U.S. CORN PLANTING

THE CORN IN THE GROUND IS GROWING SLOWER THAN NORMAL
The U.S. corn planting pace eclipsed the trade’s expectations and jumped higher than the five-year average, according to the USDA’s Weekly Crop Progress Report.
As of Sunday, 71% of the U.S. corn crop had been put into the ground vs. a 70% five-year average and a trade expectation of 65%, according to Monday’s report.

The governmental agency noted that Minnesota’s corn planting surged 49% points to 84% completed vs. a week ago, while Iowa farmers added 33% more corn seeded to total 85% completed.

USDA pegged corn emergence at 31% vs. a 36% five-year average.

today’s report could be slightly negative for tonight’s corn market and neutral for soybeans.

“This is a little better than what I had expected. Soybean planting is right in-line with the five-year average. Spring wheat planting is at 78%, which is 5 points ahead of the five-year average. 

halloumi and hellim

halloumi and hellim

OVER the past four decades, officials negotiating an end to Europe’s oldest frozen conflict, the dispute between the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus and the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), have had plenty to chew on. A deal now appears possible; leaders on both sides say it could come by the end of the year. Reunification hinges on a dizzying number of issues, including property, governance and the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the northern part of the island. Yet there is one area where Greek and Turkish Cypriots already see eye to eye: cheesemaking.

Love of the salty, rubbery cheese known as halloumi in the south and hellim in the north enriches the island. Last year, the Greek south exported €103m ($116m) worth of the stuff, much of it to Britain. In the TRNC, hellim made up a full quarter of all exports.

Last July the two sides filed a joint application to have the cheese declared a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product by the European Union. This status would place halloumi and hellim on a footing with such lauded delicacies as Parma ham, champagne and Roquefort cheese, banning dairy producers outside Cyprus from using either name. A decision is expected later this year.

For Turkish Cypriot cheesemakers, however, PDO status will count for little without a peace settlement. It might allow hellim to be sold in the southern part of the island. But as Cyprus has been a member of the EU since 2004, the bloc’s laws apply only in the Greek part of the island. As a result hellim, like other northern products, remains frozen out of Europe’s single market.

Much of it ends up in Turkey, the only country to recognise the TRNC. Exports to cheese lovers in other parts of the world have to be sent through Turkish ports, where handling, storage and insurance costs all eat away at profits. “A Greek Cypriot company pays less than $2,500 for a shipping container to Saudi Arabia,” explains Candan Avunduk of Meric Sut, a Turkish Cypriot dairy producer. “We pay $6,000.”

Even in the case of a peace deal, other delays may be in store thanks to strict hygiene regulations. Meeting European health standards will probably take the local dairy sector at least three years, estimates Fikri Toros, head of the Turkish Cypriot chamber of commerce. For cheese enthusiasts in Europe, it will be worth the wait.

New toolkit for dairy ventilation

New toolkit for dairy ventilation

There are several benefits when dairy facilities are mechanically ventilated.

“You have more control of the air flow through the facility, and you can orient the barn any way you choose because you’re not dependent on prevailing winds,” the veterinarian said. “We can build facilities for more cows in less square footage which takes up less land.”

One of the major challenges with tunnel barns, is air goes in the path of least resistance.

“Air wants to flow down the alleyways, and wherever the cow is living, we see much slower air speed,”. “So we’ve gravitated back to fans over the resting space as we’ve done in naturally ventilated barns.”

One of the immediate advantages of a cross-vent barn is the air moves perpendicular to the feed lanes.

“However, at any cross alley or at the ends of barns, we see air coming out of the pens and flowing directly through the cross lanes at fast speeds,”

Baffles can be used to re-direct the air and get the fast moving air in the resting space.

“Baffles do a great job in these facilities,”

“The stall is a micro-climate within a cow barn that we have to make sure there is sufficient air flow through,” 

Dairy ventilation

Dairy ventilation

 As dairy facilities have increased in size and cows’ milk production has increased, which results in more heat generated, dairymen are looking for different options to ventilate barns.

“Generally, cows do quite well in a range of temperatures from 40 to 70 degrees,” “But cows become heat stressed at lower temperatures than humans are bothered by heat.”

In addition, the veterinarian noted, a cow that produces 120 pounds of milk will produce twice as much heat as a cow that is producing 40 pounds of milk.

With naturally-ventilated buildings, air enters through the eaves, is warmed by the animals and leaves through the ridge.

“That flow of air requires adequate interior roof slope of a minimum 1 in 4 slope,” the doctor said. “When the wind blows, that will assist that air flow by creating negative pressure around the ridge and helping draw the air out of the barn.”

As the dairy industry has expanded and dairymen have added cows to their herds, they also have built additional barns.

“That single barn on top of the hill that did us quite well with natural ventilation is challenged when we build multiple facilities because the barn down downwind will provide a shadow to the next barn,”

Help cows keep their cool

Critical for dairymen to reduce heat in facilities

Critical Elements Of Ventilation Design

fast moving air in the resting environment.
Sufficient air changes per hour to remove heat and moisture from the barn.
System should

work as well in the winter as it does in the summer.

stored grain pest this year

Keep an Eye on Stored Grain this Planting Season

With the arrival of planting season, producers need to regularly check their stored grain in order to prevent spoilage.  producers need to double the frequency they inspect their grain because this is a high risk year and the condition of stored grain could deteriorate quickly.

“Pay attention to dew point temperatures in the air.If we have a stretch of big storms, there will often be dry air afterward with dew points in the 30s and 40s. Run fans if the grain is warmer than that in order to keep gain cold as long as possible.”

Humid weather can cause grain storage problems and can become an issue if grain is not cooled. If the relative humidity is 65 percent or above, fungi and other spoilage organisms can develop. Aeration in storage bins is done to stay below 65 percent humidity in the grain mass, which helps prevent spoilage.

“If the corn is cold, occasionally water will condense on the top of the bins, so having a bin with a roof ventilator is a plus.If the water has condensed on the roof, take care of it right away with a roof fan and it won’t be necessary to aerate the whole bin with air warmer than it needs to be.”

Last fall was not a good cooling period, as temperatures were warm with relatively high dew points. More of the grain’s storage life was used up, which will mean higher risks this summer. The large carryover means that some of the 2016 crop will need to be in condition even into 2018.

Wet weather is delaying planting in some areas, but a higher moisture harvest is not currently being forecasted.

“A common misconception is if planting season is later, then harvest season will be later.It’s also a misconception that early planting means early harvest, but there is no real correlation between planting date and having wet corn in the fall. The planting date will have no predictable impact on harvest moisture, at least up to a time corn is likely to be switched out in preference to soybeans. It has everything to do with the weather in August and September.”

trump's dicision for American Soybean Association

 ASA Welcomes President Trump’s Decision to Focus on NAFTA Modernization

The American Soybean Association (ASA) welcomed an announcement from President Donald Trump late Wednesday that the United States would remain a member of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The announcement came following reports that the White House was readying an executive order to withdraw from the agreement, prompting significant concern and swift action from ASA and other farm groups that recognize the importance of NAFTA and agreements like it. Instead, the White House announced that it will engage with Canada and Mexico in a renegotiation of the major trade pact, which has significantly benefitted soybean producers.
“We are relieved by the president’s decision that the United States will work on improving the NAFTA rather than withdrawing from it, and we will continue to closely monitor negotiations as they move forward,” said ASA President Ron Moore, a soybean farmer from Roseville, Ill. “When you’re talking about $3 billion in soybean exports a year, any threats to withdraw from agreements and walk away from markets makes farmers extremely nervous. We remain supportive of efforts to modernize NAFTA and further expand access for U.S. soy in Mexico and Canada, and we look forward to working with the administration to realize these goals.”
Moore used the situation to underscore the importance of having key administration personnel like Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue in place, and called on the Senate to swiftly confirm Ambassador Robert Lighthizer as U.S. Trade Representative.
“It is clear that Secretary Perdue clearly sees the link between increased access to global markets and success for American farmers,” said Moore.   “We are grateful that he was sworn in this week and had the opportunity to provide advice on the NAFTA decision.  As we move forward, it is key Amb. Lighthizer be in place at USTR. We applaud the Senate Finance Committee for its approval of his nomination, and look to the full Senate to confirm him as quickly as possible.”