The collaborative work of an international team of scientists at 17 institutions has resulted in the most comprehensive analysis to date of the corn genome. That’s according to the USDA Agricultural Research Service. USDA says the achievement is expected to boost international efforts to increase yields, expand areas where the crop can be cultivated and speed the development of improved varieties that are better equipped to resist pests and disease. ARS Administrator Edward Knipling says the work represents a major step forward and an important tool in the arsenal available to scientists and breeders for improving a vital source of nutrition and fuel in the face of changing climates, growing populations and a diminishing supply of arable land.

Two separate reports have been published that shed light on the genetic diversity of corn, reveal its evolution and outline how it continues to diversify as it adapts to changing climates and habitats. One of the reports examines the genetic structure and the relationships and sequential ordering of individual genes in more than 100 varieties of wild and domesticated corn. The research expands on a study published in 2009 that provided a genetic blueprint of the corn genome and identified roughly one-million genetic markers. This time – with a sophisticated, population-genetics scoring model – the lead author and his colleagues identified 55-million markers.

The second report provides a glimpse at the evolution of corn. The lead author and his colleagues compared wild varieties with traditional varieties from across the Americas and with modern improved breeding lines. Hundreds of genes were identified that played a role in the crop’s transformation to a cultivated crop. The researchers also show how that transition was largely achieved by ancient farmers who first domesticated the crop thousands of years ago.

DeVonna Zeug – National Corn Growers Association Research and Business Development Action Team Chair – says the information has exciting implications for corn farmers. As the information is applied to the development of new corn hybrids – she says farmers will see a wider selection of improved traits at a faster pace. She says the developments in the lab will yield real-world results in the field.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman says the Senate Agriculture Committee’s proposed 2012 farm bill could move toward the organization’s core principles for rational, acceptable farm policy with a few improvements. He sent a letter to the Senate Monday to outline Farm Bureau’s priorities in – and concerns about – the farm bill expected to come to the floor this week. According to Stallman – Farm Bureau places a priority on several of the committee’s decisions – including using the 23-billion dollars in savings suggested to the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction last fall; protecting and strengthening the federal crop insurance program; developing a commodity title that attempts to encourage producers to follow market signals and refraining from basing any program on cost of production. But Farm Bureau believes some areas – including the Agriculture Risk Coverage Eligible Acres provisions and payment limits – could benefit from additional policy work.

Farm Bureau would like to address the net effect of the Agriculture Risk Coverage Eligible Acres provisions to ensure a true “planted acres” approach and avoid recreating “base acres” issues that have raised equity and planting distortion concerns. The group would also like current payment limits and Adjusted Gross Income provisions in current law re-instituted.

Stallman says Farm Bureau supports a single program option for the commodity title that extends to all crops – and believes the safety net should be comprised of a strong crop insurance program, with continuation of the marketing loan program and a catastrophic revenue loss program based on county level losses for each crop. Farm Bureau says this approach can easily be tailored to provide a safety net that meets regional and commodity differences while meeting the established savings target. After analyzing number from the Congressional Budget Office – Farm Bureau now believes it’s possible to provide support at the 80-percent revenue level of coverage for all program crops and five fruits and vegetables rather than a more limited group of crops at a lower revenue level – which they originally proposed.

University of Illinois Ag Economist Darrel Good says the wide soybean price swings reflect ever-changing supply and demand expectations. He says much of the strength in soybean prices during the first three months of this year reflected deteriorating production prospects in South America. USDA is currently projecting production in five South American countries at 4.237-billion bushels. Good notes that’s 15.5-percent smaller than the 2011 harvest and 16.4-percent smaller than the December 2011 forecast. Good says some believe the crop is even smaller. An updated estimate will be released next week. Much of the price weakness in recent weeks – according to Good – reflects growing concerns about the U.S. and world economic and financial conditions and the negative implications for commodity demand. Over the next three months – Good says prospects for the 2012 U.S. crop will be a factor that influences prices.

Good says the Prospective Plantings report released in March revealed producer intentions to plant 1.074-million fewer acres than planted last year. USDA will estimate planted and harvested acreage later this month. According to Good – the strong soybean price rally into planting time suggests acreage may exceed intentions. Unless there’s a big difference from intentions – he says the production focus will be primarily on yield prospects.

As for demand – Good says the pace of exports and export sales will be one of the most important price factors as the world adjusts to the small South American crop and troubling economic conditions. He says export commitments for the current year ending August 31 exceed USDA’s projection of 1.315-billion bushels for the year. Good says sales for delivery during the 2012-13 marketing year had reached 393-million bushels as of May 24 – the most ever for this early in the year. With the small South American harvest and the strong pace of export sales – Good says soybean prices will likely be sensitive to U.S. production prospects. He believes substantial price swings are likely to continue – providing producers with opportunities for additional sales of the 2012 crop.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) – Locked-out American Crystal Sugar Co. workers plan to travel 200 miles by foot and hay wagon to draw attention to their plight.

The caravan is departing Thursday from the northeastern North Dakota city of Drayton and is to arrive June 6 at the company’s headquarters in Moorhead, Minn., which neighbors the southeastern North Dakota city of Fargo.

Union representatives and company officials are scheduled for talks on June 8.

The contract dispute has lingered for 10 months, since the company last Aug. 1 locked out about 1,300 union workers at plants in North Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa. The two sides have not met since February. Crystal is using replacement workers at its sugar beet processing plants.

According to the annual survey conducted by USDA, the Bee Informed Partnership and the Apiary Inspectors of America – total losses of managed honey bee colonies from all causes were 21.9-percent for the 2011-12 winter. That’s a substantial drop compared to the previous five years. Total colony losses of 30-percent were found in the winter of 2010-11. Over the past five-years the biggest loss was 36-percent while the smallest had been 29-percent. The unusually warm winter may have contributed for the decline in colony losses. Survey co-leader Jeff Pettis – Research Leader of the USDA Ag Research Service Bee Research Laboratory – says a warm winter does mean less stress on bee colonies and may help them resist pathogens, parasites and other problems. But a direct scientific investigation of the weather connection has not been conducted.

Thirty-seven percent of beekeepers who reported losing colonies from any cause said they lost at least some of their colonies without finding dead bees. That is one of the defining symptoms of colony collapse disorder. UDSA says it was not possible to confirm whether these colonies had CCD or the losses were the result of other causes that share this symptom. Pettis says tracking CCD is complex since the cause is still unknown.

Nearly half of respondents reported losses greater than 13.6-percent. That’s the level of loss beekeepers have stated would be acceptable for their operations. According to USDA – continued losses above that level threaten the economic sustainability of commercial beekeeping.

More than 55-hundred beekeepers who manage nearly 15-percent of the country’s estimated 2.49-million colonies responded to the survey. A complete analysis of the data will be published later this year.

A report released by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack Thursday highlights the ways infrastructure investments in rural communities help create jobs and boost economic development. Vilsack says quality hospitals, schools and libraries are the building blocks for a vibrant rural America. He says the Obama Administration is leveraging Rural Development investments to ensure rural communities can compete in the global economy.

Secretary Vilsack also announced additional investments to create jobs and promote economic growth across the nation Thursday. USDA is awarding 38 Community Facilities investments in 21 states. The program supports infrastructure and services for public use in rural areas of 20-thousand in population or less. Since the beginning of fiscal year 2009 – USDA says the program has helped more than 37-million rural Americans address challenges in health care, education, public service and public safety with project financing through loans, grants or loan guarantees.

The U.S. Grains Council says the stage is set for intense global competition for international corn markets. According to the Council – the U.S. and Brazil are both positioning themselves for a record setting corn harvest. A Grains Council representative based in Brazil says the summer crop harvest there has matched the anticipated volume of 36-million metric tons – 1.4-billion bushels. It’s estimated a record 7.1-million hectares – 17.5-million acres – will be devoted to second season corn – yielding another record setting 29-million tons – 1.1-billion bushels. If these projections are met and the favorable weather continues – Brazil’s total corn harvest for the 2011-12 marketing year is expected to exceed 67-million tons – 2.6-billion bushels. That’s a 13.5-percent increase over last year. The nation typically exports between 15 and 20-percent of their crop.

Another factor weighing on the market – according to the Grains Council – is lower than anticipated domestic usage and exports – which have inundated Brazil with ample stocks. As the U.S. competes to build and defend market share – USGC Chairman Dr. Wendell Shauman says the marketing programming offered by the Council becomes increasingly more important.

“World Pork Expo at Your Fingertips”

World Pork Expo gets underway in less than a week at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. This year – producers can make the most of the Expo experience with the new World Pork Expo mobile application. Visitors can download special events, PORK Academy and business seminars, find exhibitor booths and more with the simple touch of their smartphone. The WPX2012 app is available in Apple and Android stores. For more information – including details about PORK Academy seminars, business seminars, the trade show and more – visit www dot worldpork dot org (www.worldpork.org). World Pork Expo 2012 starts Wednesday, June 6th and continues through Friday, June 8th.