Print

Print


 

4. Rodale Press (Kutztown, PA) & Penn State Host Survey for farmers on
Weed management

Survey asks: What's your weed management strategy? 

The Rodale Institute, in collaboration with The Pennsylvania State
University and the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Program, is asking
farmers to share their weed problems and

strategies to guide research into biologically based weed management
systems. 

The scientists hope to learn more about: 
> How different crop varieties differ in their tolerance to weeds 
> How timing of planting and tillage affects weed-crop competition 
> The ability and use of cover crops and crop rotations to manage weed
populations 
> How organic management systems influence weed density and crop
competition compared to that of a conventional system. 

Access the online survey at: 
http://www.newfarm.org/features/2007/0307/weedsurvey/duh.shtml
<http://www.newfarm.org/features/2007/0307/weedsurvey/duh.shtml>  

Greg Bowman 
Managing editor,  www.newfarm.org <http://www.newfarm.org>  
611 Siegfriedale Road, Kutztown PA 19530 
610.683.1470  fax 610.683.8548 
[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>  
  

 

 

________________________________

 

 

5. Unfavorable Ethanol News Lowers U.S. Corn Prices
Fears over an impending U.S. ethanol trade agreement with Brazil lowered
corn prices last week, says Ray Grabanski, President and the Principal
Owner of Progressive Ag risk management services, Fargo, ND. 

"The rapid increase in ethanol for fuel is what is driving the U.S. corn
market," says Grabanski. "The comments by President Bush that he'd like
to cooperate with Brazil on ethanol and that he has a set of proposals
that they're looking at made the corn market nervous. Any additional
negative news about ethanol will continue to lower the market." 

Currently the U.S. has a 55 cent/gal. tariff on foreign ethanol and a 51
cent/gal. ethanol blending tax credit, says Grabanski. Any change in
those two policies could dramatically lower the potential prices U.S.
farmers receive for corn, he says. 

"It just wouldn't make sense to reduce the tariff on ethanol and have
the taxpayers pay to blend in foreign ethanol," he says. "Ethanol is the
one good thing we have going right now in many rural areas, and any
alteration in ethanol policy could change all that." 

Corn prices still have a chance to spike upwards, depending on the
outcome of USDA's March 30 quarterly Grain Stocks and Prospective
Plantings reports, he adds. "We've had a nice rally coming into planting
season, but the final acreage report is going to be important in
determining which direction corn prices go -- and they could go either
way," says Grabanski. "So, there's nothing wrong with protecting
yourself with puts ahead of this report." 

Barring weather scares this season, the next chance for a price rally
after planting would be USDA's June 30 plantings report, he adds. For
now, though, "the threat from drought has recently been reduced," says
Grabanksi. "A lot of precipitation has fallen in the driest areas and
healed some potential soil moisture ailments." 

The biggest weather threat to U.S. corn production right now is the
potential that wet conditions in the Eastern Corn Belt could
significantly delay planting, he adds. However, even if corn planting is
hampered in this area, other areas of the country are likely to plant
significantly more corn acres, including North Dakota and South Dakota. 

"There will be a big switch from spring wheat to corn here, due to the
increased profitability from growing corn," says Grabanski. "That might
reverse itself though, if changes are made in U.S. policy towards
ethanol." 

For more information about comments made by President Bush on
cooperating with Brazil to promote biofuels production and use, click
here: www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/03/20070309-4.html
<http://ct.pbinews.com/rd/cts?d=244-10074-20-436-59713-498760-0-0-0-1> .

For more information on Progressive Ag, visit its Web site at: 
www.progressiveag.com/index.jsp?pageid=103
<http://ct.pbinews.com/rd/cts?d=244-10074-20-436-59713-498761-0-0-0-1> .
 
By John Pocock

 


 

6. Bean On Bean Acres More Profitable For Some?
More growers are focusing on continuous corn because of the biofuels
movement, but beans on beans could become more likely in areas where the
corn yield potential is lowered, says a Purdue University expert. 

"This focus on biofuels is causing a shift in production systems. In
areas where a grower can continuously grow 200 bu.-plus corn, there may
be a shift to continuous corn at least in the short run," says Shawn
Conley, Purdue Extension soybean specialist. "However, in areas where
the soils are poorly drained and the yield potential for corn is
significantly less, we may see more growers focus on continuous
soybeans." 

As with continuous corn, growers planting beans on beans are going to
have to make some adjustments to their crop systems to deal with various
issues, Conley says. 

To read more about growing continuous soybeans, click on the following
Ag Answers Web link: 
www.agriculture.purdue.edu/aganswers/story.asp?storyID=4431
<http://ct.pbinews.com/rd/cts?d=244-10074-20-436-59713-498771-0-0-0-1> .

Source: Purdue University

 

 

Vicki Morrone

Organic Vegetable and Crop Outreach Specialist

Michigan State University

C.S. Mott Sustainable Food Systems

303 Natural Resources Bldg.

East Lansing, MI 48824

517-353-3542

517-282-3557 (cell)

517-353-3834 (fax)

http://www.MichiganOrganic.msu.edu/

http://www.mottgroup.msu.edu/

 

 


If you would like to access previous postings to the Mich-Organic listserv you can copy and paste the following URL into your browser address bar
 http://list.msu.edu/archives/mich-organic.html