Cornbelt Update is a weekly summary of news from Extension, government, and other attributable sources, focused on marketing, farm management, and other issues that are of interest to Midwestern farm owners and operators.

Soybean demand remains strong and there are indications that price rationing has been occurring, says IL marketing specialist Darrel Good. In his weekly newsletter, Good says July futures seem to have peaked at $12.90, and have softened along with the basis, which leads him to believe sufficient rationing of old crop soybeans has occurred. Read his newsletter.

Darrel Good says export business is above the pace to reach the 1.25 bil. bu. that USDA has projected for the year. Additionally, the domestic crush is slightly stronger than expected. USDA recently forecast a 110 mil. bu. carryout at the end of the marketing year in August, which is a 3.6% stocks-to-use ratio, however, Good believes that despite the high demand, stocks will probably not drop below the typical pipeline supply.

The corn market has also weakened slightly, but basis levels have remained steady, and the market is apparently comfortable that the new crop will provide sufficient supplies for the 2010 marketing year. Darrel Good believes the recent decline in prices may be linked to financial and other outside markets. However, he says, “All of the ingredients for volatile corn and soybean prices appear to be in place,” creating market uncertainty.

Jim Hilker at Mich. State expects harvest prices around $4, given the USDA’s current supply-demand projections and $65-70/barrel of oil. “At $4.25 and normal state and your farm yields we would not sign up for ACRE, but could prices be $3.50, the August report will let us know, so let's be ready.” Read more.

Hilker’s recommendation for the ACRE farm program is to fill out the paperwork now, wait for the August 12 Crop Report to indicate the potential supply and fall prices, then file paperwork by the August 14 deadline. “You will have a good idea of the state yields, your yields, and the US price with high odds after the report. That is all the information you need to make the decision. But you need to have everything in place.”

Wheat prices have softened, and Hilker’s rearview mirror says, “Using hindsight, it appears the time to have priced some 2009 wheat was early June. If we get near the previous highs during harvest, certainly consider pricing much of your wheat. It is very unclear to me that there will be any returns to storage, the futures certainly do not suggest any, and the basis is still very unreliable.” He says other crops may pay returns to storage.

Corn or beans? In addition to reduced corn yield, OH agronomist Peter Tomison says there are other considerations when debating whether to switch corn ground to beans:
1) Higher grain moisture that may require artificial drying.
2) Lower test weights that may result in significant dockage.
3) Greater stalk lodging and stalk rots that may slow harvest and reduce yield.
4) Increased injury from silk clipping by corn rootworm beetles and Japanese beetles.
5) Greater injury from foliar diseases, such as gray leaf spot.
6) Less effective nitrogen uptake if the weather turns dry after planting.

Purdue corn king Bob Nielsen recommends just parking your corn planter. After thunderstorms crossed through the Eastern Cornbelt on Thursday too many fields will be too wet to plant and “the agronomic viability of planting corn through the rest of this month in central and northern Indiana is essentially non-existent.” And his comments could reasonably apply to similar latitudes in neighboring states as well.

Nielsen joins other agronomists in saying maturity will be delayed too much. “Even early-maturity hybrids planted this late incur substantial risk of stressful weather conditions during flowering and grain filling prior to physiological maturity. Pollination that occurs in early to mid-August can easily experience some of the hottest and driest periods of the growing season.” Nielsen says plant stress will increase the potential for stalk rot as carbohydrates move from the stalk to the ears, with later risk of lodging.

With nitrogen dissipating in the soil, IL crop production specialist Emerson Nafziger says the switch from corn to beans is more justified on the basis of economics, “The expenditure to apply N has diminished, and even though it's not pleasant to write off such an expense, it is likely that the value of yield loss from delayed corn planting will exceed the value of the N left in most fields, making the switch to another crop more logical.”

Desperation alternative #1. Sorghum can be planted in late June to July, but needs good late summer weather fill grain, and that process can stop if September is cool. It attracts different insects, and sometimes weed control can be a challenge.

Desperation alternative #2. Buckwheat will produce seed even if planted in mid-July and will set seed until frost. Since it is a cool season crop, it will suffer in a hot dry summer. Contrary to some reports, buckwheat does not fix N and is not a soil builder.

Desperation alternative #3. Sorghum-sudan grass may be an alternative if there is a market for forage. While it is a warm season forage and can be planted late, it does not produce high quality forage. And late planting can compromise its quality.

Desperation alternative #4. If there is a forage market, corn can be planted as a forage crop and may even produce some grain, which would increase its feed value. It may have a similar yield to other forage crops without grain production. Late corn may escape corn rootworm, so the use of conventional, non-Bt seed may allow seed costs to drop.

Desperation alternative #5. Extension crop specialist Emerson Nafziger says anecdotal reports indicate that prevented planting payments from crop insurance may exceed the expected profit from a cash crop that might be planted this late in the growing season. Read Nafziger’s planting options.

The double-crop calendar will be used by many soybean growers says IL crop specialist Emerson Nafziger, “Full-season" soybeans will have little or no head start on double-crop soybeans in many areas this year. In fact, wheat dries out the soil as long as the wheat plants are still green, so fields following wheat harvest may in some cases be ready to plant sooner than those planned for a "full-season" (soybean) crop.”

What insects are attacking Cornbelt crops? Extension entomologists report:
1) Soybean aphids are near the MSU campus, northern IN, southern MN, & NW Ohio.
2) Sporadic infestations include: white grubs, wireworms, black cutworms, bean leaf beetles, potato leafhoppers in alfalfa, and armyworms in wheat fields.
3) Unusually high populations of corn borers are in NE and IA.
4) Corn rootworms are well into their hatch in central and northern IL.

Regarding soybean aphids in Ohio, Extension entomologist Ron Hammond expected to find high populations in odd-numbered years, “But what is unusual this year is the large number of aphids being found so early in the season. The situation could be that many soybean fields were planted late this year due to persistent wet weather, so early planted fields are receiving the brunt of aphid colonization.” He says scout early soybeans.

Late beans may be lucky! Late-planted soybeans have a lower disease risk than early-planted soybeans in nearly all diseases with the exception of soybean rust. "Late planting in soybeans really doesn't affect the disease situation much. In fact, it probably actually helps it," says Don Hershman, UK Extension plant pathologist. "Usually the only disease where there could be an increased risk is with soybean rust." Read more.

Asian soybean rust has been found in 21 counties in LA, AL, GA, & FL along with Mexico. IL plant pathologist Carl Bradley says when you consider the later planting of some Midwestern soybean fields, the risk of soybean rust may be slightly elevated. Rust has not been a yield problem the past several years because beans are mature by the time it has arrived in the Midwest. For updates, rely on the rust website.

Your first herbicide application may not have performed well, say Purdue weed specialists who say the cool, wet conditions may have interfered with translocation of the herbicide throughout the weed. That means a field check may find that a second herbicide application could be necessary. The specialists also warn that warmer temperatures will enhance weed growth and some could overtake young soybeans.

Should you use a PSNT test to analyze whether to apply nitrogen to corn, where you are concerned that spring weather conditions and Father Time may have diminished the N availability? The Pre-Sidedress Nitrate Test is a tool to help decide. However, WI soil scientist Carrie Laboski says when temperatures are cooler than normal by 1ºF or more, the PSNT test underpredicted the N credits that were due to manure and legumes by 59%. So, a cool PSNT test called for more N than was needed about 60% of the time.

Puny, discolored corn may outgrow its appearance when the soil warms up and dries out and root development is enhanced, says MSU soil scientist Darryl Warncke. Those symptoms include purple corn that appears to have a phosphorous deficiency, yellow striped leaves that appear to be a sulfur deficiency, and yellowish mottling that appears to be a magnesium deficiency. He says slow root growth interfered with nutrient uptake.

Are you applying 28% N in your UAN or only 20%? If you stored it over the winter, a cold spell of 0ºF may have caused the urea and ammonium nitrate to come out of solution and settle as crystals in the bottom of the tank. The N is not lost, but may need a pump to circulate the N back into a 28% solution, and the warmer the temperature, the better.

In the rush to apply anhydrous ammonia, Purdue safety specialist Bill Field says too many chances and shortcuts are taken, but be sure to not forget your safety checklist:
1) Ensure you have enough water to flush ammonia burns for 15 minutes.
2) Check integrity of hitches, because when they break, hoses snap and flail.
3) Goggles will save your sight and rubber gloves will protect your hands.
4) Your cell phone battery should be charged, so you can call for help if burned.

If your crops are burned, some of the blame may be attributed to sprayer tank residue. Kristine Schaefer at Iowa State says water may not always rinse out the residue and crops can be injured when the chemicals return to solution. Those include: Dicamba, 2,4-D, Status, NorthStar, Callisto, Impact, and Laudis. She says glyphosate and glufosinate are good tank cleaners and can rejuvenate older chemicals unexpectedly in the sprayer lines.

If your corn looks goofy, was Lumax part of your herbicide strategy? Purdue weed specialists say the weather and the chemistry may have collided and they have noticed corn injury in the form of bleaching of leaves and the inability of the corn leaves to unfurl. Testing at Purdue indicated potential problems when soils were cool and wet. Read more.

Is it too early for corn earworms and corn borers? No, says IL crop specialist Mike Roegge who has found both of them, despite the calendar. He says high populations can cause economic damage to young corn plants, and scouting should be a priority. Use this treatment decision aid.

Genetically-modified crops have benefited the environment, says IL entomologist Mike Gray, quoting a new study.
1) Since 1996 global farm income improved $21.8 bil. from beans & $7.2 bil. from corn.
2) In 2007, 12 mil. farmers used GMO technology, 90% of them in developing countries.
3) Pesticide use has dropped 8.8% (359 mil. KG of active ingredient) since 1996.
4) Herbicide and insecticide use has dropped a total of 17.2% since 1996.
5) Because of less pesticide use, 2007 tractor fuel savings totaled about 100 mil. gal.

Cow slaughter is up 1.7% for the year; but most of that is dairy cattle, and MO livestock economists say that is not enough, “This data indicates cow-calf producers have slowed or possibly even stopped the decline in the beef cow herd. With only about a 2% cut in the cow herd on Jan. 1, the odds are low that the herd has been reduced enough to get the beef supply in line with demand that will be profitable for producers with $4 corn.”

On the weather map, OSU meteorologist Jim Noel expects normal temperatures and precipitation for the summer. He says normal heat in July and September and a warmer than normal August. Rainfall is expected to be normal in July and September and drier in August. His early prediction is for an El Nino to turn fall and winter into warmer and drier than normal, which is a pattern change from the high moisture in 2008 and 2009.