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Indiana is behind nearly every other state in corn planting. Billions are on the line.


Muda69

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https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2019/06/10/indiana-farmers-behind-corn-planting-why/1352875001/

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More than 5.5 million acres of Indiana farmland were scheduled to be planted with corn this year. The state's farmers had only planted 31 percent of that as of June 2, the point in the year when farmers are typically packing up their planters for the season. 

Indiana is behind almost every other state in its corn planting. That could put upward pressure on meat prices, economists say. And now the soybean crop, already affected by a trade war, is starting to fall behind, too.

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"As you start to plant corn after the first week of June, it's more risky because you have less summer available for that corn to grow," said Michael Langemeier, a professor of agriculture economics at Purdue University's Center for Commercial Agriculture. "So chances of early frost, chances of incremental weather of any sort in the summer, leads to more risk."

It's not the amount of rain that's the problem, according to Mike Ryan, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Indianapolis. Rainfall is barely above average. Two years ago, the region saw about five inches more precipitation, but without the impacts on farming.

The real problem is Indiana had a wet winter followed by constant rainfall during spring.

"We just couldn’t get an extended period of dry weather," Ryan said. "Even though the amounts haven’t been excessive, the ground just hasn’t had any time to dry out."

The ideal window for planting corn is from about April 20 to May 25. As that window closed this year, only 22 percent of the crop had been planted. At the same time last year, 95 percent of Indiana's corn was in the ground.

At this point, farmers have few options but to plant when they can and hope for the best. Even with this option, insurance coverage declines 1 percent each day farmers choose to plant after June 6. If weather prevents them from planting entirely, insurance could provide some compensation but at a much lower rate.

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What is clear about the current predicament facing Indiana farmers is how much an already-volatile market wants their corn. 

The price of corn futures has increased steadily — rising from about $3.40 in April to above $4 per bushel — in anticipation of a smaller yield from the Corn Belt, a region in the Midwest that extends from western Ohio to eastern Nebraska and northeast Kansas, said David Oppedahl, senior business economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

The price of corn was at $4.15 at the close of Friday. Higher prices encourage corn users to ration the commodity, Langemeier said, adding that the vast majority of U.S. corn stays in the United States. It's difficult for ethanol and livestock producers to cut back on corn because there are no good substitutes, he said, noting the export market could be squeezed if corn is rationed. In most cases, ethanol and livestock producers will just pay the higher prices.

Corn is Indiana's top agricultural commodity, generating about $3.28 billion in sales and $636 million in export dollars, according to the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. Because it's unclear how many fields Indiana corn producers managed to plant during last week's rain reprieve, neither Purdue economists nor the state could say how big of a hit Indiana's economy would take.

It's too early to predict, they said.

Economists said there should be minimal pass-through of higher corn prices to consumers of food-grade corn, though there could be some pressure on meat prices given corn's use in livestock feed. 

"It's not like we're going to have entire farms that don't get planted," Langemeier said. "We're going to have fields ... that don't get planted and that could potentially add up to quite a few acres."

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Farmers took advantage of an extended — by this season's standards — break in the wetness to plant as much as they could early last week.

Aaron Conaway, president of Total Seed Production, raises crops for seed on about 11,000 acres in Tipton and Clinton counties. He and about 30 members of his staff worked round the clock, working 18-hour shifts and taking turns sleeping and doing different jobs for 55 hours straight. That window of dryness allowed the longest stretch of planting all year.

"Up till then, we would only have a 5, 6, 7 hours of weather where we'd be able to get into the fields," Conaway said.

Even once the crop is planted, there's no telling if what comes up will be marketable, Conaway said.

When soil dries after a rain, it can form a hard cap that is difficult for the sprouts to break through. Corn takes time to mature, so the late-planted crop needs to be ready before the first frost. If that comes early this fall, this year's corn crop might be ruined.

There's also the expectation that summer will likely be as wet as spring, according to Ryan of NWS. Plants need water, but too much can impact how much they yield and if they come up at all.

For now, Oppedahl, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago, said preventative crop insurance payments are expected to spike — though it's unclear by how much. 

"What I tell people is, this difficult spring will have a long tail," Conaway said.

Thanks, Climate Change?

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A bunch got planted last week. Locally, although late, I was guess close to 50% is planted, and with Rose Acres bean meal plant, beans aren't always a bad option for local farmers. Ehhh, it's a wet spring, they happen. I can remember not so long ago farmers talking about planting beans the week of the fair, last week of July. I would guess we'll survive. 

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6 minutes ago, DanteEstonia said:

Pretty much.

Yawn.....

Precipitation Most consecutive days with measurable (>= 0.01") precipitation

13 - April 9-21, 1893

12 - May 10-21, 2010

11 - 9 times (1875, 1876, 1883, 1896, 1908, 1929, 1933, 1945, 1992) last time was July 7-17, 1992

Most consecutive days with any (>= trace) precipitation

22 - November 27-December 18, 1983 - April 6-27, 1893

19 - January 6-24, 1995

18 - December 29, 1998-January 1999

15,- January 11-28, 1918

The beautiful thing about the term climate "change" is no matter what happens, "change" has it covered.  

What is the ideal amount of CO²?

What is the ideal sea level?

What is the ideal global temperature?

What is the ideal glacial coverage?

What is the ideal sea temperature?

 

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Just now, swordfish said:

As if the state has never had a late season?  Muda, you and Dante are starting to sound like AOC during the tornado siren tantrum she had in DC a week or so ago...........

I simply asked a question.  I personally don't believe climate change is to blame for our wet spring.  Weather <> climate.

 

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2 hours ago, Impartial_Observer said:

Some years it rains more than others. Farmers are at the mercy of the weather. I don't make the rules, I just follow them. Of course if our backwards thinking governor would get off his hands, Hemp could have already been in the ground and thriving with all the wet May weather. 

Baby steps. He was busy at Pride this weekend, maybe hemp is next on the agenda.

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  • 2 weeks later...

http://www.sciotopost.com/corn-2018-vs-corn-2019-one-year-tells-tale/?fbclid=IwAR3x8OpDgh0kQHrRMML8BPEKw5d0lhZnOkUAAbY5rhy8Mr0iElsuOi1d0fY

Corn 2018 vs Corn 2019 One Year Tells the Tale

Screen-Shot-2019-06-19-at-1.13.55-PM-640x417.png
INDIANA – The two pictures you see are a year apart taken in the exact same location. “The Pictures speak volumes to the crisis American Farms are facing this spring,” said Katie Staton.

Staton says her husband is 6’3″ and the corn last year was above his head, this year well most corn in the area is lucky to be out of the ground right now.

The midwest is in a crisis some farmers didn’t even plant this year because of wet conditions, and farmers insurance does not cover bad crop years if planting doesn’t occur by a certain date.


On Monday the U.S. Agriculture reported that Ohio had only planted 68% of its corn, Michigan and Indiana 84%. USDA reduced it expected yield this year to 13.68 billion bushels last year it was 14.3 billion. Corn is now trending to trade at its highest level since 2014.

May 2018 to April 2019 was the wettest year for the United States According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and we are expected more rain all this week.

On June 6 President Trump signed a supplemental appropriations bill for disaster relief and aid for farmers for prevented planting.

What will be the outcome? We may have to pay more at the pump this year and corn will be more pricey. If you see a farmer this year be kind they are under a lot of stress.

 

OK - Houston, we have a problem........Probably Trump's fault......

 

 

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4 minutes ago, swordfish said:

If you see a farmer this year be kind they are under a lot of stress.

 

But won't the Trump administration, or I should say the American taxpayers, effectively bail them out with free money, much like the never ending Farm Bill has done for decades?

 

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Honestly, the flooding in Jackson County is pretty normal. The river crested yesterday at 18.2', it's been higher this year. The farm ground that's flooded is the farm ground that's flooded every year. We probably dodged a bullet in the fact the river was just above the normal summer pool before this last series of rain began,  it was at 5.8' on Saturday. Normal summer pool is 3.5'-4'.  The record flooding we had in 2013 began with the river already just below flood stage, which is 12'. 

The news clip talks about water rescues, which seem to be a growing problem. I just don't understand people. If the water is across the road, it's not safe, turn around. There is a road not far from my house that gets under water. There is a dip in the road, where if you were to drive thru, you might go from 6" of water to suddenly being in about 5' of swift moving water. There have been countless water rescues at the bottom of the hill from my house. Again, if you get pushed off the road, you go from maybe a foot of water across the road to suddenly being in about 4's of swift moving river. I've seen semi's swept off the road there. 

https://www.wave3.com/2019/06/19/flood-covered-roads-lead-dozens-water-rescues-june-jackson-county/

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