Released: October 12, 2016

October 1 Tennessee Crop Production Forecast

Corn production in Tennessee is forecast at 118 million bushels, down 1 percent from the September forecast and up 1 percent from the previous crop. Yield was estimated at 148 bushels per acre, down 2 bushels from last month and down 12 bushels from the 2015 level. Continue reeading at octcrop16_tn.

DRY CONDITIONS AID HARVEST BUT SLOW FALL PLANTING

Dry conditions across the state helped most corn producers finish harvesting and allowed cotton and soybean harvest to proceed at a rapid pace. However, these same dry conditions continue to negatively impact pastures and slow fall seeding. Livestock producers in some parts of the state were reporting that the ponds their animals depend on for water were going dry. There were 7.0 days suitable for field work. Continue reading Tennessee NASS report at tn_10_11_16. The U.S. Crop Progress report can be read at cropprog-10-11-2016.

Corn and soybeans were up; cotton and wheat were down for the week. Corn and soybean export sales exceed expectations for the week. However, the strong sales pace will need to continue in order to meet the USDA’s marketing year projections of 2.175 billion bushels of corn and 1.985 billion bushels of soybeans. Currently, outstanding corn and soybean export sales are up 93% and 27%, from last year at this time. The marketing year for corn and soybeans began September 1 so there is still a substantial amount of time that can change export outlook. Continue reading at Tennessee Market Highlights.

USDA will begin issuing ARC-CO & PLC payments for the 2015 crop year. While county data has not been released they have released County payment maps that can give in general terms the amount of the ARC-CO payments. These maps can be found at  Corn Payments , Soybean Payments, & Wheat Payments.  PLC payments forthe 2015 crop year are  wheat $0.61 per payment  bushel, corn $0.09 per payment bushel , grain sorghum $0.64 per payment bushel and long grain rice 2.9 cents per pound. There are no PLC payments for 2015 soybeans. Additional in formation can ber found in the article below.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2016 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that beginning today, many of the 1.7 million farms that enrolled in either the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs will receive safety-net payments due to market downturns during the 2015 crop year. Continue reading at safety-net payments to be issued.

STATE IN DESPERATE NEED OF RAIN

Dry conditions across the State have negatively impacted pastures, triggered more feeding of hay, caused concern about hay shortages going into fall, and slowed fall seeding. Corn harvest is moving at a rapid pace, and farmers are harvesting or getting ready to harvest double-crop soybeans and cotton in the coming week. There were 6.5 days suitable for field work. Continue reading Tennessee NASS report at tn_10_03_16. The U.S. Crop Progress report can be read at cropprog-10-03-2016.

Corn and soybeans were mixed; cotton and wheat were down for the week. Today the USDA released the September Grain Stocks report. The report indicated corn stocks of 1.74 billion bushels, soybean stocks of 197 million bushels and wheat stocks of 2.53 billion bushels. Compared to September 2015 corn stocks were up less than 1%, soybean stocks were up 3%, and wheat stocks were up 21%. Corn and soybean stocks were viewed as slightly bullish (more aptly described as less bearish than anticipated) while wheat stocks were larger than markets anticipated. Overall, the actual report numbers fell within the range of trade expectations. Continue reading at Tennessee Market Highlights.

WEATHER CONDITIONS AND AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES ACROSS TENNESSE FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 18 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 25, 2016

There were 6.7 days suitable for field work. Topsoil moisture was 19 percent very short, 35 percent short, 45 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels were 16 percent very short, 36 percent short, 47 percent adequate, and 1 percent surplus. Continue reading Tennessee NASS report at tn_09_26_16. The U.S. Crop Progress report can be read at cropprog-09-26-2016.

Corn and soybeans were down; cotton and wheat were up for the week. Corn harvest has progressed rapidly in Tennessee and is currently estimated at 14% above the USDA’s 5-year average. With combines rolling and storage space limited, producers are often forced to sell corn at seasonally low prices. Producers should evaluate all marketing options available to them through their local elevator, other purchasers, and brokers. One strategy that may be appealing to producers is purchasing a deferred Call option. Continue reading at Tennessee Market Highlights.