Thursday June 30 Ag News

NEBRASKA ACREAGE

Nebraska corn growers planted 9.70 million acres, up 3 percent from last year, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Biotechnology varieties were used on 95 percent of the area planted, down 1 percent from a year ago. Growers expect to harvest 9.40 million acres for grain, up 3 percent from last year.

Soybean planted area is estimated at 5.30 million acres, unchanged from last year’s total. Of the acres planted, 96 percent were planted with genetically modified, herbicide resistant seed, up 1 percent from a year ago. Acres expected to be harvested are 5.25 million, down less than 1 percent from a year earlier.

Winter wheat seeded in the fall of 2015 totaled a record low 1.28 million acres, down 14 percent from last year. Harvested acreage is forecasted at 1.20 million acres, down 1 percent from a year ago.

Alfalfa hay acreage to be cut for dry hay is 800,000 acres, down 6 percent from 2015. Other hay acreage to be cut for dry hay is 1.80 million acres, down 3 percent from last year.

Sorghum acreage planted and to be planted, at 190,000 acres, is down 30 percent from a year ago. The area to be harvested for grain, at 150,000 acres, is down 38 percent from last year.

Oats planted acres decreased to 100,000 acres, down 26 percent from the previous year. Area to be harvested for grain, at 40,000 acres, is unchanged from a year ago.

Dry edible bean planted acres increased to 145,000 acres, up 4 percent from last year. Harvested acres are estimated at 134,000 acres, up 2 percent from previous year.

Proso millet plantings of 80,000 acres are down 24 percent from a year ago.

Sugarbeet planted acres, at 48,700, are up 3 percent from last year.

Oil sunflower acres planted decreased to 16,000, down 45 percent from last year. Non-oil sunflower planted acreage is estimated at 14,000 acres, down 30 percent from a year ago.

Fall potato acres planted increased to 16,500 acres, up 500 acres from previous year. Harvested acreage is forecasted at 16,300 acres, also up 500 acres from the year earlier. The percent planted by type of potato is: 51 percent white, 46 percent russet, 2 percent red and 1 percent yellow.

Dry Pea acres planted are 60,000 acres and harvested acres estimated at 58,000. Comparisons to previous year are not available.



IOWA ACREAGE REPORT

Corn planted for all purposes in Iowa is estimated at 14.0 million acres, up 100,000 acres from the March intentions, and up 500,000 acres from the 2015 planted acreage according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Acreage report. Corn to be harvested for grain is forecasted at 13.6 million acres, up 550,000 acres from 2015. Producers reported planting biotechnology varieties on 92 percent of their 2016 corn acres. The percent of corn acreage planted to insect resistant (Bt) varieties is estimated at 3 percent, herbicide resistant only varieties were planted on 9 percent of the acres, and stacked gene varieties were planted on 80 percent of the acres.

Soybean acreage planted is estimated at 9.70 million acres, unchanged from the March intentions, but 150,000 less than the 2015 planted acreage. Soybean acreage to be harvested is forecasted at 9.65 million acres. Based on reports from producers, 97 percent of the soybean acres were planted with herbicide resistant seed varieties.

Total dry hay expected to be harvested for 2016 is estimated at 1.10 million acres, down 100,000 from the March estimate and down 60,000 acres from 2015. Of the total, 750,000 acres of alfalfa and 350,000 acres of other hay are expected to be harvested for dry hay.

Acreage seeded to oats is estimated at 155,000 acres, up 65,000 from the March intentions and 30,000 acres above 2015. Oat acreage expected to be harvested for grain is estimated at 53,000 acres, down 4,000 acres from 2015.

Winter wheat planted acres are estimated at 40,000 acres, up 15,000 acres from the March intentions, and up 20,000 acres from 2015. Acres to be harvested for grain is forecasted at 30,000 acres, up 15,000 from 2015.



USDA Acreage Report - June 30, 2016
 
Corn Planted Acreage Up 7 Percent from 2015
Soybean Acreage Up 1 Percent
All Wheat Acreage Down 7 Percent
All Cotton Acreage Up 17 Percent

Corn planted area for all purposes in 2016 is estimated at 94.1 million acres, up 7 percent from last year. This represents the third highest planted acreage in the United States since 1944. Area harvested for grain, at 86.6 million acres, is up 7 percent from last year and represents the third highest area harvested for grain since 1933.

Soybean planted area for 2016 is estimated at a record high 83.7 million acres, up 1 percent from last year. Area for harvest, at 83.0 million acres, is also up 1 percent from 2015 and will be a record high if realized. Record high planted acreage is estimated in Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

All wheat planted area for 2016 is estimated at 50.8 million acres, down 7 percent from 2015. The 2016 winter wheat planted area, at 36.5 million acres, is down 7 percent from last year but up 1 percent from the previous estimate. Of this total, about 26.5 million acres are Hard Red Winter, 6.58 million acres are Soft Red Winter, and 3.42 million acres are White Winter. Area planted to other spring wheat for 2016 is estimated at 12.1 million acres, down 8 percent from 2015. Of this total, about 11.4 million acres are Hard Red Spring wheat. Durum planted area for 2016 is estimated at 2.15 million acres, up 11 percent from the previous year.

All cotton planted area for 2016 is estimated at 10.0 million acres, 17 percent above last year. Upland area is estimated at 9.82 million acres, up 17 percent from 2015. American Pima area is estimated at 199,000 acres, up 26 percent from 2015.



 NEBRASKA GRAIN STOCKS

Nebraska corn stocks in all positions on June 1, 2016 totaled 540 million bushels, up 18 percent from 2015, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Of the total, 285 million bushels are stored on farms, up 30 percent from a year ago. Off-farm stocks, at 255 million bushels, are up 8 percent from last year.

Soybeans stored in all positions totaled 73.6 million bushels, up 37 percent from last year. On-farm stocks of 23.0 million bushels are up 53 percent from a year ago. Off-farm stocks of 50.6 million bushels are up 30 percent from 2015.

Wheat stored in all positions totaled 30.1 million bushels, up 74 percent from a year ago. On-farm stocks of 1.00 million bushels are down 9 percent from a year ago while off-farm stocks of 29.1 million bushels are up 80 percent from last year.

Sorghum stored in all positions totaled 3.70 million bushels, up 134 percent from 2015. On-farm stocks of 400,000 bushels are up 54 percent, while off farm holdings of 3.30 million bushels are up 150 percent from last year.

On-farm oats totaled 360,000 bushels, down 14 percent from 2015.



IOWA GRAIIN STOCKS

Iowa corn stocks in all positions on June 1, 2016, totaled 1.02 billion bushels, up 16 percent from June 1, 2015, according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Grain Stocks report. Of the total stocks, 57 percent were stored on-farm. The March 2016 - May 2016 indicated disappearance totaled 518 million bushels, 13 percent below the 597 million bushels used during the same period last year.

Iowa soybeans stored in all positions on June 1, 2016, totaled 183 million bushels, up 46 percent from the 126 million bushels on hand June 1, 2015. Of the total stocks, 29 percent were stored on-farm. Indicated disappearance for March 2016 - May 2016 is 145 million bushels, 10 percent more than the 132 million bushels used during the same quarter last year.

Iowa oats stocks stored on-farm on June 1, 2016, totaled 740 thousand bushels, up 6 percent from June 1, 2015.



USDA Quarterly Grain Stocks Report - June 30, 2016

Corn Stocks Up 6 Percent from June 2015
Soybean Stocks Up 39 Percent
All Wheat Stocks Up 30 Percent

Corn stocks in all positions on June 1, 2016 totaled 4.72 billion bushels, up 6 percent from June 1, 2015. Of the total stocks, 2.47 billion bushels are stored on farms, up 9 percent from a year earlier. Off-farm stocks, at 2.25 billion bushels, are up 3 percent from a year ago. The March - May 2016 indicated disappearance is 3.10 billion bushels, compared with 3.30 billion bushels during the same period last year.

Soybeans stored in all positions on June 1, 2016 totaled 870 million bushels, up 39 percent from June 1, 2015. On-farm stocks totaled 281 million bushels, up 14 percent from a year ago. Off-farm stocks, at 589 million bushels, are up 55 percent from a year ago. Indicated disappearance for the March - May 2016 quarter totaled 661 million bushels, down 5 percent from the same period a year earlier.

Old crop all wheat stored in all positions on June 1, 2016 totaled 981 million bushels, up 30 percent from a year ago. On-farm stocks are estimated at 197 million bushels, up 27 percent from last year. Off-farm stocks, at 784 million bushels, are up 31 percent from a year ago. The March - May 2016 indicated disappearance is 391 million bushels, up 1 percent from the same period a year earlier.

Grain sorghum stored in all positions on June 1, 2016 totaled 88.3 million bushels, up 157 percent from a year ago. On-farm stocks, at 9.70 million bushels, are up 228 percent from last year. Off-farm stocks, at 78.6 million bushels, are up 151 percent from June 1, 2015. The March - May 2016 indicated disappearance from all positions is 113 million bushels, up 32 percent from the same period last year.



Are You “Marketing” Your Calves or Are You “Selling” Them
Steve Tonn, NE Extension Educator, Washington County

As we work into the first days of summer, now is a good time to revisit your marketing plans.  Do you have a marketing plan or do you just sell your calves?  Every operation should develop and maintain their own individual marketing plan.  Marketing plans need to be flexible and easily updated as things change.

With each operation being different we all know there is no cookie cutter solution.  Everyone needs to take a critical look at how they have been managing their operation and search for ways to make some changes they can live with that will be a benefit in the end.

Are you using practices that add value to your calves? Superior genetics, crossbreeding, shorten calving season, implanting non breeding animals (steer calves and non-replacement heifers), using beef quality assurance practices for castrating, dehorning, vaccinating, preconditioning, age and source verification, uniform lots, and ear tag identification.  Are you promoting these practices when you sell your calves?  Research has shown that each of these practices results in a premium paid for the calves.

As you look at or create a marketing plan, you need to answer these five questions:

1)     What are you going to sell?
If you have a current operation, this can be easy to come up with.  For instance, you already know whether you are producing for a niche market (i.e. all natural, organic, etc.) or a commodity market.  If you have a spring calving herd, you should already know the number and sex of the calves you plan to sell.  You also need to determine the target weight you want them to reach at time of sale.  If you are selling a replacement heifer or cow, you need to determine the target age, as well as whether she will be open or pregnant at time of sale.

2)      Where are you going to sell?
Within the beef industry, there are several options.  Auction barns have had a long tradition of selling cattle and calves.  Market animals can also be sold through online forums or video auctions, as well as direct marketing to local feedyards.  It is important to identify your target market and explore all the options available to you to sell your product.

3)     When are you going to price or sell that product?
When do you plan to physically market the animals?  Establishing your price may occur at a different time than when you physically market the animal.  You should feel comfortable with the methods of selling and pricing your cattle.  Some producers may only use cash markets or cash forward contracts, while other producers may feel comfortable using the futures market or options market.  Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) Insurance is another option to consider when pricing your cattle.   The best pricing methods may change from year to year and what your neighbor did may not be the best choice for you. 

4)     What are your goals and objectives?
Given current market conditions and price expectations, what are the goals and objectives you seek to accomplish with your marketing plan?  Keep in mind, seeking only to get the highest price can expose you to more risk than you can handle or feel comfortable.  Your goals should be a combination of getting a good price and controlling the risk associated with the market place.

5)     How can you accomplish your marketing goals and objectives?
Identify specific strategies and tools that can help you reach your marketing goals and objectives.  Specify actions you need to take and deadlines you need to meet in order to put yourself on a timeline that keeps you proactively implementing your plan and managing the market risk.

Planning is essential.  Creating a marketing plan can help alleviate stress as well as emotion in implementing your marketing strategy.  Understanding your cost of production will help establish your pricing objectives and the triggers that make the marketing plan more valuable.  Make sure you continually evaluate your plant and establish contingency or backup plans you can implement if there are price or market changes that differ from your original expectations.



Current National Drought Summary
droughtmonitor.unl.edu

Please note the Drought Monitor depicts conditions valid through Tuesday morning, 8 a.m., EDT (12 UTC); any of the recent locally heavy rain which fell after Tuesday morning (June 28) will be incorporated into next week’s drought assessment. For the 7-day period ending June 28, despite pockets of locally heavy rain (which led to catastrophic flooding in parts of West Virginia), above-normal temperatures and below-normal rainfall caused dryness and drought to expand or intensify across portions of the central and eastern U.S. Nationally, the percent of soil moisture rated poor to very poor climbed 5 points over last week to 31 percent (as of June 26, according to USDA-NASS), which was 14 percentage points higher than last year at the same time.

Central and Southern Plains
While much of the region remained mostly drought free, excessive heat (100°F or greater) coupled with pronounced short-term dryness necessitated the introduction of Moderate Drought (D1) in central Oklahoma. Over the past 60 days, this new D1 area has reported 30 to 55 percent of normal rainfall (locally less); rapid drought intensification in this area is likely if rain does not materialize soon.

Looking Ahead
High pressure will maintain sunny skies across most of the eastern and southern U.S. into the weekend, with cooler-than-normal weather from the Corn Belt into the Northeast contrasting with lingering warmth over the Gulf Coast States. Showers will persist, however, in the western Corn Belt and central Plains, where rain could be locally heavy. During the upcoming holiday weekend, an area of low pressure will develop over the central High Plains and track eastward, producing a swath of increasingly heavy rain from the central Plains to the southern Corn Belt, reaching the southern Mid-Atlantic Region by early next week. Five-day rainfall totals are expected to top 5 inches in parts of Kansas, northern Oklahoma, and western Missouri. Farther west, monsoon showers will continue over the Four Corners and Southwest, with lighter showers spreading as far north as the central and northern Rockies. Hot, seasonably dry weather is expected over the Pacific Coast States. The NWS 6- to 10-day outlook for July 5 – 9 calls for above-normal temperatures across most of the nation, except for cooler conditions in the Northwest, with the greatest likelihood of abnormal warm extending from the Corn Belt to the Gulf Coast. Above-normal rainfall is expected from the Upper Midwest to the southern Mid-Atlantic Coast, while drier-than-normal conditions are anticipated in New England and from the Interior Northwest southeastward to the western and southern Gulf Coast.



2016 Beef Feedlot School Series Set in Southwest Iowa

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the Iowa Beef Center are preparing for the ISU Feedlot School 2016 to be held at the Armstrong Research Farm near Lewis, beginning July 12. ISU Extension and Outreach beef program specialist Chris Clark said the five-part educational series will offer information about numerous aspects of feedlot management including environmental stewardship, facility design, animal health, feedlot nutrition and Beef Quality Assurance.

"I have tried to plan a pretty comprehensive program that includes several important topics for feedlot producers," Clark said. "The curriculum should be educational for anyone involved in the day to day management of a feedlot."

Clark will lead the program that features presentations from ISU Extension and Outreach agricultural engineering program specialist Shawn Shouse, and IBC program specialist Erika Lundy. Participants will have the opportunity to become BQA certified and learn about the BQA Feedyard Assessment.

The first session is set for 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on July 12 at the Wallace Foundation Learning Center, Armstrong Research Farm near Lewis, with a presentation on environmental controls and facility design.

“Manure management, runoff control and environmental stewardship will continue to be very important aspects of feedlot management,” Clark said. “We plan to discuss advantages and disadvantages of different facility designs not only in terms of environmental controls, but also in terms of performance, animal comfort and cost.”

Future session topics include animal health management, changing distillers grains and incorporating cover crops into a feedlot system. The rest of the session dates are tentatively set for July 26, Aug. 9 and Sept. 6, with a final tour date to be determined. Meeting times for all regular sessions will be 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The registration fee is $125 for the entire series. For more information or to register please contact Clark at 712-250-0070 or by email at caclark@iastate.edu.



Next Generation of Taiwanese Swine Producers Visit Iowa

A U.S. Grains Council (USGC) trade team of Taiwanese swine producers, government officials, researchers and association representatives visited Iowa and Minnesota from June 6 to the 17 to familiarize themselves with both modern U.S. swine production practices and the U.S. grains industry. As part of the mission, they toured the diversified production farm of Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) Director Kelly Niewenhuis from O’Brien County. ICPB invests Iowa corn checkoff dollars and provides in-kind support to UCGC activities which work to build and expand demand for corn in all forms. 

Spending a majority of their time attending the World Pork Expo, the team also visited various agricultural businesses and production plants such as the DuPont Pioneer Research & Development Center, JBS wean-to-finish barn and feedmill, Kinze Innovation Center, Little Sioux Corn Processors, and the Spencer Ag Center.

“The Taiwanese seemed impressed with the quality of Iowa’s corn, and said this corn looked like better quality than what they typically buy,” said Niewenhuis. “Brazil and China are the major competitors for the Taiwanese corn market as U.S. corn is seen as a premium product costing more.” Niewenhuis brought the team to his corn hybrid test plot and let them climb his grain bin to get a true, first-hand experience of the high quality corn he is able to produce. These opportunities helped team members, who are grain end-users, gain a greater confidence in the United States’ ability to supply them with high-quality corn.

Niewenhuis also operates a 4,000 hog finishing facility, but clarified to the team that no tours were allowed because of biosecurity reasons. “The Taiwanese explained their country’s lack of biosecurity, so they understood and appreciated our safety measures” said Niewenhuis. The next generation of Taiwanese swine producers were interested in the updated technology used in hog production in the United States as well as the advantages of feeding high quality feed in swine rations.

Taiwan was the sixth largest market for U.S. corn, eleventh largest market for U.S. DDGS and fourth largest market for U.S. barley during the 2014/2015 marketing year. The USGC is a private, non-profit organization that works to develop exports in more than 50 countries from 10 worldwide offices and its Washington, D.C., headquarters.



Soil Health Field Days Educate Iowa Farmers on Advanced Practices Soil Health Partnership hosts events around state this growing season

Iowa farmers can learn from experts and peers on how to adopt agricultural practices to improve soil health at a series of field days this summer. Hosted by area farmers enrolled in the Soil Health Partnership, as well as other local organizations, the events will highlight the economic and environmental benefits that come from improved soil health.

The SHP is an farmer-led initiative of the National Corn Growers Association in partnership with the Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB). This partnership provides a greater understanding and implementation of agricultural practices to protect resources for future generations. SHP will hold at least nine field days throughout the state, from July through September. Confirmed events include:
·         July 21: Sioux Rapids, Iowa
·         July 26: Waukon, Iowa
·         August 2: Washington, Iowa
·         August 16: Gilman, Iowa
·         Aug. 18: Algona, Iowa
·         Aug. 23: Rock Valley, Iowa
·         Aug. 25: Eagle Grove, Iowa
·         Aug. 29: West Liberty, Iowa
·         Sept. 2: Corning, Iowa

“Iowa has some of the richest, most productive farmland in the world. By implementing new practices, we can prevent nutrient loss and erosion, and improve soil structure,” said Elyssa McFarland, Soil Health Partnership field manager for Iowa. “Farmer-to-farmer learning in actual farm environments really tells the story of the difference adopting these practices can make. Our research through this project will quantify that over time as well.”

SHP works closely with diverse organizations including commodity groups, federal agencies and well-known environmental groups toward common goals. The Partnership is in its third year with 65 partner farms across eight Midwestern states.

Featured topics at the field days may include:
·         Cover crop management and machinery set-up
·         Conservation tillage methods
·         Advanced nutrient management
·         A soil pit to observe cover crop root growth and soil properties
·         An update on water quality news

A list of currently planned events and registration can be found at SoilHealthPartnership.org. More events will be posted throughout the summer.



Nobel Laureates Speak Out in Support of GMOs

Today, national media gathered for the announcement of a letter signed by more than 100 Nobel Laureates supporting modern agricultural practices and condemning non-governmental organizations and those governments who oppose the use of these life-saving technological progressions.

The press conference followed an article yesterday in The Washington Post which reported that "107 Nobel laureates sign letter blasting Greenpeace over GMOs."

Joining together to support agricultural biotechnology and draw attention to the fear-based attacks on a safe, proven technology, this group of internationally renowned scientists highlighted the benefits of biotechnology as well as the safety of GMO crops.

"The National Corn Growers Association has long been a strong advocate for access to this safe, proven technology," said Trade Policy and Biotechnology Action Team Chair John Linder, a farmer from Edison, Ohio. "This is yet another robust affirmation from the most knowledgeable minds around the world that GMOs are not only safe but also beneficial for our planet and the people with which we share it."

Calling for an end to "opposition based on emotion and dogma contradicted by data," the signatories urged the United Nations and governments around the world to "accelerate the access of farmers to all the tools of modern biology, especially seeds improved with biotechnology."



Sorghum Checkoff Announces Leadership Sorghum Class III

The Sorghum Checkoff is pleased to announce the members of Leadership Sorghum Class III. Leadership Sorghum is a program hosted by the Sorghum Checkoff that seeks to develop the next generation of leaders for the sorghum industry.

"The success of any organization can be directly traced to the people who lead it," said Sorghum Checkoff Chairman David Fremark. "The sorghum industry has moved forward with extraordinary success in the short life of the checkoff program. This success can be credited directly to the people who have been leading it. With that in mind, the Leadership Sorghum program was formed, and the USCP board believes the positive momentum created these last few years can best be sustained by investing in quality people. Providing these next-generation decision makers with the information and tools that propel sorghum to the next level of profitability is our goal."

Fifteen sorghum farmers from seven states have been selected to participate in the program’s third class:
    Delbert Ficke - Pleasant Dale, Nebraska
    Ted Bannister - Hays, Kansas
    Chad Haden - Clay Center, Kansas
    Jeffery Mai - Garden City, Kansas
    Craig Meeker - Wellington, Kansas
    Daniel Riffel - Stockton, Kansas
    Mark Scott - Manhattan, Kansas
    Zachary Simon - Goddard, Kansas
    William Spiegel - Manhattan, Kansas
    Allen Hensley - Alice, Texas
    Gary Mach - Abbott, Texas
    Heath Herring - Saint Joseph, Louisiana
    Joe Krippner - Kimball, Minnesota
    Ethan Miller - Columbia, Missouri
    Zachary Rendel - Miami, Oklahoma

Class III will begin the 15-month program in the Texas High Plains in September focusing on the sorghum seed industry and basic and applied research. Throughout the program, participants will be exposed to various aspects of the sorghum industry from basic research to international marketing.

“Leadership Sorghum not only benefits the sorghum industry by developing leaders for tomorrow, but it also provides the producer with valuable educational experiences,” said Shelee Padgett, Leadership Sorghum program director. “The sorghum industry relies on producers committed to the education and promotion of sorghum.”

Through both hands-on and classroom style education, participants will gain an understanding of how sorghum moves through the value chain, how checkoffs and interest organizations interact on behalf of the industry and what the future holds for the crop. For information about the Leadership Sorghum program, visit www.LeadSorghum.com.



South Korea Confirms First Swine Fever Case in Three Years

South Korea's agriculture ministry on Wednesday confirmed that a case of swine fever had been discovered on a hog farm on the southern island of Jeju, the first in the country since 2013. According to Reuters, testing confirmed so-called 'classical' swine fever, also known as hog cholera, had been found on the farm, the ministry said in a statement.

A ministry official who declined to be identified said the disease, which is highly contagious among swine but harmless to humans, was unlikely to be widespread as other regions have vaccinated pigs against it.

The ministry statement said Jeju had stopped vaccinating against the fever nearly two decades ago.

Some 400 hogs have already been slaughtered in the wake of the discovery, with another 4,700 to be culled as a further precaution, the ministry official said.

Earlier this year, Asia's fourth-largest economy found fresh cases of foot-and-mouth disease on hog farms. But another ministry official on Wednesday said no new discoveries had been reported since March.



Dow AgroSciences to Bring a New Active Ingredient to Burndown Applications

With the 2016 growing season nearing the halfway mark, many growers are scouting soybean fields to find unwelcome marestail plants competing with their crops. While marestail is not new to Midwest growers, herbicide-resistant marestail continues to spread, making it increasingly difficult to control with glyphosate alone.

Pending registration, Elevore™ herbicide will provide thorough control of many glyphosate- and ALS-resistant weeds, including marestail up to 8 inches tall, chickweed and henbit. It is expected to control and suppress costly and high-anxiety weeds when applied as part of a grower’s burndown program before planting.

Elevore contains Arylex™ active, a new Group 4 growth regulator herbicide developed by Dow AgroSciences. Arylex works systemically to control weeds from the inside out to provide thorough control of labeled weeds.

“Because Elevore contains Arylex active, it provides systemic control and does a great job of virtually eliminating the chance for regrowth of targeted plants,” says Jeff Ellis, Ph.D., field scientist, Dow AgroSciences. “Symptoms on targeted plants are shown as typical auxin responses followed by necrosis and death. This type of plant death gives growers peace of mind their fields will be cleaner at planting.”

In field trials conducted by Dow AgroSciences, Elevore tank-mixed with 2,4-D delivered 97 percent control of glyphosate-resistant marestail when applied in a pre-plant burndown program.

“We targeted glyphosate-resistant marestail between five and eight inches in field trials and have seen superior control of this weed species,” Ellis says. “Elevore provided excellent activity on marestail across a wide range of geographies and at various heights, including 8-inch-tall marestail.”

Left uncontrolled, marestail can grow quickly and rapidly consume a soybean field. According to Michigan State University, an estimated 83 percent of soybean yield is lost from 105 marestail plants per 10 square feet.  It is critical to control marestail early, before soybean plants begin to emerge, for maximum yield potential at the end of the season, Ellis says.

Once registered, it is anticipated that Elevore will be labeled for application with commonly used residual and burndown tank-mix partners, including glyphosate and 2,4-D, up to 14 days before planting soybeans in the Midwest. With a low use rate, Elevore will have an excellent fit in reduced- and no-till production systems. Registration for Elevore is expected in 2017.



Better bread: How researchers use genomics to predict bread quality and accelerate wheat variety development

A team of breeders and geneticists at Kansas State University and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, or CIMMYT, has come up with a new approach to determine if new varieties of bread wheat will have what it takes to make better bread.

With funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development's Feed the Future Initiative, the team is using DNA markers to predict important quality traits for bread wheat, such as dough strength and loaf volume. Their work, "Genomic Selection for Processing and End-Use Quality Traits in the CIMMYT Spring Bread Wheat Breeding Program," was recently published in the journal Plant Genome.

Lead author is Sarah Battenfield, a Kansas State University doctoral graduate in genetics and former postdoctoral associate in plant pathology. Co-authors are the university's Allan Fritz, professor of agronomy, and Jesse Poland, assistant professor of plant pathology; Susanne Dreisigacker, Carlos Guzman, Roberto J. Peña and Ravi P. Singh, all from CIMMYT; and R. Chris Gaynor, Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh.

Historically, the main focus of wheat breeding has been grain yield and the selection of lines with the best performance and disease resistance.

"In many breeding programs, quality traits are evaluated at the very end of the selection cycle for candidate wheat varieties because of the high cost and the large quantity of grain needed for testing," Battenfield said. "Because the typical wheat breeding cycle takes eight to 10 years, waiting to test for bread quality until the final years often results in what were thought to be promising wheat lines being discarded because they can't produce a good loaf of bread."

The team used wheat quality data generated in the test baking lab and built prediction algorithms for determining quality traits in new generations of candidate wheat varieties using DNA markers. Using the prediction algorithm, they were able to advance wheat quality screening by at least a year and predict over 10 times more candidate varieties than can be tested in the quality lab.

"Traditionally, we were able to test about 1,500 samples per year in the CIMMYT quality lab, but since we predicted quality by DNA markers alone, we were able to screen all 10,000 first-year yield trials for quality, which is more than would be possible to physically handle, at roughly the same cost," Battenfield said.

Battenfield and the team believe there is potential to advance the process by up to three years.

"Wheat quality testing starts with analyzing grain morphology, hardness and protein content," said Carlos Garcia, head of the Wheat Chemistry and Quality Laboratory at CIMMYT. "The procedure continues milling wheat kernels into flour then determining protein content and how much water is optimal for dough-making in different rheological tests. Then the flour is mixed with water in a mixograph, which is like a miniature mixing bowl with pins that can measure resistance of the dough while it is being developed — like a seismograph."

"We can investigate that curve to tell us how strong a dough from one candidate variety is relative to another and what is the optimum mixing time to get that dough," Battenfield said. "Our Kansas hard red winter wheat needs to have really strong dough because most goes to industrial bakeries, so it needs to be able to withstand industrial processing."

Dough strength, amount of mixing time and extensibility are all measured and bread is baked as a final test of performance. From all this data a decision can be made on whether the wheat line is good enough to keep — but this question cannot come until six to eight years into the breeding cycle.

"Using DNA from single plants, we can use these new prediction models to get an assessment of the quality much earlier in the breeding cycle," said Poland, the study's senior author. "This is long before we have enough seed for quality testing."

Decreasing breeding cycle time has the biggest impact in breeding on return on investment, according to the researchers.

"These adjustments indicate that we could increase selection for quality two to three times above what is currently possible," Poland said.

The results also show that wheat breeding programs can use genomic selection for wheat quality, along with their traditional breeding pipeline, to more effectively and efficiently use resources, including time and money.

Poland said this prediction method allows the elimination of lines that would not be able to pass the final test of wheat quality. Accurate processing and end-use quality prediction models, such as genomic selection, will allow breeding programs to cull unacceptable lines or target specific lines before time and resources are invested in lines that will not pass the final test.

Additional sources of funding for the study were provided by the Monsanto Beachell-Borlaug International Scholars Program, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, CGIAR CRP WHEAT and the Durable Rust Resistance Project.