The word ‘cutout’ is synonymous with NAWF5 and occurs when a field averages 5 or fewer nodes above the uppermost first-position white flower. Many fields have reached or past cutout in the past week. The white blooms present at cutout represent the last group of bolls that will Continue reading
COOLER TEMPERATURES RETURN
Cooler temperatures and lower humidity returned at the end of the week. The scattered showers that preceded the drop in temperatures caused flooding in a few areas in southern Middle Tennessee, but brought relatively little moisture to most of the rest of the state. There were 5.9 days suitable for field work. Topsoil moisture was 7 percent very short, 20 percent short, 66 percent adequate and 7 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture was 5
percent very short, 20 percent short, 71 percent adequate and 4 percent surplus. Hay and Roughage Supplies ranked 2 percent very short, 18 percent short, 72 percent adequate and 8 percent surplus. Continue reading at TN_07_31_17. The U.S. Crop Progress report can be read at CropProg-07-31-2017.
Corn, soybeans, and wheat were down; cotton was up for the week.
July is rapidly coming to a close. As such, now is a good time to evaluate your
current pricing levels and examine harvest and post-harvest marketing alternatives.
With harvest in some areas of the state only a few weeks away it is prudent to evaluate if any “early” harvest price premiums can be obtained. Corn producers in Tennessee may be able to receive a premium now before the US market is flooded, as corn harvest moves into the Corn Belt. Additionally, opportunities are available in the futures market as there is still a great deal of production uncertainty, in Northern Corn Belt states, priced into the market. By now the range of yield outcomes for Tennessee corn fields has narrowed substantially, so securing a price on the last half-to-third of unpriced production can be accomplished without incurring substantial production risk. Continue reading at Tennessee Market Highlights.
Corn: Since the first of July, September corn futures have declined by $0.10. The decline can be attributed to a partial loss of the weather premium that was built into the corn market. During this time of year, the corn market is volatile due to it being a weather market. On Monday, the USDA reported that 67% of the crop is already silking with 64% of the crop being rated as good-to-excellent. Now, these ratings are lower than what we had during this same time frame last year. In 2016, the USDA rated 74% of the crop as being good-to-excellent. So far, these ratings are pointing to a good national yield. Continue reading
Some additional images and recommendations on identifying and managing target spot in cotton… Continue reading
The redbanded stink bug is a more infamous stink bug in the Gulf States, but after a couple of warm winters, this soybean pest can find its way into Tennessee. This has happened once before in the last 15 years, and based on observations to our south, I’m betting we will Continue reading
We are in a weather market that is affecting, for the most part, soybean and wheat prices.
Unfortunately for producers in Tennessee, the Mid-South and Southeast, most of the just-harvested wheat, I would guess, has already been sold or priced. So from that standpoint the rally in the wheat market may not help the 2017 crop. I would note that the rally in the nearby contracts has eased but does bear watching or action for the July 2018 contracts for next year’s production. Continue reading at Delta Farm Press.
As our moth flight picks up, we need to be very aware about corn earworms (bollworm) infestations in soybean. It can be very destructive. Infestations most often occur in late maturing fields. Moths are most attracted to beans during R1 – R3 (early flowering), and open canopies really turn them on. Typically, problems are worse in the Continue reading