Corn

There were a few surprises in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s crop production and supply and demand reports that were more for the bears than the bulls.

Lower corn and soybean yield projections had little impact on anticipated season-average prices due to larger harvested area and demand factors in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s supply and demand estimates report.

Projected corn yield averages in the “I” states were lowered and soybeans saw minor, if any, adjustments in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s crop production report.

Ryan Gentle, Wyffels Hybrids agronomy manager for central and southern Illinois, shared his thoughts and advice on harvest at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur.

The annual yield survey by First Mid Ag Services estimates McLean County corn to average 223.69 bushels per acre. The yield estimate is based on 1,620 samples from 162 locations.

Agronomists covering a broad area of the Corn Belt gave their insights on crop conditions, nitrogen applications and other topics recently at Beck’s Central Illinois Field Show.

Tar spot was an unknown corn disease in the “I” states less than a decade ago, but no longer. A severely infected field can reach yield losses upwards of 60 bushels per acre.

A producer-based survey across the nation’s primary corn and soybean states estimates yields below the August U.S. Department of Agriculture projections.

Those who follow my column know I am quite bullish toward the food and energy markets. They also know that my forecast for those markets to turn bullish has not yet come to fruition.

After “the craziness of 2021 and 2022″ the farmland market appears to be catching its breath with stable to slight declines for the first half of 2023.

Influencers from Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Peru, Colombia and Chile toured Indiana’s ethanol supply chain, thanks to a trip hosted by Indiana’s corn checkoff organizations and the U.S. Grains Council.

During the Farm Progress Show, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski stood alongside farmers and biofuels experts to confirm ethanol’s role in lowering carbon and supporting rural economies.

Sixteen of the nation’s top corn grower leaders sent a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen encouraging her to adopt an emissions model developed by the Department of Energy.

I imagine some of you have started harvest by now. Not me, though, but that’s normal. Our double-crop beans are getting really thirsty since we’ve only had a third of an inch of rain in over six weeks.

August is the month for maintenance jobs and preparing for harvest on Chris Gould’s farm. “We finished sweeping out the bins so the wheat and corn are all gone,” he said.