Tuesday May 28 Crop Progress & Condition + Ag News

NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION - MAY 28 2013

For  the week  ending May 26, 2013,  rain  at  the beginning of  the week gave way  to  clear conditions with  producers  taking  every  opportunity  to  focus  on  spring  planting  activities,  according  to  USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Nebraska Field Office.  Precipitation again on Saturday in central counties slowed final wrap-up.  Corn planting was near completion and soybeans were near two-thirds complete.  Temperatures were below normal across eastern and northern counties, but above normal  in  southwestern areas.  Wheat was  just beginning  to head, over  two weeks behind average.  Moisture accumulations through Sunday totaled an inch or more across much of the state with lesser amounts across  the  Panhandle  and  southern  border  counties.     Statewide,  producers  had  4.8  days  suitable  available  for  fieldwork.  Topsoil moisture  supplies  rated 12 percent very  short, 19  short, 65 adequate, and 4 surplus. Subsoil moisture  supplies  rated  29 percent very short, 41 short, 29 adequate, and 1 surplus.  Pastures remain in poor or very poor condition across much of the western half of the state. 
 
Field Crops Report:
Corn planted was 96 percent, behind last year’s 100 and 97 average. Emerged jumped to 61 percent, but still well behind last year’s 94 and 75 average.

Soybeans planted was 63 percent, behind last year’s 94, but near 79 average.  Emerged was 17 percent, well behind last year’s 69 and 39 average.

Sorghum  planted was  39  percent,  behind  69  last  year  and  47  average. Emerged was  5  percent,  behind  last  year’s  29  and  15 average.

Wheat  conditions  rated  22  percent  very  poor,  28  poor,  39  fair,  11  good,  and  0  excellent.  Wheat  jointed  was  79 percent, behind last year’s 100 and 92 average.  Wheat headed was 7 percent, well behind 93 last year and over two weeks behind 38 average.  

Oat conditions rated 2 percent very poor, 7 poor, 44 fair, 46 good, and 1 excellent. Oats emerged were 93 percent, behind last year’s 100 and 96 average.  Oats headed was 3 percent, behind last year’s 40 and 12 average.

Dry beans planted was 5 percent, behind last year’s 39 and 17 average.

Alfalfa  condition was  2  percent  very  poor,  15  poor,  41  fair,  40  good,  and  2  excellent.   Alfalfa  1st  cutting was  2  percent complete, behind last year’s 78 and 27 average.
 
Livestock, Pasture and Range Report:
Stock water supplies rated 4 percent very short, 16 short, 79 adequate, and 1 surplus.  Pasture and  range condition  rated 24 percent very poor, 41 poor, 27  fair, 7 good, and 1 excellent.   Hay and  forage supplies rated 32 percent very short, 41 short, 26 adequate, and 1 surplus.
  


Access the National publication for Crop Progress and Condition tables at: http://usda01.library.cornell.edu/usda/nass/CropProg//2010s/2013/CropProg-05-28-2013.txt. 

Access the High Plains Region Climate Center for Temperature and Precipitation Maps at: http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/maps/current/index.php?action=update_region&state=NE&region=HPRCC. 

Access the U.S. Drought Monitor at: http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/DM_state.htm?NE,HP. 



IOWA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION - MAY 28 2013

Dry conditions early  in  the week ending May 26, 2013 permitted Iowa farmers  to  make  progress  planting  crops  according  to  the  USDA, National  Agricultural  Statistics  Service.    As  the  week  continued,  rainfall  across much  of  Iowa  brought  a  halt  to  field  activities.   There was a wide range of days suitable for fieldwork across Iowa, with North Central  Iowa  having  less  than  one  day  suitable,  and South East  Iowa having  4 days  suitable.    Statewide  there  was  an  average  of  2.3  days suitable for fieldwork during the week. 

Flooding  and  soil  erosion  were  reported  in  many  areas  of  the  state.  Farmers  were  concerned  about  standing  water  after  precipitation received during  the weekend.   Topsoil moisture  levels  rated 0 percent very short, 1 percent short, 45 percent adequate and 54 percent surplus.  This  is  the highest  surplus  rating  for  topsoil moisture conditions since June 2010.  Subsoil moisture levels rated 1 percent very short, 7 percent short, 63 percent adequate and 29 percent surplus.

Eighty-five percent of Iowa’s corn acreage had been planted, behind the five-year  average of 98 percent.   Fifty-four percent of  the State’s  corn crop  has  emerged, well  behind  last  year’s  93 percent,  and  the  normal 81 percent.    Soybean  planting  was  40 percent  complete,  behind  last year’s 95 percent and the five-year average of 83 percent.  Eight percent of  the  soybean  crop  has  emerged.    Oat  emergence  was  nearing completion, with  92 percent  of  the  crop  emerged.   Oat  condition was rated  1 percent  very  poor,  4 percent  poor,  29 percent  fair,  57 percent good and 9 percent excellent.  

Pasture and range conditions rated 2 percent very poor, 9 percent poor, 28 percent  fair,  47 percent  good  and  14 percent  excellent.    It  was reported  some pastures  along  streams  and  rivers had  flooded with  the recent rains.    



IOWA PRELIMINARY WEATHER SUMMARY
Provided by Harry Hillaker, State Climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship

The  past  reporting  week  began  with  above  normal  temperatures  and widespread  rainfall Sunday  (19th) afternoon  into Sunday night.     Very heavy  rain  fell  over much  of Mitchell County with  a  5.10  inch  daily total  at  Saint Ansgar.     Warm weather  continued  into Monday  (20th) with  scattered  thunderstorms over  the northeast  two-thirds of  the  state during  the  evening  hours.      A  transition  to  cooler  weather  began  on Tuesday (21st) with  light rain spreading  into northwest Iowa.     Cloudy and damp weather was the rule for much of the period from Wednesday through  the  weekend.      Light  to  moderate  rain  fell  statewide  on Wednesday  and  lingered  into  Thursday  morning  over  the  far  east.   Thunderstorms  brought  rain  statewide  from  late  Friday  through Saturday  (25th)  morning.      Another  heavier  round  of  storms  passed through  Iowa  from  late  Saturday  through  Sunday  (26th)  morning.   Torrential  rain  fell  over  northwest  Iowa  early  Sunday  morning  from Lyon County southeast to Cherokee County and also over central Iowa from  the Marshall  County  southeast  to Keokuk  County.      Still more heavy  rain  fell  later Sunday  into Monday  in much  the  same  areas but this next event will be included in next week’s summary.    Weekly rain totals  varied  from  0.54  inches  at Beaconsfield  in Ringgold County  to 9.06  inches  at  Grinnell.      The  statewide  average  precipitation  was 2.34 inches  or  more  than  double  the  weekly  normal  of  1.05  inches.   Temperature  extremes  varied  from Monday  (20th)  afternoon  highs  of 82 degrees at Dubuque Lock & Dam and Iowa City  to Friday morning lows of 35 degrees at Elkader and Cresco.   Temperatures for the week as  a whole  varied  from  one  degree  below  normal  in  the  southwest  to five degrees below normal in the northwest with a statewide average of 3.5 degrees below normal.



Cost Effective Tools to Improve Water Use Efficiency
Aaron Nygren, Chuck Burr, and Gary Zoubek, UNL Extension Educators
With spring planting nearly done and fuel prices climbing, it’s a good time to consider installing Etgages and soil water sensors. These tools will help you better manage your irrigation applications and ultimately save energy and water to protect natural resources without sacrificing yield.

Integrating Moisture Monitoring Tools into your Production System
Watermark sensors and atmometers can be used together quite well for irrigation management. Atmometers do a great job of estimating crop water use, while crop water sensors are used to monitor soil water status. The Watermark sensors can help determine when to initiate the first irrigation, based on the suggested trigger points or grower decisions based on soil textures. After the first irrigation, an atmometer can be used to estimate actual crop water use since the last irrigation, using the reference ET and crop coefficients. The Watermark sensors can then be used to monitor irrigation decisions.

Another important tool is the soil probe. IT can be used to check soil water conditions in other areas of your field and compared with readings from the soil sensors. We recommend probing soil in three to four other field locations for the first couple of years to be sure you have selected a representative location for your soil sensors.

It’s important to use Watermark sensors to determine the timing of the last irrigation so space is left so Mother Nature can refill the soil profile during the off season. Between the first and last irrigation, ETgages can be used alone to make irrigation management decisions, saving you from having to make a weekly trip to the field to read the Watermark sensors. (Several companies now provide technologies that allow you to access Watermark sensor readings from any device with Internet access.)

Learn More
For more information on how to use ETgages and Watermark sensors for irrigation management, see these UNL resources....
-    Agricultural Irrigation section of the UNL Water website. This site also includes videos and publications on water management and a table of irrigation triggers by soil type.  http://water.unl.edu/web/cropswater/nawmdn. 
-    Using Modified Atmometers (ETgage) for Irrigation Management, UNL Extension NebGuide G1579.  http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/g1579.pdf. 
-    Watermark Granular Matrix Sensor to Measure Soil Matric Potential for Irrigation Management, Extension Circular EC783.  http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/ec783.pdf. 

For more information on ordering ETgages and Watermark sensors, check with your local NRD. Many NRDs across the state offer cost share programs for these tools.



UNL Black Light Insect Monitoring at 3 Sites
Bob Wright, UNL Extension Entomologist

UNL Extension Entomology is monitoring crop insect pests using black light traps at the Haskell Ag Laboratory near Concord; the South Central Ag Laboratory near Clay Center; and the West Central Research and Extension Center near North Platte.

Current data is available at http://entomology.unl.edu/fldcrops/lightrap.shtml. 

This information can be used to monitor the seasonal occurrence of pest species. Peak moth flight precedes the occurrence of the damaging larval stages and provides an alert to check for the larval stages in your area.

Seasonal occurrence varies from year to year, based on degree-day accumulations. Levels of insects found in light traps cannot be used to predict economic damage in individual fields; often moths have preferences for specific crop growth stages, or other characteristics, which will influence damage to individual fields.



Don't Plant Summer Annuals Too Early
Bruce Anderson, UNL Extension Forage Specialist

Once corn, beans, and other crops are all planted, it's natural to be anxious to plant your summer annual forage grasses. But don't rush. Too early is bad for these crops.

Summer annual forage crops - like Sudangrass, millets, cane, Teff, and sorghum-Sudan hybrids - are hot weather crops. And when I say hot weather, that means not only that they grow best in hot weather, it also means they can be injured or even permanently stunted by cool weather.

So, even though you might finish other planting and it seems like summer is already here, don't plant summer annuals too early.

Always wait to plant summer annual forage grasses - any summer annual forage grass - until soil temperature will remain permanently above 60 degrees. And soil should be at least 65 to 70 degrees for the millets and Teff. Late May at the earliest, early June in many cases.

Not only that, air temperature also must remain warm, even at night. If either soil or air temperature gets too cold some summer annual grasses can be stunted permanently, no matter how nice the growing conditions are later on.

True Sudangrass might tolerate cool temperatures best of all the summer grasses. I don't know the exact limits, but if soil stays above 55 degrees and air temperature gets no lower than 40, I think Sudangrass eventually will recover from the cold stress. On the other hand, millets and some forage sorghums may never snap out of the stress caused by a 45, maybe even a 50 degree night.

So don't rush to plant summer annual grasses. Even if they don't get stunted, the few days you gain for earlier grazing is pretty small compared to the risk of losing much of their growth potential.



New Publications from UNL Extension
The following new or revised publications were recently released by UNL Extension and are available on the  Extension Publications website. Those listed relate to agricultural crop  production or rural living.

    EC718 — Agricultural Sprayer Automatic Section Control (ASC) Systems. These systems can reduce overapplication by turning boom sections off as they pass over previously sprayed or environmentally sensitive, mapped areas (for example, grassed waterways or buffer strips). http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/ec718.pdf. 
    
    EC2507 — SAFE Transport, Storage, and Disposal of Pesticides.  Covers the regulations as well as providing practical recommendations and checklists for what you need to do on-farm to stay safe and comply with requirements.  http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/ec2507.pdf. 
    
    EC2508 — Fumigating Farm-stored Grain with Aluminum Phosphide. From developing a plan and getting the right equipment through calculating the rate, applying the fumigant, and determining the re-entry interval, this publication provides information to help you safely treat stored grain with aluminum phosphide.  http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/ec2508.pdf. 
    
    G479 — Pesticide Laws and Regulations. General information on federal and state laws and regulations regarding pesticide applicator certification, licensing, and pesticide use in Nebraska.  http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/g479.pdf. 
    
    RP189 — Agricultural Nitrogen Management for Water Quality Protection in the Midwest. An overview of factors influencing nitrogen loss to ground and surface waters in the four-state Heartland Water Initiative region of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.  http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/rp189.pdf. 



Nebraska Consumers Learn How "Farmers Feed Us"

Research conducted by the Center for Food Integrity (CFI) shows that consumers trust farmers because they believe farmers share their values. Unfortunately, consumers aren't sure today's agriculture still qualifies as farming. Why? Farm demographics are changing, consumers are three to four generations removed from the farm, some sizes are changing, and things aren't done "the way grandpa did them". CFI notes we are seeing consumer alienation from agriculture and the food system expressed through concerns about nutrition, food safety, affordability, environmental sustainability, animal well-being and other issues.

So in an effort to create a stronger con­nection between food consumers and the farmers who produce their food, the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (A-FAN) sponsored the Nebraska Farmers Feed US campaign, geared at building consumer trust and confidence in today's animal agriculture.

The Farmers Feed US campaign touted a chance for consumers to win "Free Groceries for a Year" ... that is, after they took a trip to the farm. During the three-month campaign, participants watched videos from various farms, grocery stores and veterinarians, all audiences who play an integral role in putting healthful food on Nebraskan's dinner plates. And in the end, two lucky winners walked away with $5,000 in free groceries.

Teaming with A-FAN to fund the campaign were: Midwest Dairy Association, Nebraska Corn Board, Nebraska Soybean Board, Nebraska Pork Producers and B&R grocers.

And the campaign achieved astounding results:
    131,132 total consumer registrations on the Nebraska Farmers Feed US website
    7,245 Nebraska consumers who have opted in for future information from Nebraska's farmers
    7:34 was the average amount of timespent and 12.44 pages were viewed per visit on the website
    2,852 Facebook "Likers," who have approximately 661,301 friends
    85 Twitter followers, with approximately 33,150 of their own

A-FAN and other industry organizations across the state continue to work toward communicating with and maintaining consumer trust in modern food production systems. Be sure to engage with A-FAN and farmers across the state on Facebook,  Twitter and  YouTube - and get to know those who raise your food! And to stay in touch with Nebraska farmers, sign up for the Farm and Food Connection monthly newsletter from A-FAN.



Iowa Producers Have Options under Crop Insurance Coverage

The frequent rains that have soaked Iowa this year have left many corn and soybean fields unplanted or with flooded areas. Many producers are wondering what options they have under their multiple peril crop insurance policies.

Agricultural economist Williams Edwards and farm management specialist Steve Johnson with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach offer the following update.

In Iowa, the crop insurance “late planting period” for corn begins on June 1. Corn can still be planted after this date, but the insurance guarantee on those acres is reduced by 1 percent per day until they are planted. Corn acres planted after June 25 will receive insurance coverage equal to 60 percent of their original guarantee. Producers should keep accurate records of planting dates on all remaining acres. The late planting period for soybeans is from June 16 through July 10 in Iowa.

Corn Producer Choices
Beginning June 1, corn producers with unplanted acres have three choices.
-    Plant corn as soon as possible with a reduced guarantee.
-    Shift to soybeans with full insurance coverage.
-    Apply for prevented planting. Prevented planting acres are insured at 60 percent of their original guarantee, and must have a cover crop established on them.

Acres that have been planted, but need to be replanted, may qualify for a special replanting insurance payment. Payments are based on the value of 8 bushels of corn or 3 bushels of soybeans per acre, times their respective projected insurance prices. In 2013, that is about $45 per acre for corn and $38 per acre for soybeans. To qualify for an indemnity payment under the replanted or prevented planting provisions, a minimum area of 20 acres or 20 percent of the insured unit, whichever is smaller, must be affected

More details can be found in the publication “Delayed and Prevented Planting Provisions,” file A1-57 on the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach  Ag Decision Maker website, at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/crops/html/a1-57.html. An electronic decision spreadsheet is also available to help analyze alternative actions. Producers should communicate with their crop insurance agent before making decisions about replanting or abandoning acres.



6th Annual Western Iowa No-till (WIN) Field Day to Focus on Practical Application Tips

The 6th Annual Western Iowa No-till (WIN) Demonstration Field Day, scheduled for June 11th at the Carstens 1880 Farmstead south of Shelby, Iowa, will address a wide variety of topics for anyone interested in learning more about practical application and trouble-shooting for no-till production. The day starts at 8 AM when registration and vendor displays open. A wide variety of local agribusinesses will be on hand to visit with producers in the morning and demonstrate their services/equipment.

The field day begins at 9 AM with breakout sessions covering common challenges of corn-on-corn no-till and an overview of recent Iowa Soybean Association trials on deep ripping and nitrogen placement. The breakout sessions will be followed by a weather outlook for the coming crop year, and a lunchtime discussion on the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. After lunch, keynote speaker Neil Harl will present “A Look Ahead for Agriculture: Major Concerns on the Horizon”. Lunch will be provided free of charge to all in attendance, including steak sandwiches grilled by the Pottawattamie County Cattlemen.  The day will wrap up with a presentation on achieving success in long-term no-till and cover crop usage from an Iowa producer perspective.

Anyone with an interest in the practical application of no-till production, whether looking for ideas to begin adopting no-till practices or a long-time no-till producer looking to improve production results, is encouraged to attend this daylong educational event.  Nearly 200 ag producers and ag professionals attended the 2012 event, learning about effective soil stewardship strategies. In addition to the educational sessions at the 2013 WIN Field Day, there will be plenty of time for farmers to visit informational displays, vendor exhibits and network with other producers. 4 hours of CCA Credits have been applied for, and will be available at no cost for Certified Crop Advisors needing additional continuing education units this year.

There is no charge to attend this event, but pre-registration is requested by June 6th to ensure a lunch will be available.  Registration can be completed by e-mailing csgorham@iastate.edu or by calling the Harrison County Extension Office at 888-644-2105. More information is available at many local ISU Extension and NRCS offices, or can be found online at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass.



March Against Monsanto Attracts Millions

Protesters in more than 50 countries mobilized on Saturday for a series of demonstrations against agricultural business Monsanto, far surpassing the organizer's expectations.

"If I had gotten 3,000 people to join me, I would have considered that a success," activist Tami Canal said. Instead, she said the 'March Against Monsanto,' which originated as a call to action via Facebook, drew about two million people to demonstrations in 436 cities in 52 countries.

Besides protesting the company's practice of making genetically-modifying seeds, protesters vowed to make their voices heard against the U.S. Senate after it rejected an amendment introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders that would have allowed states to require labels on foods made with modified ingredients.

Sanders' amendment failed on Thursday, three days after one of his colleagues, Sen. Jeff Merkley, released a statement promising to repeal the so-called 'Monsanto Protection Act,' which allows farmers to buy and plant genetically-altered seeds while its regulatory approval is being challenged in court.

Dorothy Muehlmann, who organized the march in Los Angeles, California, told the Los Angeles Times that the protests were also designed to heighten consumer awareness about Monsanto's business dealings.

The Chicago Tribune reported that Monsanto released a statement Saturday defending its practices.

"Among the challenges facing agriculture are producing food for our growing population and reducing agriculture's footprint on the environment," said Tom Helscher, the company's director of company affairs. "While we respect each individual's right to express their point of view on these topics, we believe we are making a contribution to improving agriculture by helping farmers produce more from their land while conserving natural resources such as water and energy."

The debate over genetically engineered food has been going on since the crops became widespread in the mid-1990s. In 1992, the FDA concluded that there was no difference between genetically engineered and non-engineered plants.