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.

With the exception of a few rainy days, we have had a very nice window for defoliation.  Unfortunately, the forecast for the beginning of this week (9/26-10/1) includes night temperatures in the low 50s and high 40s with daytime temperatures below 80F.  As night temperatures drop from 65F to 50F, remember that plant responses to defoliants and boll openers slow to a crawl; applications which seemingly blew bolls open within a day or two will now take much longer to work and some products will have almost no impact on boll opening or defoliation. Rates of defoliants and boll openers will have to be increased to compensate for the reduction in product efficacy noted at lower temperatures. For those contemplating a first or second shot this week there are several key points to keep in mind. Continue reading →

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.