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According to USDA reports, planting of corn in the Midwest is under way. The soil is warm enough to encourage germination, and with an early planting this should provide all the necessary tools for record yields. To this point the weather has been favorable in the corn belt, with the Prospective Planting Report stating that producers intend to plant 81.413 million acres, up from 80,830 in 2004. The USDA also indicated that with encouraging weather these acres could surpass 82 million.
In Alabama, however, we are significantly behind schedule with regards to corn planting because of the abundance of rain this planting season. Historically, by the third week of April the corn should be close to 100% planted. However our reports from the farm tell us that the southern portion of the state is between 65-70% complete, the central section 25-75%, the northwest counties up to 90% and the northeast only 35-40%. Corn will more than likely continue to be planted up until May 1, after which unplanted acres will switch to soybeans and cotton. The latest report for Alabama indicates a decrease of 5,000 acres in corn from 2004, an increase of 10,000 acres in cotton, and increase of 15,000 acres in peanuts and a decrease of 50,000 acres in soybeans, in large part due to this past year’s overly wet fall weather and the concern over Asian rust.
An interesting find in the Prospective Planting Report was the rust awareness survey conducted with national producers. The USDA reported that 11% of soybean farmers nationally (9% in Alabama, 12% in Mississippi, 10% in Georgia, 15% in Tennessee and 28% in Florida) had never heard of or were not educated on the threat of Asian rust.
Soybean rust is by the definition of the American Soybean Association a “fungal disease that attacks the foliage of the soybean plant causing the leaves to drop early, which inhibits pod setting and reduces yield.” It is an airborne spore which this past crop year for the first time moved to the United States from South America. The southern states at this point are the most susceptible to the disease, with the most uninformed group of producers being the smaller farms producing less than 99 acres of soybeans. If you have any questions about Asian rust, please contact your local Co-op or go to the website of the American Soybean Association at
www.soygrowers.com to learn more about preventative measures.
Glenn B. Smith is the Merchandising Manager of AFC’s Grain Department. |
