Cotton and soybean prices are up while corn and wheat prices are mixed for the week. The March U.S. Dollar Index before the close on Friday was at 80.42, down 1.37 for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average before the close was up 278 points for the week at 12,694. Crude Oil was trading before the close at 98.36 a barrel, down 0.52 a barrel for the week. European measures this week have been positive to the Euro and caused weakness in the dollar. Continue reading
What is the best herbicide for corn that is being planted into fields with overwhelming Palmer amaranth soil seed bank? There are two key aspects to manage heavy GR Palmer infestations in corn. First is to use at least two herbicides with good activity on Palmer amaranth. The second is to use these herbicides in a split application. Continue reading
I published an article about aphid management in wheat last October (link to previous article). In this article, I mentioned yield increases resulting from a foliar application of insecticides for aphids in mid to late February. In our testing, we’ve seen an average yield increase of about a 6-7 bushels per acre by Continue reading
Corn, soybeans, and wheat prices are down while cotton prices are mixed for the week. The March U.S. Dollar Index before the close on Friday was at 81.82, up 0.22 for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average before the close was up 19 points for the week at 12,378. Crude Oil was trading before the close at 98.81 a barrel, down 2.75 a barrel. Continued concerns in Europe, particularly Greece put pressure on the Euro causing strength in the Dollar. Weather in Argentina and southern Brazil will be closely watched over the next month and its impact on their corn and soybean production. Continue reading
This table should be used as a guide as yields, prices, and expenses will vary among producers and locations. This table looks at crop prices as of January 12, 2012 for 2012 and can give a glimpse of what crop profitability is in Tennessee as of this date. One of the expense items that have to be watched is fertilizer. For reference, in variable expenses below, fertilizer expense per acre is estimated as follows: cotton – $ 153, Soybeans – $55, Corn – $172 (includes 150 units of N), Milo – $138, and wheat/soybeans – $135. Continue reading
Corn
In today’s report, final corn production increased 48 million bushels on a 0.5 bushel per acre increase in yield and 100,000 acre increase in harvested acres. This was 78 million bushels higher than the average pre report trade guess. The yield of 147.2 bushels per acre was a 0.5 bushel increase from the last estimate and 0.8 higher than the average trade guess. The only adjustment in usage was a 50 million bushel increase in exports reflecting a strong pace of sales and reduced prospects for Argentina. Continue reading
Fungicide, insecticide and nematicide seed treatment options vary by company, and in some cases, you can pick the treatments you want and have them applied “downstream” by local distributors. There are many active ingredients involved. Thus, I tried to summarize the common seed treatment offerings by seed companies (linked below). For both cotton and soybean, Continue reading
Happy New Year and Best Wishes for a safe and profitable 2012! Cotton prices are up while corn, soybeans, and wheat prices are down for the week. The March U.S. Dollar Index before the close on Friday was at 81.58, up 1.05 for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average before the close was up 168 points for the week at 12,386. Crude Oil was trading before the close at 101.54 a barrel, up 2.71 a barrel. The unemployment rate was reported today at 8.5%, the lowest in nearly 3 years. Weather concerns in South America still dominated market action this week. Continue reading