Many Corn Belt farmers planted corn a month earlier than usual this year, and the corn rootworms were on the same schedule.
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California to take up biotech labeling initiative
California voters heading to the polls this fall will be asked to determine if some foods made from plants or animals derived with biotechnology should be labeled at a cost of hundreds of dollars per family, per year.
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Deadline for ARA conference technology contest
ARA is requesting members submit ideas for technologies that could be presented during the association's 2012 conference in November.
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Advancing surfactant seed coating technology
Aquatrols Corporation of America announced a new Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service to further advance a surfactant seed coating formulation that is effective in treating soil water repellency and improving seedling establishment in wildland, turfgrass and agricultural systems.
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Mesotrione minor use registrations extended
Syngenta announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency extended the exclusive use data period for the herbicide active ingredient mesotrione for one additional year, from June 4, 2013, until June 4, 2014.
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Wilbur-Ellis helps fund drift tunnel system
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln held a ceremonial ribbon cutting for a new drift tunnel system at the UNL West Central Research and Extension Center at North Platte.
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Illinois program to reduce nutrient losses
On May 22, Illinois lawmakers sent legislation to Governor Quinn that establishes a new program to help farmers use crop fertilizers more effectively, which is expected to reduce nutrient losses and deliver significant improvements in water quality.
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Still time to nominate Agricultural Retailer of the Year
The Agricultural Retailers Association is now accepting nominations for the Agricultural Retailer of the Year Award.
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Survey of farmland investors released
The Illinois farmdoc team and the Purdue University Center for Commercial Agriculture are hosting the 45th annual Top Farmer Crop Workshop, July 9-11, in West Lafayette, Ind. This year's workshop will cover a number of timely and important issues relevant to commercial farming operations.
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BIG PICTURE
By Doane EconomistUSDA’s revisions for corn ending stocks came in slightly higher than expected. For the 2011/12 marketing year, exports were revised down 50 million bushels from last month to 1.650 billion. The pace of exports has been running below the level needed to reach the 1.7 billion bushel forecast. USDA made no revisions to the 2012/13 supply and demand projections. The supply and demand balance for soybeans for the current crop year got tighter in USDA’s June forecast update. The expected crush for the 2011/12 soybean year was increased by 15 million bushels to 1.66 billion and the export forecast was raised by 20 million bushels to 1.335 billion. The 2011/12 crop year ended May 31 for wheat, but estimates of usage are still changing. In the June update, USDA boosted 2011/12 exports by 30 million bushels to 1.055 billion.
