Farmers Intend to Plant Less Corn and Soybeans in 2018

Cindy Zimmerman

U.S. farmers are expected to plant more soybean acres than corn but overall intentions are down slightly from the record year in 2017, according to the Prospective Plantings report released today by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

Producers surveyed across the United States intend to plant an estimated 89.0 million acres of soybeans and 88.0 million acres of corn in 2018. Soybean acreage is one percent less than 2017 and the corn acres are down 2 percent from last year. If realized this will be the lowest planted corn acreage since 2015.

Planted acreage intentions for soybeans are down or unchanged in 20 of the 31 estimating states. The largest increase is expected in Indiana with 6.10 million acres, an increase of 150,000 acres from 2017. If realized, the planted area of soybeans in Indiana, Kentucky, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin will be the largest on record.

All wheat planted area for 2018 is estimated at 47.3 million acres, up 3 percent from 2017 but the second lowest all wheat planted area on record since records began in 1919. Winter wheat planted area, at 32.7 million acres, is up slightly from both last year and the previous estimate. Area planted to other spring wheat for 2018 is expected to total 12.6 million acres, up 15 percent from 2017. Durum wheat is expected to total 2.00 million acres for 2018, down 13 percent from last year.

All cotton planted area for 2018 is expected to total 13.5 million acres, seven percent higher than last year.

NASS’s acreage estimates are based on surveys conducted during the first two weeks of March from a sample of approximately 82,900 farm operators across the United States.

Commodity research analyst Brian Basting of Advance Trading provided commentary on the report today for MGEX and said the trade was surprised by many of the numbers, especially wheat: Brian Basting, Advance Trading comments on Prospective Plantings

Audio, Corn, Soybean, USDA, Wheat

Deere Introduces 60 Foot No-Till Drill and ProSeries™ Openers

Cindy Zimmerman

Small-grain and oilseed producers can now plant more acres faster and more accurately with the introduction of the 60 foot 1895 No-Till Air Seeder from John Deere, which is 40 percent wider and incorporates many new technologies designed to improve seed and fertilizer placement, while decreasing soil disturbance and maintenance demands.

Highlighted features of the 60-ft. (18.29m) 1895 Seeder include the new ProSeries™ Openers, RelativeFlow™ blockage warning system, TruSet™ in-cab downforce pressure control, and larger, high-floatation tires for less soil compaction when operating in the field. When combined with an air cart and NH₃ wagons, the 1895 provides the ultimate single-pass seeding system for producers of small grains and oilseeds.

The new ProSeries Openers, which replace the 90 Series Openers, will be available for the first time on the wider 1985 and expanded to other models in the future. These performance-driven openers feature a serrated closing wheel option for better seed and fertilizer sealing, narrow and flexible press wheels along with a narrow seed boot for reduced soil disturbance while ensuring more precise seed placement.

Learn more from John Deere.

AgWired Precision, Equipment, John Deere

NCGA President Working Hard for Ethanol in DC

Cindy Zimmerman

National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) president Kevin Skunes has probably spent more time in Washington DC over the past month or so than on his farm in North Dakota, working hard to protect the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and the important market of ethanol for corn growers.

Last week, Skunes joined the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) in visits to Congressional offices. “For the fly-in we go to offices that we wouldn’t normally go to…states that might not be as friendly to ethanol,” said Skunes during an interview at the fly-in.

Since before Commodity Classic, NCGA has been working to educate the administration about Renewable Identification Numbers (RINS) and why they are so important to the overall success of the RFS. “RINs do matter to farmers,” Skunes said. “I think that over the last month and a half, they have come around to see that it would be very detrimental to cap the price of RINs and I hope that we are making some headway.”

Listen to that interview here: Interview with NCGA president Kevin Skunes

2018 ACE DC Fly-in Photo Album

NCGA this week submitted formal comments to the U.S Department of Justice opposing the proposed settlement between Philadelphia Energy Solutions and the EPA regarding the outstanding RFS compliance obligations the refiner has included in its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. That situation is what originally brought the RIN price issue to the attention of the administration.

Skunes tweeted on Tuesday this week that he had a chance to visit with Vice President Pence about the RFS. “He said we are looking for a “win, win” solution, I asked him if we could meet to talk about what that solution looks like! He said let’s talk!” Skunes tweeted on Tuesday.

ACE, Audio, Corn, Ethanol, NCGA

Insect Control in Cotton with Prevathon

Jamie Johansen

One of the new products creating buzz from FMC Corporation is Prevathon, which offers insect control in BT cotton. We were able to stop by the FMC booth at the 2018 Mid-South Farm & Gin Show to learn why cotton growers will want to take advantage of Prevathon this growing season.

“Reseach has shown that at least one application of Prevathon as an overspray reduces the amount of damage from those pests and also increases the yield for cotton growers,” said Don Johnson, FMC. “Prevathon gives you up to 21 days of residual control on that cotton plant. With it, you are also getting straight Rynaxypyr. You don’t have a pyrethroid in that combination that will flare mites and aphids in the cotton. And it’s easy on the beneficial insects out there.”

Prevathon insect control delivers crop protection to pests that have developed resistance to products with other modes of action. Listen to my complete interview with Don to learn more: Interview with Don Johnson, FMC Corporation

View and download photos from the event here: 2018 Farm & Gin Show Photo Album

Coverage of the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is sponsored by
Coverage of the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is sponsored by FMC
Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Audio, Cotton, Farm & Gin Show, FMC

USDA Has No Plans to Regulate Gene Edited Plants

Cindy Zimmerman

USDA has no plans to regulate “plants that could otherwise have been developed through traditional breeding techniques as long as they are not plant pests or developed using plant pests,” according to an announcement yesterday from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

This includes a set of new techniques that are increasingly being used by plant breeders to produce new plant varieties that are indistinguishable from those developed through traditional breeding methods. The newest of these methods, such as genome editing, expand traditional plant breeding tools because they can introduce new plant traits more quickly and precisely, potentially saving years or even decades in bringing needed new varieties to farmers.

Gene editing was among the topics discussed during a panel last week at the Agri-Pulse Ag and Food Policy Summit. The panel included American Seed Trade Association CEO Andy LaVigne; Mary Kay Thatcher, Federal Lead for Syngenta; U.S. Grains Council CEO Tom Sleight; and Margaret Zeigler, Executive Director, Global Harvest Initiative.

Listen to the discussion here: Agri-Pulse Trade, Technology, and US Productivity Panel

2018 Ag & Food Policy Summit Photo Album

Agri-Pulse, ASTA, Audio, Plant Breeding, USDA

John Deere Connected Support Helps Dealers Help Growers

Cindy Zimmerman

John Deere Connected Support™ Expert Alerts was honored by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) with the AE50 Award for 2018 as one of the most innovative designs in product engineering in the food and agriculture industry. But for John Deere dealers, what it means is helping their customers reduce downtime and save money, and that gives farmers who buy John Deere equipment piece of mind.

“What’s really cool is that we have embedded technology on our machines,” said Deere Product Marketing Manager Scott Brotherton during an interview at Commodity Classic. “In the event that something should happen in the field, this technology will alert the dealership and make them aware of the problem.”

Expert Alerts utilizes JDLink™ machine connectivity and data analytics to predict service needs, reduce diagnostic time and minimize downtime. This results in higher levels of machine availability, improved machine performance and lower cost of operation. “Customers are starting to see the value first hand because the dealers are so much more responsive,” said Brotherton.

Learn more about Deere Connected Dealer Support in this interview: Interview with Scott Brotherton, John Deere

John Deere at 2018 Commodity Classic

Commodity Classic coverage made possible by
Commodity Classic coverage made possible by FMCCommodity Classic coverage made possible by John Deere
AgWired Precision, Audio, Commodity Classic, John Deere, Precision Agriculture

Precision Ag Bytes 3/28

Cindy Zimmerman

  • A new report from USDA’s Economic Research Service finds that despite higher winter loss rates, the number of U.S. honey bee colonies has remained stable or risen between 1996 and 2016. The report, “Effects and Responses to Changes in Honey Bee Health” provides an overview of the pollination services market and examines empirical data on pollinated crop production, pollination service fees, and annual numbers of honey bee colonies.
  • Farm supply retailer Southern States Cooperative has added industry veterans Jay Quickel and Joe Paoli to head-up their farm supply and sales divisions. Quickel will serve as executive vice president of the co-op’s farm supply division and Paoli comes on board as the executive vice president of sales.
  • Understory, the weather network, edge computing, and machine learning company, has announced an international expansion and strategic collaboration with Monsanto. Monsanto’s use of Understory’s weather network is providing on-the-ground insights into localized weather in Argentina to drive growers’ decisions and optimize high value operations.
  • The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) is currently accepting nominations for the 2018 AEM Hall of Fame. The Hall recognizes and celebrates industry leaders, innovators and pioneers who have contributed to the growth and overall quality of the off-road equipment industry.
  • Nichino America introduces Gatten®, a new fungicide for powdery mildew control in grapes and other crops. Nichino and OAT Agrio Co., Ltd., the discoverer and manufacturer of Gatten, have reached an agreement for Nichino America to market and sell Gatten in the United States and Canada.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

The Global Promotion of Irish Food & Drink

Jamie Johansen

While traveling Ireland with Alltech and KEENAN we stopped by Bord Bia Irish Food Board to learn more about the role they play in promoting Irish food and drink worldwide.

One of the prize projects they have developed is Origin Green, a program centered around food sustainability. The unique national concept brings in industry, the state and stakeholders within the industry to all work together. Mary Morrissey, Bord Bia Sr. Manager Food & Beverage Division, said, “It starts at the farm level. The next stage up is the manufacturing level and recently we’ve added the final end of the leg, retailers and foodservice operators.”

Just like farming and ranching in the U.S., Ireland is faced with the need to prove sustainability. This program is doing just that. “On the farm, it is about setting a standard and auditing farmers at either the beef or dairy assurance scheme and then moving on to the manufacturing and further up the supply chain.

Origin Green’s 280+ verified members now account for over 90% of Ireland’s total food and drink exports, a fourth consecutive year of growth. And their over 500 participating companies’ account for 95% of total food and drink exports, highlighting the ongoing and sustained commitment of Irish food and drink manufacturers towards sustainability and Origin Green.

Listen to my complete interview with Mary to learn more about Origin Green and how they are marketing Ireland’s brands internationally: Interview with Mary Morrissey, Bord Bia

Alltech KEENAN Great Green Getaway Photo Album

 

Great Green Getaway Coverage Sponsored by Alltech & KEENANKeenan logo

 

Agribusiness, AgWired Animal, Alltech, Beef, Dairy, International, Sustainability

ZimmCast 578 from Ag Week in DC

Cindy Zimmerman

Last week was a busy one in Washington, DC with National Ag Day Activities, the Agri-Pulse Ag & Food Policy Summit and American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) annual Fly-in. It was a week of crazy weather, including six inches of snow the second day of spring, but all events went as planned and were all very successful and well attended.

This podcast includes National Ag Day comments from Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, interviews with American Coalition for Ethanol CEO Brian Jennings, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), and comments from the newly appointed chief ag negotiator for USTR, Gregg Doud. You can find lots more audio and photos from all of last week’s events on AgNewsWire where there is a virtual newsroom for each one. All of the content is in the public domain and free to use.

Listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 578 - Ag Week in DC

Subscribe to the ZimmCast podcast here. Use this url in iTunes or your favorite news reader program/app.

The ZimmCast

sponsored by
The ZimmCast podcast is sponsored by GROWMARK
Locally owned, globally strong.
ACE, Ag Day, Agri-Pulse, Audio, Ethanol, Trade, USDA, ZimmCast

Scholar Farms Offers Masterclass for Drones

Chuck Zimmerman

If you’ve got a drone and are looking for some lessons then you need to talk to Dr. Greg Crutsinger, Founder, Scholar Farms. You can listen to my conversation with him about his newly announced Phytomappers Pro Masterclass below.

This course explains how to integrate drones into commercial workflows for agriculture, forestry, environmental consultancies, scientific research and other plant-related industries.

“Navigating the drone industry can be a daunting process with so many options for hardware, sensors, and software. Then, it can then be quite challenging to understand what all those data mean for different kinds of plants and across the growing season,” says Greg. “Phytomappers Pro was built to provide a solid foundation for plant professionals to get up to speed quickly and integrate drone effectively into their everyday workflow”.

Phytomappers Pro is designed for drone service providers, commercial agriculture team members, land managers, and academics (students, faculty, and researchers) that want to get the best results from using drones for mapping in the field.
 

The course is available for $397 from www.ScholarFarms.com. Additionally, there is a free lesson available, “A Quick Start Guide to Plants and Drones” which gives an industry overview.

You can listen to my interview with Greg here: Interview with Greg Crutsinger, Scholar Farms

AgWired Precision, Audio