09.01.2014

African Water Facility Supports the Development of Irrigated Agriculture to Increase Food Security and Economic Growth in Malawi

The African Water Facility (AWF) has offered a ?1.8 million grant to the Government of Malawi to help prepare a project designed to expand irrigated agriculture in the Lower Shire Valley. The project will help overcome the adverse effect of prolonged dry spells and frequent flooding to improve and spread agricultural production.It will also create opportunity for employment through the establishment of smallholder farming ventures and professionally operated irrigation services. Over 272,000 people are expected to benefit from this project.Malawi depends largely on rain-fed agriculture to achieve food security and socio-economic growth. Agricultural productivity and production under rain-fed conditions are low and uncertain, however, in particular owing to unreliable rainfall and natural disasters such as erratic rains, dry spells, pest and diseases, droughts and floods. Since Malawi is endowed with underutilized water and irrigable land, the Government places a high priority on irrigation development to increase crop productivity and production, for food security for both domestic and export markets.The Lower Shire Valley is one of the most fertile areas of Malawi, boasting rich deep soils with important irrigation potential. The Government's plan is to develop this potential within the administrative districts of Chikwawa and Nsanje in various phases to cover a total of 42,500 hectares, by extracting water from the river and conveying it by gravity to the irrigable area mainly through open canals."The Government of Malawi has long wanted to develop irrigated agriculture in the Lower Shire Valley, but a number of challenges have stood in the way of project implementation," noted Akissa Bahri, Coordinator of the African Water Facility. "In coordination with the World Bank, we are bringing our support to address these issues namely by assessing outstanding technical issues and supporting the Government in mobilizing financing. These studies will also help defining win-win ventures between smallholders and the private sector, so that this project can be economically sustainable and provide more benefits and jobs to local populations."The estimated total cost of the project preparation activities is ?5.3 million, of which ?1.8 million is covered by the AWF, ?3.4 million by the World Bank, and ?73,000 by the Government. The grant will be specifically used to finance a feasibility study and preparatory activities to mobilize financing for the first phase of the irrigation plan which will cover 21,000 ha of land area, which could cost up to ?231 million.The overall project will also explore a public-private partnership arrangement to mobilize private financing to cover part of the investment costs involved for the inlet and feeder canals.Source - http://allafrica.com/

09.01.2014

Australia - Bacteria to aid sugarcane production

Queeensland scientists researchers have discovered a new species of bacterium that could potentially reduce the need for nitrogen fertiliser in cane farming.Lead researcher Dr Chanyarat Paungfoo-Lonhienne, from University of Queensland's Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB), School of Agriculture and Food Science (SAFS) and Australian Centre for Ecogenomics (ACE), said current nitrogen fertilisers are expensive and their run-off could damage the environment.“One way to overcome the problems associated with nitrogen fertilisers is to supplement them with bacteria as a biofertiliser,” Dr Paungfoo-Lonhienne said.“Bacteria use nitrogen from the air to produce nitrogen compounds that feed plants, so the crop receives the nutrients it needs with increased sustainability and at a lower cost.“Using bacteria as a biofertiliser in sugarcane production has had varying results to date, but we took a new approach and found a potential source in the bacteria already present around the roots of thriving sugarcane plants.”Dr Paungfoo-Lonhienne and the UQ team examined bacteria in the soil and roots of sugarcane from two plots near Ayr in North Queensland and identified three abundant types.They tested the ability of these bacteria to boost sugarcane growth in controlled laboratory conditions and found one that promoted plant growth.The team sequenced the bacterium’s genome to confirm its genetic potential to turn nitrogen into plant food.The sequence also revealed that the bacterium is a new species, which the team named Burkholderia australis.“The process we used has identified a potential biofertiliser for Queensland sugarcane, and a useful method for developing bacterial biofertilisers that could work in other parts of the world on different varieties of sugarcane,” Dr Paungfoo-Lonhienne said.The team’s next step is to determine methods of delivering the bacterium to the sugarcane on a larger scale and to carry out field trials.Source - http://www.farmweekly.com.au/

09.01.2014

Africa - Kenya launches irrigation project

The Government will today launch the first phase of the multi-billion shilling irrigation project at Tana River and Kilifi counties to boost food security.President Uhuru Kenyatta will officially commission the Galana-Kulalu Food Security Programme model farm expected to cover 10,000 acres out of the one million acres for the entire project. “The farm will exhibit what will be done in the entire project and we expect to plant our first maize crop in March,” said Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Felix Koskei. The model farm is expected to produce between 80 and 100 bags of maize per acre yearly. Mr Koskei said 3,000 acres had already been cleared ready for cultivation. Depending on the success of the model project, the country expects to harvest between 40 and 45 million 90kg bags of maize from the Sh250 billion project every year. “This will double production of maize in the country. We see a case where we will have enough maize to consume and even have a surplus for export,” stated Koskei. The feasibility study carried out by an Israeli consultant hired last year recently gave the project, which is expected to take five years, a clean bill of health. “The preliminary results show that the soil is fertile and there is adequate water and the climatic conditions are favourable for the farming activities,” said Koskei, who added that earlier concerns over none involvement of area leaders and locals have been addressed. Under the project being overseen by the National Irrigation Board, 500,000 acres of land will be put under maize, 200,000 acres under sugarcane and the rest to be used for livestock rearing, horticulture and fisheries.Source - http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/

08.01.2014

Africa - Insurance hike puts a damper on crop farming

Dry land crop producers face an insurance premium increase due to risk climate conditions tied to the current drought. Producers in the maize triangle New Era spoke to yesterday confirmed their dilemma, saying the prospects of producing average yields are dwindling by the day. Having been advised by the insurance industry of the premium increase, there are now fears that farmers would plant much less than last season because of the risks the insurance industry associates with dry land crop farming, combined with expectations of lower than average rainfall for this year.“Many dry land crop producers have been informed by their insurance brokers that premiums of insurance policies have shot up because of the high risks involved in dry land farming under utmost dry conditions. Because of the high risks involved due to the absence of rain and no reliable forecast for the long term, dry land farmers will simply not be able to pay increased premiums under such dicey circumstances. This will almost surely result in farmers planting much less than last season. The consequences of this happening are rather depressing, but producers still have up to the middle of February to plant if they receive good rains in the coming days,” said Antoinette Venter, administrative manager of grain of the Namibian Agronomic Board (NAB).Farmers spoken to confirmed that they are likely to plant much less than last season if the rains stay away, saying the soil in the area has been depleted of moisture. While they could still rely on moisture from previous good rains last season, this is not the case anymore due to the effects of the current drought.No rain fell in November, which is the beginning of the planting season and there have been only sporadic downpours so far this year.Last year’s planting season already saw a reduction of 48 percent below average for maize while mahangu yields were 47 percent below average.The lack of rain in the pre-season could have a severe impact on Namibia’s production of white maize, mahangu (pearl millet), wheat and sorghum, which yielded a total of 94 300 tonnes in the 2012/13 season. It represented a decrease in output of 27 percent below average and 43 percent lower than the previous season.Venter said because the rains stayed away in November and much of December, all hopes of farmers in the maize triangle – Otavi, Grootfontein, and Tsumeb – are now pinned on at least normal rainfall as from the third week in January.The NAB will start with a national survey in the coming days to establish how much coarse grain has already been planted, as well as on expectations for this season.Venter said if producers were to plant some 40 percent less than the previous season, the yield of 36 600 tonnes from 10 275 hectares of dry land would drop accordingly.“Just image the almost insignificantly small harvest we will get from only 6 000 hectares.The possible devastation from this abnormal situation calls for desperate measures and the agronomic board has been constantly in consultation with various institutions to bring some financial assistance to dry land producers who are already suffering from extremely high input costs,” she added.Venter said the alarm bells went off for dry land producers when the so-called “small rainy season” in October 2013 never materialised, when hardly a drop of rain was measured in the heart of the dry land production areas.She stressed that the situation is worsened by the fact that local producers will not be able to compete with cheaper imported maize from South Africa and elsewhere if those countries experience good rains and proper harvests. This would surely result in increased prices.Producers also stressed that planting can only be done at the latest up to the end of February because after that they would be exposed to the risks of early cold weather that could destroy crops.Meanwhile, poor grazing conditions are still threatening livestock in most of the regions as the drought conditions prevail. Various parts of the country are still reporting livestock losses and starvation of animals due to lack of grazing. Household food security is also tightening in the regions as hunger reached its peak in November last year.Households in many regions already reported the depletion of their food stocks at the end of last year and the situation is expected to worsen in the absence of rain in the coming days.Source - http://www.newera.com.na/

08.01.2014

USA - Oranges, wheat expected to escape freeze damage

U.S. crops are escaping record-setting cold weather with little damage, but the arctic blast drove cattle prices to a record as animals struggle to gain weight.The coldest spots in Florida citrus groves were near freezing, and oranges aren’t damaged unless the temperature falls below 28 degrees for a few hours, said Dale Mohler, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather Inc. in State College, Pa.Snow cover helped insulate wheat plants, according to DTN/Progressive Farmer.Temperatures as low as minus 10 degrees probably caused “little significant damage to wheat crops” from southern Illinois to Ohio overnight, Joel Burgio, senior agricultural meteorologist for DTN/Progressive Farmer, said yesterday.Cattle extended a rally to a record for the seventh straight session.Orange-juice futures fell yesterday after Monday’s jump of 2.8 percent, the most since early November.“The worst of it has gone by, especially in the Midwest,” said Claudio Oliveira, the head of trading at Castlestone Management in New York. “I do expect grain prices to come off now, and I’d expect the same thing to happen in the orange-juice market.”Standard & Poor’s gauge of 24 commodities climbed 0.3 percent. Cattle futures reached $1.37225 a pound, the highest since Chicago trading began in 1964.Orange juice for March delivery settled 0.2 percent lower at $1.4335 a pound yesterday on ICE Futures U.S in New York.“The bullet missed them,” AccuWeather’s Mohler said. “I don’t think this even damaged the vegetable crops, tomatoes and strawberries, which are more susceptible.”Although Florida’s weather will be colder than normal through today, temperatures will stay in the upper 30s, posing no threat to fruit trees, said Kyle Tapley, a meteorologist with MDA Weather Services in Gaithersburg, Md. It will warm to the mid-40s by Thursday.Wheat futures dropped 22 percent in Chicago last year, the biggest annual decline since 2008, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast a record global crop.This week’s bad weather has slowed rail and truck operations in the Midwest for Archer Daniels Midland Co., the world’s largest corn processor, spokeswoman Jackie Anderson said in an e-mail.“We expect this situation to be short term, though, and do not anticipate any significant commercial impacts to our operations,” Anderson said.As for the wheat crop, “it’s highly unlikely that widespread damage occurred because of the snow cover,” said Dave Marshall, a farm-marketing adviser for Toay Commodity Futures Group LLC in Nashville, Ill. “Wheat is a hardy plant, and this year’s crop had good growth before entering dormancy to withstand the cold weather better”At the end of November, 62 percent of the plants were in good or excellent condition, according to the USDA.Cattle prices climbed 1.8 percent in 2013, the fifth-straight annual increase. Beef output in the United States, the world’s biggest producer, might slump 5.7 percent this year to the lowest since 1993, the USDA has projected.The extreme cold across the central U.S. is “overall pretty bullish” for cattle futures as animals gain less weight and consumer demand increases, Lane Broadbent, president of KIS Futures Inc. in Oklahoma City, said yesterday. In frigid weather, animals have to use more energy to stay warm, he said.Cargill Inc., the second-largest U.S. beef processor, said some of its meatpacking plants face lower volume as frigid weather across most of the U.S. hampers transportation.The company’s pork plants in Ottumwa, Iowa, and Beardstown, Ill., and its beef plants in Wyalusing, Pa., and Milwaukee are processing fewer animals, Mike Martin, a spokesman for Minneapolis-based Cargill, said yesterday. The pork plants probably will work on Saturday to make up for the lost production, he said.Meatpackers processed 217,000 cattle in the first two days of this week, down 5.7 percent from a week earlier, and 696,000 hogs, down 13 percent from a week earlier, USDA data show.Source - http://www.dispatch.com/

08.01.2014

USA - Unusual phenomenon in Illinois corn yield loss in 2013

The University of Illinois has been receiving reports since corn harvest began this fall about an unusual phenomenon: yields of the outside 8 to 24 rows on the south or west edges of corn fields show lower or much lower yields than corn farther into the field. The damage tends to be relatively uniform down or across the field, and is on field edges that border a soybean field, road, ditch or another short-growing crop (such as forage legumes or grasses) other than corn. Ears in affected rows are shortened, pinched (missing some rounds of kernels) or they have scattered kernels. We don't have a good idea of how many fields or acres were affected, but have had reports of this over a fairly wide area in Illinois.Relatively uniform damage across the end or side of fields downwind of prevailing winds, next to adjoining fields of a different crop or anything else that was shorter in height than the damaged crop, is typically an easy call: this pattern points to something sprayed on adjoining or nearby fields, under windy conditions or conditions that led to drift, of something to which the affected crop was very sensitive. The taller crop - in this case corn - slows air movement and allows the material to settle out, with damage diminishing as one moves into the field.Corn ear development is initiated at about stage V6, and the uppermost ear starts to develop quickly after stage V10 or so, reaching its peak at about V12-V13, when plants are 5 to 6 feet tall. A number of chemicals can cause ear shortening or disruption of kernel initials, and that that reach the ear during this stage can do damage. Scattered kernels can also result from problems at pollination, but when pollination conditions are as good as they were in 2013, it's much more likely that this came from something that reached the ear before tassels emerged. Most of the corn was planted in mid-May this past season, and reached damage-sensitive stages in late June or early July. It's likely that most of the damage took place during that period. By the time the crop pollinated, it would have been too late to get cob and ear shortening.Some have suggested that the outside rows of corn were damaged when they took the brunt of dry, windy conditions before or during pollination. There are several reasons why this does not explain very well what we saw in 2013. One is that the outside rows in a corn field have access to water and light from outside the field, and tend to yield more, not less, than interior rows under stress conditions. Another clue is the fact that most affected plants tended to be of normal height this year, and if stress had occurred in time to damage developing ears, plants would likely have been shortened at least to some extent.The main reason for questioning weather-related stress as a cause for this problem is that we didn't have stress conditions in late June and early July. July temperatures were below normal, with 12 days having high temperatures less than 80 degrees here at Champaign, only 5 days at or above 90 degrees and the high temperature for the month of only 93 degrees. There was little or no water stress until well into August. I believe it's more likely that the unusually cool conditions somehow made corn plants more physiologically sensitive to whatever might have drifted into fields than it is that high temperatures and winds caused these symptoms by increasing stress.In terms of timing, soybeans were planted even later than corn, and it's very likely that the last applications on soybeans took place in July, in some cases when ear development was occurring and the plant was subject to damage like we saw. The fact that we saw damage in some cases where soybeans sprayed around this time were across the road or some distance away tells us that trying to pin down exactly when (and from where) this happened may be difficult.What moved into fields to cause this damage is likewise not going to be easy to identify after the fact. Glyphosate is part of most late post applications on soybean, and scattered kernels are characteristic of glyphosate applied (off-label) in late vegetative stage, before tasseling. But many applications also contain other herbicides that can cause injury to corn, and we showed several years ago that even nonionic surfactant (NIS) by itself can shorten ears and cause substantial yield losses. So any of several products sprayed, under conditions windier than normal and to corn with ear formation underway and sensitive to damage, could have contributed.One additional possibility is that aerial application of fungicide and insecticide, perhaps made to soybeans, might have moved into non-target fields and caused this damage. Based on what we saw several years ago, these products by themselves are unlikely to produce damage like this on corn. Adding NIS can make such applications capable of damaging corn, but adding NIS with corn fungicide generally is no longer on the label for pre-tassel applications, and most such applications made to soybeans were made later than this.It's likely that this damage, given that it affected only some fields, was unusually severe in some cases, and came during a season with late-planted crops and unusual stretches of cool weather in mid-season, will not often repeat itself. We have seen it before, however, and it certainly makes sense to do what we can to lessen the chance of damage. The first thing is to not apply when wind speeds are too high. We need to be especially careful when using herbicides or other products that can damage corn at low concentrations in fields next to corn, especially when corn is between head-high and silking, and is downwind from fields being sprayed.The other lesson is to check fields more carefully to try to find such problems before harvest. This wouldn't have helped prevent this, but it could have provided clues to help prevent it next time.Source - http://www.midwestproducer.com/

08.01.2014

USA - Deep freeze heats up markets as crops threatened, cattle futures hit record high

Freezing weather across the U.S. will damage crops from winter wheat to oranges and is threatening livestock, sending cattle futures to an all-time high.As much as 15% of winter-wheat plants in the Great Plains face damage, Kyle Tapley, a senior agricultural meteorologist at MDA Weather Services in Gaithersburg, Maryland, said in a telephone interview. The potential for frost will increase in Florida Tuesday as temperatures drop to the upper 20s Fahrenheit, damaging citrus groves, he said. Livestock slaughter will slow because it’s harder to transport animals in the cold and snow, and cattle will have trouble gaining weight, according to commodity broker Allendale Inc.The coldest air in almost 20 years is sweeping over the central U.S. toward the East Coast, threatening to topple temperature records and ignite energy demand. Hard-freeze warnings and watches, which are alerts for farmers, stretch from Texas to central Florida, and 90% of the contiguous U.S. will be at or below the freezing mark, according to the U.S. Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. Wheat futures traded near the highest level in two weeks Tuesday.“There’s some concern over what the cold can do to damage the crops,” Jack Scoville, the vice president of Price Futures Group, said in a telephone interview from Chicago. “Extreme cold has made logistics a huge problem, and there’s some risk in loss of production in both wheat and oranges. The cows and hogs are going to need a whole lot of feed to keep warm.”Cattle RecordThe Standard & Poor’s GSCI Agriculture Index of eight crops rose 0.1% to 352.58 Tuesday after rising 0.6% Monday. Cattle futures reached $1.371 a pound Tuesday, the highest since Chicago trading began in 1964.Wheat futures on the Chicago Board of Trade climbed as much as 1.2% Monday to $6.1275 a bushel, the highest since Dec. 23, before trading at $6.0825 Tuesday.“The market is rising on speculation we will see some yield losses that will tighten up U.S. supplies,” Chad Henderson, the president of Prime Agricultural Consultants Inc. in Brookfield, Wisconsin, said in a telephone interview. “We haven’t seen these types of temperatures in 20 years, and the market is uncertain of the eventual impact on yields.”Most wheat in the southern Great Plains and Midwest has about 1 inch (2.5 centimetres) of snow cover that can help to protect the dormant crops, Tapley of MDA said. About 62% of the plants were in good or excellent condition at the end of November, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.Citrus PlantsCattle prices climbed 1.8% in 2013, the fifth straight annual gain and the longest rally since 1964. Beef output in the U.S., the biggest producer, may slump 5.7% this year to the lowest since 1993, the USDA has projected.Animals will need to use more energy to stay warm in cold weather, reducing weight increases and potentially limiting beef supplies, Rich Nelson, chief strategist at Allendale in McHenry, Illinois, said in a telephone interview. Meatpackers processed 15% fewer cattle Monday and 26% fewer hogs than a week earlier, USDA data showed.“The sort of weather is always an issue for livestock,” Sterling Smith, a futures specialist at Citigroup Inc. in Chicago, said in a telephone interview. “You can’t move hogs in weather like this. They will freeze.”Frost may hurt as much as 15% of citrus plants in Florida, the world’s biggest producer after Brazil, MDA’s Tapley forecasts. Orange-juice futures in New York jumped 19% in 2013 as a crop disease threatened U.S. production. For there to be “material” damage to groves, the temperature will need to stay below 28 degrees Fahrenheit (-2.2 Celsius) for four hours, Citigroup’s Smith said.“If you only touch 28 degrees and move back up in the 30s relatively quickly, the amount of damage is going to be comparatively limited,” said Smith. “There is the potential for damage, because cold weather is not necessarily easy to predict.”Source - http://business.financialpost.com/

08.01.2014

USA - Frigid front hits Acadiana

Lafayette was braced this morning for its coldest weather in almost two decades.The last time Lafayette reached record low temperatures in the teens was in 1996, a representative with the National Weather Service said Monday. Predictions had called for the mercury to drop to 19 degrees overnight.Donald Jones, a meteorologist with the NWS’ Lake Charles office, said the cold weather would be dry, as it is normally.“Colder air can’t hold as much moisture as warmer weather,” Jones said.The high Tuesday is expected to reach the 30s; the low is expected to fall to 22 degrees. A hard freeze warning is in effect until 10 a.m.Jones said a hard freeze is what happens when a temperature of 27 degrees or less lasts for an hour or more.The cold weather may provide both advantages and disadvantages to Acadiana, according to some Louisiana AgCenter experts.In a news release, LSU AgCenter entomologist Michael Stout said the freezing temperatures could mean fewer insects in the spring. The downside is that both pest and beneficial insects are at risk, he said.Most major crops will not be affected because it is not their growing season. For crops in the field, though, such as some sugarcane, there is some concern.In a prepared statement, the AgCenter said cold weather can kill sugarcane causing lower sugar content, but most of this year’s crop has been harvested. The rest will be in by week’s end, LSU AgCenter sugarcane specialist Kenneth Gravois said.“The biggest impact there will be trying to process frozen cane,” he said. “You can't extract juice out of a stalk that's frozen.”Gravois said this may be the second- or third-best crop on record. The planting season was delayed because of freezes last March. September and October were warm, allowing an extra two months of growth.Stanley Dutile, agent with the AgCenter’s Lafayette office, urged people to dress in layers, wear hats, gloves and an appropriate coat because of the cold. He also urged people to avoid overexertion because cold weather puts added strain on the body.Dutile listed these tips for dealing with extreme cold:• Observe heater safety: Never place a space heater on top of furniture or near water; keep heat sources at least three feet away from furniture and drapes; never leave children unattended near a space heater.• Keep dry. Change wet clothing frequently to prevent a loss of body heat. Wet clothing loses all of its insulating value and transmits heat rapidly.• Watch for signs of frostbite. These include loss of feeling and white or pale appearance in extremities such as fingers, toes, ear lobes and the tip of the nose. If symptoms are detected, get medical help immediately.• Watch for signs of hypothermia. These include uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred speech, drowsiness and apparent exhaustion. If symptoms of hypothermia are detected, get the victim to a warm location, remove wet clothing, warm the center of the body first and give warm, non-alcoholic beverages if the victim is conscious. Get medical help as soon as possible.• If the pipes freeze, remove any insulation or layers of newspapers and wrap pipes in rags. Completely open all faucets and pour hot water over the pipes, starting where they were most exposed to the cold (or where the cold was most likely to penetrate).• If you will be going away during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home, set to a temperature no lower than 55 derees.• Bring pets/companion animals inside during winter weather. Move other animals or livestock to sheltered areas with non-frozen drinking water.Dutile also suggested the following tips for handling your vehicle:• Ensure antifreeze levels are sufficient to avoid freezing.• Battery and ignition system should be in top condition and battery terminals should be clean.• Check brakes for wear and fluid levels.• Check your exhaust system for leaks and crimped pipes and repair or replace as necessary. Carbon monoxide is deadly and usually gives no warning.• Replace and keep water out of the fuel and air filter system by using additives and maintaining a full tank of gas. A full tank will keep the fuel line from freezing.• Ensure your heater and defroster work properly.• Check lights and flashing hazard lighs for serviceability.• Check oil for level and weight. Heavier oils congeal more at low temperatures and do not lubricate as well.• Ensure your thermostat works properly.• Repair any windshield wiper problems and maintain proper washer fluid level.• Make sure you have good visibility, keeping your windshields clear.• Take special precaution of bridges and ramps; they ice up quickly.Source - http://www.theadvertiser.com/

08.01.2014

USA - Frigid blast hits Midwest farm belt: wheat at risk

The U.S. Midwest and Plains remained in a deep freeze on Tuesday with sub zero temperatures at record or near-record lows, raising the risk of winter-kill damage to dormant wheat along the Ohio River valley, meteorologists said.Overnight lows fell to -5 to -10 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 to -23 Celsius) across southern Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and northern Kentucky - big soft red winter wheat country, where much of the area was unprotected by snow cover."It was cold enough to put about 5 percent of the soft wheat crop at risk," Joel Widenor, an agricultural meteorologist with Commodity Weather Group, told Reuters.Snow cover protects dormant wheat when temperatures dip below zero and persist for four hours or more. Without sufficient snow cover, damage to exposed wheat can prevent the crop from reaching its full yield potential next summer.The central Plains hard red winter country was warmer early Tuesday, with lows in the single digits up to the 20s F, a big contrast from the -10 to -20 F readings on Monday, when up to 30 percent of the Plains wheat belt was at risk of winter kill, agricultural meteorologists said.The frigid temperatures and weekend snows also slowed livestock and grain shipments through the heartland and curbed meat production at several packing plants.Indiana Packers Corp in Delphi, Indiana, said in a statement that plant operations remained suspended Tuesday due to hazardous roads and brutally cold temperatures, but the facility was expected to resume full production on Wednesday.Two Cargill Inc beef and pork plants were running at reduced levels because of road conditions that slowed the transport of hogs and cattle, said Cargill spokesman Mike Martin.Several flour mills in New York and Ohio were closed Tuesday as poor weather slowed rail and truck movement of grain, cash grain traders said.ICE GORGINGThe Illinois River, a major artery to ship grain, remained open to barge traffic on Tuesday, but traffic was restricted to one-way only along a 10-mile stretch near Peoria, Illinois, due to ice buildup, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Barge shippers were breaking up surface ice to keep the navigation channel open, Coast Guard Lieutenant Colin Fogarty said. However, ice floes were stacking up at locks and dams and freezing together in much larger blocks, known in river parlance as gorging, and that can make lock and dam gates difficult to open and close.Cash basis bids for soybeans shipped by barge to Gulf Coast export elevators jumped to the highest in four months, in part because of ice-slowed shipments from the Illinois and traffic backups on the Mississippi River around St. Louis due to low water.Temperatures in the upper Midwest fell to the minus teens F and wind chills of -35 to -40 F.But temperatures were forecast to rise into the 20s to 30s F later this week, with some southern Midwest locations possibly seeing highs in the 40s F, according to forecasters."Most of the snow came to an end yesterday, so transportation should be improving," said meteorologist Andy Karst with World Weather in Kansas City."Another storm is headed to parts of the Midwest Wednesday into Thursday and again on Friday into Saturday - it's not going to be a big deal."Source - http://www.reuters.com/

07.01.2014

India - Ground frost hits potato, tomato crops

With cold wave sweeping across North India, ground frost has caused damage to potato and tomato crops in certain parts of Punjab and Haryana, which may adversely impact yield of vegetable crops, experts said today.Freezing weather conditions have been prevailing in Punjab and Haryana with minimum temperatures remaining below normal by several notches. The meteorological department has again issued warnings of ground frost during the next two days."The Potato crop in certain parts of the potato growing belt in Punjab has been damaged because of ground frost which occurred in various areas in northern region. It will certainly impact crop yields," according to Punjab Horticulture Director L S Brar. "At this point in time, the crop normally increases, but now the frost has eliminated that possibility," he said.Potato growers pointed out that about 10-15 percent of the potato crop sown in the state was affected due to ground frost. "The impact of the frost has been visible on seed potato crop which covers a major portion of the sowing at this stage," said Jalandhar based leading potato grower Sukhjit Singh Bhatti. "We expect there will be a loss of about 10-15 percent in overall yield of the potato crop." Ground frost has taken a toll on tomato crop in neighbouring state Haryana with crop being completely damaged in certain tracts of land. Tomato crops make up around 20,000 hectares of land in the region.Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

07.01.2014

Pakistan - No significant rain expected in January

Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) Chief Meteorologist Dr. Ghulam Rasool said on Monday there were no chances of any significant rain in January and dry and cold spell would prevail in most parts of the country.Talking to this agency, he said the prolonged dry spell would affect the wheat crop in the rain fed areas. It would also affect sugarcane crop and vegetables including tomatoes and green chilly he added. Dr Ghulam Rasool said the prolonged dry spell in the month of December was not an unusual phenomena. He however, added that the prevailing cold wave would subside during next three days with rise in temperature by two to three degree Celsius.He said the weather would remain dry and cold in most parts of the country during next few days however, the severity of cold weather conditions would decrease. The dry spell however, would benefit the crops stopping growth of plants and increasing their number in irrigated areas, he added.Source - http://www.thenews.com.pk/

07.01.2014

USA - Polar winds bring deep freeze

Today is projected to be the coldest morning this winter — with lows around 25 degrees in Leesburg — and area farmers are worried.A hard-freeze warning that has been issued from the northern half of the state down south to Lake, Sumter, Volusia and Hernando counties that could damage fruit crops currently in bloom. Record record-low temperatures were expected to be broken in north Florida.“We’re covering our strawberry plants with frost blankets and just hoping for the best,” said Maria Tracy of Heather Oaks Farm in Lady Lake, an organic U-pick farm filled with strawberries, blueberries, oranges, grapes, strawberries, mangos, avocados, olives, tomatoes.“The crucial thing is protecting the plants,” she said.On Monday, Tracy was laboring to cover more than 3,000 strawberry plants with a 500 foot-long roll of the thick protective covering that she bought for $300. It was the first time she has ever felt a need for the freeze blanket since she started the farm in 1989.She was able to pick some tomatoes off plants to allow them to ripen before the projected hard freeze.“The thing with strawberries is that you really can’t pick them (ahead). They won’t ripen, so I’m picking the ones that are ripe; and then the ones that do get frost, I’ll pick them off and hopefully the plants will come back.”Lacy Wrobel, of Green Acres Blueberry and Peach Farm in Yalaha, was double-checking her warm-water irrigation system Monday to keep her blueberries, peaches and blackberries protected at the 35-year-old farm.“With the wind and stuff, that adds a double whammy to do it,” Wrobel said. “We’ll just have to wait and see. We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”Senior meteorologist Ken Clark of Accuweather said the farmers and others are doing the right thing in protecting the crops.“It’s going to be a freeze and if you have tender vegetation, you need to take precaution to keep vegetation from freezing; 28 degrees is the magical number where there is starting to be some damage to fruit, but it is not going to stay below 28 too awfully long in most areas,” he said. “But, we do expect it to be a very chilly day.”Clark projected today’s lows to be 25-26 in Leesburg, while it could be 24 degree in the northern part of Lake County and 27-28 degrees for the lows in the southern portion of the county. He expects the highs to be in the 40s.“The panhandle is going to drop in the mid-teens,” the meteorologist said of the lows, which will be lower than the mid-20s in Anchorage, Alaska.Of course the area’s cold snap pales in comparison to northern states, from the Plains to the Ohio Valley, which Clark noted is experiencing some of the coldest weather that hasn’t been seen since the last 10 to 20 years.“It’s not going to be like that down here,” he saidThe meteorologist noted last month’s coldest day in Lake County was 42 degrees, and the coldest day in November was 36 degrees.He said today’s lows in the mid-20s is cold for this area.“It didn’t get this cold last year, so we haven’t had this kind of cold for a while,” Clark said.In Pierson in northwest Volusia County, an area that bills itself as the fern capital of the world, growers were preparing to use their overhead irrigation systems as protection against the cold. They planned Monday night to spray their plants to create a protective ice layer once the temperature reached freezing and then run a constant flow of 72-degree water over the iced plants.Source - http://www.dailycommercial.com/

07.01.2014

USA - South, East brace for polar temps, as Arctic winds spread

Frigid air that snapped decades-old records will make venturing outside dangerous for a second straight day on Tuesday, this time spreading to southern and eastern parts of the U.S. and keeping many schools and businesses shuttered.The coldest temperatures in years and gusty winds were expected as far south as Brownsville, Texas, and central Florida, the National Weather Service said. Authorities in the Northeast warned residents to be wary of icy roads and sidewalks that could prove dangerous.New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency, announcing that parts of the New York State Thruway in Western New York would be closed due to extreme winter weather conditions.Temperatures on Monday were 20 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit below average in parts of Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nebraska, according to the National Weather Service.It was colder in Brimson, Minn., where the mercury plunged to minus 40 than in Arctic Bay, Canada, where it was minus 31.The U.S. cold snap even outdid freezing weather in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where it was minus 8, Mongolia at minus 10 and Irkutsk, in Siberia, at minus 27.More than half the flights at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport were canceled as fuel supplies froze, leaving crews unable to fill aircraft tanks. The afternoon temperature in Chicago was minus 12.At least four weather-related deaths were reported, including a 48-year-old Chicago man who had a heart attack while shoveling snow on Sunday and an elderly woman who was found outside her Indianapolis home early Monday.In oil fields from Texas to North Dakota and Canada, the severe cold threatened to disrupt traffic, strand wells and interrupt drilling and fracking operations.It also disrupted grain and livestock shipments throughout the farm belt, curbed meat production at several packing plants and threatened to damage the dormant wheat crop.In Cleveland, Ohio, where the temperature was minus 3 and was forecast to drop even further, homeless shelters were operating at full capacity. Shelter operators had begun to open overflow facilities to accommodate more than 2,000 people who had come seeking warmth."There are also going to be people that won't go into the shelters," said Brian Davis, an organizer with Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless. Frostbite can set in within minutes in such low temperatures, according to experts.The National Weather Service issued warnings for life-threatening wind chills in western and central North Dakota, with temperatures as low as minus 60.Source - http://america.aljazeera.com/

07.01.2014

USA - Mother Nature delivers statewide challenges to Colorado’s agricultural scene

What’s the weather going to be like today? For most of us the answer may mean putting on a jacket, grabbing an umbrella, or bundling up the kids for the school bus stop. But for a farmer and rancher, the answer can have a significant impact on their very economic well-being.2013 showed just how weather can affect agriculture. The year began with a continuation of the severe drought of 2012. Below average snowpack in the mountains pointed to another dry year. A series of April snowstorms dumped heavy snow in the high country, elevating snow pack averages in the central and northern mountains. This brought renewed hope for many producers as the late storms added water to reservoirs, rivers, and irrigation ditches.While snow brought some relief, a late freeze in Western Colorado damaged fruit and vegetable crops. Many growers of Palisade peaches suffered significant losses, reducing yields and the number of peaches available in retail stores and farm stands.Conditions in Southeast Colorado continued to deteriorate, with hot, dry winds whipping up dustbowl like conditions. And in South Fork, a raging wildfire created problems for cattlemen who had moved their cattle into summer pastures threatened by the fast moving fire.In early August, a violent hailstorm smashed hundreds of acres of vegetable crops in parts of Northern Colorado. Everything from lettuce, cabbage, squash, and green beans were destroyed, and corn stalks were stripped bare by the hail.Finally, Mother Nature unleashed a historical torrent of rain in early September that resulted in thousands of acres of submerged cropland along the South Platte River and its tributaries. Farmers and ranchers are still struggling with crop losses, damage to irrigation ditches, silt, and debris.Colorado agriculture faced many weather challenges in 2013. But our state’s farmers and ranchers are a resilient bunch. They understand that weather can be unpredictable, and that conditions can drastically change from week to week. Yet, they do the job they love and believe they are meant to do. Their determination in the face of adversity not only puts food on our tables, but results in economic opportunities for our state, as well.For example, in 2013 agricultural exports will reach close to $2 billion, doubling the $1 billion in exports recorded in 2009. More and more of Colorado’s agricultural products are finding profitable markets in over 110 countries across the globe. And while net farm income will fall below what had been projected for the year, it will still be, at $1.58 billion, the third highest in our state’s history.Already, we are seeing beneficial snows falling in the mountains, fueling optimism that this will be a good snow pack year. Producers are looking towards 2014 with high hopes and expectations about the weather and growing conditions. Farmers and ranchers may not always like the weather forecast, but they adapt and keep on doing what they do best — producing the food, fuel and fiber important to our state’s economy.Source - http://www.coloradostatesman.com/

07.01.2014

USA - Manatee County farmers prepare for freeze

As Manatee County enters a two-day freeze watch starting Monday night and ending Wednesday afternoon, area farmers are gearing up to protect their crops from the bitter cold.Temperatures dipped into the 40s Monday night and are expected to decrease Tuesday before a warmup Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service in Ruskin.Wish Farms, based in Hillsborough County, has an 180-acre organic strawberry farm in Duette. If temperatures fall below 32 degrees, farmers will activate igloo-like ice coverings to shield the berries."To prepare for the situationtonight, we're making sure all the units are running, that the sprinkler heads are operating and functional, so tonight if it's 2 a.m. and the temperature drops to 31 degrees, we'll turn the water on, form an ice igloo over the plants and wait until the temperature goes above 32," said sales manager Chuck Hollenkamp.Farmers won't get much sleep. They'll monitor temperatures all night long, he added.Geraldson Community Farm in Bradenton will take measures to protect its tomato and eggplant crops."We're monitoring the weather currently and we will probably be covering our tomatoes this afternoon. The tomatoes and eggplant are the main things we're concerned about now," said farm manager Claudie Babineaux.Gary Reeder, a grower at West Coast Tomato in Palmetto and president of the Manatee County Farm Bureau, said he has nothing at stake this time."Thank the Lord we're all done with our crop for the fall so we don't have anything growing right now. We're just laying down plastic, but it's going to be too cold and windy to lay plastic for now, so we're just kind of shut down here," he said.KMK Farms in Arcadia, a small farm just outside of Manatee, is putting "frost cloths" on its fruit and vegetable trees. The blueberries, their main crop, will benefit from the freeze."The blueberries really like to be dormant. They're able to grow better in the cold," said co-owner Karen Martin.Farmers said they hope the wind will help as constant gusts can keep temperatures from dropping low.The National Weather Service issued a wind chill advisory from 11 p.m. Monday to 9 a.m. Tuesday. Wind chill values are expected to fall between 21 and 35 degrees."In the event the temperature drops below freezing, then you don't want wind, because the wind will blow water everywhere and you won't get good even coverage," Hollenkamp said of the igloo-like coverings that will spray water.The freeze will end Wednesday afternoon as temperatures return to the 70s, the National Weather Service said.Source - http://www.bradenton.com/

06.01.2014

USA - Positive returns projected in 2014 for most crops

Projected crop budgets generally show some return to labor and management for 2014, although the price of most crops declined significantly in 2013 and are not expected to improve, according to Andy Swenson, North Dakota State University Extension Service farm management specialist.A reduction in total costs per acre provides a slight cushion to the impact of lower crop prices.“The overall decline in costs was accomplished because of a 20 to 25 percent decrease in nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer prices and lower fuel prices,” Swenson says. “Crop insurance premiums should be lower because of a drop in the crop prices used to determine revenue guarantees.“Also, seed prices are generally flat. However, the overall decrease in total costs is modest at around 4 percent for corn, wheat and other small grains, and canola because other costs have increased.”For example, the price of glyphosate herbicide is up significantly from last year, and machinery and repair costs are going steadily higher. Also, land costs were higher in most regions relative to those in the 2013 budgets, which did not fully capture the sharp increase that occurred.Projected per acre returns to labor and management for producing spring wheat and corn are generally positive but paltry. The range is from minus $13 to a positive $18 for corn and minus $8 to a positive $37 for spring wheat across nine regions of the state.“Surprisingly, corn looks more profitable at $18 in the northwestern region than spring wheat at minus $8, while in the southeastern region, spring wheat at $37 projects better than corn at $14,” Swenson says. “It is important to note that the projections do not account for variability in yields and prices. However, producers in the northwestern region know that there is more risk with corn yields and drying costs, and producers in the southeastern region know that there is more price risk because of spring wheat quality discounts.”Soybeans project solid per acre returns to labor and management by averaging $63 outside of the western regions, while peaking at $84 in the southeastern region. Soybean labor and management returns are $21 and $28 in the southwestern and northwestern regions, respectively. However, those regions also have the greatest yield risk. Soybean plantings will increase in 2014.Dry beans also look strong, with per acre returns to labor and management averaging more than $100. This would indicate an increase in acreage. However, soybeans, which compete with dry beans for acreage, also are profitable, require less labor and management, and have less production risk. Dry beans have the largest per acre advantage in net return, compared with soybeans at $70 in the northeastern region, which consists of Cavalier, Nelson, Ramsey and Towner counties.Canola returns to labor and management range from $45 per acre in the northeastern region, which contains the largest canola producing counties of the state, to minus $25 in the southeastern region.Flax acreage should increase because per acre returns to labor and management are $71 in the northeastern region, $56 in the north central region and nearly $50 in the southwestern and northwestern regions. The lowest return for flax is $19 in the southeastern and south-central regions.Malting barley and rye project the highest returns of the small grain crops. Malting barley per acre returns to labor and management are around $50 to $60 in the northeastern, north central, northwestern and south central regions.However, if barley does not make malting quality and is sold for feed, the returns quickly turn negative at around minus $40 per acre. Rye, which is a small-acreage crop, returns more than $60 per acre in regions for which it is budgeted.The north central region shows the highest per acre returns to labor and management for yellow field peas at $35. However, returns from yellow peas only average $5 throughout all other regions. Green field peas, which have more quality and price risk, look attractive and will gain acres. Green peas have returns ranging from $52 per acre in the northern valley and southeastern regions to $99 per acre in the north central region.Oil sunflowers show moderate returns to labor and management by ranging from $30 to $45 per acre in the western and central regions, but near the break-even point in other regions. Confectionery sunflowers project strong returns, especially in the north central and south central regions, where the return is about $140 per acre. Plantings should increase in these regions.Based on budgets prepared for lentils in the western and north central regions, projected lentil returns to labor and management should be about $30 per acre.Oats and millet are the only two crops that show very negative returns in all regions.Some minor acreage crops project strong per acre returns to labor and management. These crops are led by yellow mustard at $140, safflower in the western regions at $80 and buckwheat at around $55. However, these crops have a higher production risk.Because of the volatility and downward trend in prices, Swenson believes that producers should be more aggressive than normal in forward-pricing crops that provide acceptable profit.“The budget estimates for returns to labor and management do not take into consideration price and yield variability or risk,” Swenson says. “A perfect apple-to-apples comparison of crops is not achieved in the report because different levels of labor, management and risk exist among crops.Source - http://www.farmandranchguide.com/