crop yields
EU corn and wheat crops falter in hot, dry weather
One of the world's agricultural giants, the European Union, is seeing its wheat and corn crops dwindle due to hot and dry weather that is lowering yields. In its World Agricultural Production report, the USDA lowered its forecast of the EU wheat crop by 2 percent and the corn crop by 3.5 percent from estimates made in early June.
Drought disrupts wheat crop in Pacific Northwest
Long-running drought has "shrunk the kernels and disrupted the proteins of winter wheat crops" in the Pacific Northwest, which grows one-fifth of the U.S. crop, says the Seattle Times.
Crop scouting and data-gathering will be ag drones’ domain
Drone aircraft are a natural fit for data-hungry precision agriculture, helping growers fine-tune their operations and maximize income, says private consulting group Informa, which estimates the gains at $12 an acre for corn, $2.60 for soybeans and $2.25 for wheat.
Dry weather cuts grain crops 21 percent in southern Africa
An extended dry spell will slash the corn harvest in southern Africa by 26 percent from last year's bumper harvest, according to a quarterly FAO report. Corn is the major grain in the region, accounting for 80 percent of cereal production.
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.
Colombia recovers from coffee rust fungus, others struggle
Colombia, the third-largest coffee grower in the world, will harvest 13 million bags of Arabica beans in the coming season, its largest crop in two decades.
Bad weather may prevent planting of 1 million soybean acres
Growers may be prevented by bad weather from planting 1.1 million acres of their intended record 84.6 million acres of soybeans, says economist John Newton of U-Illinois.
White House offers producers more cushion against drought
The White House announced changes in the federally subsidized crop-insurance program to cushion farmers against the ongoing drought in the West or other natural disasters. The changes broaden the number of crops and the area covered by the Actual Production History yield exemption and are estimated to generate $30 million in additional relief to farmers in the fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1, and $43 million in the following fiscal year.
Polls point to largest soy plantings ever; record crop possible
For the second year in a row, farmers will plant a record amount of land to soybeans, according to polls of analysts ahead of the annual Prospective Plantings report due on Tuesday. The USDA report is based on a survey of 80,000 operators and the first broad-scale sample of farmers' crop plans for the year. Polls by Reuters and Bloomberg show analysts expect soybean plantings of 85.9 million acres, up 2.6 percent from last year's record 83.7 million acres.
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.
Working for high-yielding wheat as world gets hotter
Wheat scientists say new, higher-yielding varieties are needed to meet rising world demand for food and to offset the impact of climate change. The food grain provides 20 percent of the calories and protein consumed worldwide.
Researchers work on rice that grows at high temperatures
Researchers at the Philippine Rice Research Institute have identified 25 new breeding lines of rice that tolerate higher temperatures than are considered ideal for current varieties.
Drought cuts South Africa corn crop by a quarter from 2014
Drought will limit South Africa's corn crop to 11.5 million tonnes, nearly one-quarter less than last year's harvest, the USDA says in its monthly WASDE report. "February dryness and periodic heat, particularly in the western and central growing regions," disrupted pollination and slashed the likely yield, according to the report. South Africa is an important regional supplier and often acts as an indicator of prospects in the southern part of the continent.
Soybean inventory to balloon, corn stocks to contract a bit
The second mammoth soybean crop in two years will swell U.S. supply to its largest size in nine years, says the Agriculture Department in updated projections for this year's crops. The soybean stockpile, forecast for 385 million bushels when this year's crop is mature, is expected to grow by 12 percent, to 430 million bushels, by Sept. 1, 2016, despite record soybean exports, says the USDA. On the final day of its annual Outlook Forum, it projected...
USDA projects third mammoth corn crop in a row
U.S. farmers will grow their second-largest soybean crop ever this year, and the third-largest corn crop, according to the USDA's revised projections of spring planting. In the opening day of its Outlook Forum, the department projected corn plantings of 89 million acres and soybeans at 83.5 million acres. That's 1 million more acres of corn than was projected in December and 500,000 fewer acres of soybeans. It would put soybean plantings just below the record 83.7 million acres of 2014.
Near-record soybean harvest may follow last year’s top crop
U.S. soybean farmers could reap a near-record 3.81 billion bushels of soybeans this year, adding to an ample stockpile and pulling down prices, says economist Darrel Good of U-Illnois.
New US corn crop – down 1 billion bushels from this year
U.S. corn production could shrink by nearly 1.2 billion bushels, or 8 percent, in 2015 with a return to normal yields and a 2 percent reduction in plantings, says economist Dan O'Brien of Kansas State U. Corn yields were record high this year, as was production...
US corn crop down 7 percent this year, KSU estimates
After back-to-back record crops, U.S. corn production will drop to 13.2 billion bushels this year, says an estimate by Kansas State University. That would be down 7 percent from, and 1 billion bushels smaller than, the 2014 crop but still the third-largest on record. KSU forecasts corn plantings will shrink by 2 percent and yields by 5 percent. The corn yield was a record 171 bushels an acre in 2014. Low commodity prices make soybeans more attractive to plant this year.
Higher ag productivity may be cheapest way to reduce carbon emissions
The least expensive way to attack greenhouse gas emissions on the farm may be larger investment in agricultural research and development, said University of California professor Aaron Smith in a blog on Tuesday. He cited a 2010 study that estimated agricultural R&D reduced carbon emissions through higher productivity at a cost of $15 per ton, "a much lower cost" than some commonly suggested practices, such as cover crops and conservation tillage.