11.06.2014

USA - Rain, wind wreaking havoc on Arkansas crops

Steady, heavy rains and high winds have had a negative effect on a major part of Arkansas' economy. Some storms within the last week have wreaked havoc on farm crops in the state. In Northeast Arkansas some corn fields were nearly wiped out by last week's high winds."In some cases, [it's] devastating," said Jeff Welch, Lonoke County Extension Agent Staff Chair for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture."We were very fortunate to escape the damage that that Northeast Arkansas farmers had," said Welch. "If we get 2 or 3 or 4 more rains we're going to be out of the field for another week to 10 days and we're going to have some sprouting in these crops, especially this wheat and that's going to really drive down the quality and the price a farmer gets for it.""The dampness, continual dampness, is just keeping us from getting in and doing what we need to do," said Lonoke farmer Rick Bransford. "We have been waiting, trying to get the rice dry enough to put fertilizer on but we can't do that right now because it's too wet.""We had a storm go through that kind of wiped out some tomatoes," added Tom Gillihan of Sue's Garden, which supplies Little Rock Kroger, Whole Foods and Fresh Market stores as well as local restaurants. "We had 60-mph winds and got some tin off of our barn but other than that we're surviving."But not everyone is cursing the weather, including Bo Bennett, who coordinates the farmers market every Sunday at Little Rock's Bernice Garden."It's hard to access the fields but it's not a total loss," said Bennett. "A lot of our city-based gardeners are pulling off a lot of nice crops, a lot of carrots and beats and roots like that and the rain's been really great for that… I guess it depends on the scale of agriculture, some people benefit from these kinds of rains when you're doing things on a small scale."For farmers like Bransford the weather has had a domino-effect of sorts because he can't harvest his wheat, which could ruin that crop and also prevent him from planting soy beans in those same fields after the wheat is harvested."We do what we can and what we can is all we can do," said Bransford. "I'm a person of faith and you better have a little faith when you're out here."Source - http://www.thv11.com/

11.06.2014

India - Monsoon trouble

Worries over likely subnormal monsoon and its impact on agriculture, economy and inflation have intensified after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) lowered its estimate of anticipated rainfall during the season to 93 per cent of the long-period average from the 95 per cent projected in April. More disquieting is the IMD's prognosis that the country's key north-western bread bowl of Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan is headed for a drought with a likely shortfall in rain of around 15 per cent. Most other parts of the country, including many agriculturally important regions in south and central India, too, may face rainfall deficit of six to seven per cent. Notably, it has been forecast that the critical months of June and July - the main sowing season - will see the worst phase of the monsoon before some improvement can be expected in August.Such a skewed spread of rainfall calls for special strategies and expeditious action to organise input supplies and make other administrative arrangements to implement them. The agriculture ministry has, therefore, done well to announce a comprehensive blueprint of what it intends to do to counter the monsoon's under-performance. Many of the measures mooted by it aim at providing relief to affected farmers. Subsidies on diesel as well as seeds and interest subvention on crop loans are significant among them. Greater emphasis, however, should be laid on mitigating the impact of inadequate moisture on crops to minimise production loss. This will essentially need changes in the cropping pattern and input use, apart from rainwater conservation.In areas where sowing may get delayed owing to inadequate moisture, farmers will need seeds of quicker-maturing crop varieties that can perform well despite belated planting. Seeds of such location-specific varieties should be sourced immediately and kept handy at strategic places. Farmers may also need to be advised to readjust the doses and schedules of fertiliser application. Measures like rescheduling the release of canal water, regulating groundwater extraction and ensuring in situ and on-farm conservation and storage of available rainwater for life-saving irrigation are critical to stave off crop damage due to erratic rains or prolonged dry spells.Fortunately, there are a few redeeming factors that may help cope with the looming contingency. For one, most reservoirs, barring some in the south, hold comfortable water stocks. The total storage in the 85 reservoirs monitored by the Central Water Commission is estimated to be about 26 per cent higher than last year's levels and 42 per cent above the past 10-year average. This should prove useful in maintaining the flow of water in irrigation canals and producing hydropower to run industries and meet household demand. Besides, the availability of enough foodgrain stocks - 20.6 million tonnes of rice and 41.5 million tonnes of wheat - can help keep the prices of staple food items in check.However, the same cannot be said about vegetables, fruit, milk, eggs and meat, which have been the main contributors to the high food inflation, which is hovering at around nine per cent. Imports of pulses and edible oils, too, may need to be stepped up to avert any spike in their prices. Thus, on the whole, the possible fallout of inadequate monsoon rainfall may be intimidating but it is not unmanageable. However, it will put the managerial ability of the new Narendra Modi government to its first major test.Source - http://www.business-standard.com/

10.06.2014

USA - Corn crops in Nebraska 30-70% lost due to hail

Damage is still being assessed from the severe weather that swept across eastern Nebraska a week ago today. In addition to tornadoes, high winds, heavy rain and flash flooding, large hail wiped out some crops, particularly in the northeast corner of the state.Randy Guill, director of the Madison County Farm Service Agency, says he’s spent the past week surveying many corn fields in the Norfolk area.“There was some that was beat into the ground, there just wasn’t much left,” Guill says. “A lot of the plants were just broken off which won’t produce anything. We ranged anywhere, on those fields that were hit, from 30% to 70% that were basically broke off or they would be non-productive.”Guill says some producers will consider re-planting the fields that were wiped out as there may still be time, due to the late spring.“There could be some failed acreage, yes, because of this hail storm, there probably will be,” Guill says. “Talking with some producers, they’re just waiting for their crop insurance adjusters to get out there. They really can’t make any decisions yet.”Guill recommends producers do have the option of certifying their acres with their agent or they can do it at the FSA office if they’ve made an appointment, though he says most appointments are already booked.Source - http://nebraskaradionetwork.com/

10.06.2014

USA - Siouxland farmers deal with crop damage

After parts of Siouxland were hit with large hail, and heavy rain, area farmers are assessing damage to their young crops.A crop expert from ISU Extension said some farmers are in danger of losing some crops. Depending on the significance of the damage, farmers may still be able to replant damaged crops. The good news is that it's still early. "This isn't a great time of year to have this occur, but at least we can still make a decision and maybe salvage something yet," said Joel DeJong, ISU Extension Crop Specialist. "You know months from now, it's pretty much done, so right now we still have a chance to maybe salvage some crops out of it."Rain is usually a welcome sight for farmers, but for farmers trying to recover from last weeks storms that may not be the case. "The weather conditions for recovery and assessment will be better if we warmed it up and we got past this rain spell, so we expect in the next couple of days, as it warms up, that we're going to see growth and development occur, and we'll be much better able to make a decision," said DeJong.DeJong says crop insurance is always an option for badly damaged farmland.Source - http://www.ktiv.com/

10.06.2014

USA - 63% Of Kansas Wheat Faring Poorly

Recent rains across Kansas are greening up the state's parched pastures and helping spring-planted crops.But the improved soil moisture conditions have come too late to help most of the state's drought-stricken winter wheat crop as harvest nears.The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Monday that 63 percent of the wheat in Kansas is in poor to very poor condition. Twenty-six percent of the crop is rate in fair condition, with 10 percent rated good and 1 percent rated excellent.The agency says about 13 percent of the wheat crop has now matured.Corn condition is rated as 8 percent poor to very poor, 45 percent fair, 42 percent good and 5 percent excellent.Pastures have improved, but 38 percent are still rated as poor or very poor.Source - http://www.wibw.com/

10.06.2014

USA - Some farmers will be forced to replant following hail damage

Last week’s strong winds, heavy rain and hail covered a hard-to-determine area in several Northeast Nebraska counties.Some crop fields were wiped out. Some still are standing but in various stages of damage. It’s safe to say the loss was devastating for many."Right now, it's a wait and see. This week we'll have a better idea of how it is recovering," said Don Kampschneider, Cuming County Farm Service Agency executive director. “It looks like pretty much the whole of Cuming County was affected — some areas worse than others.”Kampschneider said it generally takes five days to determine if the corn will come back after injury.Tim Schroeder, who farms southeast of West Point, agreed that for some fields, it is too early to determine what to do."If the corn growth point is still under ground, or above ground but not damaged, a five-day wait would indicate if there is new growth,” Schroeder said. “If there is no new growth, the field may be replanted."For damaged soybeans, he said, the live leaves and shreds of leaves will be a factor in the recovery, as well as if the weather remains relatively mild.In some fields, however, the damage was so severe that it wasn’t possible to even determine what had been planted there.John Wilson of Tekamah, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension educator in Burt County, said hailstones that hit the area ranged from being the size of pebbles to as large as baseballs.Wilson said he estimates that 50 sections or about 85,000 acres were affected in his county. There is a lot of variation in crop damage. Some area pivots were tipped over because of the strong winds. Some areas were receiving more than 3 inches of rain in a relatively short period of time."Hail alone wouldn't be good, but hail with wind multiplies the harmful effect," Wilson said. "A met tower (set up to monitor winds to determine qualifications for a wind farm) recognized wind speeds at 105-107 mph."Seed corn companies, Internet sites, Extension and agricultural retailers and suppliers are available with information and services to their farmer-customers."I'm five days on the job," said Dodge County extension educator Nathan Mueller on Friday. He quickly organized an informational meeting at Uehling on Tuesday, June 10, at 1 p.m. for people in his service area.Mueller is a Nebraska native, returning to his roots after 14 years with extension in South Dakota."Down the road, most likely some farmers may qualify for emergency loans,” Mueller said. “In addition, programs are set up with either crop insurance or hail insurance, which could cover the majority of crop losses. In 2012, crop insurance paid out quite a bit of money to help offset the losses from drought."Source - http://norfolkdailynews.com/

10.06.2014

France - Bordeaux Vineyards Devastated by Hail Storms

Close to a thousand hectares of Bordeaux vineyards were hit by hailstorms on Sunday night, with the northernmost part of the Médoc, close to the Gironde estuary hardest hit.The damaged Bordeaux vineyards were mainly in the villages of Prignac, Blaignan, Ordonnac and Saint-Yzans. Blaignac was the worst affected with damage to around 680 hectares (1680 acres). Village officials are now requesting assistance from the French government.Although it was the vineyards that bore the brunt of the storm, emergency services were also called to assist with three flooded winery cellars.The hail, with stones the size of pinballs, wrecked some vineyards entirely, others only partially. The wood on newly planted vines was damaged so badly that they will be unable to produce a crop even next year.The storms hit mostly small, family-owned estates that dominate this part of the Médoc, and few of them are insured against storm damage.Vineyards in Cognac were also badly affected by hail and by gale-force winds.Parts of Cognac were hit badly in early August last year and an even greater area of Bordeaux was damaged by hailstorms, completely destroying nearly 7000ha (17,300 acres) of the eastern Gironde, mostly in the Entre-deux-Mers district. At that time it was estimated that fewer than 20 percent of growers affected had hail cover.In March this year demonstrations by growers protested the level of government aid, which amounted to five million euros (US$6.75m), but was estimated at less than 3 percent of the losses incurred.In May, an auction of top wines from prestigious Bordeaux estates, organized by wine consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt, was staged to help their hail-stricken neighbors but raised a disappointing $57,755, less than half the amount hoped for.Source - http://www.wine-searcher.com/

10.06.2014

India - Government to revamp crop insurance plan

The government has decided to immediately stop the newly launched the new crop insurance - Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme ( MNAIS).The agriculture ministry will revamp the crop insurance scheme with focus on increasing crop based income for the farmers rather than insuring them against crop losses. According to official sources, the current scheme requires the government, farmers and the private companies to pay the money for the insurance but the money pay back is too complicated and difficult for the farmers to get the income in case of crop failure.The major lacunae with the scheme is that a farmer gets the insurance money if there is a total crop loss. If there is a crop loss for a single farmer getting the money is not feasible most of the time, officials said .Last year, the government rolled out new national crop insurance programme for the twelfth plan period across India under a flagship scheme of - Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS). There are various indivisual insurance schemes launched under the flag scheme like Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS), Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme ( WBCIS), Pilot modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS), and pilot Coconut Palm Insurance Scheme.A salient feature of the flagship scheme was that private insurance sector will have a bigger play in rolling and execution of the insurance schemes along with Agricultural Insurance Company of India.Officials added that the revamp will also focus on simplifying the procedure for the farmer to get the money in the event of crop failure of a single farmer.Unlike earlier, all farmers even including sharecroppers, tenant farmers, farmers enrolled in contract farming, group of farmers serviced by fertilizer companies, pesticide firms, crop growers, and self help groups are expected to be eligible for insurance cover. It will be also made available for food crops, oilseeds and annual commercial/ horticultural crops.There is a relook at weather based crop insurance Scheme (WBCIS), another component of the same scheme aims to help farmers against adverse weather parameters. It is applicable to major cereals like millets, pulses, oilseeds and commercial / horticultural crops grown during kharif and Rabi seasons. Crops include cereals, millets, pulses, oilseeds, wheat, barley, gram, lentil, mustard, potato, onion, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, isabgol.The government has fixed an official estimate that the food grain production is fixed at 261 million tonnes for 2014-15, marginally higher than 259 million tonnes ( MT) in the year 2013-14. While rabi and kharif output combined together, rice and wheat production will be marginally higher, total coarse cereal production is lower than last year. Total rice production is pegged at 106 MT in 2014-15 ( 105 Mt last year ) and wheat at 95 Mt as against 92.50 MT.Source - http://www.business-standard.com/

09.06.2014

Philippines - Disease infects 1 million coco trees in Calabarzon

Disease has infected more than one million coconut trees in the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Quezon, and Basilan as of May 2014, endangering the livelihood of many small coconut farmers, said Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization Secretary Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan.Citing data from the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), Pangilinan said insect pest Aspidiotus Rigidus has infected 1,084,531 coconut trees.Task force vs coco infestationTo address the problem, he said an inter-agency task force will be organized to stop the spread of the disease to other coco-producing provinces.In an interview with PNA, Pangilinan said the inter-agency task force will be composed of representatives from the PCA as the lead agency, Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Philippine National Police (PNP).He said a command center will also be put up at the PCA central office in Quezon City to synchronize actions to be taken in combatting the disease that threatens the coconut industry.President’s attentionEarlier, President Benigno Aquino III signed Executive Order 169 which directed the PCA and all concerned agencies to "formulate and prescribe" the necessary emergency measures and methodologies -- mechanical, chemical, and biological -- in the treatment of infested coconut trees and other host plants."This massive infestation of the scale insect poses a very serious threat to the coconut industry and to the livelihood of those who depend thereon," the President said.The President said the pests have been attacking other high-value crops such as coffee, cacao and mangosteen, that are cultivated under coconuts or near its plantations."If the spread of this invasive pest is not contained, it may wipe out the coconut industry not just in Calabarzon but, eventually, in the rest of the country," he stressed.Quarantine and other measuresUnder EO 169, the PCA, in cooperation with the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization, DA, Department of Science and Technology (DOST), DILG, University of the Philippines in Los Baños, and National Crop Protection Center, with the support of the appropriate local government units (LGUs), shall also be in charge of the declaration of infested areas to be under quarantine and the establishment of checkpoints and quarantine stations to prevent the transport of unprocessed or untreated parts of coconuts, coconut seedlings and other host or vector plants from such areas.The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) may deputize the PCA and the PNP and other law enforcement agencies to investigate and apprehend those caught violating the emergency and quarantine measures, including the confiscation of unprocessed/untreated parts of coconut, coco seedlings and seednuts, and other host/vector plants.No coconut leaves or fronds, young coconut and other raw or unprocessed or untreated coconut products, coco seedlings, and seedlings of other scale insect host plants shall be transported outside of barangays, municipalities, or provinces duly declared under quarantine because of scale insect infestation unless allowed by the PCA.Pangilinan said he will conduct assemblies starting next week in the provinces affected by the coconut infestation to further determine the scope of damage and assist the affected coco farmers in rehabilitating their farms.For its part, the PCA said it has allotted P1.4-million to implement immediate and extensive measures to mitigate the scale-insect infestation in affected areas in 41 barangays of seven municipalities in the province of Batangas.Mitigation measures"PCA is continuously taking actions to prevent infestation to reach epidemic level so as not to affect nearby provinces like Laguna and Quezon," said PCA Administrator Euclides G. Forbes, who has recently tendered his resignation to Malacanang."We are already looking for sustainable long-term solutions, such as biological control which takes time to be established and be effective, for the reason that natural enemies become absent as a result of extreme conditions, such as drought and typhoons," he added.Forbes said the PCA has already released 700 individuals of predatory coccinellids (Cryptolemus and Telsimia), beetles that eat scale insects in the affected areas as one of the mitigating measures to eliminate coconut insect. This will be done continuously until all scale insects in the affected areas have been treated.Chemical control with contact or systemic insecticides is also being considered by the PCA. However, Forbes said the measure is only effective during the "crawler" stage of the pest, when the scale insect is very young and can only be safely administered for young palms and seedlings.Botanical insecticideMeanwhile, Candida B. Adalla of the UPLB College of Agriculture has developed a botanical insecticide, from Gliricidia sepium, locally known as "kakawate," which is proven to be effective at 97-percent mortality rate for the insect scale, which can be sprayed to coconut tress once in every three months until the infestation became manageable.For years, Adalla said, the standard pest control against scale insect in coconut trees has been the concoction of coconut oil and dishwashing liquid or the cochin oil."But experience has shown that the insects are somewhat resistant; in many instances, the spraying of oil during daylight burns parts of the coconut trees. There is a strong pressure to me to release the product to the market but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to release an approval pending toxicology test," she said.Adalla said the budget of the research, around half-a-million-pesos, was provided by the DOST, under its small-enterprises technology upgrading program, while the test for the botanical spray was conducted at the Lipa Agricultural Experiment Station and at the Philhybrid Makapuno Farm, in Lipa, Batangas.Philippine coconut industryThe Philippines is the top supplier of coconut products in the world market, with the industry having an estimated $2 billion net foreign earnings.It also provides livelihood to some 3.5 million coconut farmers all over the country.According to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS), annual production of coconut dropped by 3.3 percent -- from 15.86 million metric tons (MT) in 2012 to 15.34 million MT last year.In its latest Non-food and Industrial Crop Quarterly report, the BAS included the infestation of coconut trees in Batangas by scale insects as one of the reasons only 4-million MT coconut were harvested for the period October to December 2013, about 6.1 percent lower compared to 4.26 million MT in 2012 of the same period.Super typhoon Yolanda, which battered coconut trees in Eastern Samar last year, and typhoon Pablo in Mindanao in 2012 were also listed as major contributors to the drop in the production.Source - http://www.interaksyon.com/

09.06.2014

USA - Nebraska farmers must decide whether to replant

Nebraska farmers who sustained heavy damage in last week's severe weather will face some tough decisions in the days ahead.Farming and crop insurance experts tell the Fremont Tribune farmers will have to consider a number of factors when deciding whether to replant.Dodge County Extension Educator Nathan Mueller said deciding to replant will depend on what insurance coverage farmers have, what herbicides they used this spring and how bad the damage is."Most of the fields between north of Scribner and Uehling, you can hardly tell that anything was planted," he said. "It cut the corn and soybean plants straight to the ground, and then covered up what was left with mud."Significant crop damage is common in Burt, Cuming, Dodge and Washington counties after Tuesday's large hail and strong winds.Farmers can attend a meeting at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Uehling Auditorium to get advice from experts. The speakers will include crop insurance agents, and plant and soil experts.Mueller said even if farmers decide not to replant a cash crop, like corn or soybeans, it may make sense to plant a cover crop to limit erosion and improve soil health.Most farmers in the area carry crop insurance, but they probably don't all have specific coverage for hail damage, so that might affect their decisions about whether to replant.Source - http://fremonttribune.com/

09.06.2014

Turkey - Unfavorable weather conditions decrease wheat production

Wheat yields in Turkey could decline by as much as 20 percent this year over 2013 due to unfavorable weather conditions that have hurt crops, a fact that will also mean price hikes for wheat products, a Turkish agriculture union warned over the weekend.Agriculturalists' Association of Turkey (TZD) President İbrahim Yetkin said on Saturday in Ankara that the country may suffer serious losses in its wheat harvest this year due to the spread of a plant disease. A viral disease that emerged after recent heavy rains threatens to lead to a serious decline in wheat production across Turkey, which will eventually bring about a price increase in wheat products, the TZD head asserted. Yetkin said farmers are seeing the spread of a plant virus known as PAS following the heavy rains over the past week that flooded wheat farms in numerous provinces. Yetkin said the disease has heavily damaged the crops before they could be harvested. “We could have minimized the damage had the farmers applied pesticide to crops. … I assume most farmers skipped this process because they could not afford the chemicals used for protecting crops,” Yetkin explained.Turkey was already suffering declines in wheat crop yields due to a lack of rainfall through the autumn and winter seasons. Seeds could not germinate in some places. Following the drought, heavy rainfall also led to crop rot before crops could be gathered. The TZD head predicted that Turkey could see its wheat production decline by as much as 20 percent this year over 2013, given such problems. One of Europe's largest wheat producers, Turkey harvested a record 22.1 million tons in 2013, according to the Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat). The TZD estimates the bad weather conditions will pull the wheat crop yield down to below 18 million tons in 2014.“This will be a tough year for Turkish agriculture; we could see a rise in food inflation. … The prices of produce and bread in the markets will see hikes in the coming weeks,” Yetkin added. He suggested that Turkey might need to import wheat to meet demand at home this year.Source - http://www.todayszaman.com/

09.06.2014

India - Onion shortage possible soon

With farmers bringing stored onions in the market, a severe onion shortage is likely in the coming months. Farmers have begun bringing stored unhal variety because they fear that the crop is likely to rot and cause losses by October. Moreover, seeds are also likely to be in short supply causing further reduction in onion acreage.In January, the climate was extremely cold and later there were unseasonal hailstorms and cloudy weather. The onion leaves began turning yellow. After testing, it became apparent that the yellowing was not caused by disease but by tissue death due to extreme cold.Lasalgaon Agricul-ture Produce Market Committee (APMC) chairman Nanasaheb Patil said that it was extremely difficult to predict anything as of now. “Extreme cold and cloudy weather affected the crop. Then hail and rains damaged large amount of stored onions in onion chawls (storerooms). Hail ripped apart several large chawls belonging to farmers and merchants,” Mr Patil said.“Farmers are bringing adequate onion to the market and we understand that some of the onion has been stored earlier. The keeping quality of onions have become so bad that farmers are scared to store it fearing total loss in October,” he added further.“Some seed companies are asking farmers to plant kharif crop now on an experimental basis and see the results. This is because kharif seeds can be produced after October when the bulbs are replanted. Even seed companies feel that this onion may not last till then,” Mr Patil added.Source - http://www.asianage.com/

09.06.2014

USA - Heavy rains threaten newly planted crops

There’s no need to travel to Minnesota. Last week’s heavy rains turned Fond du Lac County into a Land of More than 10,000 Lakes. Unfortunately, most of the surface water resided or still resides in crop fields.This is not first rodeo with this type of event, but that doesn’t make it any easier to take. The aftermath of torrential rain following 10 days of intense planting will haunt the remainder of the growing season on a number of fronts.Corn: Plants that remained in saturated or flooded soils for more than 48 hours are at the highest risk for death. When water fills the air pores of soil, plants become oxygen deficient and growing points (still below the soil surface at this point) are unable to respire. Death, of course, is the most dramatic form of plant loss. However, even those plants that do survive will be subject to a loss in yield potential.Of primary concern is nitrogen loss from denitrification and leaching. How much nitrogen is lost under wet soil conditions depends on a number of factors, but yellow corn leaves will probably not be hard to find after several more weeks of growth. Where feasible, additional nitrogen will and should be applied to maintain yield potential. Pre-sidedress nitrogen tests can be used to assess the nitrogen status of the soil.Corn located in saturated or flooded soils becomes predisposed to a variety of diseases. These include root and stalk rots along with a late-season disease called crazy top, a fungal disease that depends on saturated soil conditions to infect seedlings.Root growth is impacted by saturated soils. Root systems are neither as deep nor extensive when soils remain wet for extended periods. Often corn is severely impacted by such a condition later in the growing season if it becomes hot and dry and plants are in need of moisture. All of these factors will combine to lower potential grain and silage yields.Soybean: The story is similar for soybeans. If anything, soybeans may endure somewhat longer periods of flooding (48 to 96 hours). Again, the actual time frame will depend on factors such as temperature and soil type. Soybeans are more likely to be infected by early season soil-borne diseases when subjected to wet soil conditions. The extent that these diseases take away yield potential will vary, but resistant varieties and fungicide seed treatments will surely pay for themselves this year.Soil: Whenever torrential rains fall early in the growing season, soil loss from crop fields becomes a problem. Erosion and silting can be significant yield robbers both in the year they occur and in future years.It’s easy to see where grass waterways are needed; this soil conservation practice is vastly under-utilized. Wet soils also are prone to compaction from wheel traffic as field operations are often completed under less-than-optimum conditions. Yield reductions from soil compaction are often long-lasting.Source - http://www.fdlreporter.com/

09.06.2014

USA - Storms follow bugs to Florida as orange crop slumps

After a disease-spreading bug wreaked havoc on Florida citrus groves this year, growers like Maury Boyd are seeing a new threat from the weatherman that would mean “pure hell” for orange-juice supplies.As many as six hurricanes are forecast to develop in the Atlantic from now until November, increasing the risk of losses to Florida’s 2015 harvest, after citrus greening disease made this year’s orange crop the smallest in 29 years.Florida is the world’s largest grower after Brazil and the target for more hurricanes than any other U.S. state over the past century.While Americans have been drinking less orange juice since the 1990s, a faster drop in supply has kept prices high as disease spread among Florida groves in the past decade. Futures are up 34 percent since October and may jump 23 percent further by year-end to $2.0175 a pound, a Bloomberg survey of analysts showed. Tight supplies will boost costs for buyers including Coca-Cola’s Minute Maid and Pepsico’s Tropicana.“This can be depressing,” said Boyd, 69, who expects a 20 percent drop in output this year on the 1,500 acres of groves his family has farmed for a century. “The disease is throwing curves at us all the time. If we have a major weather event, that’s going to become the perfect storm, just pure hell.”As many as 13 named storm systems may develop from June 1 to Nov. 30 in the Atlantic, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts. The bulk of the orange crop in Florida is harvested from October to June. From 1900 to 2010, southeast Florida was hit at least 30 times by major storms, or more than one every four years on average, compared with 20 for Louisiana, according to MDA Information Systems Inc.The U.S. hasn’t been struck by a major hurricane with winds of 111 miles per hour or more since Wilma crashed into Florida in 2005, the longest such period in modern records.Prices will be “supported pretty well by the lack of incremental supply and the weather risk,” said Peter Sorrentino, who helps manage $3.8 billion at Huntington Asset Advisors in Cincinnati.Even though this season’s storm forecast is below the 10-year average of 16 storms, 1992’s Hurricane Andrew “caused significant damage to southern areas of the citrus belt in what was otherwise a quiet season,” said Kyle Tapley, a meteorologist at Gaithersburg, Maryland-based MDA.Orange juice touched a two-year high of $1.68 on April 23 on ICE Futures U.S. in New York as drought in Brazil compounded concern over supply. The Standard & Poor’s GSCI gauge of 24 raw materials advanced 2 percent since the end of 2013, while the MSCI All-Country World Index of equities rose 3.4 percent. The Bloomberg Treasury Bond Index gained 2.8 percent.Florida will harvest 110.3 million boxes of oranges in the season that ends Sept. 30, down 17 percent from a year earlier and the fewest since 1985, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said May 9. Each box weighs 90 pounds, or 41 kilograms.The biggest reason for the drop is a gnat-sized insect, the Asian citrus psyllid, that was first found in Florida in 1998.The bug, which carries a bacterial disease that causes fruit to shrink and drop early, thrived in the state’s temperate climate and the sap collected from foliage. All 32 counties that produce oranges commercially are affected.Source - http://azstarnet.com/

06.06.2014

USA - Farmers Face Tough Choices after Storms Damage Crops

It’s a kind of waiting game that farmers say they really don’t have time for – many are checking their damaged fields while they watch the clock because the planting window is quickly closing.Hail storms like the ones that swept across central Nebraska on Tuesday leave farmers with hard choices about replanting or seeing what keeps growing. But York County Extension Educator Gary Zoubek says it takes time to fully see the damage.“By giving them a few days you’re going to be able to evaluate those stands and then make more informed decisions,” says Zoubek.But having patience is easier said than done for producers as the days for planting dwindle.“Timing – if this was May 15, it’d be an easy decision because we’d really go ahead and plant, but it’s going to be more like June 15 or June 10 before we can get back in there,” says Zoubek.Merrick County farmer Mark McHargue says he isn’t left wondering about replanting a popcorn field north of Chapman. It was about eight inches tall on Tuesday, and by Wednesday, barely anything was still poking out of the ground.“This is the worst hail damage we’ve ever had, I mean there really isn’t anything left,” he says. “The question for us is do we replant it to popcorn or do we replant it to field corn, both of them are a little risky, we’re trying to figure out what our options are.”McHargue says finding seed and replanting quickly will be a challenge as he and other farmers work with insurance adjusters. McHargue, the 1st Vice President of the Nebraska Farm Bureau, says he had the popcorn field federally insured. He says the storm that caused widespread damage all the way into Iowa makes him thankful for the recently passed Farm Bill.“We pay a portion of that premium, but Farm Bill picks up part of that and this highlights the reason that we have federal crop insurance,” says McHargue.Source - http://www.nebraska.tv/

06.06.2014

USA - Farmers await word on crop damage from storm

Farmers across a good section of the state are now playing the waiting game -- seeing just how much damage their crops took in Tuesday’s storm.Mike Nohavec raises corn on a 1,000-acre farm near Dorchester.“Almost every acre got hit with hail,” he said. “It was like someone hitting the side of the house with a sledge hammer.”Nohavec has to wait five days after the storm for insurance companies to determine if a field is a total loss or if enough plants can survive to salvage a crop.“Ultimately it's up to the insurance companies to tell us what to do,” he said.But Nohavec isn't alone. In nearby Saline County, University of Nebraska at Lincoln extension specialist Randy Pryor is helping another farmer take a preliminary count of how one of his fields stands.“The magnitude of this storm is what makes it unique, with the extent of the hail damage throughout the area,” Pryor said.If the entire field is totaled, then farmers would have to decide if it's too late to get a new crop planted, one that would not be insured.“We're basically looking at harvest on that corn in late November to early December for maturity reasons,” Nohavec said.The next few days could have a big impact, not only on how well Nohavec will fare this year but a number of other producers, too.“The sun is going to come up tomorrow and we'll just have to wait and see,” he said.About 90 percent of producers in Nebraska do have some sort of crop insurance.Source - http://www.ketv.com/