The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its eagerly awaited Prospective Plantings report March 31,  revealing U.S. farmers intend to plant 92.2 million corn acres (4.5% increase from 2010), 76.6 soybean acres (1 percent decrease), 12.6 million cotton acres (15% increase), and 58 million wheat acres (8.9% increase), in 2011.

USDA Chief Economist Joseph Galuber stated that while there were increases in most major field crops, the March 1 Grain Stocks report indicates continued strong demand and usage of each of these commodities, suggesting the current tight supply situation will continue into 2011 and 2012.

If realized, this corn crop will be the second-highest planted acreage in the U.S. since 1944. Acreage increases of 250,000 or more are expected in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and Ohio. South Dakota captured the largest intended increase with 850,000 additional acres, while Texas marked the largest decrease (150,000 acres), due to an increase in cotton exchange.

Intended soybean acres mark the third largest soybean crop on record. Compared with last year’s record planting intentions, declines of 100,000 acres or more are expected in Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska and Ohio. If realized, the planted area in New York and North Dakota will be the largest on record with 1.5 million and 4.35 million respectively.

Sources: USDA news release, Business Insider, Dairy Today

April is National Garden Month.   Although it might be a few weeks before I actually till the soil, planting preparations are underway.  I’ve already purchased the seed packets that I need.  Now I’m eagerly awaiting a trip to the Mennonite greenhouses where I’ll pick out tomato and pepper plants, as well as my annual flowers.

Each year I look forward to trying something new in my little garden.  Last year it was sweet potatoes, and the year before I grew three types of potatoes: red, white and blue ones.  This year I’m trying my hand at growing edamame.  (Pronounced “ed-a-mommy.” If you don’t like my phonetics, you can listen to a pronunciation here.  I had so much fun listening to it that I saved the link in my favorites!)

Edamame are green soybeans that are harvested at the peak of ripening, right before it reaches the hardening stage.  Because they grow in clusters on bushy branches, they’re aptly named: eda means “branches” and mame means “beans” in Japanese.

These “bush soybeans” grow larger than bush green bean plants and tend to flop, according to the limited research I conducted online.  Since I like my garden to look as neat as possible, I’ll probably put up a few stakes and strings to keep my edamame upright.  I’ve also read that edamame is great for container gardens, so encourage your non-farming friends and relatives to also give it a try!  Growing edamame is also a great children’s activity, and research shows children are more apt to eat what they helped grow or make.

It seems only fitting to promote soybean consumption as April is also National Soyfoods Month.  Send me your soyfood recipes, so we can feature them this month.

In the last eight months, corn prices have doubled while U.S. corn stocks dropped, stated a recent Wallaces Farmer article. Even with prices as high as they are today, it still looks as though 2011 corn acres are going to fall short of demand.

USDA will release its Planting Intentions report this Thursday, and farmers and grain traders alike are eagerly awaiting the numbers. In February, USDA economists said they anticipated close to 92 million acres to be planted to corn nationwide this spring, but even those 92 million acres (up from 88 million last year), wouldn’t be enough to satisfy demand.  Grain market analysts say this number falls five million acres short of what’s needed to help rebuild tight U.S. corn stocks.

The Dakota-Minnesota region which accounted for 16 percent of U.S. corn acres last year is being looked upon intently in this scenario. “If corn planting is delayed in that region, that will tend to push more acres into beans,” says Bob Wisner, retired Iowa State University Extension grain marketing economist.

As if there weren’t enough coals in the fire, ISU Extension climatologist Elwynn Taylor is projecting a 2011 drought based on a continuing strong La Nina. If this prediction comes true, the 2011 average U.S. corn yield could fall well short of the trendline. Taylor’s worst case scenario is a 148 bu/acre corn yield average in 2011, the article stated.

What are your thoughts on the current corn acre projections? Will you be planting any acres to corn this year?

Click here to read the full article at wallacesfarmer.com.

World-wide demand for U.S. soy is climbing, according to a recent article in Beyond the Bean. The U.S. Soybean Export Council believes the need for U.S. soy by users in eight countries could significantly increase over the next five to 10 years: China, Egypt, Indonesia, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, Syria and Vietnam.

Escalating incomes among these citizens means they can now afford to consume more vegetable oils, protein, poultry, meat and fish. Thus, the animal producers in these countries will require more animal feed and food processors more vegetable oil.

In Southeast Asia, for example, the annual per capita meat consumption is expected to increase to 11 pounds by 2030. That’s double the amount of meat consumed by the average citizen a decade ago!

Soybean oil continues to be the preferred vegetable oil for consumption in the Middle East, and Syria’s growing demand has led to the construction of several new processing facilities.

Demand is also expected to increase for soy in China and Mexico, which are currently the United States’ strongest export markets. In 2010, China imported 825 million bushels of U.S. soy.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) predicts the global population will reach 8.3 billion by 2030. As the world’s population grows, demand for high-quality soybeans, soybean meal and soybean oil is expected to further increase.

Click the below links to read more about growing soy exports:
Growing global demand.
Can U.S. ports handle growing soy exports?

I had the honor of joining some Latham customers on combine rides last fall.  I talked with them about product performance and the markets. I talked with them about their goals for expansion or about their desire to pass their farm to their children.  Although agriculture has been a part of my life since I was a child, I was reminded during those conversations just what an incredibly special group of people farmers are.

That’s why when consumers have misconceived notions about food prices, food quality or “food versus fuel,” I have to give farming a voice. I believe it’s vitally important to educate individuals about today’s agriculture practices, so they have a better understanding of just how dinner arrived on their plate or clothes on their backs.

The South Dakota Corn Growers Association is doing a marvelous job at educating consumers about agriculture and the many reasons consumers should “thank a farmer.” With their recent campaign, the True Environmentalists, the SDCGA is sharing with consumers how farmers were concerned about the environment before being concerned was “trendy.”

This campaign website shares ways in which farmers work to protect the soil, air, water and wildlife.  It also shares 10 reasons consumers should “thank a farmer.”

One reason to thank a U.S. farmer is because their productivity allows us to save money at the grocery store.  Americans as a whole spend just 9.6 percent of their disposable income on food (including dining out) – the lowest percentage in history! Not only that, but according to a United States Department of Agriculture article, just 11.6 cents of every dollar we spend on that food makes it back to the farmer.

I encourage you to visit SDGA’s site and share this page with your Facebook friends and Twitter followers to help educate consumers about agriculture and provide them with a few of the many, many reasons they should thank a farmer today.

Thanks to those farmers in Latham country and beyond who work so hard to help feed and fuel our world!

“America’s ‘Most Valuable People’ aren’t found on magazine covers. Rather, they are found in farm fields, feed stores, and livestock barns. They are American farmers, a group whose labors, although largely unrecognized, are vital to the lives of all U.S. citizens – or at least the ones that eat,” writes the 2011 Ag Day Written Essay Contest Winner Nora Faris.

Faris of Concordia, Missouri, continues by writing, “In this modern age of supermarkets and 24-hour fast food restaurants, it has become increasingly hard for the American public to fathom where their food comes from. Long gone are the days when a chicken dinner meant selecting a bird from the henhouse. Today’s consumer, faced with an endless array of choices, selects their poultry with little knowledge of its origin, unaware of the work that went into producing and dispatching the bird. They fail to realize the vital connection between farm and food, between production and consumption. Little do they realize that without our nation’s strong agricultural infrastructure of farmers, their grocery store shelves would be bare.”

It’s so true that many Americans have no concept of where their food comes from or how it’s produced.  AgWeb Editor Greg Vincent recently conducted “man on the street” interviews in New York City by asking them, “What comes to mind when ya think of a farmer?”  Although the indivdiuals’ responses were entertaining, it was a sad commentary because it highlighted how many Americans are ignorant about their food supply. It’s one thing not to understand how a dairy cow is fed and cared for; it’s another thing to not even know that the milk in a milk chocolate bar was produced by a cow.

“Agriculture provides almost everything we eat, use and wear on a daily basis. But too few people truly understand this contribution,” writes Jeffrey Stapper in the Southwest Farm Press.  “Today each American farmer feeds more than 144 people, a dramatic increase from 25 people in the 1960s. Quite simply, American agriculture is doing more – and doing it better.”

Hats off to America’s farmers who produce the safest, most abundant food supply in the world!  Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds is  proud to help you feed and fuel the world.

Article submitted by Carol Balvanz, Director of Policy for the Iowa Soybean Association.

A recent survey of non-farm residents by the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) shows that consumers trust Iowa’s farmers to supply safe, abundant food – and to do it while taking good care of their animals.

Iowa is a top pork, egg, chicken, turkey and beef state. It has a growing dairy industry. Some might think that all this production would lead to disgruntled neighbors and consumers susceptible to animal rights organization horror stories. But it may be that all this familiarity with livestock production and with the farmers who raise the livestock help Iowans see through the radical rhetoric from groups whose main goal is to eliminate livestock production in the U.S.

One clue to Iowans’ perception of livestock agriculture was found in the survey question which asked, “Can there be a difference between what is considered humane treatment of farm animals and humane treatment of household pets?”

Polling showed 83% of survey participants agreed there is a difference between pets and farm animals, leading the Iowa Soybean Association to believe that the education efforts of individual farmers and groups such as the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers have made an impact on those Iowans who have no remaining connection to the farm. Those consumers trust Iowa’s farmers to supply safe, abundant food, and to do it while taking good care of their animals.

Iowa consumers seem to have no illusions that pigs are pets. Instead, they see value in housing systems that keep those pigs warm, dry, comfortable and gaining weight quickly so that they can reach their destiny of becoming part of the food supply.

March 13-19, 2011 is National Ag Week, and today many Americans will celebrate National Ag Day.  It’s a time to educate the general public about how food and fiber are produced, as well as the important role U.S. agriculture plays in feeding a hungry world.  It’s a time to consider career opportunities in agriculture, as well as a time to salute America’s farmers.

Today I’d like to give a “shout out” to all of the hardworking and productive farmers in Latham Country.  I hope you’ll take two minutes to watch this moving video about why God made farmers.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWpeNAUe5Vw&feature=player_embedded#at=40[/youtube]

The photos featured in this video show “farming through the years,” reminding me about visits to my grandparents’ farm.  While farm equipment has certainly changed through the years, the values and animal care found on Grandpa’s farm live on with today’s farmers and ranchers.

Our hometown of Sheffield, Iowa, has been bursting with pride since Friday night when the West Fork Warhawks won the Class 2A Boys State Basketball Championship at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines and capped a perfect 27-0 season.  The Warhawks beat Western Christian of Hull, Iowa, in a thrilling 60-56 overtime victory.   West Fork’s Seth Tuttle, who scored 27 points including the game-clinching, free throw with 7 seconds left, was named captain of the All Tournament Team.

“This is everything that I’ve ever wanted. It’s the best way to end it,”  said Tuttle in a Des Moines Register article. “But it’s not about me, it’s about this West Fork team. It’s about West Fork nation.”

West Fork is a new school district that formed last year when the Sheffield, Chapin, Meservey, Thornton school districts combined with Rockwell-Swaledale.  West Fork was chosen as the name because the West Fork River runs through the district.

Congratulations to the State Champion Warhawks! We’re proud to be part of the West Fork Nation and are proud to call Sheffield “home.”