Feeds:
Posts
Comments

US Farm Income Up 24% in 2010

September 2, 2010 by sabrina829

Agriculture continues to outperform in 2010 and be one of the bright spots in a very uncertain economy. The USDA now estimates that net farm income will rise 24% in 2010 due to higher returns for soybeans, cotton, and livestock producers. The department also raised its estimates of U.S. farm exports due to strong demand for U.S. grain due to the drought in Russia and Eastern Europe and China’s unexpected transition to a net corn importer.

“Today’s reports are encouraging news. They show that while American agriculture has struggled through difficult economic times…the hard work and resilience of America’s farmers and ranchers have helped put American agriculture on the road to recovery,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

We see today’s report as a first step in the global agriculture boom. Rising farm income and cash receipts translates into more equipment purchases, higher fertilizer use, and the desire to increase production numbers.

Read the full article here on Agweb.com.

For Previous Fastline Blog Posts- Click Here

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Weather and Market Commentary: September 2, 2010

September 2, 2010 by sabrina829

Tuesday, September 2, 2010:

For the entire length of the eastern Plains and into the western Corn Belt, the period since yesterday morning is clearly one where either you got “nailed” with rain, or you got nothing. Eastern South Dakota through southwestern Minnesota, southeastern Nebraska through northwestern Missouri, southwestern Missouri, and areas along the Texas/Oklahoma border are all places that have seen heavy amounts of rain in that period. Hardest hit was southwestern parts of Missouri, where radar is estimating a large area where over three inches of rain fell and suggesting localized rains in excess of six inches (I can confirm over four inches at Springfield); much of that area was under a flood warning early on this Thursday. Rains were just as intense for the other areas that I mention (a handful of counties in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Nebraska were under flash flood warnings early today) but coverage of that rain was not nearly as big. Things should start to calm down once we get past daybreak today, and once we get to that time the very heaviest of the rains will be behind us. Far southeastern parts of the Corn Belt, the Delta and especially the Southeast are still expected to get very little rain before all chances come to an end later tomorrow. Expect largely dry weather for the Labor Day holiday weekend, but it is going to get wet again for middle and latter parts of next week. Like our current system, favored areas for rain for next week will be the length of the eastern Plains and also the central/western Corn Belt; especially in the Corn Belt we could see some pretty big totals for the period of September 7-11. Not much may fall further east and south again for that time frame, so crop drydown and harvesting in those areas should be very rapid for the foreseeable future. Abnormally cool weather will dominate the Nation’s midsection for tomorrow to Sunday, but it will be warmer for Monday and continues to look quite warm for Tuesday through the end of the two week forecast (and probably longer than that); September 9-10 may be the very warmest days for the period in question.

Freese-Notis Weather/Weather Trades, Inc. Des Moines, Iowa Copyright 2010 – All Rights Reserved

For Previous Fastline Blog Posts- Click Here

Posted in Weather Market Commentary | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

FDA Seeks Court Order Against Michigan Dairy

September 1, 2010 by sabrina829

The U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has filed a complaint for permanent injunction against Scenic View Dairy of Hamilton, Mich., its president, and three of its managers alleging that they sold dairy cows for human consumption that contained illegal drug residues in edible tissues.

The complaint, filed August 31, 2010 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, also alleges that the defendants, despite numerous warnings, sold for slaughter dairy cows that were treated with drugs contrary to the drugs’ FDA-approved labeling and without a valid veterinary prescription authorizing such use.

The complaint alleges that violations occurred from 2002 through 2010 at Scenic View Dairy’s three farms, located in Fennville, Freeport, and Gowen, Mich. Company president Michael D. Geerlings, Fennville farm manager Mark A. Lucas, Freeport farm manager Michael J. Van Dam, and Gowen farm manager Jeremy A. Portell were all named in the complaint.

Read the full article on Agweb.com.

For Previous Fastline Blog Posts- Click Here

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Weather and Market Commentary: September 1, 2010

September 1, 2010 by sabrina829

Wednesday, September 1, 2010:

Expected big rains have fallen over the past 24 hours in a large part of the central and western Corn Belt, with lots of one to two inch totals being reported and locally much heavier amounts. One of those heavier amounts was in Ames where over four inches was recorded. That rain simply added “insult to injury” for that location, as it pushed their August rainfall total to an incredible 15.55 inches. Rains are not over with yet for the Corn Belt, as it will not be until later Friday before all of the region is dry again (with Saturday and Sunday looking dry as well). Best rains over the next 48 hours will be from southwestern Missouri northeast to the Chicago area where there will be some 1-2+” totals. It still looks like far southeastern parts of the Corn Belt will get short-changed on rainfall, with totals particularly light south and east of a line from Cape Girardeau to Toledo. For a place like Indianapolis, getting a good rain there still looks “iffy”, and they need it badly given that this past month was the driest August on record there (along with temperatures that ranked as the fourth warmest). Temperatures will average warmer than normal in the Midwest today and in eastern areas tomorrow, but substantial cooling will be seen for Friday through Sunday with temperatures running a solid distance below normal in that period. Following that though is major warming that will be seen for September 7 through the end of the two week forecast (probably longer), which means no threat of an early frost this year for the first half of September for the Corn Belt (and by the time we get to September 15, a whole lot of crop will already be safe from frost). Rainfall next week will stay limited for the southern Plains, eastern/southern Corn Belt, the Delta and the Southeast. With the warm and dry weather coming up for those areas for the end of this week through the middle of the month, we are really going to be pushing crops rapidly to maturity, crop drydown looks rapid, and early harvesting progress should likewise be very rapid.

Freese-Notis Weather/Weather Trades, Inc. Des Moines, Iowa Copyright 2010 – All Rights Reserved

For Previous Fastline Blog Posts- Click Here

Posted in Weather Market Commentary | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

Case IH’s New Lineup for Red Power

August 31, 2010 by sabrina829

case ih magnum web

For the new Magnum and Steiger series tractors, Case IH is building upon its customers’ expectations for power and performance while meeting stricter government regulations on engine emissions.

Both series are powered by Fiat Powertrain Technologies engines with the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system. All Case IH equipment greater than 100 hp will use the SCR system to meet interim Tier 4 standards that take effect January 2011. All Magnum and Steiger models are equipped with Diesel Saver Automatic Productivity Management, which selects the most fuel-efficient gear ratio and engine speed combination.

The nine Magnum series models range from 150 PTO hp to 280 PTO hp. The 180, 190, 210 and 225 tractors are powered by 6.7-liter engines, and the 235, 260, 290, 315 and 340 are powered by 8.7-liter engines featuring up to 14% power growth and Power Boost for mobile PTO and hydraulic applications. Paired with the increased power is a redesigned cooling package that separates three of the four cooling units for less demand on the tractor. The 19F/4R full powershift standard transmission has a 19th economy gear. Transmission options include a 30-mph top-speed package, 18F/4R full powershift transmission and a 23F/4R creeper transmission.

For more, read the full article on Agweb.com.


For Previous Fastline Blog Posts- Click Here

Posted in Features, News, Tractors | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Weather and Market Commentary: August 31, 2010

August 31, 2010 by sabrina829

Tuesday, August 31, 2010:

With crops typically “looking” worse this time of year as they head towards maturity, with increased reports last week of Goss’s Wilt (corn) and Sudden Death Syndrome (soybeans), with dry and rather hot weather seen last week over much of the Midwest and Delta, and with many of the early harvested yield reports for corn coming in rather disappointing, one would have thought that everything was in line for a good amount of deterioration in corn and soybean ratings this week. Thus, steady ratings for soybeans and just a minimal deterioration in corn ratings was a surprise and will be used as a reason to explain overnight losses in those markets. In corn, the top five producing states of Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Indiana did not see a great deal of movement in their ratings last week. The Minnesota crop continues to be the “shining star” with a rating this week at a lofty 91 percent good/excellent (40 percent in the “excellent” category alone). The national crop is rated a little better than a year ago and is now tied with 2004 as having the highest rating for this time of year since 1994 (when the corn crop was rated near 80 percent good/excellent and went on to establish a new national yield record). The weather as of late continues to push the crop quickly towards maturity, with 17 percent of the national crop mature as of this past Sunday (already one-third of the crop or more mature in Illinois, Kansas, and Missouri). For the soybeans, the lack of movement in national soybean ratings was matched by little in the way of big movement in individual state ratings as well. The national crop is still rated worse than a year ago, but other than 2009 it is the highest rated crop since 1998 for this time of year. Already eight percent of the Nation’s soybean crop is dropping leaves, with more than ten percent of the crop at that stage in Indiana and South Dakota. Warm near-term temperatures and big warmth again forecast for September 7 through September 14 (at least) means that we will continue to push this year’s crops quickly towards maturity and means that we are not going to be trading any sort of “early frost fear” this year. Crops in the central and western Corn Belt will get a very nice near-term drink (maybe too much in some spots), but far southeastern parts of the Corn Belt still look to be getting very little (continuing a trend that produced one of the driest Augusts on record for parts of that area).

Freese-Notis Weather/Weather Trades, Inc. Des Moines, Iowa Copyright 2010 – All Rights Reserved

For Previous Fastline Blog Posts- Click Here

Posted in Weather Market Commentary | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

John Deere Unveils Row Crop Tractors with Interim Tier 4 Engines

August 30, 2010 by sabrina829

The new 8R / 8RT Series tractors span six models with wheels and three models with tracks, and each offers 10 to 15 engine horsepower increases over the 2010 models.

All 8R and 8RT models are powered by new PowerTech PSX 9.0L engines that meet upcoming Interim Tier 4 emissions regulations. These in-line, dual turbo-charged, six-cylinder engines use exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) technology and an exhaust filter that automatically cleans itself during normal machine operation. All engines feature full-authority electronic controls, high-pressure fuel systems and air-to-air after-cooling systems.

For the full article, visit Agweb.com.

For Previous Fastline Blog Posts- Click Here

Posted in News, Tractors | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Weather and Market Commentary: August 30, 2010

August 30, 2010 by sabrina829

Monday, August 30, 2010:

One could certainly have written a better ending to the 2010 growing season versus what has actually been seen here in this latter part of August, as dryness and heat has quickly become a factor. Yesterday was a hot day all across the Midwest with lots of 90s (extremes to 94 at Minneapolis, 95 at Topeka, and 96 at Indianapolis), with strong winds in especially western parts of the region making it that much tougher on the corn and soybean crops. It is going to stay warm/hot everywhere through Wednesday and in eastern parts of the region for Thursday (with wind still a factor for today and tomorrow as well). For a place like Indianapolis, that means a six-day stretch of temperatures above the 90 degree mark (two of those days have already been scored), capping off a month of August in which temperatures there will average about six degrees above normal (only two days in which temperatures were barely below normal) and was only 0.37 inches (making it the driest August on record). It will turn much cooler for western parts of the region on Thursday, and then a cool Labor Day holiday weekend is forecast for all of the Corn Belt (with the early part of that period being the coolest). Beyond that though looks to be major warming again for the rest of next week. There is a lot of rain in the forecast prior to the Labor Day weekend for central and western parts of the Midwest. Other than some very isolated activity, it was quiet in the Midwest early on this Monday but by this time tomorrow morning we will see thunderstorms breaking out in far northwestern parts of the region. That rain threat will advance through the rest of the western Corn Belt for later tomorrow, will show little eastward advancement on Wednesday, then will move through the rest of the Corn Belt for Thursday before dry weather is again seen everywhere for Friday. In addition to quite a bit of severe weather, this looks to be a pretty potent rain producer with especially northeastern Kansas, northwestern Missouri, the southeastern half of Iowa, extreme southwestern Wisconsin, and extreme northwestern Illinois potentially seeing some big amounts. In contrast, rain amounts look pretty minimal this week for far southeastern Michigan, much of Ohio, eastern/southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and the Delta.

Freese-Notis Weather/Weather Trades, Inc. Des Moines, Iowa Copyright 2010 – All Rights Reserved

For Previous Fastline Blog Posts- Click Here

Posted in Weather Market Commentary | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

Farm T-shirt Friday

August 27, 2010 by sabrina829

Check out the new I Dig the Pig shirts!

If you would like to order one for yourself or friends, please e-mail jbanbury@ohiopork.org with your name, mailing address, the size and color of the shirt (pink or blue).
Cost is $12.50 per shirt, which includes shipping. Made payable to the Ohio Pork Producers Council.
All proceeds go to support the Pork Power program, which donates pork to Ohio foodbanks.

Front reads: I Dig the Pig.
Back: Images from then and now with text, the barns have changed, the families and values haven’t.

For more, check out the Ohio Hog Farmers Facebook Page.

Thanks for one of our Twitter followers, @scrowell, for directing us to this shirt. If you have a farm t-shirt that you’d like to share, simply email us at interact @ fastline.com, we would love to hear from you.

For Previous Fastline Blog Posts- Click Here

Posted in Farm T-Shirt Friday | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Weather and Market Commentary: August 27, 2010

August 27, 2010 by sabrina829

Friday, August 27, 2010:

The summer of 2010 will be remembered for all of its wet weather in the Midwest (it has been the second wettest summer ever for a state like Iowa) but it is certainly ending on a dry note in some spots. Under an inch of rain has fallen so far this month at Lansing, Flint, South Bend, Indianapolis, Bloomington (IN) and Evansville, and with no rain in the forecast for those areas through Tuesday, that is how they will end the month. For both Flint and Indianapolis, that means that this will be their driest August on record. For those two places and also for Lansing, that continues a dry trend that began in July, as all three of those locations have picked up under 3.25 inches of rain since July 1. With those same places running over five degrees above normal on temperatures this month (after a July that produced temperatures 3-4 degrees above normal at those locations), it is obvious that not everyone has had wet weather as their biggest problem this summer and certainly this growing season is not finishing on a high note in those areas. (We have some notably dry locations in the Delta too; Jonesboro, Dyersburg, Jackson (TN), Greenwood, and Tupelo have all recorded less than 1.25 inches of rain since August 1). At least it has been cooler as of late, but that is not going to last for long with Sunday through Wednesday of next week still looking to be a very warm period for the Corn Belt. By Sunday, highs in the upper 80s will be possible anywhere in the Midwest, but low 90s will be seen in especially areas west of the Missouri River and in areas along and south of Interstate 80. We will probably not see much change in those conditions through Wednesday, but all but southeastern parts of the region are cooler for Thursday (Indiana still probably quite warm that day, so the dry areas there could have five straight days next week with highs of 90 or higher). The next rainfall threat to monitor is still slated to begin Monday night in the far northwestern Corn Belt, with rain chances not reaching the far eastern Corn Belt until Thursday. It still looks like the best rains from that system will be over the western Corn Belt (northern Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, and western Wisconsin could see substantial amounts), with amounts looking light (early guess would be under a half inch) the further you go east in the Midwest (and also for the Delta). Beyond that event the weather pattern does not look especially wet in the Nation’s midsection either. With the warmth and the dryness coming up (along with a good amount of wind on a lot of days), corn and soybean crops will continue to be pushed rapidly towards maturity, crop drydown conditions look to be close to optimal, and we will continue to see harvesting go forth with ease in areas where crops are ready.

Freese-Notis Weather/Weather Trades, Inc. Des Moines, Iowa Copyright 2010 – All Rights Reserved

For Previous Fastline Blog Posts- Click Here

Posted in Weather Market Commentary | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

Older Posts »