corn
Wet spring expected to trim size of corn and soybean harvest
The rainy spring that snarled soybean planting and flooded corn fields will trim slightly the size of this year's corn and soybean crops, according to traders who were polled ahead of projections to be released by the USDA today.
U.S. farmers increasingly specialize in corn and soybeans
Corn and soybeans are the two most widely grown crops in the nation, forecast at 174 million acres this year, or slightly more than half of the land devoted to the two dozen "principal" crops of the United States.
Economist predicts break-even farm revenue for years to come
After the fall-off from record-high corn, soybean and wheat prices in 2012, Purdue economist Mike Boehlje says growers can expect to "bounce along close to break-even for five to 10 years," reports DTN.
Quad County Corn produces Iowa’s first cellulosic ethanol
Quad County Corn Processors in northwestern Iowa beat two larger rivals to produce the first cellulosic ethanol from a commercial-size plant in Iowa, the No 1 corn-growing and ethanol-making state, says the Des Moines Register. The farmer-owned plant at Galva produced its first gallon on Monday and plans to quickly ramp up to 2 million gallons a year.
Corn and soybeans may yield negative returns this year
Corn and soybean growers may see negative returns on their crops for the first time since 2000, estimates economist Gary Schnitkey of U-Illinois. At farmdoc daily, Schnitkey computes likely crop revenue and production costs for a typical farm in central Illinois with higher-yielding land. "Farmer returns have come down from high levels in 2012 to lower levels in 2013, to (projected) negative levels in 2014," he says.
Heading for lowest corn and soy prices in five years
Harvest time is months away but one result is clear - the lowest corn and soybean prices in five years - if crops are as large as USDA's planting data indicate. Analysts such as economist Darrel Good of U-Illinois say the average price for this year's corn crop could be "near $4" a bushel and soybeans "perhaps $10.50" for the 2014/15 marketing year. AgriMoney says the average cost of production in Iowa is $4.29 for corn and $11.13 for soybeans according to Iowa State University figures.
Soy crop to set record, corn to fall short, says KSU
U.S. soybean growers will harvest a record 3.6 billion bushels of the oilseed this fall but the corn crop, at 13.3 billion bushels, will run 4 percent short of a record, estimated economist Dan O'Brien of Kansas State University. O'Brien also forecast 2014/15 end stocks of 1.3 billion bushels of corn, largest since 2009/10, and 417 million bushels of soybeans, largest since 2006/07.
More belt-tightening by farmers is on the horizon
Corn and soybean growers will need to trim their cash flow again in 2016 if commodity prices repeat this year's comparatively low levels, says economist Gary Schnitkey of U-Illinois.
Amid tight supplies, a mammoth soybean crop on the horizon
Three years of ever-tighter U.S. soybean supplies will end this fall in a record harvest if USDA estimates prove true. Its Acreage report, based on a survey of 71,000 operators, estimated soybean plantings at a record 84.8 million acres, or 8 percent above the mark set in 2009, which is also the record year for soybean production at 3.359 billion bushels. Plantings would be 4 percent larger than farmers planned in March.
Corn ethanol setback “is not expected” with EPA proposal
"The demand for corn for ethanol production appears to be on solid footing for the next 18 months," says economist Darrel Good of U-Illinois. "While growth may be limited, a setback is not expected."
Smaller corn, soy supplies but big harvests on horizon
Stockpiles of U.S. corn and soybeans are smaller than expected, giving a boost to futures prices in the near term, although massive harvests of the two most widely planted crops in the nation are on the horizon.
FBI invoked national-security laws in GE seed theft
The government used national-security laws, commonly employed against spies and terror plots, to nip the theft of genetically engineered hybrid seed from Iowa cornfields, says the Des Moines Register.
In sweetener duel, corn refiners challenge sugar subsidies
The Corn Refiners Association, a trade group whose members make sweeteners, ethanol and starch, "just hired 10 outside lobbyists for an aggressive, unorthodox attack on the federal sugar program just a year after a new farm bill was signed into law," says the Washington Post.
World corn harvest to contract by 5 percent this year
In its first forecast of this year's crops, the International Grains Council sees "a sharp fall" in the global corn crop, to 941 million tonnes, down 49 million tonnes from last season.
Senate bill obliges USDA to keep grain flowing for export
The Senate Agriculture Committee approved by voice vote a bill that obliges the USDA to minimize any disruption in federal inspection of grain for export, a vital step before U.S. grain can be loaded on cargo vessels. The legislation is a response to last summer's labor dispute that led to a month-long lapse in inspection at Vancouver, Washington. The House Agriculture Committee included similar language a month ago in its bill to reauthorize the Grain Standards Act.
On-farm grain storage declines as share of U.S. total
More than a decade ago, farmers began building more grain bins for on-farm storage, says economist David Widmar. On-farm storage gives growers more flexibility in terms of when to sell their grain.
In key report, USDA projects big corn, soy crops
The government will make its first estimate of the winter wheat crop and project the corn and soybean harvests in a pair of reports on Tuesday that traditionally rank among the most important of the year. They mark the moment when the USDA turns its attention to the new crops and when the key question for 2014's crops becomes the size of the stockpile when the marketing year ends.
KSU sees higher prices for 2015 crops than USDA
U.S. corn, wheat and soybean growers will sell their 2015 crops for a higher average price than USDA projected a month ago, says ag economist Dan O'Brien of Kansas State University.
Corn earworm develop Bt resistance via unexpected genetic path
The corn earworm is a widespread crop pest, particularly in the U.S. South, and adept at quickly developing resistance to genetically engineered crops. Over time, researchers looking at lab-selected strains of earworm have identified 20 genes that harbor mutations conferring resistance to pest-killing proteins in so-called Bt crops, which have been genetically engineered to produce bacteria that repel the earworm.