I am cutting straight to the facts today. We have a couple big reports coming up, and I wanted to throw my hat in the ring and call a few shots to help you get in the game and better your operation....More
Fred Below, professor of crop physiology, University of Illinois, and A.J. Woodyard, technical crop production specialist, BASF, shared their latest data about how farmers can nearly double their soybean yields with a comprehensive pest-management plan during an educational session, “Six Secrets of Soybeans Revealed,” at Commodity Classic....More
As with most farm business decisions, very few escape without some type of tradeoff, be it labor, time or money. Our cover story may challenge your beliefs if you're sold on 30-in. row soybeans, because you lose yield (range from 2.9 to 4.5 bu./acre) compared to 15-in. – according to a three-year, six-state university trial....More
While the drought ravaged many Midwestern corn fields in 2012, soybeans in many of those same areas broke yield records. Field averages of 70, 80 and 90 bu. with spikes well above that were reported throughout the upper Midwest. Extension crop specialists contacted by Corn & Soybean Digest credit the ever-resilient soybean's response to late-season rains. And to the role the hot dry weather played in reducing insect and disease pressure....More
Soybean prices reached record-high levels in late August and early September 2012. Those high prices were generated by a combination of a drought-reduced harvest in South America earlier in the year, drought conditions in much of the United States production region and ongoing strong Chinese demand for soybeans. Prices declined by about $2/bu. in September and October as the U.S. crop turned out to be larger than expected, according to University of Illinois agricultural economist Darrel Good....More
On Feb. 8, USDA released the latest World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) Report, which showed slight increase in the expected U.S. corn ending stocks for 2012-2013, compared to the January estimates. The projected 2012-2013 corn ending stocks are now estimated at 632 million bushels, as compared to 602 million bushels in the January report. By comparison, corn ending stocks at the end of 2011-2012 marketing year were 932 million bushels, and were just over 1.1 billion bushels at the end of the 2010-2011 crop year....More
On Feb. 8, the USDA released new projections for marketing year consumption of U.S. corn and soybeans. Prices will now be at least partially influenced by how closely the rate of consumption tracks these projections....More
The South American soybean crop is still looking big. But drier-than-expected weather has some fearing Argentina’s production could be slowed, a sign that is helping bolster an “awfully strong soybeans market” for U.S. growers, says Dan O’Brien, Kansas State University grain marketing economist....More
Total variable input costs for the 2013 corn and soybean crops are likely to stay about the same as last year, says Alan Miller, a Purdue Extension farm business management specialist. Variable input costs are the costs of production that vary directly with the crop grown, but don't include fixed costs, such as cash rent. While some individual input prices are expected to increase, some will decrease and others will stay about the same. Fluctuations will serve to cancel out one another and to help keep overall variable costs fairly stable compared to last season....More
Wade Kent is a researcher who put his money where his data is. When his research showed that narrow-row soybeans with normal inputs consistently produced the same results as 30-in. rows with the full dose of high-end inputs, he bought a narrow-row planter. “A narrow-row planter will give me a full canopy early and help maximize soybean yields.”...More
DuPont Pioneer recently announced the new T Series soybeans. During the announcement, they talked about refining the soybean breeding process using their Accelerated Yield Technology (AYT) system. While it "doesn't shorten the breeding process, it makes what is put into the system much better," says Jessie Alt, DuPont Pioneer soybean breeder and research scientist. Alt talks here about the breeding process, how AYT helps, molecular markers, the soybean genome and the Pioneer IMPACT program....More
Soybean seed size is influenced by both genetics and the environment. Genetic effects on seed size are largely predictable but weather conditions and their effects on seed size are not. Given the atypical growing season in 2012, it is important to understand the impact on soybean seed size and shape....More
A new series of Pioneer brand soybean products, developed through the innovative DuPont Pioneer Accelerated Yield Technology (AYT) process, will bring soybean growers across North America a broad range of high yielding varieties. The new line of soybean products – named the T Series (pdf) – includes 39 new products and will be introduced in this year....More
A new iPad/Android tablet app offers a comprehensive approach to corn and soybean crop scouting, management and recordkeeping. So says Michael Koenig, who co-founded ScoutPro with Stuart McCulloh and Holden Nyhus through Iowa State University’s (ISU) Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative. Tap into university Extension photo references like ISU’s Weed Identification Field Guide to identify weeds, insects and diseases in the field....More
The National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) monthly crush report released on Monday morning confirmed domestic soybean demand remained strong during December, supporting USDA’s decision to raise its 2012-2013 U.S. crush forecast by 2.2% in Friday’s monthly supply/demand update....More
As expected, the USDA Crop Production Report released on Jan. 11 indicates that the total U.S. corn crop in 2012 will decline significantly, and the 2012 soybean production will drop slightly, as compared to production levels in 2011. The final average yields per acre for corn and soybeans in 2012 are also expected be lower than the 2011 yields; however both corn and soybean yields for 2012 were increased from the previous report. Following are some highlights of the latest USDA Crop Production report, as well as the latest supply and demand (WADSE) reports....More
Corn for grain production is estimated at 10.8 billion bushels, up 1% from the Nov. 1 forecast but 13% below 2011. The average yield in the United States is estimated at 123.4 bu./acre. Soybean production in 2012 totaled 3.01 billion bushels, up 1% from the Nov. 1 forecast but down 3% from 2011. United States production is the seventh largest on record. The average yield per acre is estimated at 39.6 bu....More
A self-pollinating crop like soybeans shouldn’t have a need for bees. But recent research into the little-understood relationships between the two indicates there could be big bean yield benefits from bees. Creating more bee-friendly habitats could prove to be a worthwhile goal for soybean growers....More
A fresh look at preplant soybean management strategies may offer more yield potential. The top two student teams in last year's Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) yield challenge harvested a few more bushels by stressing root health and amending the soil....More
Farmers can take steps to reduce the impact of drought, should we face another shortage of rainfall in 2013, says Rob Myers, a University of Missouri (MU) plant scientist. Strategies to mitigate drought include diversifying crops and varieties, he says....More
Water, either too much or too little, may be the single most important factor in determining crop yields when other production factors such as genetics, seeding rate, planting date, fertility, weed, insect and disease control, etc. are held constant. For example, 200-bu. corn will need about 22 in. of plant available water....More
This is the second of a two-part article highlighting what happened agriculturally in 2012. This article will focus on a review of 2012 input costs and grain prices....More
For years, we’ve heard that U.S. soybean growers risk losing market share due to low bean protein and oil content. But now, a hungry world changes market dynamics. “Things changed forever in 2006,” says Charles Hurburgh, director of the Iowa Grain Quality Initiative and Iowa State University ag engineer, describing price leaps that place overseas buyers’ focus on security of supply above bean protein levels....More
As we reach the end of the year, it is a good time to reflect on what happened agriculturally in the region and across the United States in 2012. This will be a two-part article, with a review of 2012 crop production and weather conditions this week, and a review of livestock production, input costs and grain prices next week.
Crop Production...More
For most growers, $16/bu. soybeans have made seed treatment use a no-brainer. These coatings are early-season crop insurance, protecting seeds and improving emergence. But even before soybean prices hit recent highs, more farmers have recognized the value....More
