A weekly publication of University of Illinois Extension, Ford-Iroquois Unit
Prepared in part by Stu Ellis, former Extension specialist and Karen Moore, County Director, Ford-Iroquois Unit.
http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/fordiroquois/agupdate/
Basics of Farm Land Ownership Programs Are you a farmland owner who needs assistance in making important decisions that have an impact on your farm? “Leasing for Farmland Owners” is a new series of programs available this fall for you. The on-line program is scheduled for Sept. 16th - Oct. 28th. The same topics are being offered by teleconference from noon to 1 p.m. on Sept. 23, Oct. 7th, Oct. 23, and Oct. 28th. Cost is $45 for the program and materials. For more information, contact the Ford-Iroquois Extension Office at 815-268-4051.
Corn prices have declined $2 since the June highs, and IL Extension’s Darrel Good says that has revived ethanol profitability. “Lower crude oil prices have resulted in lower prices for ethanol. The average price of ethanol at Iowa plants declined from $2.82 per gallon on July 3, 2008 to $2.57 per gallon on July 18. The drop in ethanol prices over the past two weeks has been more than offset by the decline in corn prices. Spot cash prices for corn, ethanol, and distillers’ grain suggest that the current gross crush margin is at the high end of the margins experienced over the past 11 months. Corn consumption for ethanol should continue to increase as forecast as corn prices follow crude oil prices.”
Good is also watching crop ratings, and says, “As of July 13, only 13% of the corn crop was in the silk stage, compared to 50% on the same date last year and the 5-year average of 36%. Recent weather conditions, however, suggest that maturity will progress rapidly.” He’s expecting volatility to continue in the corn market. Read his weekly newsletter at: http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/marketing/weekly/html/072108.html .
Agreement on the weather comes from Kansas State’s Mike Woolverton, who says, “We are dodging the bullet of excessive July heat damaging late pollinating corn,” and he expects the national average yield to be higher than currently projected. Read his newsletter at: http://www.agmanager.info/marketing/outlook/newletters/default.asp .
Woolverton says wheat has been damaged the least by the current price slide and has only dropped $1.50 since harvest began. “The surprise was price didn’t fall further in the face of a projected 9% increase in global wheat production this year.” He says the current Kansas City cash bid of $7.82 has held up because of low global stocks, high global demand, and it will take a large amount of wheat to fill pipelines and warehouses.
Of the $4 increase in corn prices, $3 is due to oil prices and $1 is attributable to the ethanol subsidy, according to Purdue economist Wally Tyner in a new study for the Farm Foundation. His colleague Phil Abbott says the weak dollar has caused all commodity prices to rise, and whatever affects the dollar will also influence food prices. He said since 2002 the dollar has depreciated 45% and agricultural exports have increased 54%.
The Purdue study on food and fuel prices says decreased investment in agricultural research has lead to lower production growth, reduced stocks, and set the stage for higher commodity prices. But they said speculators have not had an impact. They believe the market is more volatile, but price levels have not increased because of speculators.
Heading into August, Ohio State meteorologist Jim Noel expects near normal rainfall and temperatures. But he says the August and September pattern may be slightly drier than normal. He does not see any long stretches of 90 degree days, and says it might be one of the cooler summers in that regard. He says the heat will stay in the western US.
Count your GDD’s. Extension specialist Emerson Nafziger says early May corn has accumulated 1,500 growing degree days since planting and only needs 1,200 more to reach maturity. He says it takes about 50 days to do that at this point in the season. Nafziger says so far the summer has been good in overcoming late planting problems.
You cannot cure uneven cornfields says Emerson Nafziger caused by unevenly wet soil conditions where corn will more quickly show water and nutrient stress. Before hiring a commercial sprayer, he suggests scouting the field to map out the greatest area for yield potential and focus any rescue spray on that instead of corn that may not mature.
Corn silking is 12 days late in Iowa, says Iowa State specialist Roger Elmore, and he says June 30th replanted acres will be silking in mid-August. Elmore says a late frost could allow 96% of optimum yield, but an early frost means a 45% yield. He’s warning farmers not to apply fungicides until after tasseling or it will damage the ear formation.
Aerial sprayers are busy as farmers try to control rust and fungus in corn. Extension’s Carl Bradley says the timeframe is from tasseling to blister stage if you are going to spray. He urges you to check the susceptibility of your hybrids to rust and fungus before spending the money. But he says with late corn, the risk for yield loss due to rust and other foliar diseases does increase. http://www.ipm.uiuc.edu/bulletin/article.php?id=998
If you applied N earlier and your corn looks healthy, Extension fertility specialist Fabian Fernandez says there should be no concern about it running out of N. If the corn was late, your concern should be on kernel development, and a short crop will not need as much N as in a typical year. Corn deficient in N can benefit if applied before tasseling.
Soybean prospects are questionable says Emerson Nafziger at University of Illinois because of the late blooming and podding, unless it can be sustained over a long period of time and a friendly September. He says pods and seeds fill faster with 80 degree days and 70 degree nights, but divergence from that means fewer pods, seeds, and lower yields.
Japanese beetles are more of a problem this year than last say Extension entomologists, who report 417,102 caught in 1 trap over the course of a week. However, specialists say populations are highly variable, and are worse in some areas and less of a problem in others. Read more at: http://www.ipm.uiuc.edu/bulletin/article.php?id=992 .
Keep your fingers crossed that California researchers may have found a chemical to keep male Japanese beetles from finding females, and when their formula was tested, captures of Japanese beetles declined. IL Extension’s Mike Gray calls that “exciting.”
If you need to control Japanese beetles, Mike Gray and Kevin Steffey at Illinois suggest:
1) Pyrethroids kill Japanese beetles on contact, but they also are repellent to beetles.
2) High temperatures may reduce the efficacy of some pyrethroids
3) Tank-mixing different insecticides should not be necessary in most situations.
4) Assess the situation for the entire field, and spray only where necessary.
5) Japanese beetles become a non-issue in cornfields after pollination is complete.
Soybean aphid populations are increasing say crop scouts participating in a survey. Specialists say if a plant is found with numerous aphids, it warrants being vigilant well into August. The 2006 aphid population began to increase beginning late August into mid-September, and at that point beans were beyond being affected by aphids.
The cold, wet spring did have a detrimental impact on insects in IN and OH says Purdue entomologist John Obermeyer. He says the floods drowned corn rootworms and Japanese beetles, and very few are being found this year, and he expects low numbers in 2009 also.
IL corn rootworms apparently were not seriously affected by the cool temperatures, cold, wet soils, and late planting. Entomologists at the University of Illinois report “respectable levels of pruning” as they dig rootballs on corn stalks to assign root ratings to various insecticides. The analysis and insecticide evaluation is several weeks away.
Western bean cutworms are being found more frequently, and in increasing numbers. Extension Specialist Kevin Steffey says any corn that does not have the Herculex I Insect Protection trait should be scouted for the adults. He says look for eggs and larvae on the top side of corn leaves from the ear to the tassel, and the objective is to kill the larvae before they reach the ear. An 8% infestation of plants is the threshold for spraying.
You may be bumping the calendar in spraying weedy beans says Weed Scientist Aaron Hager, because of the lateness of planting. He says post emergent sprays are restricted to either a developmental stage of the soybean or days prior to harvest. Hager says violation of the label means chemical residue may be on harvested beans or yields may be reduced.
Check his chart before spraying: http://www.ipm.uiuc.edu/bulletin/article.php?id=997
The decline in corn prices means it is time for cattle feeders to “pencil out some break-evens and see if feeding yearlings or calves could be profitable,” says Nebraska livestock economist Darrell Mark. “And, for those with cattle on feed and purchasing corn, it is a time to watch for a bottom in the corn market and consider making purchases.”
Since corn prices dropped, Darrell Mark says the spread between calf and yearling prices has not widened as would have been expected. Instead, he says calves have become cheaper compared to yearlings. “And, that current benefit is reflected in a bottom-line for feeding calves that is almost $40/head better than yearlings,” he says. Read his newsletter at: http://www.lmic.info/memberspublic/InTheCattleMarket.html .
The export market is doing more than its share for the price of hogs says Ron Plain at Missouri. May pork exports were almost double that of May 2007 and contributed $43.62 per head slaughtered. For Jan. to May, exports averaged $33.51 per head in value; and Plain says 26.5% of every hog slaughtered in the US is exported.
