Some in the trade are questioning the national corn yield after the USDA lowered it this week. Early field reports I am seeing across the country would suggest the yield is better than some are expecting. In 8 of the last 22 years, the national yield average went up from the September report to the January report, so there is a chance the national yield can still increase.
Corn export demand, on the other hand, is lousy. The USDA has estimated it should be running more than 20% higher at this point in the marketing year verses last season, but it is currently running nearly 10% behind last year’s pace. This makes a sustained corn rally difficult even if the yield does get smaller in future reports.
Do the “quick ship” high basis bids mean the U.S. is out of corn?Recently some farmers on social media have suggested the U.S.… Continue reading
In this episode of the Ohio Ag Net Podcast, hosts Matt Reese of Ohio’s Country Journal and Dusty Sonnenburg of Ohio Ag Net talk with Elizabeth Long and Larry Davis of Ag Resource Management. They talk about agriculture finances and the input cost associated with running a farming operation. With the Farm Bill expiring soon, they also discuss important topics to pay close attention to.
More in this week’s podcast:
GrowNextGen: Dale visits Waterman Farms at The Ohio State University to talk with a teacher who utilizes the content from the GrowNextGen programming to teach interactive lessons to students in the classroom.
Luke VanTilburg, MVP Dairy, LLC: Luke talks with Joel about chopping silage and the growing season leading up to the silage harvest.
The 2023 Farm Science Review is here and Homan Inc. is ready to talk to visitors about options to improve their operations. Ohio Ag Net’s Dale Minyo visits with Dale Everman to discuss their impressive display, things to keep in mind, and much more as they meet show-goers at booth 611 at the Review, running September 19-21.… Continue reading
Moderate temperatures and mostly clear skies throughout Ohio provided farmers with favorable conditions to conduct pre-harvest activities, according to Ben Torrance, State Statistician, USDA NASS, Ohio Field Office. Continued lack of significant precipitation resulted in an increase in abnormally dry soil moisture levels. Topsoil moisture conditions were rated 6 percent very short, 37 percent short, 56 percent adequate, and 1 percent surplus. Statewide, the average temperature for the week ending on September 17 was 62.3 degrees, 3.1 degrees below normal. Weather stations recorded an average of 0.25 inches of precipitation, 0.59 inches below average. There were 6.1 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending September 17.
While row crop progress remained behind the five-year average, favorable crop condition ratings exceeded previous year averages. Sixty-seven percent of corn was in or past dent and 22 percent was mature. Corn for silage was 42 percent harvested. Twenty-seven percent of soybeans were dropping leaves.… Continue reading
Pairwise, a food and agriculture company known for bringing the first gene-edited food to the U.S. market, and Bayer announced a new five-year, multi-million dollar agreement focused on innovations in short-stature corn. This new program leverages Pairwise’s Fulcrum platform and builds on the success of the companies’ initial five-year collaboration for corn, soy, wheat, cotton, and canola.
The upcoming collaboration between Pairwise and Bayer will be focused on optimizing and enhancing gene-edited short-stature corn for future use in Bayer’s Preceon Smart Corn System. Short-stature corn — with a targeted height of 30 to 40% less than traditional corn — is an innovative new approach to growing corn and offers a number of sustainability benefits, including protections from crop loss due to increasingly severe weather events and extreme winds brought about by climate change. Short-stature corn also allows for more precise application of inputs throughout the growing season, sustainably growing more through reduced risk of crop loss.… Continue reading
By Ching Lee, assistant editor of “Ag Alert,” a publication of California Farm Bureau
After earning record-high milk prices in 2022, dairy farmers have seen their earnings plummet in recent months, with more operations struggling to stay in business and some closing their doors for good.
Their plight has prompted comparisons to the 2009 economic crisis that forced droves of dairies into bankruptcy. Some say it may be worse this time around due to additional inflationary pressures and higher interest rates that make it more costly for businesses to borrow money.
“This is a real downturn,” said Jack Hamm, a dairy farmer in San Joaquin County, California. “These last two months have been every bit as bad as 2009. There’s dairies for sale every week.”
In 2009, dairy farmers faced an unprecedented financial catastrophe as the global recession took hold. With an abrupt decline in export market demand and an oversupply of milk in the world market, milk prices tanked.… Continue reading
The series highlightout our outstanding Ohio Ag Net radio affiliates continues, carrying the best in Ohio ag news.
We say thank you to WQKT 104.5 FM out of Wooster – serving Wayne and surrounding counties. Tune in to 104.5 FM to hear the Ohio Ag Net Monday-Friday at 5:15 a.m., 5:40 a.m., 6:40 a.m., and 12:25 p.m.
National Farm Safety and Health Week is September 17 to 23, 2023. This promotional week has occurred since 1944 to commemorate the hard work, diligence and sacrifices made by our nation’s farmers and ranchers.
The 2023 theme, “No one can take your place,” reminds us that working in agriculture is different than working other industries. Farms are unique businesses, each producing their own commodity, with their own workforce, management team, and production schedule. Regardless of their size small and large farms can be found in rural, urban and inner-city settings growing food and resources for local and world consumption.
This article was written in the spirit of the hard-working agricultural worker, their dedicated families to pursue an agricultural lifestyle, and the business community that supports the agricultural economy. Here are three short safety and health practices to follow as the fall farming season approaches.
For your safety
Consider the best recommended practices for operating tractors, machinery, ATVs and UTVs, and farmstead systems.… Continue reading
A nationwide study by Aimpoint Research, a global, strategic intelligence firm, has revealed how farmers and ranchers have adapted to tremendous volatility and a post-pandemic world with heightened geopolitical and economic uncertainties. The syndicated report, Farmer of the Future 2.0, builds on the foundational Farmer of the Future psychographic segmentation and future projections released in 2018 and provides a window into U.S. farmers’ current mindsets and attitudes on a wide range of topics.
“Since the original study was released, the world has experienced major disruption that has impacted all sectors of human activity,” said Brett Sciotto, Aimpoint Research CEO. “The ripple effects are still being felt. Interest rates and inflation continue to fuel economic concerns. Geopolitical uncertainty is creating new trade flows and technology is rapidly evolving. These and other forces have accelerated the transformation of U.S. agriculture.”
One of the most telling insights from the report is how fast this change has occurred.… Continue reading
The National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) and the United Soybean Board (USB) are pleased to announce the results of a new study, The Economic Impact of the U.S. Soybeans & End Products on the U.S. Economy, that examines the value of the American soybean industry.
NOPA’s President Thomas Hammer observes, “As indicated by this study’s findings, the economic contributions of the soybean processing and refining sectors to the U.S. economy are substantial, connecting soybean farmers with end users. Soybean processors convert soybeans into meal and oil. These value-added products are used in food, feed, industrial products and biofuels, supporting billions of dollars in domestic wages and tens of thousands of good paying jobs in the United States.”
This 33-page study analyzes the soybean value chain’s impact on the U.S. economy based on data from crop years 2019/20 to 2021/22. As highlighted in the report summary, during this period:
By Carol Brown, Soybean Research Information Network
The main method for getting rid of weeds in a crop field is fairly simple: spray them with a herbicide. But some weeds are resistant to herbicides. Knowing which ones are resistant ahead of time could save farmers time and money by not applying a herbicide that isn’t going to work.
Michigan State University weed geneticist Eric Patterson is working to identify herbicide-resistant weeds faster. He led a research project with Michigan soybean checkoff support to detect resistance earlier through molecular diagnosis.
“The current process for farmers to find out if weeds are herbicide resistant is to send seeds from weeds that survived herbicide applications to a weed diagnostics clinic. At MSU, Erin Hill is one of the few dedicated weed diagnosticians in the country,” Patterson explains. “When she receives weed seeds in the fall, she grows the plants and conducts a ‘dose response’ assay.… Continue reading
GrowNextGen is partnering with The Ohio State University to bring more outdoor learning opportunities to students in Ohio. Dale visits with Patrick Nightingale from Kipp Academy, a GrowNextGen teacher, who took part in an educational event earlier this week at Waterman Farms.
GrowNextGen is a program of the Ohio’s Soybean farmers and their checkoff.… Continue reading
In this video, Martin Šolc of AgroEcoPower steps us through their dyno-based method of adjusting farm equipment to increase power output. AgroEcoPower will be at the 2023 Farm Science Review, booths 233 and 354. Learn more at www.agroecopower.com.… Continue reading
AgCredit has announced the winners of the 2023 scholarships awarded through the cooperative’s Joe Leiser Memorial Scholarship program.
Leiser served as the first president and chief executive officer of AgCredit, which is one of northern Ohio’s largest lenders, serving farmers, agribusinesses and rural homeowners. The annual program recognizes dependent family members of AgCredit voting stockholders who are enrolled in an agriculture-related field of study at a post-secondary educational institution. The cooperative has awarded scholarships to 37 deserving students over the past 10 years.
AgCredit congratulates the following students for earning scholarships for the 2023-2024 academic year:
Allison Michaels of Sandusky County is a senior at Wilmington College majoring in agricultural education with a minor in chemistry.
Candace Bouillon of Seneca County is a freshman at The Ohio State University majoring in agribusiness.
Linsey Eddy of Union County is a sophomore at Purdue University majoring in business analytics and information management with a minor in food and agribusiness management.
By Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County Ohio State University Extension
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) in partnership with Merck Animal Health and the checkoff funded Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program, are hosting four regional Stockmanship and Stewardship (S&S) events across the nation. These regional events are intended to bring together cattle producers from a large area for a two-day cattle handling and educational program. Events will highlight proper stockmanship techniques as well as local stewardship information.
We are pleased to announce this year one of these events is being hosted in Caldwell, Ohio on Sept. 29 and 30, 2023. This unique Stockmanship and Stewardship event is focused on live low-stress cattle handling demonstrations, Beef Quality Assurance training, and industry updates you won’t find anywhere else.
Participants will gain an edge on learning about consumer concerns regarding beef sustainability and livestock welfare, how those concerns have impacted the industry, and the role that Beef Quality Assurance plays in the conversation.… Continue reading
Many learning opportunities with Ohio State University Extension specialists can be found with the Ask the Experts sessions taking place every day at the show from 10 a.m. through early afternoon. This conversational dive explores hot/current topics between the moderator, Experts, and the audience. The 30-minute sessions give 15 to 20 minutes of information from the Experts and 10 minutes of Q&A with the audience. It is a place to stop and take a sit-down break at FSR. Grab some food and enjoy. Experts include ag economists, weather scientists, Women in Ag leaders, veterinarians, agricultural attorneys, agronomists.
Topics include: weather whiplash, empowering women in agriculture, USDA Farm Bill, farm property insurance gaps, grain markets, beginning farmer education course, ticks on pasture effecting people and livestock, mold and feed, mental health, carbon markets, an average farm may not be profitable, farm labor, death’s impact on the family business, financial health of Ohio farms, and agronomy versus economics.… Continue reading
It is silage time and, unlike corn grain, quoting the price of silage is challenging with no public market providing official prices. An online decision tool for corn silage sales in Ohio was developed to help producers determine pricing for corn silage sales, based on various resources including extension tools from several land-grant universities and agronomy research.
Some values are guided based on localized and timely information including Ohio county-level cash corn prices from Barchart.com and operation costs in Ohio from Ohio State University Extension. These values will be updated yearly. This tool should only be used for reference and users are encouraged to adjust the value of silage based on their individual circumstances. The full spreadsheet is available for download at Corn Silage Pricing Toolavailable at the Ohio State University CFAES Knowledge Exchange at kx.osu.edu.… Continue reading
In this non-traditional Cab Cam, Ohio Ag Net’s Joel Penhorwood steps outside the cab with Luke VanTilburg of MVP Dairy in Mercer County to discuss the impressive silage harvest currently in progress and the logistics behind its success. The undertaking to build up 18 months of silage stocks for the 4,500-cow farm means a team of about 30 individuals are hard at work from the field to the bunk and everywhere in between. The two discuss the logistics behind the feat, this year’s silage quality, leaf diseases, and much more.
Whether it is the start of a new growing season or the advent of a new career for a young farmer, the culture, industry and art of food production begins with the soil.
“Every producer’s most valuable asset is the land they farm. It is the key to their livelihood and long-term productivity, which is why Cargill is committed to partnering with farmers to increase their productivity by promoting sustainable, innovative agricultural practices. Adoption of regenerative practices helps farmers create a system that is more resilient and economically viable, ensuring their success for future generations,” said Nathan Fries, Sustainability Lead with Cargill. “We realize, however, that every farmer is unique and in a different place when it comes to the adoption of regenerative agriculture. Three years ago, we launched Cargill RegenConnect, providing farmers choice as to which practices are best suited to their operation’s unique growing conditions.”
Ohio Ag Net’s Dale Minyo interviewed Janelle Leach, Conservation Agronomist about the Cargill RegenConnect program in Sidney.
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