Agricultural Summary

Harvest progress was aided by no precipitation across most of the state. Nearly 900,000 acres of soybeans were harvested last week from the 6.6 days suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture supply was 20 percent very short, 34 percent short, 45 percent adequate, and 1 percent surplus.  Subsoil moisture supply was 46 percent very short, 33 percent short, and 21 percent adequate.  Ground worked fall tillage was 71 percent, 4 days ahead of last year, and 16 days ahead of the 5 year average (normal) of 50 percent.

Field Crops Report

Soybeans mature were 96 percent, 5 days behind last year, but the same as normal.  Soybeans harvested were 79 percent, 7 days behind last year, but 2 days ahead of normal. Cotton harvested was 83 percent, 5 days behind last year, but 4 days ahead of normal. Sorghum harvested was 87 percent, 3 days behind last year, but 11 days ahead of normal.  Winter wheat planted was 83 percent, 2 days behind last year but 8 days ahead of normal.  Winter wheat emergence was 60 percent, same as last year and 7 days ahead of normal. Wheat condition was 3 percent poor, 43 percent fair, 48 percent good, and 6 percent excellent.

Pasture & Livestock

Pasture condition were 31 percent very poor, 24 percent poor, 33 percent fair, and 12 percent good. Supply of hay and other roughages was 47 percent very short, 35 percent short, and 18 percent adequate.  Stock water supplies were 39 percent very short, 38 percent short, and 23 percent adequate.

Weather Summary

Temperatures were 3 to 7 degrees below average.  Precipitation averaged 0.00 of an inch statewide.  The east-central and southeast districts averaged 0.01 of an inch.

The new U.S.-Panama Free Trade Agreement went into effect yesterday (Wednesday) – eliminating tariffs and other barriers to U.S. exports to promote economic growth and expand trade between the two countries. United States Trade Representative Ambassador Ron Kirk says the partnership with Panama’s fast-growing economy adds up to support more well-paying jobs across the United States. With this agreement – half of American ag exports to Panama will become duty free – bringing an additional 2.2-billion dollars in ag exports. Last year – the U.S. exported more than 8.2-billion dollars of products to Panama – which included 504-million of ag products. The new agreement will give the U.S. access to the 22-billion dollars Panamanian services market.

The election is approaching quickly – and Farm Journal Pulse sent a text message survey to farm country asking how they will vote in the Presidential election. After 1,984 votes – 85-percent say they are voting for Mitt Romney. Romney calls farmers and ranchers the backbone of America – saying they play a critical role in ensuring Americans across the country have access to safe and affordable food. Romney says the fruit of their labor nourishes the world – and he admires farmers and ranchers’ hard work in harvesting this country’s bountiful resources. While he seems to have won the heart of a majority of rural America – everyone will see on Tuesday if he has won the heart of the majority of the rest of the country.

Agricultural Summary

Rains across most of the state with drier conditions in the northwest and west-central districts resulted 5.2 days suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture supply was 18 percent very short, 28 percent short, 52 percent adequate, and 2 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture supply was 42 percent very short, 37 percent short, and 21 percent adequate.  Ground worked fall tillage was 61 percent, 4 days ahead of last year, and 15 days ahead of the 5 year average (normal) of 39 percent.

Field Crops Report

Soybeans dropping leaves and beyond were 97 percent, 5 days behind last year, but the same as normal.  Soybeans mature were 88 percent, 5 days behind last year, and 1 day behind normal.  Soybeans harvested were 62 percent, 8 days behind last year, but the same as normal. Every district except the southwest district is behind last year’s soybean harvest pace.  Cotton harvested was 70 percent, 6 days behind last year, and 3 days behind normal.  Sorghum mature was 97 percent, 2 days behind last year, but 5 days ahead of normal.  Sorghum harvested was 76 percent, 5 days behind last year, but 8 days ahead of normal.  Winter wheat planted was 67 percent, 2 days behind last year but 5 days ahead of normal.  Winter wheat emergence was 45 percent, 2 days ahead of last year and 6 days ahead of normal. Wheat condition was 2 percent poor, 44 percent fair, 48 percent good, and 6 percent excellent   The 5 year average wheat condition was 1 percent very poor, 6 percent poor, 43 percent fair, 50 percent good, and 1 percent excellent.

Pasture & Livestock

Pasture condition were 36 percent very poor, 24 percent poor, 28 percent fair, and 12 percent good. Comparable to last year’s pasture condition was 35 percent very poor, 28 percent poor, 26 percent fair, and 11 percent good. Supply of hay and other roughages was 54 percent very short, 31 percent short, and 15 percent adequate.  Stock water supplies were 43 percent very short, 35 percent short, and 22 percent adequate.

Weather Summary

Temperatures were 1 to 3 degrees above average.  Precipitation averaged 0.64 of an inch statewide.  The central and north-central districts averaged 0.83 and 0.80 of an inch.

With little rain on most fields in 2012, K, absorbed by corn plants during the growing season, has not yet been released back into the soil from deteriorating corn stalks. In a drought year, K also can become fixed between clay layers until water moves through the soil again. Expect that K test levels will increase to more normal values if you can wait to sample following a significant fall rain event.

“Some growers may think it’s a better idea to wait and sample soil in the spring because it will give them a more reliable nutrient reading,” says Heggenstaller. “But I would caution against spring sampling unless this is your normal practices, because you would end up comparing apples and oranges and couldn’t rely on previous soil tests as a basis.”

Even though K levels from this year’s soil test will likely be lower than actual amounts, farmers can rely on crop removal rates and previous years’ soil test results as a guide to estimate next year’s K needs. To determine crop removal this year, multiply the field’s harvested bushels by an estimated 0.3 pounds of K removed per bushel of corn or 1.5 pounds of K removed per bushel of soybean. The calculated amount is a good estimate of how much K was consumed by the crop during the growing season and thus the minimum amount that should be replaced for the next crop if historical soil test levels were in the optimum range.

“Depending on management style, this method of calculating K needs might not be the best long-term approach for managing K fertility, but in drought years it is often the best option for growers because of the variability in soil sampling,” says Heggenstaller. “I still recommend that producers test soils this year because it will prove useful when determining future fertilizer needs.”

Other key nutrients, including phosphorous (P), should not show as much variability in soil tests as a result of drought. Phosphorus does not get fixed in clay soils to the extent that K does and is not nearly as abundant in crop residues as K. In the case of nitrogen (N), most producers applied enough to achieve a high-yielding crop in 2012, but ended up receiving little precipitation and lower than anticipated yields. In these fields, it is very likely that extra N is present in the soil. Depending on rainfall between now and next spring, some of this N may be available for next year’s crop.

Lack of water also may cause a drop in soil pH from previous years. Without precipitation, lime applied to help balance pH in spring 2012 cannot infiltrate the soil and take full effect. Additionally, dry soil conditions are often associated with increased salt concentration at the soil surface, which can also result in lower than expected pH test values.

International grain buyers are fanning out across America to gain information, assess the current U.S. corn crop, explore the availability of other grains and build relationships that lead to future sales. This comes on the heels of the Export Exchange conference in Minneapolis – where more than 200 international buyers and end-users met with U.S. suppliers and heard from industry and government leaders about the near- and long-term prospects for U.S. export capacity. U.S. Grains Council President and CEO Tom Sleight says everyone present recognized that this will be a challenging year. He says that’s why the international buyers are so eager to talk with U.S. producers about their intentions and prospects for next year.

Teams from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Mexico and Taiwan visited U.S. farms, agribusinesses and export terminals before the event in Minneapolis. Teams from Japan, Europe and China – among others – hit the road at the end of the conference. Sleight says it’s one thing to sit in a conference room and hear about how U.S. producers always bounce back strong. He says there is no substitute for the ground truth that comes from getting out in the field and talking directly to farmers and exporters.

The Grains Council says many Export Exchange participants expressed a continuing preference for U.S. grains due to the consistency and quality of the grain and the transparency and reliability of the U.S. marketing and delivery systems. While the drought is going to impact drought and availability – the Council says the buyers are looking forward to a better crop next year and a U.S. export sector that comes back strong.

When the farm bill expired at the end of September – funding for the Foreign Market Development and Market Access programs came to an end. The two programs leverage farmer and agribusiness investments to build an active outreach program in more than 50 countries. National Corn Growers Association President Pam Johnson says agricultural trade is a success story and one of the few bright spots in the nation’s economy. She notes continued growth in agricultural exports contributes to economic growth and consistently provides a positive balance to global trade. But Johnson says the expiration of funds for MAP and FMD are an example of the need for a new, comprehensive five-year farm bill. She says Congress needs to pass legislation as soon as possible. While USDA and the Foreign Agricultural Service have enabled the temporary continuation of FMD – NCGA notes available funds will run out in the coming months. Without a new farm bill – the group says U.S. farmers and agribusinesses risk significant damage to important export promotion programs.