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.

The Carroll County FSA office will be open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm now through July 27th.
Starting July 30th, the Carroll County FSA office will be open Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm.

Reducing the operating hours of the Carroll County FSA Office is a management decision on the part of FSA and is not intended to impact or change the operating hours of other agencies that may be co-located in the USDA Service Center.

To help provide producers with the best possible service please call (330) 339-5585 to schedule an appointment.

“This has been a long time coming and we certainly welcome this rule. Quite simply, this proposed rule will show the United States is willing to talk the talk and walk the walk with regard to following international standards developed by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE),” said McCan. “We cannot demand our trading partners follow OIE standards when we are not here at home.”

As noted in the comments submitted by NCBA, the comprehensive BSE rule will solidify the United States’ commitment to basing trade relationships on internationally-recognized, science-based standards. McCan said maintaining a healthy cattle herd is a top priority for NCBA and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) should be commended for putting forth a comprehensive BSE rule that allows the United States to meet demand with little, if any, market disruption.

“The U.S. beef industry has worked closely with USDA-APHIS for many years to make sure we have the highest quality controls in place to maintain a healthy cattle population” said McCan. “We must have an objective comprehensive rule in place for beef and cattle imports as soon as possible in order for our nation’s trade negotiators to have credibility in opening markets for U.S. beef. Non-tariff trade barriers hinder our ability to expand U.S. beef exports with many of our global trading partners. Cattlemen need our trade negotiators to eliminate these barriers by requiring our global trading partners to make objective, science-based decisions regarding U.S. beef.”

Comments on the proposed rule were due to the Federal Register yesterday, May 15, 2012. McCan said NCBA is ready to work with members of Congress and the administration to finalize the rule

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.

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.

This week, as part of an ongoing commitment to animal nutrition, Land O’Lakes Purina Feed, LLC launches an industry initiative – the Feeding for 30TM Program. This new program builds on the industry goal of achieving 30 pigs per sow per year and aims to promote proper sow management and nutrition practices to boost performance starting in the gestation and farrowing barns and continuing through all growing phases.

Through the Feeding for 30TM Program, Land O’Lakes Purina Feed and other industry experts are offering collaborative insights and management information to swine producers striving to achieve the industry goal of 30 pigs per sow per year. Researchers behind the program explain that meeting the benchmark of 30 pigs per sow per year has economic and herd health benefits. Sow nutrition is highlighted as a priority to meet the industry goal while maintaining longevity within herds.

“As input prices continue to rise and global pork demand amplifies, increased efficiency is fundamental in the U.S. swine market,” says Elena Lindemann, lactating livestock marketing director with Land O’Lakes Purina Feed, LLC. “In addition to improving a producer’s bottom line potential, properly feeding sows can promote their health and well-being – allowing better potential of achieving 30 healthy piglets weaned each year. We hope this initiative will provide useful insights and tips producers can use to support rebreeding rates, colostrum quality, birth weights and lactation performance for optimal pre-weaning pig growth and lifetime potential.”

Swine producers, veterinarians and nutritionists can learn more about the Feeding for 30TM Program and access nutritional resources by visiting www.Feedingfor30.com. Management tips also may be received by texting “FF30” to 31256.[1]

The launch of the Feeding for 30TM Program will be highlighted at the 2012 World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa. Producers can discuss individual Feeding for 30TM Program goals with industry experts from Land O’Lakes Purina Feed by visiting booth #364 in the Varied Industries Building. The Feeding for 30TM Program also will be a central theme of Land O’Lakes Purina Feed, LLC’s sow nutrition forum to be held Wednesday, June 6, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. in the Varied Industry Building, Meeting Room B.

Land O’Lakes Purina Feed, LLC, in connection with its wholly owned subsidiary Purina Mills, LLC, is North America’s leading feed company serving producers nationwide through local cooperatives and independent dealerships by providing an extensive line of animal nutrition, ingredients and expertise.

[1] You will receive on-going Feeding for 30™ Program text messages with nutrition and management insights to help achieve the 30 pigs/sow/year goal. You may also receive text message asking to provide optional periodic feedback on topics that may be of interest to you in order to ensure information provided is relevant and useful. No more than approximately 4-5 messages/month. Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to stop. Text AID for help. Terms and conditions available at Feedingfor30.com.

The average temperature for the State was 60.1 degrees, 1.5 degrees above normal for the week ending Sunday, May 13, 2012. Precipitation averaged 1.23 inches, 0.43 inches above normal. There were 83 modified growing degree days, 4 days above normal. Reporters rated 2.7 days suitable for fieldwork during the seven-day period ending Friday, May 11, 2012. Topsoil moisture was rated 0 percent very short, 4 percent short, 65 percent adequate, and 31 percent surplus.

FIELD ACTIVITIES AND CROP PROGRESS

Temperatures and precipitation for the State were higher than normal. Most of the precipitation came in variable, yet strong rains.
Reporters still indicated that field conditions were still slightly dryer than usual for this time of year. Warmer temperatures this year have caused an increase in insect pressure. Field activities for the week included hauling grain, green chopping forage, applying nitrogen to corn, fungicide to wheat, and spraying herbicides.

As of Sunday May 13th, the intended corn crop was 84 percent planted, compared to six percent last year and 51 percent for the five-year average. Corn was 58 percent emerged, compared to one percent last year and 23 percent for the five-year average. Forty-six percent of soybeans were planted, compared to two percent last year, and 29 percent for the five-year average. Seventeen percent of soybeans were emerged, compared to 5 percent for the five-year average. The winter wheat crop was 93 percent jointed, compared to 83 percent last year and 87 percent for the five year average. Fifty-three percent of winter wheat was headed, compared to one percent last year and five percent for the five-year average. The oat crop was 90 percent emerged, compared to 12 percent last year and 60 percent for the five-year average.

The first cutting of alfalfa hay was 12 percent complete, compared to one percent last year and three percent for the five year average. Other hay was six percent complete, five percent ahead of last year, and four percent ahead of the five-year average. Sixteen percent of cucumbers were planted, ten percent ahead of last year and nine percent ahead of the five-year average. Strawberry harvest was six percent complete, five percent ahead of the five-year average. Potato acreage was 75 percent planted, compared to 25 percent last year and 55 percent for the five-year average. Eleven percent of the processing tomato crop was planted, six percent ahead of both last year and the five-year average.

CROP AND LIVESTOCK CONDITION

Apples were 61 percent in fair-to-good condition, nine points behind last week. Peaches were 48 percent in fair-to-good condition,
down 12 points from last week. Hay was 84 percent in fair-to-good condition, down four percent from last week. Livestock were 78 percent in fair-to-good condition, down two points from last week. Oats were 78 percent in fair-to-good condition, down four points from last week. Seventy-seven percent of range and pasture acreage were rated in fair-to-good condition, up one percent from last week. Seventy-five percent of winter wheat was in fair-to-good condition, up one percent from last week.

The full report

Good said the projected decline in the pace of feed and residual use during the last half of the year is expected to come in the final quarter as a result of increased wheat feeding and the availability of more than the normal amount of new crop corn.

“Increased wheat feeding in the summer of 2011 was also expected but did not occur,” Good said. “Based on the estimate of Sept. 1, 2011, wheat stocks, feed and residual use of wheat during the summer of 2011 was at a five-year low of 204 million bushels, 54 million less than was used in the summer of 2010. Early corn planting this year is expected to result in an early harvest of a larger percentage of the 2012 crop and additional consumption of new-crop corn in August,” he said.

According to Good, the pace of maturity of the crop will provide a gauge of the amount of corn likely to be harvested in August.

“The estimate of June 1 corn stocks, to be released on June 30, will provide for an estimate of feed and residual use during the third quarter of the marketing year and the level of use needed in the fourth quarter to reach the USDA projection,” Good said.

Good reported that a combination of large corn acreage and a projected record average yield of 166 bushels are expected to result in a U.S. corn harvest of 14.79 billion bushels this fall. That projection is 2.432 billion bushels larger than the 2011 crop and 1.698 billion larger than the previous record crop of 2009. The yield projection is 2 bushels above the trend calculation for 2012 based on the trend of the U.S. average yield from 1990 through 2010. The above-trend yield reflects the anticipated impact of a smaller than average portion of the crop planted after the optimum date for maximum yields.

“History suggests that a new record average yield will require below-average summer temperatures and above-average summer precipitation, such as occurred in 2004 and 2009,” Good said. “The USDA’s June 30 Acreage report will provide estimates of planted and harvested acreage. Ongoing weather conditions and the USDA’s weekly report of crop conditions will provide the basis for yield projections prior to the USDA’s August Crop Production report,” he said.

Another factor that will unfold over the next few months, Good said, is the prospective size of the corn and feed grain crops in the rest of the Northern Hemisphere.

“The USDA projects larger corn crops than those of last year in China, Canada, Mexico, and the Ukraine,” Good said. “Production of all feed grains is expected to be larger in the EU, Canada, China, and Mexico. The largest increases in production, however, are expected in the Southern Hemisphere as production rebounds in Argentina and South Africa. Those prospects will unfold in late 2012 and early 2013. The first USDA forecast for the 2012-13 marketing year is for record foreign feed grain production. The size of those crops will influence export demand for U.S. corn, with Chinese demand to be of special interest,” he said.

In addition to production prospects, Good said the corn market will be influenced by the world economic and financial conditions as they impact consumer incomes and commodity demand.

“Domestically, the rate of implementation of 15% ethanol blends will also be important for corn demand as the blend wall for E10 approaches,” Good said. “Conditions are in place for a very large U.S. corn harvest, a return to a more abundant stocks situation, and a return to lower prices. The magnitude of these changes is still to be determined and will unfold over an extended period. Even with higher average yields this year, substantially lower corn prices could have a disproportionately large impact on producer returns as anecdotal evidence suggests that a relatively small portion of the 2012 crop has been forward-priced at higher price levels,” he said.