November 10, 2020
Harvesting, Sampling, and Testing: This year, slow grain dry-down, delayed harvest, and late-season rainfall have led to fairly high levels of one or more ear rots (Gibberella, Fusarium, Diplodia and Trichoderma) in some corn fields. Of these, Gibberella ear rot (GER) has been the most frequently reported and is the ear rot of greatest concerns […]
November 10, 2020
A report earlier this month from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), “China’s Corn Imports Estimated to Hit 22 Million Metric Tons,” stated that, “The forecast for China’s corn imports for MY 2020/2021 is increased from 7 MMT to 22 MMT. The jump is attributed to depleted stocks to meet current demand. Continually rising domestic corn prices will […]
November 4, 2020
Bloomberg News reported last week that, “China’s corn imports could more than double to 17 million tons in 2020-2021 from a year earlier on prospects for a smaller domestic harvest and a recovery in demand for hog feed, according to the head of the logistics information department at COFCO Trading Co. “The increase in imports would also be to meet commitments under the U.S. trade deal, […]
November 4, 2020
Relative acres of corn and soybeans vary across Illinois. Northern Illinois has more corn than soybeans acres and southern Illinois has more soybean than corn acres (see farmdoc daily, October 13, 2020). We provide more information on corn relative to soybean acres across the Midwest in this article. As acreages shift across the nation, this will serve […]
October 29, 2020
Wet weather conditions are causing concerns with the 2020 corn crop going into storage. Proper management of stored grain will be the key to eliminating risks to human health and safety later in the season. Grain that goes into the bin with higher moisture content presents a host of possible issues. It can freeze or […]
October 29, 2020
The 2021 Crop Budgets have been revised from the original August release. Corn and soybean prices have been increased in revised budgets, leading to higher corn and soybean return projections for 2021. In most years, soybeans have been more profitable than corn since 2012. In 2021, soybeans again are projected to be more profitable than […]
October 28, 2020
In March, the USDA’s Prospective Planting report initially sized up 2020 acreage at 97.0 million for corn and 83.5 million for soybeans. The June acreage report walked corn acreage back considerably, and most recently, the October WASDE has pegged 2020 planted acreage at 91.0 million for corn and 83.1 million for soybeans. How did this happen? In the shuffle […]
October 27, 2020
A news release from USDA on Friday stated that, “The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and [USDA] today issued a report highlighting the progress made to date in implementing the agricultural provisions in the U.S.-China Phase One Economic and Trade Agreement, which is delivering historic results for American agriculture. “Since the Agreement entered into force, the United States and China […]
October 22, 2020
On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve Board released its October 2020 Beige Book update, a summary of commentary on current economic conditions by Federal Reserve District. The report included several observations pertaining to the U.S. agricultural economy. * Sixth District- Atlanta– “Agricultural conditions remained weak. While drought- free conditions prevailed in most parts of the District, some producers reported crop and […]
October 20, 2020
A report earlier this month from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), Corn Ethanol Production Booms in Brazil, stated that, “Plentiful, and generally cheap, corn supplies in Brazil’s Center-West region have enticed investment in the corn ethanol sector over the last few years. There are currently 16 corn ethanol plants in the Center- West states of Mato Grosso, Goias, and Mato […]