Interesting.
Another company bashing an ag product.
Corn growers not thrilled with Budweiser.
Check this out http://fortune.com/2019/02/04/corn-farmers-bud-light-super-bowl/?fbclid=IwAR1lUfT_js3mxlIi1m8npIsSNVf9lYExlYv9zRD2IaMjtF9eORe7gIHUI8E
Showing posts with label corn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label corn. Show all posts
Monday, February 4, 2019
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Red Meat, Corn, Soybeans Production Up in New York; Potatoes Down
Cattle slaughter totaled 3,300 head, up 10 percent from October 2015. The average live weight was up 6 pounds from the previous year, at 1,164.
Calf slaughter totaled 6,500 head, up 132 percent from October 2015. The average live weight was down 60 pounds from last year, at 115 pounds.
Hog slaughter totaled 5,500 head, up 15 percent from October 2015. The average live weight was up 4 pounds from the previous year, at 258 pounds.
Sheep slaughter totaled 4,100 head, 15 percent below last year. The average live weight was 103 pounds, down 3 pounds from October a year ago.
Corn production in New York is forecast at 83.8 million bushels, up 2 percent from the October forecast but down 1 percent from last year.
Based on conditions as of Nov. 1, yields are expected to average 133 bushels per acre, up 2 bushels from the October forecast but down 10 bushels from 2015. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 630,000 acres, unchanged from the October forecast but up 7 percent from 2015.
Soybean production in New York is forecast at 13.7 million bushels, up 2 percent from October and up 6 percent from last year. Based on Nov. 1 conditions, yields are expected to average 42 bushels per acre, up 1 bushel from last month but down 1 bushel from last year. Area for harvest is forecast at 326,000 acres, unchanged from last month.
Fall potatoes production for 2016 is forecast at 3.31 million hundredweight, down 20 percent from last year. Area harvested, at 13,800 acres, is down 7 percent from the previous year. The average yield forecast, at 240 hundredweight per acre, is down 40 hundredweight from last year’s yield.
Saturday, November 5, 2016
NY Farmers To Receive Assistance for Crop Price Losses
From the USDA Farm Service Agency
The U.S. Department of Agriculture New York State Farm Service Agency Executive Director James Barber says a majority of New York farms that enrolled in safety-net programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill will receive financial assistance for the 2015 crop year.
The programs, known as Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage, are designed to protect against unexpected drops in crop prices or revenues due to market downturns.
“These safety-net programs provide help when price and revenues fall below normal, unlike the previous direct payments program that provided funds even in good years,” said Barber. “These payments will help provide reassurance to New York farm families, who are standing strong against low commodity prices compounded by unfavorable growing conditions.
"For example, 55 counties in New York state harvest corn, and 51 have experienced a drop in price below the benchmark price established by the Agriculture Risk Coverage program. Payments will also be made in most counties to producers of oats, soybeans and wheat,” Barber said.
“Payments by county can vary because average county yields will differ,” he said.
Statewide, 17,577 farms participated in Agriculture Risk Coverage and 931 farms participated in Price Loss Coverage.
More details on the price and yield information used to calculate the financing assistance from the safety-net programs is available on the FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc and
www.fsa.usda.gov/ny.
The programs, known as Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage, are designed to protect against unexpected drops in crop prices or revenues due to market downturns.
“These safety-net programs provide help when price and revenues fall below normal, unlike the previous direct payments program that provided funds even in good years,” said Barber. “These payments will help provide reassurance to New York farm families, who are standing strong against low commodity prices compounded by unfavorable growing conditions.
"For example, 55 counties in New York state harvest corn, and 51 have experienced a drop in price below the benchmark price established by the Agriculture Risk Coverage program. Payments will also be made in most counties to producers of oats, soybeans and wheat,” Barber said.
“Payments by county can vary because average county yields will differ,” he said.
Statewide, 17,577 farms participated in Agriculture Risk Coverage and 931 farms participated in Price Loss Coverage.
More details on the price and yield information used to calculate the financing assistance from the safety-net programs is available on the FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc and
www.fsa.usda.gov/ny.
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Drought Stresses Crops Throughout New York State
By JOE LEATHERSICH, MALLORY DIEFENBACH,
JIM KRENCIK and DEBRA J. GROOM
Empire Farm & Dairy
It’s hot.
It’s dry.
It’s not raining.
That’s the forecast farmers have been dealing with since they began putting crops in the ground a few months ago. It doesn’t matter what they’re growing, the crops have been stressed due to the ongoing drought hitting a good part of New York state.
“Many areas of the state are in a severe drought,” said Aaron Reynolds, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Buffalo. “The precipitation has been real spotty in nature. And that is producing stress in the crops.”
According to a map put out by the National Weather Service, the worst of the drought is in Western New York. The map shows a severe drought area along the Southern Tier from Binghamton west, the Finger Lakes region, the Suffolk County area of Long Island and most of Western New York.
Patches of the Hudson Valley, Nassau County on Long Island and most of Central New York, such as Onondaga, Oswego and Jefferson counties, are in a moderate drought. The north country is deemed “abnormally dry.”
It doesn’t seem the weather will get any better any time soon.
Though rain is forecasted for short periods, it’s going to take a lot more than that to break the drought. And even then, the damage has been done to many of Western New York’s farms.
Crops struggling
Some farmers are fighting a two-front war as the drought worsens — with one problem not as obvious as the other.
Most obviously, the lack of water is hurting the crop harvest. Yields are way down as plants are struggling to grow. By this time of year, corn stalks should be above your head, but this year’s crop is topping out at about two feet high. And it’s not like the corn is behind schedule — it’s just done growing.
John Starowitz of Starowitz Farms in Byron, Genesee County, said his corn crop has already “tasselled,” meaning the corn is as good as it’s going to get, and it’s barely above your knee.
“When you have crops and vegetables, they all rely on water, and you’ve got to have a certain amount of water,” he said. “When you don’t have water, everything is skimpy and small.”
Jason Turek, who runs the third-largest vegetable farm in the state — Turek Farm near King Ferry in Cayuga County — grows 4,000 acres of vegetables that are sold throughout the Northeast and Middle Atlantic states. Of that, 2,500 acres are sweet corn.
He said he is harvesting only about a quarter of each field in early harvest vegetables, like corn and green beans. “It is hurting us — we’re in denial,” he said.
He said his corn is “hurt for sure” and by now, he should have cut 20,000 boxes of cabbage for shipment. He’s cut 1,000 boxes.
Ironically, his farm is spread out along the shore of Cayuga Lake.
He’s lacking water but there’s a whole lake nearby.
But Turek said it really doesn’t make any difference. If he could draw water from the lake, he would be allowed by regulation to take only 100,000 gallons a day. He said he needs 65 million gallons to water his entire farm.
“It’s like fighting a forest fire with a garden hose,” he said.
The drought is bringing on another problem that might not be as obvious, too: pests.
Pests are attracted to moisture, and the only things with any semblance of it are the crops, even though they’re struggling themselves.
Starowitz said the bugs, deer and woodchucks are all causing damage to his crop, worse this year than past years because of the drought. The pests are “clearing out anything that’s green,” he said.
He hasn’t completely given up hope yet, though. He said there might be enough crop to sell to buyers, but he’s not expecting to make any money on it.
“Basically we’re just riding the storm out, we’re going with the punches,” Starowitz said. “There’s always hope.”
While some crops suffer in the drought, others are doing well.
Onions seem to be coming through the drought OK, said Christy Hoepting, Cornell Cooperative Extension vegetable specialist.
“One of the benefits of it being hot and dry, and so breezy, is that we don’t have very much disease pressure,” Hoepting said. “The disease pressure is what can really be ravaging. There are a couple diseases that get going when it is cool and wet, so we don’t have to worry about any of those. The biggest pest concern is onion thrips, which do very well in the heat.”
However, onions — which prefer moderate temperatures — will grow quicker, and may not reach their full-size potential, especially in ground which hasn’t been irrigated. Still, Hoepting believes this season’s yields will be “pretty good.”
“Our (onion) quality should be excellent,” she said, explaining without the diseases to contend with, onions can produce crop of higher worth. “Quality is usually excellent in a hot, dry year at the expense of maximum bulb size.”
Dairy farmers feel the heat
Dairy farmers are having trouble handling the heat, too.
While crop farmers are dealing with the effects of the drought now as they harvest, the season will be over soon and what’s done will be done.
Dairy farming, however, is a 24/7, 365-day operation and can’t necessarily stop because corn and hay crops failed. But the harvests are so low that farmers are looking elsewhere for feed.
“We’re taking a lot of steps to purchase feed,” said Dale Stein of the multi-generational Stein Farms in Le Roy, which has about 1,000 cows on it. He’s taking these steps because his corn harvest is down 60 percent.
“We’re going to be so short (until next harvest),” he said.
Unsurprisingly, this shortage brings on a lot of financial burden.
Stein said this shortage will cost him about $25,000 a month for 12 months until he can harvest again. Many farmers have insurance for situations just like this, as Stein does and has tapped into a little this year, but that doesn’t recoup lost revenue as much as it lightens the debt burden.
For instance, Starowitz said if you have $100,000 in debt because of the drought, insurance might cover $90,000 of that, leaving the farm still in the red.
Stein said dairy farms’ problems are being compounded as well by drought; not only are they paying for feed, but small revenues are being brought in because of the low price of milk.
He added this has him “concerned” and “worried” that the effects of this situation might linger for another two years.
One glimmer of hope in all of this for some dairy farmers is that milk production is relatively stable thanks to technological advancements.
Cows like cooler temperatures and definitely do not like the heat. But since a lot of farms have invested in equipment that regulates the temperature in Western New York’s fickle climate, most cows are none-the-wiser.
“Our cows are kept cool,” Stein said.
Livestock impacted as well
The drought affects farmers in different ways, depending on their crop and what they are raising.
For those who raise livestock, there was no pasture available for animals to graze. While livestock typically graze about six to seven months out of the year, pasture foraging was limited because the season started so dry.
“A lot of livestock producers are now feeding hay, which they would normally feed during the winter,” said Nancy Glazier, small farm specialist on the Northwest Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops Team for Cornell Cooperative Extension. “Their hay harvest has been lighter than normal, so that’s adding another kind of a wrinkle.
They have to purchase some hay elsewhere.”
While some farmers have been buying hay from their neighbors, others have been going out of the region and out of state to get what they need. She added some farmers even put in alternative feed such as oats or another type of annual grass.
The drought affects the livestock as well; Glazier said the drought and high heat causes more stress.
“Some farms may actually keep their animals in the barns, because it is a little cooler if they don’t have trees available for them in pastures,” she said.
“Farmers are pretty resilient,” Glazier went on. “Every year is a different year. They just have to deal with the hand they are dealt from Mother Nature.”
Other commodities affected by drought
Most people probably wouldn’t think trees would be bothered by a lack of water. Mature trees have deep roots and can draw on underground water for their needs.
But the lack of rain and excessive heat still can stress trees. Christmas tree growers, maple syrup producers and apple growers all are worried about this year’s crop or future crops.
Mary Jeanne Packer, president of the Christmas Tree Growers of New York, said some producers have lost up to half their crop of new trees planted this spring. Each year, growers replace the trees they harvested and sold last holiday season and it’s these young trees that have trouble in a drought.
“Some have set up irrigation,” she said. “Most of the problem is west of Syracuse.”
The loss of young trees won’t affect consumers immediately, but you never know down the road. Packer said if growers lose half of their young trees this summer, they will have to plant double the amount next spring and that damages their bottom lines.
Jim Allen, president of the New York Apple Association, said both apple trees and grape vines are stressed this summer from lack of rain.
With the apples, the drought won’t kill the trees, but it will affect the size of the fruit.
“The apples will be much smaller. They will be good and very sweet because there will be less water in them and more sugar,” he said.
It won’t be good financially for the apple growers either because the drought also will reduce the number of apples on the trees, cutting their yields. He said they shouldn’t have a problem with new trees planted in the spring because most growers irrigate these.
Maple trees won’t die from the drought, said Helen Thomas, executive director of the New York Maple Producers Association.
But, “if the water table is low and continues through the winter, the trees won’t have enough water to make as much sap in the spring,” she said. This means there could be a lot less syrup and other maple goodies next year.
What’s causing record dryness
David Thomas, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Buffalo, said the recent summers that could take the silver or bronze medal in the Drought Olympics were 2012, 1995 and 1988.
In all three cases, the past droughts followed particularly dry years, with isolated or widespread droughts across Western New York in the March 1 to July 31 period, that were eased by later summer weather.
“2012 was also dry from spring into the summer,” Thomas said. “It was a little wetter than this year (with rain picking up in the summer). It helped (end) the drought, but we did have a dry period from March to July.”
The National Weather Service monitors droughts via multiple measures, with precipitation at airports an input that Thomas said shows this as the driest summer in 75 years. It’s been a confluence of factors to get here.
In Western New York, multi-year droughts like the one hitting California are prevented by the shear accumulation of snow that provides an annual replenishing of the water table and soil moisture.
Batavia experienced a reprieve from heavy snowfall in 2016 after back-to-back winters that brought blizzards, sustained deep freezes and snow-bound misery, but that wasn’t helpful below ground.
An upper-level wind pattern that frequently blew from the northeast prevented the “no doubters” of Gulf of Mexico-fueled spring rains that commonly add to the precipitation scoreboard.
“We didn’t have a really snowy winter, and that led into a dry spring that really caused the ground to dry out quickly across the region,” Thomas said. “The bright, sunny days through the spring and drier air allowed the drought conditions.”
Even the timing of weather systems hasn’t helped. Cold fronts have generally appeared over Western New York during the more atmospherically stable overnight hours, whereas an afternoon conflict with the daytime heat would lift the formation of clouds and thunderstorms.
“Without the sun’s heat, there’s not as many showers and thunderstorms,” Thomas said.
More than a little rain needed
This far into a drought, the region needs more than a sustained rainfall. Thomas said it will take months of above-normal precipitation to replenish the water table and have lawns, fields and trees recover.
“It won’t be one particular event or a week-long stretch,” he said.
A wayward hurricane ready to unload a flash of rain in Western New York, similar to the late stages of Hurricane Frances in 2004, wouldn’t be the solution. Thomas said a tropical storm would bring an abundance of rainfall, but forecasting one to pass over the region is next to impossible at this point.
And a flood doesn’t “fix” the problems of a drought. It just creates problems of its own.
At Fenton Farms in Batavia, Paul Fenton and his wife Gail have been fortunate to catch a portion of the handful of rain events that have punctuated the worst drought in their 30 years of farming an area between the city and Thruway. But each week the benefit has been weaker.
“It’s just evaporating so fast, the subsoil is absorbing the showers we do get, and with the high temperatures — we have three days of 85 degrees plus this week — the evaporation is just intense,” Fenton said.
“We’re still producing nice stuff where it’s getting water, but the work to produce the product (is unprecedented). We’re irrigating seven days a week.”
JIM KRENCIK and DEBRA J. GROOM
Empire Farm & Dairy
It’s hot.
It’s dry.
It’s not raining.
 |
| Drought map as of early August |
“Many areas of the state are in a severe drought,” said Aaron Reynolds, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Buffalo. “The precipitation has been real spotty in nature. And that is producing stress in the crops.”
According to a map put out by the National Weather Service, the worst of the drought is in Western New York. The map shows a severe drought area along the Southern Tier from Binghamton west, the Finger Lakes region, the Suffolk County area of Long Island and most of Western New York.
Patches of the Hudson Valley, Nassau County on Long Island and most of Central New York, such as Onondaga, Oswego and Jefferson counties, are in a moderate drought. The north country is deemed “abnormally dry.”
It doesn’t seem the weather will get any better any time soon.
Though rain is forecasted for short periods, it’s going to take a lot more than that to break the drought. And even then, the damage has been done to many of Western New York’s farms.
Crops struggling
Some farmers are fighting a two-front war as the drought worsens — with one problem not as obvious as the other.
Most obviously, the lack of water is hurting the crop harvest. Yields are way down as plants are struggling to grow. By this time of year, corn stalks should be above your head, but this year’s crop is topping out at about two feet high. And it’s not like the corn is behind schedule — it’s just done growing.
John Starowitz of Starowitz Farms in Byron, Genesee County, said his corn crop has already “tasselled,” meaning the corn is as good as it’s going to get, and it’s barely above your knee.
“When you have crops and vegetables, they all rely on water, and you’ve got to have a certain amount of water,” he said. “When you don’t have water, everything is skimpy and small.”
Jason Turek, who runs the third-largest vegetable farm in the state — Turek Farm near King Ferry in Cayuga County — grows 4,000 acres of vegetables that are sold throughout the Northeast and Middle Atlantic states. Of that, 2,500 acres are sweet corn.
He said he is harvesting only about a quarter of each field in early harvest vegetables, like corn and green beans. “It is hurting us — we’re in denial,” he said.
He said his corn is “hurt for sure” and by now, he should have cut 20,000 boxes of cabbage for shipment. He’s cut 1,000 boxes.
Ironically, his farm is spread out along the shore of Cayuga Lake.
He’s lacking water but there’s a whole lake nearby.
But Turek said it really doesn’t make any difference. If he could draw water from the lake, he would be allowed by regulation to take only 100,000 gallons a day. He said he needs 65 million gallons to water his entire farm.
“It’s like fighting a forest fire with a garden hose,” he said.
The drought is bringing on another problem that might not be as obvious, too: pests.
Pests are attracted to moisture, and the only things with any semblance of it are the crops, even though they’re struggling themselves.
Starowitz said the bugs, deer and woodchucks are all causing damage to his crop, worse this year than past years because of the drought. The pests are “clearing out anything that’s green,” he said.
He hasn’t completely given up hope yet, though. He said there might be enough crop to sell to buyers, but he’s not expecting to make any money on it.
“Basically we’re just riding the storm out, we’re going with the punches,” Starowitz said. “There’s always hope.”
While some crops suffer in the drought, others are doing well.
Onions seem to be coming through the drought OK, said Christy Hoepting, Cornell Cooperative Extension vegetable specialist.
“One of the benefits of it being hot and dry, and so breezy, is that we don’t have very much disease pressure,” Hoepting said. “The disease pressure is what can really be ravaging. There are a couple diseases that get going when it is cool and wet, so we don’t have to worry about any of those. The biggest pest concern is onion thrips, which do very well in the heat.”
However, onions — which prefer moderate temperatures — will grow quicker, and may not reach their full-size potential, especially in ground which hasn’t been irrigated. Still, Hoepting believes this season’s yields will be “pretty good.”
“Our (onion) quality should be excellent,” she said, explaining without the diseases to contend with, onions can produce crop of higher worth. “Quality is usually excellent in a hot, dry year at the expense of maximum bulb size.”
Dairy farmers feel the heat
Dairy farmers are having trouble handling the heat, too.
While crop farmers are dealing with the effects of the drought now as they harvest, the season will be over soon and what’s done will be done.
Dairy farming, however, is a 24/7, 365-day operation and can’t necessarily stop because corn and hay crops failed. But the harvests are so low that farmers are looking elsewhere for feed.
“We’re taking a lot of steps to purchase feed,” said Dale Stein of the multi-generational Stein Farms in Le Roy, which has about 1,000 cows on it. He’s taking these steps because his corn harvest is down 60 percent.
“We’re going to be so short (until next harvest),” he said.
Unsurprisingly, this shortage brings on a lot of financial burden.
Stein said this shortage will cost him about $25,000 a month for 12 months until he can harvest again. Many farmers have insurance for situations just like this, as Stein does and has tapped into a little this year, but that doesn’t recoup lost revenue as much as it lightens the debt burden.
For instance, Starowitz said if you have $100,000 in debt because of the drought, insurance might cover $90,000 of that, leaving the farm still in the red.
Stein said dairy farms’ problems are being compounded as well by drought; not only are they paying for feed, but small revenues are being brought in because of the low price of milk.
He added this has him “concerned” and “worried” that the effects of this situation might linger for another two years.
One glimmer of hope in all of this for some dairy farmers is that milk production is relatively stable thanks to technological advancements.
Cows like cooler temperatures and definitely do not like the heat. But since a lot of farms have invested in equipment that regulates the temperature in Western New York’s fickle climate, most cows are none-the-wiser.
“Our cows are kept cool,” Stein said.
Livestock impacted as well
The drought affects farmers in different ways, depending on their crop and what they are raising.
For those who raise livestock, there was no pasture available for animals to graze. While livestock typically graze about six to seven months out of the year, pasture foraging was limited because the season started so dry.
“A lot of livestock producers are now feeding hay, which they would normally feed during the winter,” said Nancy Glazier, small farm specialist on the Northwest Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops Team for Cornell Cooperative Extension. “Their hay harvest has been lighter than normal, so that’s adding another kind of a wrinkle.
They have to purchase some hay elsewhere.”
While some farmers have been buying hay from their neighbors, others have been going out of the region and out of state to get what they need. She added some farmers even put in alternative feed such as oats or another type of annual grass.
The drought affects the livestock as well; Glazier said the drought and high heat causes more stress.
“Some farms may actually keep their animals in the barns, because it is a little cooler if they don’t have trees available for them in pastures,” she said.
“Farmers are pretty resilient,” Glazier went on. “Every year is a different year. They just have to deal with the hand they are dealt from Mother Nature.”
Other commodities affected by drought
Most people probably wouldn’t think trees would be bothered by a lack of water. Mature trees have deep roots and can draw on underground water for their needs.
But the lack of rain and excessive heat still can stress trees. Christmas tree growers, maple syrup producers and apple growers all are worried about this year’s crop or future crops.
Mary Jeanne Packer, president of the Christmas Tree Growers of New York, said some producers have lost up to half their crop of new trees planted this spring. Each year, growers replace the trees they harvested and sold last holiday season and it’s these young trees that have trouble in a drought.
“Some have set up irrigation,” she said. “Most of the problem is west of Syracuse.”
The loss of young trees won’t affect consumers immediately, but you never know down the road. Packer said if growers lose half of their young trees this summer, they will have to plant double the amount next spring and that damages their bottom lines.
Jim Allen, president of the New York Apple Association, said both apple trees and grape vines are stressed this summer from lack of rain.
With the apples, the drought won’t kill the trees, but it will affect the size of the fruit.
“The apples will be much smaller. They will be good and very sweet because there will be less water in them and more sugar,” he said.
It won’t be good financially for the apple growers either because the drought also will reduce the number of apples on the trees, cutting their yields. He said they shouldn’t have a problem with new trees planted in the spring because most growers irrigate these.
Maple trees won’t die from the drought, said Helen Thomas, executive director of the New York Maple Producers Association.
But, “if the water table is low and continues through the winter, the trees won’t have enough water to make as much sap in the spring,” she said. This means there could be a lot less syrup and other maple goodies next year.
What’s causing record dryness
David Thomas, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Buffalo, said the recent summers that could take the silver or bronze medal in the Drought Olympics were 2012, 1995 and 1988.
In all three cases, the past droughts followed particularly dry years, with isolated or widespread droughts across Western New York in the March 1 to July 31 period, that were eased by later summer weather.
“2012 was also dry from spring into the summer,” Thomas said. “It was a little wetter than this year (with rain picking up in the summer). It helped (end) the drought, but we did have a dry period from March to July.”
The National Weather Service monitors droughts via multiple measures, with precipitation at airports an input that Thomas said shows this as the driest summer in 75 years. It’s been a confluence of factors to get here.
In Western New York, multi-year droughts like the one hitting California are prevented by the shear accumulation of snow that provides an annual replenishing of the water table and soil moisture.
Batavia experienced a reprieve from heavy snowfall in 2016 after back-to-back winters that brought blizzards, sustained deep freezes and snow-bound misery, but that wasn’t helpful below ground.
An upper-level wind pattern that frequently blew from the northeast prevented the “no doubters” of Gulf of Mexico-fueled spring rains that commonly add to the precipitation scoreboard.
“We didn’t have a really snowy winter, and that led into a dry spring that really caused the ground to dry out quickly across the region,” Thomas said. “The bright, sunny days through the spring and drier air allowed the drought conditions.”
Even the timing of weather systems hasn’t helped. Cold fronts have generally appeared over Western New York during the more atmospherically stable overnight hours, whereas an afternoon conflict with the daytime heat would lift the formation of clouds and thunderstorms.
“Without the sun’s heat, there’s not as many showers and thunderstorms,” Thomas said.
More than a little rain needed
This far into a drought, the region needs more than a sustained rainfall. Thomas said it will take months of above-normal precipitation to replenish the water table and have lawns, fields and trees recover.
“It won’t be one particular event or a week-long stretch,” he said.
A wayward hurricane ready to unload a flash of rain in Western New York, similar to the late stages of Hurricane Frances in 2004, wouldn’t be the solution. Thomas said a tropical storm would bring an abundance of rainfall, but forecasting one to pass over the region is next to impossible at this point.
And a flood doesn’t “fix” the problems of a drought. It just creates problems of its own.
At Fenton Farms in Batavia, Paul Fenton and his wife Gail have been fortunate to catch a portion of the handful of rain events that have punctuated the worst drought in their 30 years of farming an area between the city and Thruway. But each week the benefit has been weaker.
“It’s just evaporating so fast, the subsoil is absorbing the showers we do get, and with the high temperatures — we have three days of 85 degrees plus this week — the evaporation is just intense,” Fenton said.
“We’re still producing nice stuff where it’s getting water, but the work to produce the product (is unprecedented). We’re irrigating seven days a week.”
Friday, July 29, 2016
Depressed, Butter Covered Tom Vilsack Enters Sixth Day of Corn Bender
 |
| Vilsack |
The Onion has skewered Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack.
Check it out at http://www.theonion.com/article/depressed-butter-covered-tom-vilsack-enters-sixth--53380
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
2016 Summer Crop Tour Comes to Cayuga County Aug. 4
The 2016 Summer Crop Tour put on by the Corn and Soybean Growers Association is set for 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Aug. 4 at Sunnyside Farms on Indian Field Road, Scipio Center, Cayuga County.
The event, titled "Optimizing Opportunities for Cows, Corn and Soybeans," will include a talk on maximizing profits in 2016, a panel discussions titled Cultivating the Relationship Between Cash Crop and Dairy Farmers, and breakout sessions on a large variety of topics. Lunch is included.
Some of the breakout session topics include
The event, titled "Optimizing Opportunities for Cows, Corn and Soybeans," will include a talk on maximizing profits in 2016, a panel discussions titled Cultivating the Relationship Between Cash Crop and Dairy Farmers, and breakout sessions on a large variety of topics. Lunch is included.
Some of the breakout session topics include
- Optimizing Variable Rate Seeding in NYS with Savanna Crossman
- Analyzing root function by digging though root pits in corn, soy and undisturbed ground and discussing soil health improvement as the foundation for growing great crops with David DeGolyer
- Maximizing yield potential of a hybrid and the soils using the Nitrogen response Trial in Corn with Brian Boerman
Friday, June 17, 2016
It's National Eat Your Veggies Day!!
 |
| Vegetables at a local farmers' market |
Well, today is the day to actually listen to mom. It's National Eat Your Vegetables Day."
According to the National Day Calendar website, June is National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month, so National Eat Your Vegetables Day is one more opportunity to remind everyone about this important part of a healthy diet.
"As part of a main meal or as a snack, vegetables can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. Each vegetable has it's own nutritional content through generally they contain little protein or fat and varying proportions of vitamins like A, K, B6, provitamins, dietary minerals and carbohydrates. They also contain phytochemicals and some vegetables also contain fiber, which is important for gastrointestinal function."
"It is recommend by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines for Americans, to consume 3 to 5 servings of vegetables a day. For most vegetables, one serving equals about 1/2 to 1 cup eaten either raw or cooked."
There are a lot of wonderful vegetables grown fresh right here in New York state. Many are in farmstands, farmers' markets and grocery stores now and others will begin showing up as the growing season progresses.
So get out there and buy some local vegetables. You can't get fresher than that!!
Saturday, June 11, 2016
It's National Corn on the Cob Day!!
But today, according to the National Day Calendar website, is National Corn on the Cob Day.
Some warmer areas of the country already are enjoying corn this year, but here, we have to wait until a bit after the Fourth of July for our sweet corn.
Here is what the National Day Calendar website says about the day:
"June 11 of each year is the day to celebrate National Corn on the Cob Day. Fresh corn on the cob is a summertime treat that people from all corners of the United States look forward to as we start the picnic season.
Corn on the cob is also known in different regions as 'pole corn,' 'cornstick,' 'sweet pole,' 'butter pop' and 'long maize.' It is a sweet corn that is picked when the kernels are still tender.
Boiling, steaming, roasting or grilling are the most common ways of preparing corn on the cob. Celebrate by using @CornOnTheCob on social media."
Monday, March 7, 2016
It's National Cereal Day
Today is National Cereal Day!
Here's to all those farmers who raise the corn, wheat, oats, rice and other grains that go into our favorite breakfast cereals. Without them, we wouldn't have anything to put in our bowls in the morning.
Here's to all those farmers who raise the corn, wheat, oats, rice and other grains that go into our favorite breakfast cereals. Without them, we wouldn't have anything to put in our bowls in the morning.
Monday, September 21, 2015
Making a Corn Maze is A Lot of Work
 |
| 2008 corn maze at Abbott Farms in Lysander. |
By DEBRA J. GROOM
Empire Farm & Dairy
Corn mazes are scary, challenging and mind-blowing.
But most of all, they’re fun. And they’re becoming a greater part of the landscape for fall festivals at parks, farm stands and other agritourism ventures.
Just how, though, do you carve intricate designs into a field of corn?
At Abbott Farms in Lysander, just northwest of Syracuse, a corn maze has been a popular part of visitors’ stops there since 2006, according to farm production manager Michael Blair.
“We try to change it up from year to year,” he said, noting the different designs the maze has taken on in past years. “In 2008, we had our Abbott Farms logo on it. Then another year, we did the Giffords’ logo (the ice cream sold at Abbott Farms). One year we had a circle design with an apple in the middle.”
This year, the maze simply will be a square design with a cancer research ribbon in the middle. Blair said business owner Warren Abbott was planning to have a 5K run at the farm in late September in support of cancer research at Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse; thus, the ribbon in the maze was a good choice this year.
So just how do you get those intricate lines and curves carved into a cornfield?
Blair says there are many ways to do it.
n Precision Mazes. This is a Missouri company started by Rob Stouffer, a businessman who saw the growth of corn mazes and developed a business to help. Abbott Farms has used Precision Mazes for the past few years.
Blair said the company has specialized equipment with a GPS on board that will cut out the maze design.
“He goes out in the field with reference points, uses the GPS, and the machine practically drives itself,” Blair said. “It’s a professional, high-quality product.”
Carving a maze out of the corn generally costs $3,500 to $5,500, Stouffer said.
n Grids. Blair said farmers also can go out in their fields in the spring as the corn begins growing and put in grids for the maze design they want. These grids normally require string lines that are set up to mark areas to be cut later. When it’s time, the farmer can use either weed killer to kill the unneeded corn or can mow it.
“This is very elaborate and takes a lot of time,” Blair said.
n Mowing. Blair said farmers also can wait for their corn to grow a bit and then simply go out and mow the areas for the maze.
“Some poor soul on a lawnmower goes out and drives around in circles,” he said.
Stouffer been turning cornfields into corn mazes since 2001. He did three mazes that first year in Missouri and estimates he now has done more than 1,000.
“We’re in 30 different states, Canada and Mexico,” he said. “Many we’re back to do on a yearly basis.”
This is true of Abbott Farms, which Stouffer called “a wonderful place” that owner Warren Abbott puts a lot of time and care into to give visitors a wonderful total experience.
Farmers normally charge admission — from $5 to $7 — to their corn mazes. Blair said the Abbott maze makes money for the farm.
“All of our mazes are custom designed,” Blair said. “They are a part of the American culture, and we have a role in creating them all over the country.”
The biggest maze he has done is 28 acres, a size he called a bit too big. The smallest is 2 acres, and the average size is 6 to 10, he said.
The Abbott Farms corn maze will be open for the business’s fall festival, which is Saturdays and Sunday through Columbus Day weekend and Monday on Columbus Day. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
If you are interested in more stories like this, subscribe to Empire Farm & Dairy magazine. Send $50 for one year or $75 for two years to Empire Farm & Dairy, 260 Washington St., Watertown, NY 13601.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Meetings on Corn Lawsuit Today and Tomorrow
Meetings are coming up today and tomorrow (Aug. 25 and 26) concerning a lawsuit that deals with GMO corn.
The meeting are:
The lawsuit states this act put a lot of corn on the market that was supposed to go to China that now couldn't be sold there. The lawsuit claims this drove the price of corn down and farmers lost lots of money.
(China has since agreed to allow the Syngenta corn trait, called Agrisure Viptera, into China).
Any farmer who wants more information or is interested in joining the lawsuit should attend one of the meetings. The meetings are being put on by a Buffalo law firm.
The meeting are:
- Aug. 25 at 11 a.m., Hiffa’s Restaurant, 9560 State Route 12, Remsen
- Aug. 25 at 2 p.m., Jeb’s Restauant, 5403 Shady Ave., Lowville
- Aug. 25 at 5 p.m., Art’s Jug, 820 Huntington St., Watertown
- Aug. 26 at 8 a.m., The Hartwick Restaurant, 3496 NY-205, Hartwick
- Aug. 26 at 11 a.m., Park Place Grill,7-9 East Park Place, Norwich
- Aug. 26 at 1:30 p.m, Hobeau’s Fireside Grill, 10 S. West St., Homer
- Aug. 26 at 5:30 p.m., T&J’s Country Kitchen,7423 Seneca Road North, Hornell
The lawsuit states this act put a lot of corn on the market that was supposed to go to China that now couldn't be sold there. The lawsuit claims this drove the price of corn down and farmers lost lots of money.
(China has since agreed to allow the Syngenta corn trait, called Agrisure Viptera, into China).
Any farmer who wants more information or is interested in joining the lawsuit should attend one of the meetings. The meetings are being put on by a Buffalo law firm.
Friday, November 21, 2014
Southern Tier Farmer Takes His Tortilla Chips to the Shark Tank
Cameron Sheldrake, a farmer from the Southern Tier (near Newfield), is going to the sharks to get his business funded.
He will be seen on Shark Tank tonight as he moves forward in his Off the Cob Sweet Corn Tortilla Chips business.
To hear more about the business, go to https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sweetcornhips/off-the-cob-sweet-corn-tortilla-chips this link to see his Kickstarter page and watch a video by Cameron. Or got to http://heavy.com/entertainment/2014/11/off-the-cob-sweet-corn-tortilla-chips-shark-tank-products-season-6-november-21-episode/
Shark Tank is on at 9 p.m.
He will be seen on Shark Tank tonight as he moves forward in his Off the Cob Sweet Corn Tortilla Chips business.
To hear more about the business, go to https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sweetcornhips/off-the-cob-sweet-corn-tortilla-chips this link to see his Kickstarter page and watch a video by Cameron. Or got to http://heavy.com/entertainment/2014/11/off-the-cob-sweet-corn-tortilla-chips-shark-tank-products-season-6-november-21-episode/
Shark Tank is on at 9 p.m.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Aurora Farm Field Day set for July 17
It's just about time for the annual Aurora Farm Field Day.
The event this year is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 17 at the Musgrave Research Farm, 1256 Poplar Ridge Road, Aurora.
Here is information about the event from Cornell University:
The event this year is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 17 at the Musgrave Research Farm, 1256 Poplar Ridge Road, Aurora.
Here is information about the event from Cornell University:
New York’s farming community is invited to learn about the latest research on field crops, soil and pest management during the annual field day at Cornell University’s Musgrave Research Farm in Aurora, featuring farm tours, demonstrations and presentations.
The event is hosted by the Integrated Field Crop, Soil, and Pest Management Program Work Team in conjunction with Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station.
Presentation topics:
• Advances in Cover Crop Management
• Breeding and Genetics of Disease Resistance in Corn
• Control of “Deep-Rooted” Perennial Broadleaf Weeds
• Corn & Soybean Planting Date x Seeding Depth Studies
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Nitrogen- vs. Phosphorus-based Manure and Compost Management of Corn
• Soil Health, Adapt-N and Cover Crop Interseeding for Adaptation and Resilience
• Western Bean Cutworm and Other Field Crop 2014 Season Pest Updates
• White Mold of Soybean
• Breeding and Genetics of Disease Resistance in Corn
• Control of “Deep-Rooted” Perennial Broadleaf Weeds
• Corn & Soybean Planting Date x Seeding Depth Studies
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Nitrogen- vs. Phosphorus-based Manure and Compost Management of Corn
• Soil Health, Adapt-N and Cover Crop Interseeding for Adaptation and Resilience
• Western Bean Cutworm and Other Field Crop 2014 Season Pest Updates
• White Mold of Soybean
Monday, April 21, 2014
"Farmland" Coming to Theaters Next Month
The new documentary "Farmland" is supposed to start hitting theaters May 1.
A check of the www.farmlandfilm.com website shows the film coming to Auburn (the only site on the website so far in Central New York) but a date and time has yet to be announced. The website also shows the film coming to Albany and New York City.
The film is by Academy Award-winning filmmaker James Moll and includes interviews with farmers in Minnesota, Colorado, California, Georgia, Nebraska and Pennsylvania.
To see the trailer and learn more about the film, go to www.farmlandfilm.com
A check of the www.farmlandfilm.com website shows the film coming to Auburn (the only site on the website so far in Central New York) but a date and time has yet to be announced. The website also shows the film coming to Albany and New York City.
The film is by Academy Award-winning filmmaker James Moll and includes interviews with farmers in Minnesota, Colorado, California, Georgia, Nebraska and Pennsylvania.
To see the trailer and learn more about the film, go to www.farmlandfilm.com
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Navy to Use Biofuels Made of US Homegrown Plants
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus Wednesday announced the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Navy's
joint "Farm-to-Fleet" venture will now make biofuel blends part of
regular, operational fuel purchase and use by the military.
The announcement incorporates the acquisition of biofuel blends into regular Department of Defense (DOD) domestic solicitations for jet engine and marine diesel fuels. The Navy will seek to purchase JP-5 and F-76 advanced drop-in biofuels blended from 10 to 50 percent with conventional fuels.
Funds from USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) will assist the effort.
The announcement incorporates the acquisition of biofuel blends into regular Department of Defense (DOD) domestic solicitations for jet engine and marine diesel fuels. The Navy will seek to purchase JP-5 and F-76 advanced drop-in biofuels blended from 10 to 50 percent with conventional fuels.
Funds from USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) will assist the effort.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Corn Growers Head to Washington to Protest Ethanol Proposal
News from the National Corn Growers Association:
The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to cut the amount of
corn ethanol required under the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard by 10
percent will affect corn prices and rural economies, farmers plan to
tell the agency at a hearing set for Thursday outside the nation’s capital.
More than 30 corn farmers and their allies
from around the country are traveling to Washington for the important
public hearing.
Growers from NCGA will be present representing 13 states
-- Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri,
Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.
“It’s great to see so many people willing
to leave their farms at this time of year for an important opportunity
to give the EPA a piece of their mind,” said NCGA First Vice President
Chip Bowling, a Maryland corn grower scheduled to speak at the hearing.
“This has already had a negative effect on our farms, and if the EPA
gets its way, it could cause serious harm to the rural economy – not to
mention cutting the environmental benefits of domestic, renewable
ethanol,” he said.
For 2014, the EPA has proposed a 1.4
billion gallon reduction in how much corn ethanol will be required under
the RFS, the federal law that requires the blending of domestic,
renewable, cleaner-burning corn ethanol in the nation’s fuel supply.
Because of the record crop, growers are already seeing corn prices
falling below the cost of production, and due to the planting cycle are
having to buy inputs such as fertilizer, seed and fuel at much higher
prices, Bowling said.
NCGA strongly urges all its members to comment directly to the EPA about this issue before the Jan. 28 deadline. More information about how farmers can do this is available online at www.ncga.com/rfs.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Grain Corn Production Up in NY
From the USDA statistics service:
New York grain corn production is forecast at a record high 108.0 million bushels, up 19 percent from last year's output according to Blair Smith, State Statistician of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York Field Office.
Production is up from last year due to higher yields combined with an increase in harvested acreage. Acreage for harvest is expected to total 720 thousand acres, up 6 percent from a year earlier. Yields are expected to average 150 bushels per acre, 16 bushels higher than a year ago and tied with the record high yield of 2010.
U.S. corn production is forecast at 14.0 billion bushels, up 1 percent from the previous forecast and up 30 percent from 2012. If realized, this will be a new record production for the United States.
Based on conditions as of Nov. 1, yields are expected to average 160.4 bushels per acre, up 5.1 bushels from the previous forecast and 37.0 bushels above the 2012 average. If realized, this will be the highest average yield since 2009.
Area harvested for grain is forecast at 87.2 million acres, down 2 percent from the previous forecast.
Soybean production in New York is forecast at 12.8 million bushels, down 11 percent from last year. Acreage harvested for beans is expected to total 272 thousand acres, down 13 percent from a year earlier. Yields are expected to average 47 bushels per acre, up 1 bushel from last year.
U.S. soybean production is forecast at 3.26 billion bushels, up 3 percent from the previous forecast and up 7 percent from last year. If realized, production will be the third largest on record. Based on Nov. 1 conditions, yields are expected to average 43 bushels per acre, up 1.8 bushels from the previous forecast and up 3.2 bushels from 2012.
Area for harvest in the United States is forecast at 75.7 million acres, down 1 percent from both the previous forecast and last year.
New York grain corn production is forecast at a record high 108.0 million bushels, up 19 percent from last year's output according to Blair Smith, State Statistician of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York Field Office.
Production is up from last year due to higher yields combined with an increase in harvested acreage. Acreage for harvest is expected to total 720 thousand acres, up 6 percent from a year earlier. Yields are expected to average 150 bushels per acre, 16 bushels higher than a year ago and tied with the record high yield of 2010.
U.S. corn production is forecast at 14.0 billion bushels, up 1 percent from the previous forecast and up 30 percent from 2012. If realized, this will be a new record production for the United States.
Based on conditions as of Nov. 1, yields are expected to average 160.4 bushels per acre, up 5.1 bushels from the previous forecast and 37.0 bushels above the 2012 average. If realized, this will be the highest average yield since 2009.
Area harvested for grain is forecast at 87.2 million acres, down 2 percent from the previous forecast.
Soybean production in New York is forecast at 12.8 million bushels, down 11 percent from last year. Acreage harvested for beans is expected to total 272 thousand acres, down 13 percent from a year earlier. Yields are expected to average 47 bushels per acre, up 1 bushel from last year.
U.S. soybean production is forecast at 3.26 billion bushels, up 3 percent from the previous forecast and up 7 percent from last year. If realized, production will be the third largest on record. Based on Nov. 1 conditions, yields are expected to average 43 bushels per acre, up 1.8 bushels from the previous forecast and up 3.2 bushels from 2012.
Area for harvest in the United States is forecast at 75.7 million acres, down 1 percent from both the previous forecast and last year.
National Corn Growers Outraged Over EPA Ethanol Ruling
Whether you are for or against ethanol, this is an interesting read.
And by the way, Sunoco, which runs the ethanol plant in the town of Volney outside Fulton, NY, would not comment on this story.
The National Corn Growers Association expressed outrage last week in the wake of an announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that will significantly weaken the Renewable Fuel Standard by reducing the volumes for corn-based ethanol for 2014.
“This recommendation is ill-advised and should be condemned by all consumers because it is damaging to our tenuous economy and short-sighted regarding the nation’s energy future,” said NCGA President Martin Barbre. “Agriculture has been a bright spot in a failing U.S. economy, but current corn prices are below the cost of production. EPA’s ruling would be devastating for family farmers and the entire rural economy.”
The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed renewable volume obligations set the annual targets for the utilization of cellulosic, biodiesel, advanced and total renewable fuel within our transportation fuels. The proposed rule caps corn-based (or conventional) ethanol at 13 billion gallons. These proposed volume obligations are a drastic reduction from the mandated RVOs in statute. Today’s proposed rule cuts 1.4 billion gallons from the conventional ethanol cap that was set at 14.4 billion gallons.
Barbre noted the EPA proposal will make investments in new biofuels plants very risky, stagnate investment in infrastructure by petroleum marketers and send the wrong signals to automakers who want more direction on where they should be spending millions of targeted investments on research and development.
“Ethanol and the RFS have been a great success story. Now, the EPA is sending a terrible message that we no longer have a long-term energy policy for biofuels, which was the original intent of this forward-thinking legislation," Barbre said.
"The Administration has clearly backed away from their commitment to renewable energy and this proposal blatantly contradicts the President’s Climate Action Plan,” Barbre said. “The goal of the RFS is to reduce our dependence on imported oil to make our country more energy independent and more secure. It has done that while also revitalizing rural America.”
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. oil imports have decreased from 60 percent of our total usage to 45 percent. This was due to increased efficiency in our automobile fleet, the recession and the increased use of biofuels.
American farmers are currently harvesting their corn crops, and by the latest USDA projections, it will be a record 14 billion bushels. As a result of this record, corn prices are falling and currently stand close to where they were when the RFS was enacted in its current form in 2007.
While corn prices have returned to previous levels, the cost of producing the crop has continued to increase. In 2012, it cost $655 per acre to plant corn. Based on this year’s projected yields, a farm price of $4.25 per bushel would be required to cover production costs.
The psychological impact of EPA’s proposal is anticipated to push corn prices well below the cost of production. To further put this into perspective, if corn prices dropped to $3.50 a bushel farmers and the rural economy would lose more than $10 billion.
“A shock of this magnitude to agriculture markets would send ripples throughout the entire economy. Congress must carefully weigh the ramifications any changes to the RFS would have on agriculture and related industries. The U.S. economy and consumers can ill afford a downturn in this sector,” Barbre said. “EPA is making a conscious decision to limit ethanol’s access to the market even with the significant price advantage of ethanol compared to gasoline.”
And by the way, Sunoco, which runs the ethanol plant in the town of Volney outside Fulton, NY, would not comment on this story.
The National Corn Growers Association expressed outrage last week in the wake of an announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that will significantly weaken the Renewable Fuel Standard by reducing the volumes for corn-based ethanol for 2014.
“This recommendation is ill-advised and should be condemned by all consumers because it is damaging to our tenuous economy and short-sighted regarding the nation’s energy future,” said NCGA President Martin Barbre. “Agriculture has been a bright spot in a failing U.S. economy, but current corn prices are below the cost of production. EPA’s ruling would be devastating for family farmers and the entire rural economy.”
The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed renewable volume obligations set the annual targets for the utilization of cellulosic, biodiesel, advanced and total renewable fuel within our transportation fuels. The proposed rule caps corn-based (or conventional) ethanol at 13 billion gallons. These proposed volume obligations are a drastic reduction from the mandated RVOs in statute. Today’s proposed rule cuts 1.4 billion gallons from the conventional ethanol cap that was set at 14.4 billion gallons.
Barbre noted the EPA proposal will make investments in new biofuels plants very risky, stagnate investment in infrastructure by petroleum marketers and send the wrong signals to automakers who want more direction on where they should be spending millions of targeted investments on research and development.
“Ethanol and the RFS have been a great success story. Now, the EPA is sending a terrible message that we no longer have a long-term energy policy for biofuels, which was the original intent of this forward-thinking legislation," Barbre said.
"The Administration has clearly backed away from their commitment to renewable energy and this proposal blatantly contradicts the President’s Climate Action Plan,” Barbre said. “The goal of the RFS is to reduce our dependence on imported oil to make our country more energy independent and more secure. It has done that while also revitalizing rural America.”
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. oil imports have decreased from 60 percent of our total usage to 45 percent. This was due to increased efficiency in our automobile fleet, the recession and the increased use of biofuels.
American farmers are currently harvesting their corn crops, and by the latest USDA projections, it will be a record 14 billion bushels. As a result of this record, corn prices are falling and currently stand close to where they were when the RFS was enacted in its current form in 2007.
While corn prices have returned to previous levels, the cost of producing the crop has continued to increase. In 2012, it cost $655 per acre to plant corn. Based on this year’s projected yields, a farm price of $4.25 per bushel would be required to cover production costs.
The psychological impact of EPA’s proposal is anticipated to push corn prices well below the cost of production. To further put this into perspective, if corn prices dropped to $3.50 a bushel farmers and the rural economy would lose more than $10 billion.
“A shock of this magnitude to agriculture markets would send ripples throughout the entire economy. Congress must carefully weigh the ramifications any changes to the RFS would have on agriculture and related industries. The U.S. economy and consumers can ill afford a downturn in this sector,” Barbre said. “EPA is making a conscious decision to limit ethanol’s access to the market even with the significant price advantage of ethanol compared to gasoline.”
Friday, October 4, 2013
Cornell Researchr Says Corn Yields Could Be High
Good news about this year's corn harvest:
Margaret Smith, professor of plant breeding and genetics at Cornell University and
leading corn researcher, has encouraging news regarding corn yields.
“As the corn crop in New York and throughout the country matures,
estimates of this year's grain yields are getting more concrete," Smith said.
"Temperatures in N.Y. and throughout the major growing areas of the U.S.
Corn Belt were generally favorable this summer, with heat accumulation
at or just slightly above long-term averages. Combine that with plenty
of timely rains in many areas, and we could be seeing some really high
grain yields.
“Around New York, fields that did not get planted before about May 20
were mostly too wet to get back into until early June," she said. "This
later-planted corn did not deal well with the frequent rains that
prevailed through much of June and July. So those fields don't look
great.
“All that moist weather also favored northern leaf blight on corn,
which hit some fields very heavily in late August. At this point,
however, the later planted fields and the leaf blight damage don't
appear to be enough acres to really dampen what should be a strong corn
grain harvest year for New York.”
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Dairy, Corn and Soybeans Topics of Today's Dairy Line
Today hear http://dairyline.com/tuesday.mp3 about dairy pricing and soybean and corn production on Dairy Line.
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