U.S. Ethanol Policy

The Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) at Iowa State University just released a policy brief titled "Impact on Ethanol, Corn, and Livestock from Imminent U.S. Ethanol Policy Decisions". The policy brief highlights and analyzes important aspects of the U.S. ethanol policy decisions. You can find the article by clicking on the following link - http://www.card.iastate.edu/

One of the Driest Years Ever in Kentucky

Tom Priddy, University of Kentucky Ag Weather Center

According to preliminary data, since August 1st through November 9, the
state has only received 6.10 inches of rain, which is over 5 inches
below normal. Some west and west-central locations are 9 to 10
inches below normal for that time period.

Here's the latest map
of US Drought Monitor for Kentucky:
http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/

The Bt Maze

Refuge-in-a-bag, refuge in 2 bags, reduced refuge are all terms being used this fall about different Bt corn hybrids. If you are confused by all of the information, like me, there is an excellent resource that breaks down the latest information, and refuge requirements for the various Bt events.

Dr. Ric Bessin, Extension Entomologist, has updated Bt-corn for Corn Borer Control (ENTFACT 118),

2010 Soybean Variety Trials now Online

Chad Lee, Grain Crops Extension, University of Kentucky

The 2010 University of Kentucky Soybean Variety Performance Report is now available online directly at:
http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/pr/pr607/pr607.pdf Soybean varieties are submitted by companies for testing. The varieties are tested at five locations across Kentucky. Each test is broken into different maturity groups. Variety

Request for Help Evaluating the Wheat Fusarium Head Blight Prediction System

The web-based prediction tools at(http://www.wheatscab.psu.edu/riskTool_2010.html) provide daily estimates of disease risk for 25 states east of the Rocky Mountains. This multi-state effort requires considerable resources to maintain, and scientists involved in the project would like to gather some input to justify continued investment of time, computing resources and funds needed to sustain the

Kentucky Corn Hybrid Trials now Online

Chad Lee, Extension Agronomist, University of Kentucky

The 2010 Kentucky Corn Hybrid trial is now available online at: http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/pr/pr606/pr606.pdf Print copies will be out in about two weeks.

The 2010 season began with heavy rains in the spring followed by little to no rain during pollination and seed fill. The corn hybrid test normally has six locations across the states.

Early Bird Meetings, 2010

Three Early Bird: Crop Management Series meetings have been scheduled in November to help farmers make decisions on early purchases and pre-purchases.

The meetings will be at the following sites:

Henderson, KY on Nov. 9, Expo 9:00 am - 2:15 pm (includes lunch), Henderson County Expo Center
Sedalia, KY on Nov. 11, 8:00 am - 1:00 pm (includes lunch), Sedalia Restaurant
Hopkinsville, KY, Nov. 11,

Sampling corn fields in autumn for nematodes

Paul Vincelli, Extension Plant Pathology, University of Kentucky



Nematodes are microscopic roundworms that attack roots of corn and other plants (Fig 1.). In corn, nematodes affect yield by damaging the root system. They become more important when there are other root-related stresses in the same field, such as moisture shortage, root damage from insects, or compaction.



There is increasing

Aflatoxins in Corn

Paul Vincelli, Extension Plant Pathologist, University of Kentucky
Sam McNeill, Extension Agricultural Engineer, University of Kentucky

Aflatoxins are showing up in occasional lots of harvested corn from this season’s crop. Aflatoxins metabolites of the fungus Aspergillus flavus, are potent toxins and carcinogens in animals, and may also be human carcinogens. Aflatoxins are probably the most

Missouri Soybean Yield Record Broken Again

Chad Lee, Extension Agronomist, University of Kentucky

The Missouri Soybean Association announced that Kip Cullers has broken the record again with a soybean yield of 160.6 bu/acre in the 2010 Missouri Soybean Yield and Quality Contest. To make this valid entry, Kip had to harvest at least two (2) acres and then harvest a re-check of at least (2) acres. This contest field had to be in a field of

Bt Corn Benefits Farmers, Including non-Bt Corn Farmers

Chad Lee, Extension Agronomist

Researchers just published an article on the impact of Bt-corn in the corn belt in the October 8, 2010 edition of Science. They specifically examined Bt-corn with resistance to European (and Southwestern) corn borer. By examining insect counts in Bt and non-Bt fields along with production statistics, etc. the authors concluded that the benefits for using the

Commodity Price Update. Monday October 11, 2010

Commodity prices have soared since Friday morning when the USDA released their October Crop Production report. From Friday morning to the end of the trading on Monday October 11, 2010 Corn price has climbed over 11 %, soybeans are up over 8%, and wheat is up over 7%. Price increases were being driven by the significantly lower than expected US average corn production number of 12.6 billion

Wheat Planting: Two Options and Neither is Great

Chad Lee and Jim Herbek, University of
Kentucky



Getting
wheat into the ground right now is a real challenge because of the dry, hard
soils. Since many producers have locked in high market prices for next summer,
we are assuming that all producers reading this fully intend to plant wheat.
So, in the discussion that follows, we are removing the option of “not planting
wheat”. With this in mind

Drought Expands Across Kentucky

Tom Priddy, University of Kentucky Ag Weather CenterDrought conditions continued to expand and deepen this past week across theBluegrass state. Get the latest update and webcast concerning these dryconditionsin the state at the below listed UKAWC link:Kentucky Climate Update:http://wwwagwx.ca.uky.edu/weather_presentation.shtmlAnd, expanded drought info on UKAWC's Drought page, at:http://

X-Large Fall Armyworm Caterpillar Population Should Be Past.

The X-large population of fall armyworm (FAW) caterpillars generated by the X-Large population of FAW moths in late August (as indexed by UK-IPM trap counts, See: KPN 1245 Aug 31, 2010) should be past. This does NOT mean that the threat from FAW is over. It simply means that the large pulse of caterpillars generated by the extraordinary number of moths have completed the damaging stage of their

Commodity Price Update

Corn, soybeans, and wheat prices continue to be volatile due to market uncertainty. The most unknown factor is the size of this year’s crop. The USDA has helped paint some of the picture by reducing the U.S. corn crop by more than 200 million bushels between August and September to 13.1 billion bushels. For soybeans the U.S. crop was increased by 50 million bushels between August and September

More Strange Things in Corn

Chad Lee, Extension Agronomist, Plant and Soil Sciences

More strange things are being reported in the corn crop this year. Last week, a producer called to say he was checking ears and the kernels were falling off of the cob. Even stranger, the kernels looked deep, the cob appeared to be of decent quality, but when he pulled back the husks, many of the kernels simply fell off the cob. When these

Fertilizer Use in Argentina

Note: The following is an update on fertilizer practices in Argentina over the past 20 years. The changes in fertilizer practices over time in Argentina are impacting fertilizer demands in a global fertilizer economy.

Martin Navarro, Graduate Student, Plant and Soil Sciences
John Grove, Agronomic Soil Science, Plant and Soil Sciences

It will soon be spring in Argentina, and fertilizer purchase

Moth Flights of Important Field Crops Pests Increase Dramatically

Fall armyworm moth counts have sky rocketed!Capture of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) moths has sky rocketed as indexed by the UK-IPM pheromone baited traps at the UK-REC in Princeton, KY.(Fortunately this does not seem to be the situation in Lexington.) Last week (20 Aug 2010) our capture was a normal, 52 moths/trapweek; today’s count (27 Aug 2010) is 1,038 moths/trapweek!

Corn stands looking weak from stress

Chad Lee, University of Kentucky

In the the Aug 17, 2010 edition of Kentucky Pest News, Dr. Vincelli warns of aflatoxins and diplodia in corn. Another concern is final stand of the corn crop. Much of the corn crop was under stress from heat and a lack of water. Those conditions usually cause the each plant to pull photosynthate from the stalks and put them in the ear in an attempt to produce

Wheat planting when futures are high and seed might be short

Chad Lee and Jim Herbek, University of Kentucky



Many producers locked in wheat contracts for 2011 at or over
$7 per bushel and some are growing wheat for the first time in five years.
There are rumors that seed supply is tight. If these rumors are accurate, there
may be some temptation to skimp on seeding rates in order to cover more
acres.  If you are one of those
producers, just know what

Wheat in 15-inch rows will work but might cost yield

Chad Lee and Jim Herbek, University of Kentucky



With the increased interest in wheat from futures prices and
the anticipated increased acres planted this fall, many farmers are asking if
they can use their 15-inch soybean planter to plant wheat. The quick answer is
yes, but you might loose some yield.



We have investigated three varieties of wheat at Princeton
and Lexington in 15-inch

Check Corn for Pollination and Seed Set

Cory Walters just posted an article about how good prices look right now for corn. In addition, the corn crop looks great from the road. But before you decide to contract that rest of your expected yields, get into the fields and make sure pollination went well.

We have received several reports from county agents of fields with poor pollination. Perhaps the most unsettling report came from Tom

Grain Market Update, July 18, 2010.

Since the first week of July Corn, Soybeans, and wheat futures prices have all significantly increased. December 2010 corn futures reached contract lows before rebounding $0.62 (or 18%) to close around $4.07 on Friday, July 16, 2010. Corn futures have not been this high since the beginning of March. November 2010 soybean futures gained about $0.85 (or 9.4%) to close around $9.85 on Friday,

Hot, Dry Weather at the Worst Time for Corn

Chad Lee, Extension Agronomist, Plant and Soil Sciences



Much of Kentucky has turned hot and dry at the worst
possible time for corn. About half of the corn crop was silking or complete with silking as of July 5,
2010, according to the USDA Crop and Weather Report.  Corn is most sensitive to stress around silking and blister development. In
addition, corn uses the most water at silking, as much

Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) 2010 Payment Simulation Results

By Cory G. Walters and Greg HalichThe deadline for deciding whether to enroll in the optional ACRE program over Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program (DCP) is fast approaching, June 1, 2010. The purpose of this short article is to identify the likelihood of ACRE payments for both the 2010 crop year and the entire life of the farm bill, 2010-12 crop years.ACRE program provides revenue protection

ACRE meetings scheduled across Kentucky

ACRE meetings scheduled across KentuckyBy Katie PrattLEXINGTON , Ky., (May 10, 2010) – With the June 1 sign-up deadline fast approaching, University of Kentucky agricultural economists Cory Walters and Greg Halich will host meetings across the state to explain Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) and help producers determine whether it fits their operation. ACRE is an optional risk protection

Herbicide Issues in Flood Damaged Corn Fields

Jim Martin
and J. D. Green



The following are herbicide related
issues involving flood damage corn fields:



1)   
Previous
Herbicides Applied May Affect What Crop to Plant:  The
specific herbicide(s) used in the initial planting may determine what crop can
be planted in flood damaged fields. See Corn & Soybean News April 2007, Vol 7 Issue 5 http://www.uky.edu/Ag/CornSoy/cornsoy7_5.htm#3

Estimating N Losses in Wet Soils

Greg Schwab and Lloyd Murdock


Wet soils cause nitrogen losses. In cases where high intensity rain results
in high runoff, leaching losses will probably be
low. The primary nitrogen loss mechanism in
saturated soils is denitrification, which occurs
when soil nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) is converted
to nitrogen gas by soil bacteria. Two to three
days of soil saturation is required for

Flood Damage to Corn

The heavy rainfalls over the past weekend has many fields under water. According to the latest USDA Crop Progress & Condition report, about 80% of the corn crop in Kentucky is planted and almost 60% is emerged.

Two resources on assessing damaged corn include AGR-193: Assessing Flood Damage to Corn and AGR-195: Replanting Options for Corn.

The impact of flooding on corn depends on the depth of

Grain Market Update

Over the past few weeks, new crop corn and soybean prices have shown some gains. December 2010 corn is trading in the $3.75 to $3.95 per bushel range and November 2010 soybeans are trading in the $9.20 to $9.60 per bushel range. Price movements have been a function of outside price pressure stemming from both the financial industry and energy market. Now that we are entering the growing

ACRE Program Could Pay Big for Kentucky Wheat Farmers in 2009

Contact: Cory Walters, 859-257-2996 Greg Halich, 859-257-8841LEXINGTON , Ky., (April 7, 2010) – Kentucky wheat growers who signed up for the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s optional Average Crop Revenue Election Program , or ACRE, will likely see big payments this year, said Cory Walters and Greg Halich, agricultural economists in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.“In

Corn Seeding Rates

Choosing the proper population on corn will help you maximize yields and protect your bottom line. Our old recommendation was to plant a maximum of 30,000 seeds/acre on better soils. We will increase that recommendation to about 33,000 seeds/acre for better soils. But, as our own data shows, picking the ideal seeding rate can be a bit of challenge. Available water has a huge impact on the ideal

Keeping up with Argentina

If you have an interest in some of the things I am seeing in Argentina, you can take a look at a separate blog, Argentina Update. This blog is a rough draft of my notes. I will include as many images as since they tell a better story. I will keep notes on the crop progress, agronomics, farm management, and groups and organizations that help producers.

Crops from Way Down South

The full season soybeans are in pod stage and the corn is about 1/2 milkline. Yield potentials are excellent as long as it doesn't rain too much over the next month.

This probably seems like an odd report in the middle of winter, but it is exactly what we are seeing down south. . . in Argentina. A group of farmers from the Kentucky Soybean Board and UK extension faculty visited with farmers,