When Congress returns from the August recess – there won’t be much time left for the committees to make their recommendations to the super committee tasked with developing a bill to make dramatic spending cuts and potentially dramatic policy changes.

House Ag Committee Chairman Frank Lucas notes October 14th is the target date for making recommendations to the super committee. He says his priority is working with Ranking Member Collin Peterson and the other Ag Committee members to get a grip on this budget process and how to handle the committee’s recommendations.

Based on rough estimations – Congressman Peterson suggested ahead of the August recess that agriculture might fare better under across-the-board cuts. Lucas is trying to determine if that’s the case – but wants hard numbers before a decision is made.

If the super committee were to target and eliminate direct payments – Lucas says the House Ag Committee would suddenly be faced with having to write a new farm bill.

Once the super committee makes its recommendations – Lucas says all committees will get a chance to discuss and make a recommendation to reject or accept the proposal. It will then go to a vote where the proposal must get the approval of 51 Senators, 218 Representatives and the President to become law.

If the super committee is not able to reach those thresholds – or if reasonable, rational recommendations are made and the framework of the farm bill is held together – Lucas says the Ag Committees can work towards a regular farm bill under regular order in the spring and summer of 2012. But if dramatic changes are recommended – Lucas says the Ag Committees might have to write a new farm bill this October or November.

Nodaway County producers are assessing the damage after last weeks storms and storms this week that damaged, crops, buildings and farm equipment through the county.   It’s estimated that about 75 percent of the corn crop in the county was damaged from the storms.  25 percent is likely a complete loss.

Tim Dreier is with the FSA office in Maryville.  We talk with him for KFEQ”s  Wednesday edition of agriculture news.

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Listen to ag-news with Bruce Burdick, Superintendant of the Hundley Whaley Research Farm.

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The Field Day features three tours from 9 a.m. to noon. After they learn how to improve efficiency, profitability and strategies to control resistant weeds, attendees can enjoy a free lunch.

Ray Wright, MU research specialist, will share biofuel trial results. He researched growing Missouri native plants in monoculture and diverse plots and found the tonnage production was similar, but diverse stands can offer additional benefits. “Having a diverse stand gives you the option of harvesting for biofuels or using it for forage,” Wright said.

Kevin Bradley, state extension weed scientist, will showcase the results of using pre-emergent herbicides to control glyphosate-resistant weeds, such as water hemp. “We can’t wait till after it emerges and hope to control the spread of water hemp,” Bradley said.

Wayne Flanary, MU Extension agronomy specialist, will address the emerging sulfur deficiencies in northwest Missouri soils and explain how producers can achieve greater yields with sulfur applications. The economic benefits of applying lime for corn and soybeans will also be covered by Manjula Nathan, MU soil specialist. “We know it has benefits and it’s important to improve yields, but it takes three to six months to react in the soil, so timing is critical,” Nathan said.  

Pat Guinan, MU climatologist, will showcase the real-time weather station at Hundley-Whaleyandexplain the benefits of joining theCommunity Collaborative Rain Hail and Snow Network.

“Each year we try to focus tour stops on emerging issues which farmers are facing in their operations,” said Bruce Burdick, research associate and superintendent of the Center. For more information, contact Bruce Burdick at 660-726-5610[email protected]. For detailed directions and information visit: http://aes.missouri.edu/hundwhal/

The College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources is at the center of ensuring sustainability for future generations by infusing innovative research, creative collaboration and the most advanced science-based technology with confidence, creative thinking, conscience, and commitment to excellence.

 

 

 

Renewable Fuels Association Vice President Geoff Cooper notes that data from USDA show that 2010 application rates of the three common macronutrient fertilizers, nitrogen, potassium, and phosphate, were the same–or below—the application rates seen in the early 1980s. Thus, nitrogen application per bushel of corn produced is down more than 30 percent since the early 1980s, while potassium and phosphate usage per bushel are down some 40 percent. Likewise the amount of water, energy, and land required to produce a bushel of corn were substantially reduced between 1987 and 2007.

Critics contend that the growing production of ethanol at the more than 200 biorefineries across the country has increased resource use as well. But, according to Cooper, the energy required to produce a gallon of ethanol has fallen by 28 percent since 2001 to just under 26,000 BTUs.  That compares to the 77,000 BTUs contained in a gallon of ethanol.  Cooper says – such improvements alone completely undermine and render dishonest claims that ethanol production uses more energy than it produces. 

 

Results from the latest survey of agricultural lenders in the Seventh Federal Reserve District show that higher commodity prices continued to drive up the value of farmland in the upper Midwest during the second quarter of 2011. According to the survey, farmland values between April through June were up 17 percent from a year ago; and the value of ‘good’ agricultural land during the three-month period was up four percent from the previous quarter. That represents the largest year-over-year increase since the 1970s.

Wisconsin ag property increased by eight percent from last year, which is the smallest increase in the five-state district, and went up four percent since the last quarter. Indiana values were the highest at 21-percent over last year and five percent more than the first quarter. Iowa, Illinois and Michigan also saw double-digit increases from 2010.

The reserve’s economist, David Oppedahl, says agricultural credit conditions were stronger in the second quarter of 2011 relative to a year earlier. But he noted that some bankers expressed concerns about the risks facing farmland markets, especially with regard to declines in crop prices.

The report showed that repayment rates for non real-estate farm loans were higher than a year ago, while renewals and extensions of these loans were lower. Bankers indicated that the index of non-real-estate agricultural loan demand fell to its lowest level since 1987. Funds availability for lending was up relative to the second quarter of 2010.