Top Headlines

The National Pork Board is reporting that there are signs that indicate Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) is quieting down

An outbreak of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea first identified in the U.S. in mid-May has spread to 18 states. At first, roughly two thirds of the infections were reported on finishing floors and a third in sow farms. PEDv is the greatest challenge in sow farms where there has been up to 100% mortality in young pigs.

“Right now all we have is anecdotal information from the field and it sounds like the spread of the virus has decreased,” said Dr. Paul Sundberg, the vice president science and technology with the National Pork Board. “We don’t have good data on that. The data that we get from the diagnostic labs contains re-testing from positive farms and we can’t parse that out so we don’t have good data but the anecdotal information we get from the field is that it appears that the virus is quieting down somewhat.”… Continue reading

The fall period, particularly the months of September and October, is an important time to manage pastures. Specifically, pastures must be managed to insure that the desirable grass and legume plants are able to build up and store carbohydrate reserves for the winter period. It is this ability to store carbohydrate reserves and thus keep a root system living over the winter months that distinguishes a perennial plant from an annual plant.

It is during the short day, long night periods in the fall of the year that flower buds are formed/initiated on the crown of the plant. While the leaf tissue dies during the winter, the buds and roots of the plant remain as living tissues over the winter and continue to respire and burn energy. If root reserves are insufficient the plant may die over the winter. If the plant survives but root reserves are low, spring re-growth and vigor of the plant is reduced.… Continue reading

United States Trade Representative Michael Froman, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack recently announced that the United States won a major case at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on behalf of American chicken producers, proving that China’s imposition of higher duties on chicken “broiler products” — which was followed by an 80-percent drop in American exports of those products to China — is unjustified under international trade rules.

A WTO dispute settlement panel agreed with the United States, finding that China violated numerous WTO obligations in conducting its investigations and imposing anti-dumping (AD) duties and countervailing duties (CVD) on chicken imports from the United States.

“Agricultural exports continue to be a strong and growing component of U.S. exports. Farm exports in fiscal year 2012 reached $135.8 billion and supported 1 million jobs here at home. More than $23 billion worth of those agricultural products went to China alone.… Continue reading

India’s poultry industry currently sells 95% of its product through wet markets, fresh food markets where animals are sold live and then processed either onsite or in the consumer’s home. These wet markets pose numerous sanitary risks and are inaccessible to long-distance consumers.

Moving to a processed poultry market would give India better control of food safety and quality, and would over time increase consumer confidence. It would also enhance the ability to transport processed poultry products to distant markets and ultimately expand poultry consumption — all of which would lead to a higher per capita poultry consumption.

“India’s poultry production is just as efficient as the United States, but they have yet to convince Indian consumers to purchase processed poultry meat,” said Adel Yusupov, U.S. Grains Council regional director in Southeast Asia. “Even though India’s government has yet to enforce food safety standards, the Council believes that though a series of seminars and discussion with other Southeast Asia poultry companies the Indian poultry industry will take it upon themselves to sell a good, safe product to the consumer.”… Continue reading

After spending years searching the eastern U.S. for just the right location for a research center, Dupont Pioneer ended up putting down roots in Champaign County near Urbana. The Ohio location offered the soils, climate and conditions just right for testing hybrids and varieties that work in the soils of the eastern Corn Belt.

The 24,000 square foot research station is a boon to the local community, but it also was designed with the intent to make sure Pioneer customers get the right product on the right acre.

“Pioneer does research on a global basis but we also want our customers to know we are testing products locally for our Ohio customer’s environment and soil types,” said Bekah Peck, DuPont Pioneer Communications manager.

The facility serves two purposes when it comes to researching new Pioneer corn hybrids and soybean varieties. Initial research on new products is being conducted out of this facility on over 100 acres at seven different locations from Napoleon to Washington Court House. … Continue reading

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There were six days suitable for fieldwork in Ohio during the week ending August 25, according to the USDA, NASS, Great Lakes Region. Scattered showers throughout the State provided much needed moisture to some areas; other areas missed the rainfall and moisture continued to evaporate. Some fields with lighter, sandy soils are beginning to show moisture stress. Crops are still in good condition, although corn and hay are maturing slower than usual. Soybeans are on schedule and look good. While producers were able to work in their fields due to the weather, the lack of rain in recent weeks has slowed the re-growth of hay for a third cutting. Other activities included cleaning grain bins, planting cover crops, and attending fairs, field days, and farm shows.

See the crops progress and condition… Continue reading

WEEKLY CORN BELT CROP REPORT

The Snapshot Tour is hosted by Jay Calhoun of Colgan Commodities. This is a daily update on crop and weather conditions across ten locations in the Corn Belt.  It starts during spring planting and ends when harvest is wrapped up.  Jay has been the host of this update for 21 years.   You can listen to the daily conference call in full by visiting www.colgancommodities.com and clicking on the audio tab.

Maumee, Ohio

NW Ohio is going to have a very large corn crop and could be challenged “where” to put it all.  That is not going to be true for the entire state, as there will be great variability.… Continue reading

With a story about the continuing bee troubles gracing the cover of a summer issue of “Time Magazine” the growing buzz over pollinator problems is only set to increase.

In mid August, the U.S. EPA announced that new bee advisories will be appearing on pesticide product labels that contain imidacloprid, dinotefuran, clothianidin, and thiamethoxam. These active ingredients are all part of the neonicotinoid group of insecticides.

“Multiple factors play a role in bee colony declines, including pesticides. The Environmental Protection Agency is taking action to protect bees from pesticide exposure and these label changes will further our efforts,” said Jim Jones, assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.

The new labels will have a bee advisory box and icon with information on routes of exposure and spray drift precautions. The EPA will work with pesticide manufacturers to change labels so that they will meet the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) safety standard.

… Continue reading

To meet evolving application needs of customers and Final Tier 4 emissions requirements, John Deere introduced the R4030 and R4038 Self-Propelled Sprayers. These new, completely redesigned John Deere 4 Series Sprayers offer greater productivity, more uptime, and reduced cost of operation while delivering faster, easier and more precise product application.

The 800-gallon R4030 Sprayer replaces the 4730 model. It features a 280 horsepower 6.8L PowerTech Plus PSS Final Tier 4 engine with a four-wheel hydrostatic drive that can operate up to 20 MPH in the field and 30 MPH in transport.

The 1,000-gallon R4038 Sprayer replaces the 4830 Sprayer. It features a 310 horsepower 9.0L PowerTech Plus PSS Final Tier 4 engine with a four-wheel hydrostatic drive that can operate up to 25 MPH in the field and 35 MPH in transport.

Both sprayers have redesigned flat-fold booms in widths up to 120 feet, improved weight distribution, the CommandView II cab with the fully integrated GreenStar3 2630 display, and the latest in tire technologies.… Continue reading

Becknology Days, with all of its agronomic information and amenities for customers, drew another huge crowd to Atlanta, Ind. At the event, Dale Minyo got to sit down and talk with Sonny Beck, president of Beck’s Hybrids, about the current and future agriculture of the region.

“We’ve had a pretty good year in Indiana and Ohio compared to the rest of the industry. We’ve had some good prices. I think everyone knew that we just couldn’t maintain $7 corn. Demand is increasing but you can’t hold that because too many uses will drop off at $7 or $8 corn. We need to make our budgets more conservative with that in mind,” he said.

The concern with resistant weeds continues to be top of mind.

“We’ve had a really good relationship here with Roundup Ready for a long time, and we knew that before you start to get resistance you’d better start changing.… Continue reading

Lessons in agriculture for Ohio’s science teachers

Thirty Ohio schoolteachers gathered from across the state in early August for a two-day agricultural workshop at the Greene County Career Center and Conover Research Farm near Xenia, Ohio.

The workshop, “Feeding the World: Science, Energy and Agriculture,” was created by the Ohio Corn Marketing Program (OCMP) and the Greene County Career Center to encourage middle and high school science teachers to include agricultural topics in their lesson plans.

Participants explored the Conover Research Farm’s demonstration plots, spoke with agricultural experts and learned lab skills to pass along to their students this new school year.

Six curriculums approved by the board of education were shared with the teachers. Subjects covered included global food security, biotechnology, soil and sustainability, water quality, biofuels and the value of corn production.

Industry experts from companies including The Andersons, Purina, Trupointe, LG Seeds and Cargill also met with the group to talk about the place of corn in the economy and how it affects businesses.… Continue reading

Thirty Ohio schoolteachers gathered from across the state in early August for a two-day agricultural workshop at the Greene County Career Center and Conover Research Farm near Xenia, Ohio.

The workshop, “Feeding the World: Science, Energy and Agriculture,” was created by the Ohio Corn Marketing Program (OCMP) and the Greene County Career Center to encourage middle and high school science teachers to include agricultural topics in their lesson plans.

Participants explored the Conover Research Farm’s demonstration plots, spoke with agricultural experts and learned lab skills to pass along to their students this new school year.

Six curriculums approved by the board of education were shared with the teachers. Subjects covered included global food security, biotechnology, soil and sustainability, water quality, biofuels and the value of corn production.

Industry experts from companies including The Andersons, Purina, Trupointe, LG Seeds and Cargill also met with the group to talk about the place of corn in the economy and how it affects businesses.… Continue reading

Bristol Motor Speedway will see a familiar face and a familiar brand tomorrow for the Food City 250, as American Ethanol joins forces once again with veteran driver Kenny Wallace. Wallace climbs back behind the wheel of the No. 29 RAB Racing American Ethanol Toyota Camry.

“I’m so excited to be going to Bristol Motor Speedway, the ultimate short track, for grassroots racing just like I grew up on. The night race at Bristol is absolutely electrifying, and I’m really excited to be a part of it and looking forward to showing off our new American Ethanol paint scheme,” Wallace said. “It’s been almost a full year since I’ve raced an American Ethanol Camry, and I’m so happy to be debuting a brand new paint scheme for them on a very special day for me, my 50th birthday.”

Wallace, a veteran of the .533-mile oval, has not only won at “Thunder Valley,” but has finished in the top 10 in half of his Nationwide Series starts (18 of 36).… Continue reading

Daniel Herms, a professor and chair in the Department of Entomology at The Ohio State University has been recognized by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) with the R.W. Harris Author’s Citation.

Herms has written more than 200 publications, including more than 70 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters on topics such as emerald ash borer. His current work on EAB and the development of EAB-resistant trees is considered to have great promise for the future of the urban forest.

Herms has also been influential with the use of a biological calendar to predict when insects will emerge to improve scheduling of pest management activities.… Continue reading

Muddy combine tracks at a farm show will always turn heads, which is one reason the 2014 combine updates from John Deere were attracting so much attention at the recent product launch held in Columbus and London. For the first time, 36-inch tracks are available on John Deere combines.

“Even though it is fairly dry here, we have been able to make a mud pit and have been showing comparison with combines with tires and with tracks. The people that have attended this introduction have enjoyed that experience,” said Kim Cramer with John Deere Harvester Works at the equipment demonstration site on the grounds of the Farm Science Review. “Also introduced for 2014 will be a 630 flex draper head that will be part of the John Deere lineup. That will be for customers that have some other conditions that require a 30-foot size.

“The combine for 2014 is final Tier 4 compliant and will have other features including a leather package for the cab to help on those long harvest days.… Continue reading

The Ohio Soybean Council recently held the Ohio Soy 2020 meeting to continue the process of providing and developing strategies for all segments of the Ohio soybean industry. The effort seeks to stay in touch with an increasingly global and continuously changing environment.

Since 2007, this visioning meeting has focused on keeping Ohio’s soybean industry moving forward, maintaining a thriving industry at a local and national level and mapping a plan for the future.

“Soy 2020 is an opportunity for all of the partners in the soybean industry to get together and talk about what is coming up in the next three to five years. Let’s tell the Ohio Soybean Council and the Ohio Soybean Association what we see on the horizon so we can make good decisions about where we invest our dollars in the coming years,” said John Motter, chairman of the Ohio Soybean Council. “We meet with technology companies, soy processors, end users, researchers, or anyone who has some say in the soybean industry.… Continue reading

Global Impact STEM Academy, the nation’s first bioscience-focused STEM school, has officially opened its doors. The school held an official ribbon cutting ceremony this morning at 11 a.m. in front of the school’s first-year location, Shull Hall, on the campus of Clark State Community College in Springfield.

The school’s staff, students and statewide dignitaries gathered for the event in celebration of the school’s launch. Those in attendance included community leaders, local government officials, and other state program and industry representatives.

“There has been a lot of work and energy poured into this unique educational opportunity for our students, and it’s great to finally see this day,” said Director Josh Jennings. “We cannot thank our supporters and endorsers enough for what they’ve done to see this day become a reality.”

The program included a few words from Jennings, Clark State Community College President Dr. Jo Alice Blondin, State Senator Chris Widener and industry representative Melanie Wilt of Wilt Public Relations.… Continue reading

The National Pork Board is reporting that there are signs that indicate Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) is quieting down

An outbreak of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea first identified in the U.S. in mid-May has spread to 18 states. At first, roughly two thirds of the infections were reported on finishing floors and a third in sow farms. PEDv is the greatest challenge in sow farms where there has been up to 100% mortality in young pigs.

“Right now all we have is anecdotal information from the field and it sounds like the spread of the virus has decreased,” said Dr. Paul Sundberg, the vice president science and technology with the National Pork Board. “We don’t have good data on that. The data that we get from the diagnostic labs contains re-testing from positive farms and we can’t parse that out so we don’t have good data but the anecdotal information we get from the field is that it appears that the virus is quieting down somewhat.”… Continue reading

The National Pork Board’s Board of Directors has committed a total of $800,000 toward research, education and coordination of efforts to better understand Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDv). The goal of this effort is to contain and eliminate PEDv from the U.S.

The American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) reports that there is no timeline, but veterinarians and producers are concerned about the potential impact colder weather may have on the severity and spread of this disease.

The National Pork Board, in collaboration with AASV and the National Pork Producers Council, has initiated the following groups to address activities associated with the industry response to PEDv:

1. A PED Strategic Task Force that is charged with helping to review and direct the overall effort. This task force is comprised of representatives of the three groups in addition to numerous members and advisors with particular expertise or involvement with the disease.
2. PED working groups, under the direction of Dr.

As the profit margins appear to be tightening again for the for grain producers with lower market prices, farmers and lenders are examining balance sheets to determine if there are any strategies that might improve a farm’s financial position.

One of the areas that often appear to grow during times of significant cash inflows, similar to what grain farmers have experiences during the past few years, are intermediate assets. Intermediate farm assets have a useful life of more than one but less than 10 years. Examples of assets in this category include tools, vehicles, machinery, equipment and breeding livestock.

Valuing assets

A value is placed on assets on the day the balance sheet, also called the net worth statement, is created. Assets can be valued either on a cost basis or market basis on the balance sheet. The market value is the most common approach and the method preferred by most lenders.… Continue reading