How can I manage my equipment costs? With profit margins tight, one recommendation is to delay major equipment purchases, but that could put a producer in a bind if equipment breaks down or he doesn’t have the capacity to do the job. Continue reading at Southeast Farm Press.
Corn: It has definitely been a wild ride in grains this week. Corn has definitely been on a roller coaster of its own. Earlier this week, corn futures traded north of $4.00 and the nearby month closed at its highest since July. However, corn futures did retreat lower today as corn futures approached the overbought territory as prices began to be met with resistance. Some of the driving factors behind the increase in corn futures is thought to be attributed to the lack of rainfall in key corn growing areas in Brazil. Other contributing factors include an increase in crude oil and higher equities. Both of which are still higher for the week as of the market’s close today. Continue reading
All the cover crops planted last year has led to many calls on management this year. One of the most common calls is do herbicides applied to heavy and, on occasion, sometimes still very green cover get to the soil so they can provide residual Palmer amaranth control? Continue reading
CORN PLANTING CONTINUES BETWEEN SHOWERS
Light scattered showers slowed but did not stop corn planting. However, cool nighttime temperatures hampered corn emergence. Cotton and soybean producers continued to make made burndown applications to their fields in anticipation of planting. Tobacco plant production was on schedule. Livestock producers reported mostly good to excellent pasture conditions. There were 4.8 days suitable for field work. Topsoil moisture was 8 percent short, 75 percent adequate and 17 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels were 4 percent short, 79 percent adequate, and 17 percent surplus. Continue reading the Tennessee NASS report at TN_04_18_16. The U.S. NASS report can be read at CropProg-04-18-2016.
More observations of stripe rust in wheat have been reported in West Tennessee. The answer to the question, “Do I spray now or wait until bloom?” depends on amount of disease present, variety, growth stage, and weather. Continue reading
Corn and soybeans were up; cotton and wheat were mixed for the week. Soybeans continue to lead the current market rally with the November contract up 93 cents since March 1st. On April 14th, November soybeans were 11 cents higher than a year ago while corn (13 ½), cotton (5.25), and wheat (29 ¾) were all lower. It is likely that soybean acres will increase from the USDA’s March estimate. Fueling the current rally for soybeans has been extremely wet conditions in Argentina, a depreciating US dollar, strong demand, and aggressive fund buying. Continue reading at Tennessee Market Highlights.
Corn: Corn futures traded slightly higher due to better than expected export figures from the Thursday export report. Corn prices could face a little pressure over the next few days due to favorable forecasts in key corn growing areas in the Midwest. The 6-to-10 day forecast looks to be dry with favorable soil temperatures. According to the NASS April 11, 2016 crop progress report, only 4% of the U.S. corn crop has been planted. So, we still have quite a ways to go before we see how large the 2016 corn crop will be. Continue reading
There have been a lot of questions this spring about planting into green cover crops. We have conducted a fair amount of research on this at Jackson and through trial and error we have found that planting into a green cover crop can be done effectively. Controlling and properly managing the cover crop are the most important things to consider when planting in a green cover (termination 0-7 days prior to planting). Less than complete control of your cover can cause stunting or stand loss of cash crop. Continue reading