|
JAPAN GRAIN – BRISK BUYING SEEN AFTER SUMMER HOLIDAY
Japanese importers are likely to show a stronger appetite for grains this
week as operations by local manufacturers return to normal after the traditional summer holiday, traders said on Monday.
Japan's Food Agency said last week it will seek 30,000 tonnes of wheat and 150,000 tonnes of barley through its third import tender on Friday under the
simultaneous buy and sell (SBS) system for the current fiscal year to March 31, 2001.
An agency official said delivery for wheat would be set by February 28 next year, while delivery for barley would be slated by December 31 this year. "There may be some corn buying by local feed makers this week for October-December shipment," said a trading house trader. "Last week, only a few starch markers were in the market to cover their needs amid slow trade on the 'Obon' holiday." Local end-users were believed to have completed about 30-40 percent of their corn needs for October-December shipment through cost-and-freight premium deals, slightly up from about 30 percent a week ago, he said.
U.S. corn C&F premiums for fourth-quarter shipment were quoted at 90-91 cents per bushel over Chicago Board of Trade December futures, against 88-89 cents
before the 'Obon' holiday, he said.
For July-September shipment, local end-users are likely to further delay their pricing for September shipment on hopes of a further fall in CBOT corn futures, after completing about 50 percent last week, he said. Japan imports about four million tonnes of corn a year for food and feed use.
Japan Feed Output Seen Falling
Japan's compound feed output in June fell 0.3 percent from a year earlier to 1,953,505 tonnes, the Agriculture Ministry
said earlier on Monday. Some trade sources said the country's feed output was expected to fall further in July in line with a sharp decline in its dairy product sales as a result of a recent tainted milk
scandal.
Tainted milk from Snow Brand Milk's plant in Osaka, western Japan, sickened more than 14,000 people last month in one of Japan's worst-ever food poisoning
cases. A near-record heat wave in Japan last month was also believed to have dampened animal appetite for compound feed, he said.
In the local soybean market, local crushers and food makers were expected to take a break before starting to seek oilseed for October shipment, said an oilseed
trader. Local end-users, who import about 400,000 tonnes of soybeans a month, have completed most of their purchases for September shipment through C&F premium deals, he said. U.S. soybean C&F
premiums for October shipment were unchanged from last week at 100-101 cents per bushel over CBOT November futures, he said.
At 0430 GMT, CBOT corn futures edged down in Monday's Project A trading, with September off ¾ cent per bushel to $1.76 ½ as 18 lots traded. December corn fell one cent to $1.88 ¾ on volume of 433 lots. CBOT November soybeans were down 2 ¼ cents per bushel to $4.64 ¾ on volume of 129 lots.
MDA TO CO-SPONSOR INNOVATIVE RISK MANAGEMENT EDUCATION SERIES
Coming in late autumn 2000, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture
will be co-sponsoring a series of innovative marketing workshops in greater Minnesota. The "Win The Game" marketing workshops, scheduled for November 20 through December 11, are targeted to Minnesota grain producers
and use a gaming model developed by the University of Nebraska to demonstrate the value of even a simple marketing plan in reducing price and revenue risk.
Producers who participate in the game will make seasonal forward pricing and crop insurance decisions for a sample marketing year from the past (the exact year
will not be revealed during the game). In the initial round, the participants will make their crop insurance decision along with any forward contracting. At each subsequent round, they will make forward contract
decisions. Results will be tabulated in a computer and participants will be able to see how their strategy performed for the marketing year in question and also over a range of past marketing years.
The workshop will also offer presentations on seasonal tendencies in the grain markets, implications of conservative and aggressive marketing strategies,
understanding Crop Revenue Coverage (CRC), organizing marketing clubs, and using other marketing resources available to Minnesota producers. Presenters include Stan Stevens, Bob Craven, Kevin Klair, Gary Hachfeld,
and Kent Thiesse from the University of Minnesota Extension Service; and David Bullock from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Other sponsors include the University of Minnesota Extension Service, the
Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, the Minnesota Corn Growers Association, the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers, Minnesota Farm Credit Services, Minnesota Farm Bureau, and other farm
organizations.
The dates and locations for the District Workshops are as follows:
November 20, 2000 Worthington (Coliseum)
December 4, 2000 Rochester (Holiday Inn South)
December 6, 2000 Willmar (Holiday Inn)
December 8, 2000 Crookston (UMC)
December 11, 2000 North Mankato (Best Western)
For more information contact Kent Thiesse at kent.thiesse@co.blue-earth.mn.us.
OPTIMIZING YIELD WITH LATE-SEASON DROUGHT
Late-season drought is the primary limiting factor for corn and soybeans in the High
Plains.
Drought during flowering decreases flower and then seed number per unit area. Corn reacts by a delay in silk emergence relative to pollen shed and an increase in seed abortion. Soybeans will increase pod abortion.
Drought sensitivity decreases as seeds mature; however, drought during seed filling in both crops can shorten the duration of seed filling resulting in the
potential for less yield and smaller seed. In corn, the shorter filling period is caused by premature water loss from the seed. At the twelfth-leaf to dough stage in corn, the management allowable soil
water depletion (MAD) in the root zone should not exceed 50% and from dough to maturity the MAD should not exceed 60-70% or yield can be reduced by up to 11.5 bushel per acre-inch in water deficit.
In soybeans, growth stages from first flower to first pod should maintain a MAD below 60-65% and during first pod through to maturity the MAD should be below 60-70% or a yield reduction can occur. Drought stresses in later pod-filling stages in soybean result in a decrease in maximum seed volume.
Ideally, soybeans flourish at temperatures of 86F (and corn up to this temperature or to a little lower at 84F). Temperatures at 95F with low humidity and
the onset of droughty soil conditions can limit yields in fields. Drought symptoms in either crop show leaf wilting and darkening (or leaf rolling before mid-morning in corn) and reduced plant growth.
Soybeans grown in dry soils can reduce nodule formation, development and later nitrogen-fixation early in plant growth and these symptoms can also appear later
when soil temperatures reach greater than 90F for several days.
Yield loss in either corn or soybeans will ultimately depend on original planting date (good, early growth can push crops through drought spells better), the maturity group "fit" for the region and how long the drought persists.
In corn, selecting hybrids with rapid ear growth, tolerance to high population densities and prolific hybrids can improve performance under drought
conditions. In soybeans, varieties that show tolerance to very
High (or very low) soil pH, tolerance to nematodes in areas where cyst nematodes exist, and tolerance to any commonly occurring pests allow the crop to
withstand drought effects.
Also, less environmental stress from restricted root growth due to poor drainage, nutrient imbalances and soil compaction (hardpan) will help the plants combat
drought.
During the soybean stages R6 to R8 (full size beans up to maturity), the plants are accumulating dry matter in the seeds.
The dry matter is accumulated at a rate of about 1 to 1.5 bushels per day during R6 to R8. Thus, stress during seed filling in soybeans can affect yields up to that 1.5 bushel per day, depending on how the temperature and drought ultimately affect the rate and the length of time dry matter accumulation can occur.
SCIENTISTS DISCOVER NEW SPECIES OF PLANT FUNGI
Researchers found 100 new species of the pathogenic plant fungus Fusarium when
they recently compared DNA from more than 3,000 strains collected worldwide. The newly discovered species have left the scientists with questions. Could these fungi survive in fields of U.S. grain? Should plant
breeding programs and quarantine programs take genetic information about these fungi into account?
Some Fusarium species cause stalk rot and ear rot in corn. In wheat and barley, they cause head blight or scab. Infected grain is unsuitable for food or
livestock feed, if it contains certain levels of fungal toxins. In greenhouse tests, eight of the new species, mostly of exotic origin, produced scab disease in wheat.
The Agricultural Research Service scientists who researched the Fusarium species at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Ill.,
collaborated with colleagues from North Dakota State University in Fargo and the ARS Cereal Rust Laboratory in St. Paul, Minn. The species are part of an 80,000-strain collection of agriculturally and
industrially important microorganisms maintained in the ARS Culture Collection in Peoria.
The scientists say three of the scab-causing fungi may be native to Africa, two to South and Central America, one to New Zealand and one to Asia. The eighth
scab-causing fungi is widespread and may be native to North America.
An article about the research appears in the August issue of Agricultural Research magazine and online at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/aug00/dna0800.htm
EPA GRANTS SPECIFIC EXEMPTION ON HERBICIDE FOR SEED PEAS
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has granted a specific
emergency exemption for Gramoxone Extra®, giving North Dakota seed pea producers additional time to use the herbicide to control lambsquarter, nightshade, mustard, pigweed and mayweed.
"This will let producers use Gramoxone Extra® up to Nov. 30," said Commissioner of Agriculture Roger Johnson, who requested the exemption.
"Growers need it because conditions have been ideal for weed growth."
Last month, Johnson obtained a crisis exemption from the EPA, while applying for the longer-term specific exemption. The crisis exemption expired August 4.
The exemption applies only to peas grown for seed and allows a single ground or aerial application of up to 1.5 pints of product per acre.
A 7-day pre-harvest interval must be observed, and grazing of treated green peas or dry peas grown for seed fields after treatment with Gramoxone Extra® is
prohibited. A maximum of 3,000 acres may be treated.
Applicators must follow all directions, precautions and warnings on the supplemental and full product labels. Gramoxone Extra® (paraquat dichloride)
is manufactured by Zeneca Ag Products.
PESTICIDE DAMAGE REPORT REQUIRED FOR LEGAL ACTION
The North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA) encourages producers who
believe their crops have been damaged by pesticide drift to contact the department immediately to obtain a "report of loss" form.
"North Dakota law (NDCC 4-35-21) requires that a formal report of damage must be filed with NDDA before any civil action may be taken," said
Commissioner of Agriculture Roger Johnson. "The report must be filed within 60 days from the time the claimant is aware of the damage."
The law also requires any applicator who receives a complaint of damage from a producer to tell the producer about the report requirement. Failure to do so can
result in revocation of the applicator's certification and a waiver of the 60-day limit.
Johnson said producers who believe their crops or livestock have been damaged by pesticide drift should call NDDA, toll-free, at (800) 242-7535 for information.
USDA RELEASES CROP PROGRESS REPORT 08/21/00
http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/reports/nassr/field/pcr-bb/2000/
USDA RELEASES AGRICULTURE OUTLOOK 08/21/00
http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/reports/erssor/economics/ao-bb/2000/ .
|
