UnitedSoybean

Dec. 1 biofuels conference

Purdue University and 11 other Midwest land-grant universities will hold a biofuels conference on Tuesday, December 1 from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

The Growing the Bioeconomy: Solutions for Sustainability conference will include presentations by Purdue ag economists Wally Tyner and Steven Wu, and James Lovelock, an expert on global environmental science. Ag Secretary Vilsack is also scheduled to make remarks.

Brownfield story

Weekly corn, soybean exports top 1 million tons

It was a very strong week for corn and soybean export sales. Corn and bean sales for the week ending November 19 topped pre-report expectations while wheat, soybean meal and soybean oil were inside estimates. Soybean shipments were bigger than what’s needed weekly to meet USDA projections for the 2009/10 marketing year but corn and wheat fell short of their marks.

Soybeans came out at 1,135,300 tons (41.7 million bushels), 16% less than the prior week but 23% more than the four week average. China bought the vast majority of the total at 859,800 tons, while unknown destinations canceled on 177,000 tons. At this point in the marketing year, soybean sales are 995.4 million bushels, compared to 631.7 million a year ago.

Brownfield story

Lincoln proposes disaster payment legislation

Senate Ag Chairman Blanche Lincoln says she’s partnered with the highest ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Thad Cochran, to help farmers who’ve suffered extensive crop losses this year, the wettest in 115 years of record keeping. She says the pair is introducing legislation to provide additional direct payments to producers in counties where there’s a USDA declared disaster.

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EU decision could impact soybean demand

The EU Commission is deciding whether to approve Syngenta’s Agrisure—MIR604 biotech enhanced corn.  Traces of the corn were found in some EU export bound soybean and soymeal shipments earlier this summer, causing the EU to halt imports from the U.S.  If the EU Commission approves Agrisure, normal U.S. soy shipments to the EU could resume. 

Market analyst Sue Martin of Ag and Investment Services in Webster City, Iowa says a positive decision could have big consequences.

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A good year for soybean exports

“Soybeans have come through this global economic slowdown very well,” the words of Brent Babb with the U.S. Soybean Export Council. He says while developed markets like the U.S. and Europe are slow to recover; developing nations like China are rebounding quite nicely.

Brownfield story with audio

ASA supports disaster assistance legislation

Senate Ag Committee Chair Blanche Lincoln and two other senators have introduced a bill to pay farmers up to one-point-three billion dollars in direct payments in counties declared “primary” disaster areas by USDA.  The dollars would come from leftover bank bailout funds. 

ASA president Johnny Dodson says that direct payments would be more efficient than using the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE) to pay farmers.

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That Thanksgiving meal will cost less this year

That Thanksgiving meal will be a little cheaper this year. The Wisconsin Farm Bureau says the 14 items in their annual Thanksgiving meal for a family of eight total $38.53. That is $3.84 less than the same items cost last year.

The main feature of the dinner, a 16-pound turkey is $15.79 which is $1.55 less than a year ago.

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Another very strong week for soybean export inspections

Soybean inspections for the week ending November 19 were larger than expected, wheat was inside pre-report estimates and corn was below all projections. Inspections on soybeans were more than what’s needed weekly to meet the USDA’s projection for the 2009/10 marketing year but corn and wheat fell short.

Soybeans were pegged at 73.787 million bushels, 10.983 million more than the prior week and 32.874 million larger than last year at this time.

Brownfield story

U.S. soybean harvest now at 94%

As of Sunday, 94% of soybeans are harvested, compared to the five year average of 97%. Except for Kansas, Missouri, North Dakota and Tennessee, all of the major U.S. production states are at least 90% harvested.

The corn harvest is 68% complete, compared to 94% on average. In contrast to soybeans, only four of the major U.S. production states are more than 90% harvested.

Brownfield story

Sequencing of corn genome opens door

Now that scientists have completed the first comprehensive gene map of North American corn, the door is open to further technological advances in corn hybrids. 

Dr. Pat Schnable, director of the Center for Plant Genomics at Iowa State University, is one of the scientists involved in the corn genome project. “This is a fabulous start of telling us how the corn plant grows and develops,” says Schnable, “but now we need to link it to functional information.  How do all of those genes—those applications—interact to make the plant grow and develop?”

Brownfield story with audio