Ag Update:
The weather this season is bound to keep farmers hopping to make sure they get the pesticide and herbicide applications between rains and properly timed.
Crop Conditions
Marcia McMullen, NDSU plant pathologist says “There is a little barley yellow dwarf virus symptoms, but nothing severe. Most of the crops survived the storms July 4 okay, except for a few areas, perhaps, that had some damage. Our plot area just west of NDSU only got 0.4 inches of rain and no damage. As far as diseases, the wheat crop is looking good over-all, with much of the crop in this area headed out and in the flowering stage or just past flowering. Last week we had some days that were very favorable for disease development, but some sunny days this week may reduce disease risk, at least for the short term.”
Maggot infestations reported in Cass County are affecting sugar beets, dry beans, soybeans and corn. Infestations are weather dependent and occur in cool wet seasons during early crop stages in soils with high organic content, according to Janet Knodel, entomologist for the NDSU extension service.
Prevented Planting Regulation Change
The USDA announced June 30 a revision in prevented planting requirements for Prairie Pothole States, including Minnesota and North Dakota. The USDA press release says, “The change is intended to assist farmers who have experienced difficulties due to excessive moisture in their fields over recent years. Beginning with the 2012 crop year, a crop must be grown on the acreage at least one of the previous four years if a farmer wishes to qualify.”
Evan Twedt, Griggs County Extension Agent, said “To be eligible in 2011 you had to have planted a crop on the land one of the past three years.”
USDA’s Risk Management Agency, (RMA), which manages the Federal crop insurance program, is instituting the change in response to listening sessions with producers in affected states.
“The requirement to be able to bring an insured crop to harvest in one of four years improves program integrity,” said Administrator William Murphy. “It also helps meet the needs of farmers in the Prairie Pothole region, where some acreage has not been available to plant since the 2008 crop year due to flooding and excessive moisture conditions.”
According to the release, “Actuarial documents filed for individual counties beginning with the 2012 crop year will include spring-seeded crops in counties with fall (winter and spring wheat coverage) sales closing dates.”
If a farmer can’t bring a crop to harvest in one of four years, Twedt said, “Then you are not eligible for prevented plant insurance and you are paying taxes on land on which you cannot grow a crop.” Twedt and other extension agents, he said, are concerned about farmers who have lost most of their acreage to long-term flooding, as is the situation in the Devils Lake region of North Dakota.
Who’s Jumping the Gun?
Industry sources report an investigation is underway because the acreage and grain stocks report was released two minutes early due to a telecommunications glitch, the second technical problem in a week which also let the quality hogs and pigs report go 14 minutes early. Why is this notable?
Marlin Clark in an article for AgWeek on Tuesday said, “USDA released new numbers for planted acres and grain stocks Thursday, June 30, before the open, and the market was shocked into panic selling.” He continues: “For weeks, the thinking has been all about low grain stocks and running out of corn and beans before new crop. The late planting was acerbating the fear, with the thought that we might need a couple of more weeks out of the old crop supply. Now comes Uncle Sugar with planted acres for corn higher than before we had planting problems and grain stocks for all three major commodities higher than any trade guesses!”
Twedt explains: “USDA Acreage Board affects the market and if two minutes turned into 10 minutes you could do a lot of trading in that time. … If you wanted to, you could either buy or sell before everyone else, depending upon what you want to do. I guess the main thing is, when that crop acreage report comes out it tells exactly how much is being grown. If you found out there was a lot more corn acres than people thought there would be someone taking advantage of that information.”
UN Urges Governments to Help Small Farmers
An AP wire service article out of Geneva July 5 reports the United Nations says the world food production must increase by up to 100 percent by 2050 and focus on greener methods to sustain an expected 9 billion population.
The UN’s annual World Economic and Social Survey says governments must help small-scale farms thrive to keep people fed and reduce environmental harm. The average size farm in Africa and Asia is 1.6 hectares (2.47 acres).
The survey released July 1 said the 2007-2008 food crisis and higher food prices this year “revealed deep structural problems in the global food system” that contribute to a warmer climate and polluted land and water.
It says two-thirds of 925 million people undernourished now live in just seven countries: Bangladesh, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia and Pakistan.