Tuesday May 14 Crop Progress + Ag News

NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION

For the week ending May 12, 2024, there were 4.8 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 4% very short, 14% short, 73% adequate, and 9% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 6% very short, 22% short, 64% adequate, and 8% surplus.

Field Crops Report:
Corn planted was 55%, behind 70% last year and 66% for the five-year average. Emerged was 18%, behind 26% last year, and near 21% average.

Soybeans planted was 37%, behind 55% last year and 46% average. Emerged was 9%, near 13% last year and 8% average.

Winter wheat condition rated 1% very poor, 2% poor, 18% fair, 62% good, and 17% excellent. Winter wheat headed was 5%, near 2% last year and 3% average.

Sorghum planted was 5%, near 9% last year, and behind 10% average.

Oats condition rated 1% very poor, 1% poor, 39% fair, 53% good, and 6% excellent. Oats planted was 94%, equal to last year, and near 92% average. Emerged was 83%, near 80% last year, and ahead of 71% average.

Pasture and Range Report:
Pasture and range conditions rated 1% very poor, 4% poor, 36% fair, 52% good, and 7% excellent.



Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report

Rain across Iowa early in the week held farmers to just 1.7 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending May 12, 2024, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Iowa farmers reported planting corn, soybeans, and applying pesticides late in the week.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 1 percent very short, 7 percent short, 71 percent adequate and 21 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 4 percent very short, 17 percent short, 67 percent adequate and 12 percent surplus.

Fifty-seven percent of Iowa’s expected corn crop has been planted, 1 week behind last year and 5 days behind the 5-year average. Twenty-six percent of the corn crop has emerged.

Iowa’s farmers have planted 39 percent of Iowa’s expected soybean crop, 1 week behind last year and 4 days behind the normal. Thirteen percent of the soybean crop has emerged.

Ninety-eight percent of the expected oat crop has been planted while emergence reached 81 percent, 2 days ahead of last year and 5 days ahead of the 5-year average. There were reports of oats headed in isolated areas of the State.

Hay condition rated 77 percent good to excellent. There were a few reports of producers beginning their first cutting of hay.

Pasture condition rated 67 percent good to excellent. Cattle feedlots were muddy due to rain received over the past four-week period.




USDA Weekly Crop Progress Report

Corn planting was about halfway finished nationwide by the end of last week but continued to trail the five-year average pace as wet conditions across parts of the Corn Belt kept some farmers out of their fields, USDA NASS said in its latest weekly Crop Progress report released on Monday.

A continuing active weather pattern this week with more chances of rain could further delay planting for some.

CORN
-- Planting progress: Corn planting moved ahead 13 percentage points last week to reach 49% complete nationwide as of Sunday, May 12. Despite the faster planting pace, though, planting progress overall was 11 percentage points behind last year's 60% and 5 points behind the five-year average of 54%.
-- Crop development: 23% of corn had emerged as of Sunday, 2 points behind last year but 2 points ahead of the five-year average of 21%.

SOYBEANS
-- Planting progress: Soybean planting managed to stay just ahead of the average pace last week with 35% of the crop planted nationwide as of Sunday. That was 10 percentage points behind last year's pace of 45% and 1 percentage point ahead of the five-year average of 34%.
-- Crop development: 16% of soybeans had emerged as of Sunday, 1 point behind last year but 6 points ahead of the five-year average of 10%.

WINTER WHEAT
-- Crop development: 57% of winter wheat was headed as of Sunday. That was 11 points ahead of 46% at this time last year and 13 points ahead of the five-year average of 44%.
-- Crop condition: 50% of the crop was rated in good-to-excellent condition, unchanged from the previous week and still up significantly from 29% a year ago. The percentage of the crop rated very poor to poor rose slightly from 16% the previous week to 18% last week.

SPRING WHEAT
-- Planting progress: 61% of spring wheat was planted as of Sunday, 26 points ahead of 35% last year and 13 points ahead of the five-year average of 48%.
-- Crop development: 25% of spring wheat has emerged, 14 points ahead of 11% last year and 7 points ahead of the five-year average of 18%.



Alfalfa Weevil Surging in Alfalfa Fields
Julie Peterson - NE Extension Entomologist

As temperatures warmed up in the past weeks, producers in southeast, south-central and central Nebraska have noticed alfalfa weevil activities in alfalfa fields, with multiple sizes of larvae that may have come from overwintering adults and eggs laid in the previous fall that were able to survive the winter.

Producers growing high quality alfalfa hay should make time to scout alfalfa fields for weevils now and over the next few weeks. Severe alfalfa weevil feedings will make the crop look droughty. Producers are recommended to use the economic thresholds (Table 1) to make decisions on insecticide application.

Alfalfa weevil has become a significant issue for the past few years. Alfalfa weevil feeding on leaves can reduce hay yield and quality. The feeding of weevil larvae can skeletonize or defoliate the first cutting alfalfa, which causes the most significant economic loss. However, both adults and larvae can feed on the regrowth after the first cutting. If regrowth does not begin within four or five days, scout for weevil larvae and adults and treat the field when necessary.

More information on alfalfa weevil life cycle, scouting, economic thresholds, and insecticides can be found here: https://cropwatch.unl.edu/2021/scouting-advised-alfalfa-weevil.  



Farmers Invited to Attend Roller Crimper Workshop May 22

Nebraska Extension is hosting a roller crimper workshop for farmers and ag industry stakeholders from 9:30-11.30 am. Wednesday, May 22 at the University of Nebraska Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center, 1071 County Rd G, Ithaca.

Roller crimpers are used to mechanically terminate cover crops without soil disturbance and ideally create a thick mulch that will act as a weed barrier. Crimpers are used by organic farmers, regenerative farmers and others who, for various reasons, want to reduce herbicide inputs and/or improve weed management with their cover crops.

During this short program, we will show a roller crimper in action, invite farmers to share their experiences with crimping, and discuss what conditions must be met to be successful with this termination method.

Also of interest are our demo plots with small grains — barley, oats, rye, triticale and wheat. It’s not often that you can see all these crops in Nebraska at once — all are encouraged to attend and examine these cover crops in person, as well as network with other farmers and educators.

Pre-registration is not required for this event. On-site registration begins at 9 a.m.

For more information, contact Katja Koehler-Cole or Aaron Nygren.



Value of Exports Continues to Slide...
NE Farm Bureau

The value of U.S. agricultural exports was off 4 percent through the end of March compared to the first quarter of last year. The drop in value continues the slide begun last year. The value of exports last year was down 11 percent.

Among key Nebraska exports, only the export value of red meat saw growth in the first quarter compared to the same period last year, up 7 percent. Sales of pork were up 7 percent and beef sales were up 6 percent, mostly due to higher prices. Otherwise, the value of soybean exports was down 29 percent during the first quarter, wheat was off 18 percent, animal feeds and oil meal exports were off 4 percent, and corn exports were down 1 percent.

A positive for the first quarter, the volume of wheat and corn shipped overseas was greater than last year. Perhaps lower prices stimulated purchases but not enough to increase revenues compared to last year.

Look for more tough sledding for the remainder of the year. A strong dollar, strong competition particularly from South America, and geopolitics make growth in trade problematic.



Beginning farmers chosen for conservation fellowship

Several fellows have been chosen for the Center for Rural Affairs’ Beginning Farmer Conservation Fellowship program.

“Across Nebraska, farmers and ranchers are working to implement working lands conservation practices, such as cover crops, rotational grazing, and pollinator habitats,” said Angelyn Wang, local foods associate with the Center. “These practices are vital to the health of our soil and environment while producing the food we need. Beginning farmer fellows will benefit from the curriculum we’ve developed with partners and experts on climate change mitigation and resource management.”

Beginning farmers were chosen to deepen their conservation knowledge. Fellows will complete coursework in conservation programs and practices, climate change adaptation and impacts, racial equity, and leadership.

They will attend classes and field days, design and implement a conservation project on their own farm or land they are farming, and present at the annual Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Conference.

The 2024 fellows include:
Shahab Bashar, Lincoln. Bashar has experience farming in Iraq, where he grew tomatoes, eggplant, and cucumbers. He and his wife work as farmers at Prairie Pine, which is managed by Community Crops. He is passionate about farming, especially cultivating cultural produce that caters to the diverse culinary needs of refugees from the Middle East and Africa in Nebraska.

Amy Gerdes, Lincoln. Gerdes has an academic background in biology, with a focus on botany and ecology and has worked in the sustainable ag sector. She operates a small urban farm, Lake St. Microfarm, where she grows diverse specialty crops. In addition to farming, she provides farmer and gardener education and works to expand community gardens and farms in Lincoln through her work at Community Crops.

Corinne Kolm, Filley. Kolm is a fifth-generation farmer who has worked in local food and organic certification for nearly 20 years. She and her husband purchased an 80-acre diversified farm from retiring farmers, with a primary focus on organic fruit and grazing grass-fed beef for the local market.

Gus and Stephanie Leigh, Neligh. The Leighs’ farm focuses on providing pasture-raised eggs, chickens, turkeys, pigs, and cows on a 55-acre property. Their farm follows regenerative and conservation-based agricultural practices, working with nature to improve the environment.  

Sandro Lopes, David City. Lopes is a native Brazilian who is dedicated to the principles of syntropic agriculture and riparian agriculture systems. His farm, Huerto Regenerativo NaTerra, is inspired by the farming practices of his ancestors from Itacoã Miri, state of Para, Brazil.

Angela Mueller, Plattsmouth. Mueller runs Wood Barn Farm and focuses on cut flowers as a specialty crop. She works with plants that are native to Nebraska and will thrive here, devoting segments of the land to wetlands and pollinators.

Riley Reinke, Filley. Reinke has farmed for 10 years, raising vegetables, organic and non-GMO grain and hay crops, as well as laying hens. Her goal is to cultivate human and environmental health through regenerative farming by producing food for consumers in our local communities.

Laura Simpson, northeast Omaha. Simpson focuses on urban farming and joined the City Sprouts Team in spring 2020. She takes lead on managing community partnerships and distribution of produce grown on its urban farm in northeast Omaha.

Each fellow must be actively farming in Nebraska and engaged in farming for fewer than 10 years.



Feed Situation
Matthew Diersen, Risk & Business Management Specialist, South Dakota State University

There are several indications of substantially improving feed supplies for 2024. The ending stocks for hay were above expectations. Pasture conditions are better than a year ago. Corn supplies have improved. These combine to keep feed costs steady and, in many cases, lower than a year ago.

Hay statistics and price information are sparse compared to other commodities. The LMIC maintains a balance sheet with price projections. The Food & Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) produces an annual outlook that includes hay. Both had projected the ending (May 1) hay stocks for the U.S. at close to 16.0 million tons. When modeling these data, one typically finds that winter disappearance (or use) is 75 percent of December 1 stocks (plus a little more). Stocks below 16.0 would not have been surprising and would be an improvement from 2023 when stocks were a very tight 14.3 million tons. In the Crop Production report released last Friday, NASS estimates the stock level at 21.0 million tons. Thus, there is substantially more hay available than would otherwise have been expected. States with large increases are concentrated in the plains, from North Dakota to Texas. Such stocks will put downward pressure on prices and facilitate some expansion plans for beef cattle producers as the supplies would align with cow-calf production regions. Stocks were down slightly in New York, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and California, or spread out among dairy states.

The initial range and pasture conditions for 2024 show a marked improvement from a year ago. At the U.S. level, the percentages in the Excellent and Good categories are higher, while the percentages in the Very Poor and Poor categories are lower. Conditions are relatively poor in Arizona and New Mexico, and to a lesser extent in Florida. Widespread improvements in conditions to start the year would, like the hay situation, facilitate beef cattle expansion. Despite more forage available, some grazing fees are higher. Each spring the USDA-AMS releases the Wyoming, Western and Central Nebraska and Western South Dakota Grazing Fee Report. The prospect for steady to higher calf prices this fall likely contributed to steady to higher grazing fees for that region for this summer. The monthly rates range from $30 to $110 per cow-calf pair depending on the location. Many rates were $5 to $10 higher than last year, especially for the top end of the price range.

The latest WASDE estimates, also released last week, give the first comprehensive projections for the 2024/2025 marketing year. While corn production is expected to be down from last year, the sharply higher beginning stocks leads to an increase in supply. Although feed use is expected to increase slightly (and more than the trade expected), the overall expectation is for higher ending stocks and lower prices than for the 2023/2024 marketing year. Lower corn prices result in higher feeder cattle and calf price expectations.



Combined United States and Canadian All Wheat Ground for Flour Down 2 Percent From 2022

This publication is a result of a joint effort by Statistics Canada and USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service to release the flour milling production information for both countries within one publication. United States flour milling production numbers for 2023 were previously released on May 1, 2024. Canadian flour milling production numbers were released on April 28, 2024.

Combined United States and Canadian all wheat ground for ground for flour was 1.03 billion bushels in 2023, a decrease of 2 percent from 2022.  Flour production totaled 476 million hundredweight compared to 485 million hundredweight in 2022.

Combined United States and Canadian durum wheat ground for flour and semolina was 73.1 million bushels in 2023, up 2 percent from 2022.  Durum flour production totaled 34.7 million hundredweight, up 1 percent from 2022.



APLU Applauds House & Senate Inclusion of Mandatory Funding in Agricultural Research Facilities in Farm Bill Packages

Association of Public and Land-grant Universities President Mark Becker today released the following statement on the inclusion of the Research Facilities Act and mandatory investments in public universities’ research facilities in draft House and Senate Farm Bill packages.
 
“The public and land-grant university community applauds the significant investments in both the House and Senate Farm Bill packages that will help address longstanding deferred maintenance of agricultural research facilities. We are particularly encouraged by the level of funding in the House measure and encourage policymakers to provide the maximum level of funding as the process moves forward. We thank House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow for their leadership in prioritizing investments in America’s agricultural innovation.
 
“This investment will help address the significant national maintenance backlog that has strained cutting-edge agricultural research. It will help position our nation to continue to lead globally, feed our nation and the growing global population, and tackle agricultural-related climate, national security, and public health challenges.
 
“With more than $11.5 billion in deferred maintenance, our nation’s agricultural researchers, Cooperative Extension specialists, and educators have dealt with deteriorating facilities while ensuring exceptional innovation, outreach, and education. Investment in our agricultural research facilities will ensure our nation can continue to take on the local, regional, national, and global challenges. The inclusion of the Research Facilities Act is a critical first step to ensuring the U.S. remains the world’s most innovative, productive, and vibrant agricultural sector. As Congress moves the Farm Bill forward, we urge lawmakers to advance these critical investments.”



Primus designated as STB chairman

President Joe Biden announced the designation of Robert Primus as chairman of the Surface Transportation Board (STB). National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) President and CEO Mike Seyfert issued the following statement:

“NGFA congratulates Chairman Primus on his appointment to this well-deserved role. Under his leadership, STB can continue to pursue a modern and more balanced approach with knowledgeable and objective members. We look forward to continuing to work with Chairman Primus on fostering an efficient and competitive railway network for the U.S. agricultural supply chain.”

NGFA also led an agricultural letter of support urging the swift appointment of Mr. Primus as chair upon former Chairman Martin Oberman’s retirement. NGFA and the other 23 groups noted: “As a Board member for the past three years, Mr. Primus has demonstrated exemplary commitment and dedication to the principles of proactive oversight in STB’s regulation of the freight rail marketplace. Mr. Primus has been a leader in his push to improve rail service, create more rail-on-rail competition, and develop a more streamlined method for freight rail customers to challenge unreasonable rates.”