Welcome to Crop WatchCrop Watch is a University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cooperative Extension resource on crop production and pest management. The newsletter on which it is based will return to regular publication in early March. Until then agricultural news stories and updates will be posted to this site intermittently. To view previous editions of the newsletter, please check the Crop Watch Archives.Cooperative Extension is hosting a variety of meetings throughout the state this winter to provide dynamic learning experiences related to crop production and pest management. Please check the "Events" section or the Oct. 27 Crop Watch and the Dec. 1 Crop Watch or contact your local Cooperative Extension educator for further information. To subscribe to the print version of Crop Watch, use the order form, email Crop Watch, or call (402) 472-7981.
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February 2001
Special Focus: Nitrogen Management This Spring
Interested in Adding Value to Your Ag Product? New Program Offers Help; Apply by March 16
Farmer Cooperatives to be Featured on "What's Shaping the Market" Feb. 14
Drought Easing But Spring Rains Will Be Important
Sorghum Based Road De-icer Being Tested
30th Annual Water Conference Will Be Groundwater Quality Monitoring
Workshop
First Steps Toward a New Farm Bill LEAD Fellowship Applications Available
"What's Shaping" Broadcast to Address Crop Insurance Options
Poor Germination and Shortages Plague Soybean Seed Supply This Season
Fuel-Saving Method Can Help Cut Tractor Costs
NU Crop Management Winter Programs Set For February and March
Be alert to ice caps, spoilage in stored grain
Fall wheat seedings
Nebraska grain stocks
as of Dec. 1, 2000
Nebraska Fall Crops Report: 2000 corn total down 12%
What's Shaping the Market" Returns with Weekly Ag Webcasts
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Farmers and ranchers are being sought to serve in small groups that form a key part of a federally funded project to boost profitability among small- and mid-sized Midwest farms and ranches.
Participants should be committed to exploring and applying innovative strategies to develop new ag-related products. The North Central Initiative for Small Farm Profitability, a regional project based at NU's Center for Applied Rural Innovation, is a four-state, multi-institutional, farm-to-fork initiative. It combines university research and Cooperative Extension efforts to enhance the economy of the rural Great Plains by improving the profitability and competitiveness of small- and mid-sized farms and ranches.
Ideas from cluster members should be innovative and unique to the geographic area. Examples might include niche-market products such as organically raised pork, grass-fed beef, fish from Nebraska fish farms or wine from Nebraska grapes. It's up to the local farmers how progressive and forward-thinking they want to be.
The deadline for applying to participate has been extended to March 16. Interested producers should contact Wurdeman at (402)472-0807 or kwurdeman2@unl.edu, or Wyatt Fraas, project leader at the Center for Rural Affairs' field office in Hartington at (402)254-6893 or wyattf@cfra.org.
Twenty producer clusters will be organized in the four participating states -- Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin and Missouri. Nebraska will have six producer clusters, each with at least four farm or ranch families or operations involved.
Producer cluster members will be encouraged to involve local chambers of commerce, banks and agriculturally related businesses to develop local financing and support, Wurdeman said.
Project participation is free. Benefits include networking with producers in the other participating states who want to produce or market similar products.
Alternative crops and products to be studied in the project's first two years are pastured poultry, specialty cheeses and specialty barley. Producer cluster representatives will help determine future research.
NU extension educators will support the clusters, which will receive technical, marketing, economic and other support from partners in the multi-state initiative.
The regional initiative is supported by a $2.5 million grant from USDA's Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems. In Nebraska, the effort is sponsored by NU's IANR, Cooperative Extension and the Center for Rural Affairs.
Also involved in the project are: Iowa State University, University of Missouri, University of Wisconsin, Practical Farmers of Iowa and the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute in Wisconsin.
Ken Wurdeman
Coordinator, North Central Initiative for Small Farm Profitability
John Allen
NU Professor, Rural Sociology
Molly Klocksin
IANR News Writer
The program will air live on the web from 3 to 3:45 p.m. (CST) and can be accessed at the UNL Extension Rural Routes website. It will be archived for viewing after 11 a.m. Feb. 15 at the web site, shaping.unl.edu.
"Cooperatives add value to farm production by marketing ‘products’ (Sunkist, Ocean Spray, Diamond Walnuts, for example) rather than ‘commodities’ (soybeans, corn, or live cattle, for example,)" said Jim Kendrick, NU agricultural marketing specialist emeritus, and host of the Internet video program.
"Producer marketing cooperatives are old hat on the east and west coasts, but rather a new idea to many Midwestern producers," Kendrick said.
The program panel will explore the development of marketing cooperatives in the traditional corn, soybean, cattle, and hog areas of the country. The panel includes Dave Aiken, NU water and ag law specialist; Sam Cordes, NU community development specialist; Mary Gerdes, treasurer, Nebraska Farmer’s Choice; and Al Prosch, coordinator, Pork Central.
In addition, Dave Fiala, president of Futures One, will discuss the driving forces behind the grain and livestock markets and Al Dutcher, NU state climatologist, will look at the weather models for the next several weeks.
Jim Randall
Extension Communications Specialist - Broadcast
"Right now, the outlook is not exceptionally bad, considering that last September and October were nearly as dry as the same period in 1999, where virtually no subsoil moisture recharge occurred," he said.
In late October, an atmospheric change took place that favored a wetter pattern and brought storms out of the Southwest.
"If that weather pattern holds through the spring, there is a good chance that we could see enough subsoil moisture recharge to bring us out of this thing," the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources specialist said.
The change in the weather pattern already has been enough to upgrade western Nebraska from severe drought to abnormally dry. The eastern part of the state is more precarious, Dutcher said.
"Eastern Nebraska is still in a moderate drought, but this area is capable of picking up more rain than the western areas, so there are better odds for relief," he said. "Right now we are getting very wet snows, which are the type we need to break the drought. I think we will see further recovery."
Normally, Nebraska doesn't have a dry fall and a dry spring in the same year. The combination of dry seasons was responsible for last year's difficulties, said Mark Svoboda, a climatologist with the NU-based National Drought Mitigation Center.
"This is what we call a dormant drought, where the subsoil moisture that was lost last year has not been recharged entirely," he said. "It can't be eliminated during the winter because the ground is frozen and snows don't hold a lot of moisture."
While last fall started out dry, by the end of the season there was enough precipitation to significantly replenish the upper part of the soil profile, Svoboda said. Now Nebraskans will have to wait until spring to see if Mother Nature will provide much-needed rains to reach the lower portions of the soil profile.
Svoboda said most of the state has had greater than 70 percent of normal precipitation since Sept. 1, 2000, quite an improvement over last year's 35 percent at planting time. If the spring does not bring rain, farmers will go into another planting season short of critical soil moisture.
Dutcher said he's optimistic the drought is on its way out.
"If the patterns hold, we will see the necessary spring rains," he said. "Slow moving storms with very wet snow, like the ones we are seeing now, can drop a lot of moisture over an extended time, which allows the moisture to work its way deep into the profile where crop roots will seek moisture this summer. Patterns can often change in the spring, but from what we are seeing now, the outlook is very, very good."
Al Dutcher
NU State Climatologist
Mark Svoboda, Climatologist
National Drought Mitigation Center
Heather Corley
IANR Newswriter
Funding from the Nebraska Grain Sorghum Board has enabled Dr. Qi Fang and Dr. Milford Hanna, bioprocessing engineers with the Center to study and test sorghum's use in the project.
“The process involves grinding the sorghum berries, hydrolyzing the starch contained in the ground sorghum and converting the resulting organic acid into a salt,” said Hanna. “There are no co-products and no waste streams associated with the process.” The organic salt can be dried to a powder form or can be used as a liquid, replacing conventional rock salt, the most frequently used de-icer.
Jack Nagel, Research Committee Chairman for the Nebraska Grain Sorghum Board was impressed with the whole grain concept of the research project. “Since there is no by-product and it is less corrosive than rock salt, it offers terrific environmental benefits,” he noted.
“Preliminary testing of the salt has shown that grain sorghum offers potential to be used as the raw material for this new material,” said Dr. Fang. “We are encouraged with our results thus far, and we plan to do larger-scale testing yet this winter.”
Deicing chemicals are used to get ice off pavements, sidewalks and other surfaces by lowering the melting point of the ice. The resulting liquid brine helps break down the ice for easier plowing and removal.
“There is great interest in more environmentally friendly de-icers,” said Hanna. “Our goal is to develop a process that is functional and cost-effective while, at the same time, protective of the environment.”
The potential impact of using sorghum as a road de-icer is difficult to quantify. However, Dr. Fang noted that, based on preliminary estimates, more than 60 million bushels of grain sorghum could be used annually if just 10% of the products currently used were replaced. Sorghum production in Nebraska for the past five years has averaged 60 million bushels.
“The potential exists for creating tremendous new demand for sorghum production in not only Nebraska, but surrounding states, as well,” concluded Nagel.
Press Release issued by the
Nebraska Sorghum Board
"The topic is something people have asked us to address and is intended for management and staff members of Natural Resources Districts, municipalities and irrigation districts," said J. Michael Jess, conference organizer and assistant director of the UNL Water Center.
Workshop sessions are 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Morning sessions are devoted to discussion of monitoring objectives and purposes, by UNL hydrogeologist and hydrochemist Ed Harvey; monitoring well siting considerations, by UNL hydrogeologist and geochemist Dave Gosselin; and sampling, handling and analysis matters by Ray Ward, Ward Laboratories, Kearney.
"In the afternoon we will be considering applications of the morning discussion sessions," Jess said.
Those discussions will be led in part by Jim Cannea, geologist for the North Platte NRD, Gering addressing a comprehensive monitoring well network and protocols that were recently instituted by that NRD.
After the workshop, attendees can preview the annual Children's Groundwater Festival, which will be held the following day at Grand Island's College Park.
A reception and banquet following the festival preview will be at the Holiday Inn beginning at 6:30 p.m. At the banquet, the Nebraska Water Conference Council will present its annual Pioneer and Progress Awards, along with The Groundwater Foundation's annual Maurice Kremer Groundwater Achievement Award.
Workshop registration is $50, which includes a noon luncheon. Advance registration is encouraged.
To register, or for a registration brochure or information, contact Tricia Liedle at the UNL Water Center, P.O. Box 830844, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0844, phone (402)472-3305 or e-mail pliedle2@unl.edu.
The conference is sponsored by the Nebraska Water Conference Council, The Groundwater Foundation, UNL's Water Center, Conservation and Survey Division, School of Natural Resource Sciences, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Apparently, Combest's vision is to redo the commodity provisions this year so they would be ready for the 2002 crop year. Commodity provisions include price and income supports that the federal government makes available for crops like corn and wheat. Consideration of all other provisions -- for example, those dealing with trade, natural resources, and agricultural research -- would be deferred until next year.
Completion of the commodity provisions this year might have several advantages. First, Combest's initiative seems to signal that certain changes are inevitable. Critics of "Freedom to Farm" point to the billions of dollars spent on late-season emergency payments in 1998, 1999 and 2000. If the system is broken, why wait to fix it?
There's also a political angle. Because commodity provisions typically are the lightening rods of farm bills, it may be easier to make changes in a non-election year. In contrast, the remainder of the legislation should produce relatively few sparks, even in an election year.
Finally, the congressional agricultural committees are subject to budget restraints. All things equal, it might be to agriculture's advantage to lock in budget exposure as soon as possible. If tax cuts and big-ticket spending items are approved later this year, the noose may become tighter for agriculture. Better to be safe this year than sorry next year might be the rallying cry.
Don't assume, however, that updated commodity provisions are a sure thing in 2001. For one thing, some of the agricultural interest groups are saying that their policy prescriptions are not yet in place. They don't want to testify until there is consensus within their respective organizations.
Even more importantly, policy-making requires acquiescence from the U.S. Senate and the president. At this point the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, under the chairmanship of Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., does not have the farm bill on its immediate agenda. And in her confirmation hearings, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman refused to tip the collective hand of the executive branch.
Whenever the commodity provisions are enacted, two things seem certain. First, planting flexibility will be retained because of its overwhelming popularity among farmers. At the same time, shaping the details of an income safety net will be a contentious process. Perhaps the biggest question of all is this: Should benefits be offered to producers only when commodity prices are low? If the answer is yes, then the new legislation will differ substantially from what's currently in place.
Roy Frederick
NU IANR Public Policy Specialist
Up to 30 people will be selected from production agriculture and agribusiness, said Allen Blezek, Nebraska LEAD Program director. Preference will be given to individuals ages 25 through 45 who have demonstrated leadership potential.
Nebraska LEAD Fellows also participate in a 10-day National Study/Travel Seminar and a two- to three-week International Study/Travel Seminar. Seminar themes include economics, foreign cultures, government, communications, international trade, politics, business, labor, environment, finance and industry.
The Nebraska LEAD Program is designed to prepare problem-solvers, decision makers and spokespersons for Nebraska and its agricultural industry, Blezek said. Now in its 21st year, the program is operated by the Nebraska Agricultural Leadership Council Inc., a nonprofit organization, in cooperation with Nebraska colleges and universities, business and industry, and individuals throughout the state.
Applications are due by June 15. They are available from the Nebraska LEAD Program, Room 318 Biochemistry Hall, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb., 68583-0763 or by calling the office at (402) 472-6810 and requesting an application packet. For more information about the LEAD program, visit their Web site at http://www.ianr.unl.edu/lead/.
Allen G. Blezek
Nebraska LEAD Program Director
Producers must decide whether to buy crop insurance this season by March 15, said Doug Jose, University of Nebraska farm management specialist.
"The fact that the government is increasing the subsidies for crop insurance might change the producer’s decision on the type and level of insurance appropriate for this year," said Jim Kendrick, NU agricultural economist emeritus and host of the Internet television program.
"Producers need to do some advance planning before making this important decision, especially in a year where crop inputs are going to be high and the weather outlook questionable," Jose added.
Joining Kendrick and Jose for the discussion of crop insurance will be Franklin Choutka, claims supervisor, North Central Crop Insurance Company, and Dave Scheffler, vice president, Nebraska Farm Bureau Insurance, both of Lincoln, Neb.
The webcast is live on the Internet from 3 -3:45 p.m. CST and is archived for later viewing after 11 a.m. Thursday. The program can be viewed by going to the NU Cooperative Extension’s Rural Routes website at ruralroutes.unl.edu and clicking on the "What’s Shaping the Markets" box near the top of the page.
The Feb. 7 installment will discuss the issues surround branded beef and the Feb. 10 program will explore the new generation of producer owned cooperatives.
Individuals can subscribe to the "What’s Shaping the Markets" e-mail list serve to receive program updates and links to other sites for additional information, or to submit comments and ask questions. To subscribe, send an e-mail request to ListServ@unl.edu. In the message area, NOT the subject line, type Subscribe MARKETS. The words are case sensitive.
Jim Randall
Extension Broadcast Specialist
"Last year's hot, dry weather was devastating to dryland soybeans, which is the majority of soybeans planted in Nebraska," said Steve Knox, field services supervisor for the Nebraska Crop Improvement Association, based at the University of Nebraska.
The quality of soybean seed is measured by the germination percentage, or the number of seeds per 100 that are viable. Most years, samples sent for testing by NCIA members have germination rates above 90 percent, with 80 percent being the standard. This year the average germination has been 70 percent to 75 percent, the lowest in 20 years, Knox noted.
"We have seen a huge range of germination percentages this year, from above 90 percent to as low as 30 percent," he said. "There are some good seed lots out there, but there is also some seed that will have to be discarded."
Hot, dry weather also produced seeds that are smaller than average. During normal seed cleaning, which is designed to remove the smallest and poorest quality seeds from the mix, a greater number of seeds will be lost this year.
"When you have smaller seeds, a greater number will fall out during cleaning," said Gary Cross, foundation seed manager for NU's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. "This year we are seeing 25 percent to 30 percent cleanout compared to around 10 percent most years."
Poor germination percentages and increased cleanout means that Nebraska farmers should expect to find shortages when purchasing soybean seed for this season. Many seed sources already are sold out or over-booked, and the seed that is available may not be top quality.
"We have about half of the soybean seed that we planned to have available for sale this year," said Ken Anderson, a marketing manager with NC+ Hybrids. "We have lowered our germination standard from 90 percent to 85 percent to increase supplies and we are still short. Some other companies have even lowered the standards to 75 percent or lower."
Prices are high and supplies are short this year for anhydrous ammonia, the most common nitrogen fertilizer for corn. That has some farmers looking to switch some of their acres from nitrogen-needy corn to soybeans, which demand less fertilizer.
"I have heard from some farmers who are going to switch some of their acres from corn to soybeans. With soybean seed supplies already short, more demand for soybeans will make the situation even worse," said Len Nelson, an NU crop variety and seed production specialist. "Farmers who decide to plant more soybeans may find that they don't have as many options in terms of variety or even quality. There will be some limitations to switching."
Farmers considering planting more soybeans now should also consider the impact of oversupply on market prices in the future.
"If this situation also results in an oversupply of soybeans at harvest, it will certainly bring the price down," Nelson said.
Nearby states such as Iowa, Missouri and Illinois that normally might have soybean supplies suitable for use in Nebraska are in the same situation, Cross said. He also warned against looking to warmer, southern states for soybean supplies, because those soybean varieties mature faster and may not work well in Nebraska's longer cold season in spring.
Farmers need to talk with their seed suppliers as soon as possible and find out what is available. While the popular Roundup Ready beans may be sold out, conventional and STS varieties still may be available and are good options for Nebraska farmers, Knox said.
"You will also need to adjust your planting rate to account for smaller seeds and smaller germination percentages," he said. "There are printed materials available as resources for calculating planting rates, and you can talk to local Cooperative Extension educators about adjusting these rates, too."
A planting rate of 150,000 live seeds per acre works well for soybeans in Nebraska, said Jim Specht, an NU crop scientist. This leaves a margin of error for plants damaged by pests, bad weather and other variables.
"At harvest, you want to have 100,000 mature plants per acre, so the margin of error is very important since not all of the plants will make it that far," he said. "It is also important to note that the germination percentage shown on the bag is from a warm germination test, not a cold stress test, so it may be a high estimate of the number of seeds that will germinate in cooler field conditions."
To find the correct planting rate, Specht said, divide the desired number of live seeds per acre by the decimal equivalent of the germination percentage. For example, for seed that has 75 percent germination, divide 150,000 by .75. For 150,000 live seeds per acre with this seed, farmers would need to plant 200,000 seeds per acre.
The good news about poor quality soybeans is that the shortage is less likely to drive up seed prices this year, Knox said.
"You shouldn't charge a high price for a lower quality product," he said. "But sometimes supply and demand does funny things to the market, so it's difficult to tell what will happen at this point."
For more information, consult Cooperative Extension NebGuide G99-1395, Soybean Seeding Rates.
Heather Corley
IANR News and Publishing
A technique for operating tractors, known as "gear up and throttle down," may help reduce tractor operating costs. This practice requires 15 percent to 25 percent less energy than operating tractors at full power, said Bobby Grisso, a University of Nebraska agricultural engineer.
The practice is effective for light operations that don't require full power, such as planting, cultivating, tilling or spraying. For these tasks, producers save fuel by shifting to a faster gear and slowing the engine speed.
"By doing this, you're allowing the engine to operate at its most fuel-efficient level," Grisso said.
Tests conducted by NU's Nebraska Tractor Test Lab showed that a 110-PTO horsepower tractor pulling 50 percent of its maximum drawbar load at full throttle used 4.5 gallons of fuel per hour. PTO horsepower is the amount of power a tractor's power take-off delivers. That same tractor pulling 50 percent at a reduced throttle setting used only 3.7 gallons of fuel per hour, a savings of three-fourths of a gallon per hour.
The savings add up quickly during the long days of spring planting, Grisso said. With home-delivery fuel prices currently at $1.09, producers can save $7.36 in a nine-hour work day.
Grisso said the practice shouldn't be used when the power take-off is operating, such as during hay harvesting. The power take-off will run correspondingly slower when the engine speed decreases and may not provide enough power to properly run PTO-driven equipment. Gearing up and throttling down also can damage the engine by creating too much torque.
Operators also should avoid overloading or "lugging" the engine. To check for overload, run the tractor using the desired speed and throttle setting. Open the engine to full throttle. If the engine rapidly picks up speed, the setting is appropriate; a slow response or black smoke indicates a problem. To resolve the problem, operators should shift down a gear or increase the engine's speed.
Gearing up and throttling down isn't the only way to save fuel this spring, Grisso said.
"People would be surprised to see how much they can save just by making simple changes," he said.
To conserve fuel, Grisso recommended the following:
The NU Cooperative Extension programs will be in February and March at NU's Agricultural Research and Development Center (ARDC) near Mead, NU College Park in Grand Island, UNL's East Campus in Lincoln and the Lifelong Learning Center in Norfolk.
Programs are designed to expand participants' knowledge of crop production, management and diagnostics. Soil and water quality, crops production, soil fertility and pest management issues are examined in depth.
Last year's participants estimated profits of at least $7 more per acre, based on information gained at these meetings, said Keith Glewen and Barb Ogg, NU extension educators and program coordinators.
The workshops offer five to six hours of training. Continuing education credits for the Certified Crop Advisors Program are available. Registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-paid basis and include reference materials, noon meal and refreshment breaks.
For more information or for a registration form, contact Glewen at (402)624-8030 or Ogg at (402)441-7180, or visit the World Wide Web at http://ardc.unl.edu/CMWC.htm.
Completed registration forms may be mailed to NU ARDC, ICMWP Programs, 1071 Country Road G, Ithaca, Neb., 68033, or call (402)624-8030, fax (402)624-8010 or e-mail cdunbar2@unl.edu. Participants must register one week in advance of workshops to receive the lower fee listed. The programs in Norfolk, Grand Island and the ARDC will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Dates, locations, cost and workshop topics follow:
Keith Glewen
University of Nebraska extension educator
Barb Ogg
University of Nebraska extension educator
Molly Klocksin
IANR news writer
Tom Dorn, extension educator in Lancaster Country, suggests producers check and possibly aerate their grain bins to reduce potential spoilage problems.
With the drought and unusually high temperatures last year, fall grain crops dried down quickly and many Nebraska farmers completed harvest earlier than usual when daytime temperatures were in the 80s and 90s. Much of this grain was at or near moisture levels recommended for storage, Dorn said, however harvest temperatures were far above those recommended for long-term storage.
Dorn explained how recent temperature swings can cause problems: Cold temperatures can cause air currents to form in bins of grain. Cold air moves down through the grain along the bin walls forcing the warmer air up through the center of the bin. The moisture in this warmer air condenses when it contacts the cold grain at the top of the bin causing a wet spot to form.
The extremely cold temperatures in late December and early January may have caused the wet grain to freeze, forming an ice cap at the top of the bin. He said when this wet grain begins to warm above freezing, the ice melts and the grain begins a process of heating and spoilage due to microbial action.
"The problem is most prevalent in bins that weren't properly cooled," Dorn said.
Farmers who find frozen grain at the top of a bin should first break up the ice cap and then run aeration fans whenever the temperature is above freezing to dry the wet grain and to help the grain mass reach a uniform temperature. Ideally, grain that will be held until May should be between 30 F and 40 F in January.
Producers should take precautions when checking their stored grain.
"If any grain has been removed from the bin, the layer of ice poses a very dangerous situation. Someone walking on the top of the grain could be trapped and suffocate if the ice layer collapses under them,” he said. “Even after the top layer has thawed, the wet grain can hold its shape or ‘bridge.’ “.
Dorn recommended that producers take precautions when entering bins to check for spoilage:
Tom Dorn
Extension educator in Lancaster Country
Winter wheat seeded in the United States for 2001 is expected to total 41.3 million acres, down 5 percent from 2000. This is the smallest area since 1971. Class acreage breakdowns are approximately: hard red winter, 28.9 million; soft red winter, 8.9 million; white winter, 3.5 million.
Nebraska Agricultural Statistics Service
Release Jan. 11, 2001
Soybean stocks totaled 143.6 million bushels, 1% more than 1999. Soybeans stored on farms totaled 54 million bushels, down 10% from a year ago and 38% of the total stocks. Soybeans stored in off-farm facilities were 89.6 million bushels, 8% more than 1999.
Sorghum holdings totaled 46.9 million bushels, up 5% from last year. Sorghum stored on farms totaled 15.5 million bushels, 3% below the holdings of December last year and 33% of the total. Off-farm stocks of 31.4 million bushels were up 10% from last year.
Winter wheat holdings totaled 67.5 million bushels, down 12% from last year. Wheat stored on farms totaled 15.0 million bushels, down 38% from a year ago and 22% of the total holdings. Off-farm stocks of 52.5 million bushels were down less than 1% from a year earlier.
Off-farm commercially licensed grain storage facilities in Nebraska numbered 527. Total licensed storage capacity of these facilities was 692.4 million bushels, up 5% from a year ago. On-farm grain storage capacity is estimated at 1.04 billion bushels, up 1% from last year.
Nebraska Agricultural Statistics Service
Release Jan. 11, 2001
Irrigated corn production totaled 744.5 million bushels, 3% less than last year. Yield averaged 155.1 bushels per acre, down 4.3 bushels from last year and the lowest since 1997. Irrigated acres harvested for grain totaled 4.8 million, unchanged from last year.
Dryland corn production totaled 269.8 million bushels, 31% below last year. Yield, at 83 bushels per acre, was 28 bushels below a year earlier and the lowest since 1995. Non-irrigated acres harvested for grain totaled 3.25 million, down 7% from last year and 50,000 acres below the November forecast.
Soybean production totaled 173.9 million bushels, the second highest on record. This is down 4% from last year's record high production. Yield averaged 38.0 bushels per acre, down 4.5 bushels from last year but up 1.0 bushel from the November forecast. Planted acres, at 4.65 million acres, was up 8% or 350,000 acres from a year ago. Harvested acreage at 4.575 million acres, was up 325,000 acres from last year.
Sorghum for grain totaled 35 million bushels, 18% below 1999 and 38% below 1998's production. Yield, at 70 bushels per acre, was 21 bushels below 1999. Acreage harvested for grain, at 500,000 acres, was 6% above last year.
Nebraska Agricultural Statistics Service
Jan. 11 Report
Weekly guests from industry, government and the University of Nebraska will visit with Jim Kendrick, NU agricultural marketing professor emeritus, about a wide variety of topics dealing with ag marketing, risk management, and current issues in agriculture.
Special guests joining Kendrick for the Jan. 10 discussion were: Gary Cross, manager of the NU Foundation Seed Division; Jeff Peterson, grain originator, Dorchester Co-Op; and Ken Anderson, marketing manager for NC+ Hybrids.
Weekly features will include a look at short- and long-term weather forecasts with University of Nebraska State Climatologist Al Ductcher and a discussion of the ag market and factors affecting it that week with Dave Fiala. Fiala is an instructor of agricultural marketing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Viewers who want to receive program updates, suggest speaker topics or ask questions can join an ongoing E-mail listserve called "Markets." To join, just send an Email to LISTSERV@UNL.EDU and type SUBSCRIBE MARKETS in the subject line. The programs for upcoming January shows are:
Visit the web site Rural Routes for more information about these programs or related topics.
The Central Plains Irrigation Association in conjunction with Colorado State University, University of Nebraska at Lincoln and Kansas State University are cosponsoring the Central Plains Irrigation Short Course and Expo in Kearney Feb. 5-6. For further information visit the Short Course Web site.
Nebraska Director of Agriculture Merlyn Carlson is urging Nebraska farmers to be wary of high-pressure pesticide salespersons who are calling producers across the state.
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