennis Bowman says, "With cell phones, PDAs, and auto-steering devices on harvesting and planting machinery, farmers can multi-task and be in constant contact with marketing information, making decisions literally in the field." Pre-register at: http://www.mcleanextension.org .
The Extension Update on Central Illinois Agriculture is e-mailed on Friday to selected subscribers and is also on the Internet (at www.extension.uiuc.edu/macon/agupdate/ or www.farmgate.uiuc.edu .) It is created weekly by former Extension Specialist Stu Ellis, who remains reachable at: shellis@uiuc.edu .
