The organization has worked with U.S. soybean farmers to meet demand for U.S. soy in Japan.

“Japan has grown to be one of our most valued customers,” said Vanessa Kummer, USB chair. “Because customers in Japan serve as one of our largest markets abroad, soy ranks as the top U.S. agricultural export and makes a large net contribution to the U.S. agricultural trade balance. The soy checkoff, along with my fellow farmers representing ASA and USSEC, mark this very symbolic milestone with our Japanese customers and remain committed to meeting their soy needs.”

Today’s strong trade relations with Japan started in 1956, when a team of representatives of the Japanese soy industry visited the United States. Ever since, JOPA, which represents 20 Japanese oilseed processors, has been a key ally for the U.S. soy industry.

“Japan’s oilseed processing sector has long been a trusted partner for American soybean farmers,” said Danny Murphy, ASA First Vice President. “The American Soybean Association opened its first overseas international market development office in Japan in 1956, and U.S. soy exports to Japan have grown to more than $1 billion annually today. We are honored to join our Japanese counterparts and colleagues in celebrating the accomplishments of the Japanese Oilseed Processors Association as it celebrates its 50th anniversary, and we look forward to continuing the Japanese-American partnership.”

Today, nearly 70% of Japanese soybean imports originate from the United States.

“Our partnership with the Japanese crushing industry, which is the third largest buyer of U.S. soybeans, is stronger than ever,” said Roy Bardole, USSEC chairman. “U.S. soy farmers take the relationship with JOPA very seriously. We are committed to do what we can to ensure another 50 successful years as their partner.”

Prior to formal recognition marking JOPA’s anniversary, the U.S. group plans to visit a soy processing plant and feed mill at a major port near Tokyo.

“With this opportunity, we further demonstrate our dedication to independent seed companies and commitment to providing them advances in trait technologies,” said David Morgan, president of Syngenta Seeds, Inc. “Growers will enjoy greater productivity through reduced refuge and the convenience of purchasing this technology through their local independent seed supplier.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Syngenta’s Agrisure traits and Dow AgroSciences’ Herculex traits will be outlicensed for trait stack combinations through GreenLeaf Genetics, which will serve as the primary contact for independent seed companies. Syngenta and Dow AgroSciences will also continue to outlicense their respective traits independent of each other.

“This will be an effective combination of technologies that will give U.S. corn growers more genetic combinations and options to control yield-robbing pests while reducing the required number of refuge acres,” said Ben Kaehler, Dow AgroSciences commercial leader for U.S. seed affiliates.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Will the CME changes end up hurting farmers in the wallet?

“What sets CME Group apart is our close working relationship with the grain industry, who have made our grain and oilseed futures the benchmark risk management products,” said Tim Andriesen, Managing Director, Agricultural Commodities and Alternative Investments, CME Group. “That’s why, in response to significant feedback for this customer segment, we’re further amending CBOT grain and oilseed trading hours to 5 p.m. to 2 p.m. CT Sunday through Friday. They have clearly communicated that these hours best meet their risk management needs.”

These measures are in part the result of collaboration between CME Group, the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) and the North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA) to address these changes and help the grain industry prepare for the transition.

“This action by the CME Group demonstrates the value of collaboration between the exchange and users of futures and options markets who rely heavily on the CBOT contracts to hedge marketplace risk,” said Randall C. Gordon, acting president of the National Grain and Feed Association. “This important change will provide time during normal business hours for grain, feed and grain processing operations and other merchants to reconcile their trading accounts and perform other required accounting and back-office operations without incurring the significant additional expense of hiring or providing overtime to employees performing these important functions.”

The change was welcomed by agriculture.

“We commend the CME Group for making this change before implementing its expanded electronic trading hours,” Gordon added. “We look forward to continuing to discuss with the CME Group, other exchanges and other parties possible ways to address industry concerns about USDA reports being released during market hours.”

Electronic trading hours for CBOT Corn, Mini-Sized Corn, Soybeans, Mini-Sized Soybeans, Wheat, Mini- Sized Wheat, Soybean Meal, Soybean Oil, Rough Rice, Oats, and Ethanol futures and options plus all related calendar spread options and inter-commodity spread options will be extended to Sunday to Friday, 5:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. CT.

Daily settlements will continue to be based on market activity at or around 1:15 p.m. CT each day. Additionally, open-outcry trading hours will continue to operate from 9:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. CT Monday to Friday.

In addition, the Kansas City Board of Trade had submitted a new proposal in which electronic trade would open at 5 p.m. and close at 2 p.m. starting May 31. The cme and KCBOT initially coordinated the May 3 announcement of a 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. trading day. CME announced its original plan to expand its trading hours after rival IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) announced a similar set of grain trading contracts would be available on its 22-hour-a-day electronic platform on May 14.

“What a mess,” said Doug Tenney, with Leist Mercantile in Circleville. “The concern is the wild volatility one could see if the USDA report is wildly bearish or bullish, and trading straight through reports. At times, I know we can see corn have 20-30 cents and soybeans at least a 40-cent range in the first 30 minutes of trading. Pre-opening calls on report days currently can change dramatically in the two hours from the 8:30 a.m. report releases until the 10:30 a.m. opening. One thought being floated around is to suspend trading on report days.”

The changes will also have a number of other implications.

“There will be one casualty in all of this hours expansion. There is an over the counter market (OTC) that trades in the hours when the exchange, pit or electronic is not trading,” Tenney said. “With more hours, this OTC would not be needed. Trades in the OTC can be thin, and all over the board. Basically, it is a market that if you need to really do something, it can be done. It is for someone badly out of position. It can be ugly.”

Though no one seems to be quite sure about what the near future holding for the grain markets and trading, it seems that change is certain.

“Times are changing but the details are not yet sorted out. I think the CME decision to pull back was a good one,” Tenney said. “They need to sort things out rather than be a ‘me-too crowd’ just following ICE exchange.”

The method, in which strawberries are planted in early fall on a raised bed of soil covered with black plastic, results in farmers getting the berries to market at least a month earlier than the traditional matted row production that has been used by Ohio farmers, Bergefurd said.

In plasticulture, the strawberries are planted in September and grow over the winter using plastic to keep the soil warm and suppress weed growth. It not only results in larger, sweeter berries, but it also allows farmers to capture a larger share of the local strawberry market because the berries can be harvested and sold over a period of four to five months, he said.

That compares to the four- to five-week harvest period for Ohio strawberries using the traditional matted row production method.

“Farmers from Lake Erie to the banks of the Ohio River are harvesting strawberries now,” Burgefurd said. “We made it through the frost and freezes last month, and the fruit quality is fantastic.”

The OSU Extension plasticulture trial includes about a half an acre of strawberry plants at the OSU South Centers and about 100 acres total on at least 25 farms statewide this season. The trial includes evaluating new strawberry varieties, with breeding coming from Florida, California, and North and South Carolina, Bergefurd said.

The method includes using row covers during the winter to protect the plants, which aren’t as winter hardy, from frost and freeze.

The trial, in its 11th season, has entered harvest this week and is now producing the higher-quality, more commercially appealing berries, Bergefurd said. The trial will also, for the first time, produce summer-bearing fruit to allow the strawberry-harvesting season to extend up until October, depending on the weather.

“This is the first year that we are looking at these new summer-bearing varieties,” Bergefurd said. “We looked at them six years ago, and they didn’t have the commercial quality attributes and were smaller in size.

“But this year, with these new summer-bearing varieties, we’re hoping for strawberries with better commercial attributes, larger fruit size, higher sugar contents and better disease resistance.”

But there are drawbacks to the plasticulture method, he cautioned.

While plasticulture cuts down on the amount of water, fertilizer and pesticides needed, the initial input costs for farmers using this method are significantly increased, requiring an investment of at least $10,000 to $15,000 per acre, with some of that cost associated with irrigation and more management needed to grow the fields, Bergefurd said. The fields harvest from early May to October.

That compares to traditional matted row production, which averages about $4,000 per acre in production costs and harvests in June, he said.

But plasticulture strawberries have the potential to yield 20,000 to 25,000 pounds of strawberries per acre, compared to 10,000 to 15,000 pounds of strawberries per acre using the matted row method. And when you consider that retail strawberries fetch $2.50 to $3.50 per pound, the profit potential is “pretty good,” Bergefurd said.

“There’s a market just waiting to purchase the product,” he said. “Most (Ohioans) aren’t used to local strawberries until June, but there are plenty of customers that want to eat locally grown strawberries beginning in May and throughout the summer.”

Strawberries available in stores now are shipped in from Florida and California.

“But when you compare an Ohio strawberry to those, there is no comparison because Ohio growers can leave the berries ripening on the plant longer because the berries are sold locally,” Bergefurd said. “Just about every Ohio farmer that grows them for retail always sells out, so there is a strong market for the locally grown fruit.

“With the research results we’ve published, we’ve proven plasticulture has got potential and should be looked at by Ohio growers.”

The advantage for Pioneer customers is that buying by seed count provides a simple, convenient and more accurate means of planning their soybean crop.

“Our customers will benefit because they can more easily calculate the number of units they need based on their desired planting rates because the seed quantity per unit will always be consistent,” said Don Schafer, senior marketing manager, soybeans. “This change is in response to customer demand for consistent seed count packaging for more efficient field-by-field planning.”

Prior to this change, Pioneer sold soybean seeds by weight (50 pounds of seed equals one unit). Soybean seeds can potentially vary in size, based on genetics and growing conditions, affecting the number of seeds per unit. With this change to selling by count, the number of seeds per unit will be consistent for Pioneer customers.

Pioneer brand soybeans will continue to be sold by count in traditional paper bags, PROBOX units and jumbo bags, as well as through PROBulk systems.

Corn planting is nearing completion in Ohio. Across the state and within localized areas, corn is at a range of growth stages. Some of the corn planted in April is showing up to 4 leaf collars but in later planted fields, corn is still emerging.

Troubleshooting emergence problems early is critical in identifying solutions and developing successful replant plans, if needed. Here’s a list of a few common things to look for if you encounter an emergence problem in corn this spring (some of this information has been adapted from a newsletter article written by Greg Roth at Penn State several years ago).

• No seed present. May be due to planter malfunction or bird or rodent damage. The latter often will leave some evidence such as digging or seed or plant parts on the ground.

• Coleoptile (shoot) unfurled, leafing-out underground. Could be due to premature exposure to light in cloddy soil, planting too deep, compaction or soil crusting, extended exposure to acetanilide herbicides under cool wet conditions, combinations of several of these factors, or may be due to extended cool wet conditions alone.

• Seed with poorly developed radicle (root) or coleoptile. Coleoptile tip brown or yellow. Could be seed rots or seed with low vigor. Although corn has just started to emerge or has not yet emerged, growers should carefully inspect seedlings for symptoms of disease, especially in lower lying areas of fields where ponding and saturated soils were more likely. Seeds and seedlings that are brown in color, are soft and fall apart easily while digging are obviously dead or dying. Seeds and seedling roots or shoots that have white to pinkish mold growing on them are likely victims of fungal attack and will likely die. Pythium and Fusarium are common fungi that attack plants and cause these damping-off or seedling blight symptoms under wet, cool conditions. It is more difficult to diagnose disease damage on plants that also show abnormal growth caused by cold soil conditions or by crusting of the soil surface. However, dark, discolored roots and crowns, instead of a healthy creamish-white appearance, are typical symptoms of seedling diseases problems. So, it is best to check these seedlings very closely for dark brown or soft areas on seedling roots and shoots. Any discoloration will indicate a problem that could worsen if the soils remain cold or wet.

• Seed has swelled but not sprouted. Often poor seed-to-soil contact or shallow planting- seed swelled then dried out. Check seed furrow closure in no-till. Seed may also not be viable.

• Skips associated with discolored and malformed seedlings. May be herbicide damage. Note depth of planting and herbicides applied compared with injury symptoms such as twisted roots, club roots, or purple plants.

• Seeds hollowed out. Seed corn maggot or wireworm. Look for evidence of the pest to confirm.

• Uneven emergence. May be due to soil moisture and temperature variability within the seed zone. Poor seed to soil contact caused by cloddy soils. Soil crusting. Other conditions that result in uneven emergence already noted above, including feeding by various grub species.

Note patterns of poor emergence. At times they are associated with a particular row, spray width, hybrid, field or residue that may provide some additional clues to the cause. Often two or more stress factors interact to reduce emergence where the crop would have emerged well with just one present. Also, note the population and the variability of the seed spacing. This information will be valuable in the future.

Don’t forget that corn may take up to 3 to 4 weeks to emerge when soil conditions are not favorable (e.g. temperatures below 55 degrees F, inadequate soil moisture). This was widely observed in many fields in 2005 when corn planted in mid April did not emerge until the first or second week of May. As long as stands are not seriously reduced, delayed emergence usually does not have a major negative impact on yield. However, when delayed emergence is associated with uneven plant development, yield potential can be reduced.

Now is a good time to be evaluating corn and soybean stands for plant populations, inter-row plant spacing, and seedling plant health. It takes about 100 growing degree units (GDU) before corn will emerge. While in the field, be on the lookout for black cutworms and bean leaf beetles.

When scouting fields, I like to take a piece of rope 17.4 inches long for determining corn plant populations, a hoop 28.2 inches in diameter for soybean populations, a tile spade for quickly digging plants out of the row, and a bucket with a lid and some water for washing off roots and looking for disease. These are just a few of the scouting tools that can be used for diagnostics in the field.

Evaluating plant emergence and viable plant population shortly after emergence is important for future management decisions. If population is greatly reduced, replanting may be justified and should be accomplished as soon as possible. Viable population may also influence decisions regarding weed control, irrigation, and grain marketing.

When evaluating a corn or soybean stand, only count plants that have a good chance of survival. Keep in mind that while corn plant populations are a critical component of yield, soybean plants are better able to compensate for low plant populations. Below are several methods that can be used to evaluate stands.

1/1000-Acre Method

Count the number of plants in a length of row equal to 1/1000 of an acre based on row width. Multiply the number of plants by 1,000 to get plants per acre. Repeat the process in several locations in the field.

Stand count evaluation for 1/1000 acre based on row width and number of plants in a given row length.                                         

Row Width (inches)                Row length for 1/1000 acre

7                                                       74-feet eight-inches

15                                                     34-feet 10-inches

20                                                    26-feet two-inches

30                                                   17-feet five inches

Wheel Method

A more accurate method is to count 150 plants and measure the distance from start to finish with a measuring wheel. Divide the number of feet traveled into the appropriate factor in Figure 2 to determine plant popula- tion. For example, if you walked 94 feet while counting 150 plants in 30 inch rows, the population is 2,613,600/94=27,804.

Stand count evaluation factors, by row width, for measuring the distance when counting 150 plants.

Row width (inches)                Factor

20                                            3,920,400

30                                            2,613,600

36                                            2,178,000

38                                            2,063,350

Hoop method

This method is especially useful when determining stand counts in drilled soybeans. Measure the diameter of the hoop, toss it in the field and count the number of plants inside the hoop. Do this in at least 5 locations in the field. Multiply the average number of plants by the appropriate factor in to get the number of plants per acre.

Stand count evaluation factors, by hoop diameter, for determining soybean plant populations using the hoop method.

Diameter of hoop (inches) Factor

18                                            24,662

21                                            18,119

24                                            13,872

27                                            10,961

30                                            8,878

33                                            7,337

36                                            6,165

The pact immediately ends a significant tariff disadvantage U.S. farmers have faced with their agricultural products. Wheat growers are among the benefactors of the agreement.

“This is a very good day for wheat farmers,” said Randy Suess, a wheat farmer from Colfax, Wash., and chairman of U.S. Wheat Associates (USW). “The tariff situation has basically forced our largest customer, historically, in South America to buy more wheat from Canada and Argentina. Now our customers in Colombia will not have to pay the tariff, and we can compete equally on the basis of quality, supply and service.”

Implementing this FTA is particularly important to U.S. wheat farmers, who rely on exports to market about half of their crops each year. In marketing year 2010/2011, Colombia imported from Gulf and Pacific Northwest tributaries about 800,000 metric tons of U.S. wheat from five of six classes. However, U.S. wheat sales for this marketing year are down about 45% year on year, mainly due to the Canada-Colombia FTA that went into effect on Aug. 15, 2011. Wheat imported from Argentina has also enjoyed duty-free status under the South American Mercosur trade agreement.

“A lot of people have joined us in working hard to get the U.S.-Colombia agreement approved by Congress, signed by the President and now implemented,” said Erik Younggren, a wheat farmer from Hallock, Minn., and president of the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG). “While the process of removing our trade barriers with Colombia has been a long one, we are eager to get this market back on track.”

The U.S. wheat industry believes this agreement, along with the recently implemented FTA with South Korea and a pending FTA with Panama, will help the United States rebuild and expand markets, grow our economy at home and maintain the status of the United States as the most reliable supplier of wheat in the world.

The industry appreciates the hard work and support of Colombian flour millers and government officials throughout the process, as well as the efforts of trade supporters in Congress and the Bush and Obama Administrations.

The new analysis, an update to a 2009 peer-reviewed paper published in Energy Policy by professors Dermot Hayes and Xiaodong Du,  also found gasoline prices have been reduced by an average of $0.29 per gallon, or 17%, from 2000-2011 thanks to  the growing use of ethanol.

“Growth in US ethanol production has added significantly to the volume of fuel available in the US,” said Professor Hayes. “It is as if the
US oil refining industry had found a way to extract 10% more gasoline from a barrel of oil. This additional fuel supply has alleviated periodic gasoline shortages that had been caused by limited refinery capacity.  It has also changed the relative prices of gasoline and diesel and allowed the US to switch from being a net importer of gasoline to a net exporter. As a result of these changes, US gasoline prices are measurably lower than would otherwise have been the case. This gasoline price impact has been documented in a peer reviewed academic journal and the
price dampening effect has increased as ethanol production has grown. This impact is greatest in the regions of the country where ethanol penetration is greatest.”

Three primary factors are responsible for ethanol’s more robust price benefit at the pump in 2011: higher oil and gasoline prices, higher ethanol inclusion, and ethanol being priced at a larger-than-normal discount to gasoline.

As the economists noted, “Average crude oil price increased from about $80/barrel in 2010 to about $95/barrel in 2011. Correspondingly,
average U.S. wholesale gasoline prices have risen 30% from 2010-2011.  A wider than normal price differential between ethanol and gasoline prices provides further economic incentives for ethanol production and consumption…”

Based on data from the Census Bureau and Energy Information Administration, 116.7 million U.S. households consumed 131.2 billion gallons of
gasoline in 2011, for an average of 1,124 gallons per household. That means ethanol reduced the average American household’s spending on gasoline by more than $1,200 in 2011.  Since 2000, the $0.29-per-gallon price dampening impact of greater domestic ethanol use has saved the American economy an average of nearly $40 billion per year. As a result, ethanol has helped the average American household reduce its spending
on gasoline by an average of more than $340 per year since 2000.

“While it’s hard to imagine that gas prices could be even higher than they are now, this study clearly underscores that the current pain at the pump would be far worse without ethanol,” said Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, which helped fund the research.  “Because ethanol makes up 10% of our gasoline pool today, it significantly reduces demand for oil and puts downward pressure
on gas prices. From coast to coast and border to border, ethanol is helping save consumers money.  In these times of high unemployment and sky-high gas prices, ethanol is one America-made solution that is providing some respite for battered American families trying to make ends meet.”

Key conclusions derived from the report include:

In 2011, ethanol reduced wholesale gasoline prices by an average of $1.09 per gallon.

Regular grade gasoline prices averaged $3.52 per gallon in 2011, but would have been closer to $4.60 per gallon without the inclusion of more than 13 billion gallons of lower-priced ethanol.

The average American household consumed 1,124 gallons of gasoline in 2011, meaning ethanol reduced average household spending at the
pump by more than $1,200.

Since 2000, ethanol has kept gasoline prices an average of $0.29 per gallon cheaper than they otherwise would have been.

Based on the $0.29-per-gallon average annual savings, ethanol has helped save American drivers and the economy more than $477 billion in gasoline expenditures since 2000 – an average of $39.8 billion a year.

We are receiving numerous reports right now about slugs causing significant feeding injury requiring treatment with baits. These reports are 2-4 weeks early compared with most years, and is a result of the warmer winter and March. Slugs have attached out earlier than normal and have reached a size that causes noticeable feeding injury much sooner.

Corn and soybean present two different concerns. With corn’s growing point being below the soil for a few weeks, most of the feeding above ground will be to growing leaves that will be replaced, and not on the growing tip that would kill the plant. Because of continued growth of corn that will probably occur, there is some leeway in terms of the time required to make the treatment if needed. But keep in mind that the corn is still relatively much smaller than when feeding normally would be occurring, and thus, presenting a much more serious situation.

However, the growing point of soybeans is between the cotelydons as they emerge from the soil. Thus, the slug is easily able to reach and feed on both the cotelydons along with that growing point, making it much easier for slugs to kill the soybean plant as it emerges from the soil. This fact makes immediate treatment of soybeans perhaps more critical if no leaves have yet emerged and expanded.

Slug damage. Photo by OSU Extension.

For growers who have experienced slug issues in the past, it is critical that fields be scouted NOW.  If plants have emerged and have leaves, look for the telltale signs of leaf feeding.  But for soybeans not yet or just now emerging, or yet to be planted, care should be taken to determine if slugs are present and lying in wait. This latter situation could require a bait application just prior to emergence. Use your own past experiences with soybean stand reductions caused by slugs to determine whether an early treatment should be made this year.

The two available baits are those containing metaldehyde (Deadline MPs and others), and those with iron phosphate (Sluggo). See our slug fact sheet for more information: http://ohioline.osu.edu/ent-fact/pdf/0020.pdf .