soybeans
Farmer confidence lowest in a year due to trade turmoil
Farmers are increasingly dour about the outlook for U.S. farm exports, with 27 percent expecting lower soybean prices in the year ahead — nearly double the figure from a month earlier, said a Purdue University poll of 400 producers.
Corn planting lags in cold, wet spring
Trump orders plan to protect U.S. agriculture from China retaliation
At the same time he threatened an additional $100 billion in tariffs on China, President Trump said on Thursday that the government will use its broad powers to protect U.S. farmers and agricultural interests from “China’s unfair retaliation.”
Six farmers get a pass from Arkansas dicamba restrictions
An Arkansas judge ruled that a State Plant Board regulation that bars use of the weedkiller dicamba on cotton and soybeans from April 16-Oct. 31 does not apply to six farmers, said DTN/Progressive Farmer. The growers sued the board last year over the ban and wound up in a legal limbo due to a state Supreme Court ruling that state agencies are protected from lawsuits under the doctrine of sovereign immunity.
In a surprise, farmers to cut corn and soy plantings by 2 percent
U.S. farmers intend to sow 3 million fewer acres of corn and soybeans this year than in 2017, said the USDA. The surprising development could draw down overly abundant U.S. stockpiles and bolster weak commodity prices.
Brazil set for record soybean crop, exports
A Brazilian analyst said the country will see record-setting soybean exports this year as the result of a drought-afflicted crop in Argentina and trade tensions between the United States and China, reported Reuters.
China targets U.S. pork and apples, but not soybeans so far
Three years after gaining full access to Chinese consumers, U.S. apple growers may be hit with a 15 percent tariff in a rapidly growing market. Beijing listed agricultural products, including fresh fruit, pork and wine, as potential targets for retaliation because of Trump administration tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, putting U.S. producers on edge about the possible loss of valuable markets.
Think tank forecasts sluggish farm income, continued stress
U.S. farm income has been in a rut since the collapse of the commodity boom in 2013, and it is likely to grow only slowly after a bump upward in 2019, estimated a University of Missouri think tank.
Drought wallops Argentina’s soybean crop
Prolonged drought will limit Argentina’s soybean crop to 47 million tonnes this year, about 10 million tonnes less than usual, estimated the USDA in its monthly WASDE report.
Drought in Argentina may take a toll on world grain supplies
Argentina is headed for its worst drought in three decades, and a downturn in crop production will likely slow the economic recovery in a country where corn and soybeans account for 36 percent of all exports, said Bloomberg.
Corn vs. soybean race for U.S. dominance could be a squeaker
The contest between corn, the longtime leader, and soybeans to be the most widely planted U.S. crop may be closer than initially thought, said USDA chief economist Robert Johansson, speaking at the agency’s annual Ag Outlook Forum.
Commodity price slump is ending, says USDA; gradual increases ahead
When U.S. farmers bring their crops to market this year, they will see “the beginning of gradual price increases that are expected to continue through the decade,” ending the slump that began in 2013, said USDA projections. Prices for most crops, however, will remain below their 10-year average.
A ‘David vs. Goliath battle’ over a weedkiller
The Arkansas State Plant Board, responding to nearly 1,000 complaints of crop damage due to dicamba, voted in January to bar use of the herbicide on cotton and soybeans during the 2018 growing season. Now Monsanto, dicamba’s maker, has “sued the board and each individual member,” reports NPR.
China studies impact of sanctioning U.S. soybeans
Days after China began an anti-dumping investigation of imported U.S. sorghum, its Ministry of Commerce met with domestic companies to discuss possible anti-dumping and anti-subsidy reviews of U.S. soybeans, reported Bloomberg.
Brazil elbowing out U.S. in soybean sales to China
The United States is the world’s largest soybean producer and Brazil is the largest exporter, a long-term trend that is putting U.S. farmers at a disadvantage in sales to China, which buys 60 percent of the soybeans on the world market.
Amid dicamba fallout, Monsanto faces soybean challengers
Monsanto’s dominance of the market for genetically modified soybeans may soon be threatened, as competitors BASF and DowDuPont prepare to bring their versions of the seed to market.
Cold snap put U.S. grain shipments in the ice box
The cold spell that hit the country in the early days of January has slowed barge traffic on rivers in the Midwest, says Harvest Public Media. In the first two weeks of the month, barges moved about 60 percent less grain than in the same period in 2017 due to heavy ice buildups, according to USDA.
Arkansas council set for Friday vote on dicamba ban
A legislative subcommittee supported the Arkansas State Plant Board’s plan to ban use of the weedkiller dicamba from April 16 to Oct. 31 this year. The bicameral Legislative Council is scheduled to take a final vote on the proposal on Friday, said the Associated Press.