Where have your costs increased in the last five years?  This figure illustrates how much irrigated corn per-acre production costs have increased from 2009 to 2013 for a segment of Nebreaska producers involved in the Nebraska Farm Business, Inc. See more.

November 7-14, 2014

Farm Management

• Tightening Your Belt: Refocusing on Profitability. How did irrigated corn production costs in 2013 differ from those in 2009, when corn was selling for $4/bu? The author explores how things have changed and some red flags to watch for this year.  This is the first in a series of CW articles on this topic.
• Two Perspectives on Setting a Cash Rent. While there's no silver bullet formula, the best land rental rate is fair to both landlord and tenant.
• Harvest Prices for Crop Insurance Announced. Corn: $3.49/bu; soybean: $9.65/bu.

Soybean Production

• EPA Asks for Comments on Neonicotinoid Use on Soybeans by Dec. 22. Neonicotinoid seed treatments on field crops include Cruiser (thiamethoxam), Poncho (clothianidin), and Gaucho (imidicloprid).

Wheat Production

• Warmer Fall Temperatures Can Favor Aphids in Winter Wheat. While rare, aphids can pop up in winter wheat in the fall and lead to disease problems in the spring.

Soil Health

• Soil Health Partnership Field Day Nov. 12 at Shelby. Topics to include cover crops in corn, benefits of soil health, and eastern Nebraska resources.
• Treating Gully Erosion in Crop Fields. With the intense rains this past season, some areas of the state had considerable gully erosion. See which "fixes" work best in which situations.

Weather

• Winter 2014-2015 Forecast. What are we likely to see from Mother Nature?

Irrigation Management

• Online Irrigation Cost Calculator Released. It calculates total irrigation costs for pivot systems as well as the cost to irrigate a parcel on adjoining land.

Machinery

• Ethanol and Water Contamination -- Comparing Water Removal Additives.

Market Journal

• View segments on fall soil sampling, GMO labeling, market analysis after the USDA November crop report, rebuilding the cowherd, and the weather.

Crop Report

• USDA Forecasts Slight Drop in Final 2014 Corn Harvest; Soybean Harvest up 13%
• Nebraska Corn Harvest 79% Complete
• Nebraska Corn Harvest Still Lagging, 60% Complete. Winter wheat condition rated 79% good to excellent with 96% of the crop emerged.

Events & Resources

• UNL and FSA Host Farm Bill Meetings (including full remaining schedule)
• UNL to Host Climate Agriculture Workshop Nov. 19. "Climate Resilient Agriculture: Tools and Resources for Agricultural Decisions" will showcase tools and focus on how to use weather and climate resources to make short- and long-term ag decisions.