News Archive

2009

October

Check With Crop Insurance People If You See Mold On Your Corn
Farmers are being hit by big price discounts for high moisture, low test-weight corn; now mold is showing up in some Iowa fields.
Rod Swoboda, Wallace's Farmer — October 31, 2009
The Iowa Corn Growers Association is urging growers who suspect they may have grain quality problems caused by this fall's adverse weather conditions to consult now with their crop insurance providers. Some farmers are filing claims already based on the amount of mold they are seeing on ears in their cornfields...

Climate Legislation; Farm Bill; Crop Insurance; Biofuels; Food Stamps; CFTC Issues; and EU Issues
Keith Good, FarmPolicy.com — October 29, 2009
An update posted yesterday at USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) Online stated that, "RMA today reminded producers of the Nov 20, 2009 sales closing date for crop insurance for perennials and horticultural products...[P]roducers should consult a crop insurance agent to discuss their insurance options."...

Opposed to crop insurance bill
Rebecca Munos, Longview News-Journal — October 29, 2009
Congress has long recognized that a strong crop insurance safety net is in the national interest. The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides insurance to U.S. farmers through the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation and allows private insurance companies to participate in the program. According to the GAO, federal crop insurance plays an invaluable role in protecting farmers from losses due to natural disasters and the private insurance companies that participate in the federal crop insurance program are an integral to its success...

Climate Issues; Food Security; Animal Agriculture; Dairy Issues; and Harvest Delays
Keith Good, FarmPolicy.com — October 28, 2009
DTN Executive Editor Marcia Zarley Taylor noted yesterday at The Minding Ag's Business Blog that, "With all the news reports of crop quality issues in 2009, you'd think phones would be ringing off the wall at crop insurance agencies. Mississippi might be a special case, but agents I've interviewed in Iowa, Indiana and Alabama the last few days feel more like the old Maytag repairman: lonely...

Farmers fret over soggy fields
Rick Barrett, Journal Sentinel — October 27, 2009
The hope for a bountiful fall harvest has turned into a soggy mess for Wisconsin farmers.
Many fields have been too muddy for farm machinery that, by now, should be running day and night.
The state's soybean harvest is weeks behind schedule, largely because the beans are too wet to handle...

Grape insurance program changes announced
Newberg Graphic — October 27, 2009
Program enhancements and expansion of the availability of Federal Crop Insurance Corporation's (FCIC) Grape Multi-Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) are now available for the 2010 crop year...

Pennsylvania slashes ag. budget and cuts contributions to crop insurance
Farm & Dairy — October 27, 2009
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Like every state agency, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture took it on the chin when lawmakers adopted their budget, 101 days overdue, early this October.

Comparatively, Pennsylvania's agriculture department fared better than other state agencies. But considering agriculture's status as Pennsylvania's leading industry, a number of farmers are questioning the cuts lawmakers made when they passed the budget Oct. 5th...

Crop insurance can salvage some loss
Bonnie Coblentz — October 23, 2009
Cotton is expected to take the biggest hit, losing 43 percent of its potential value. Only half the soybeans were harvested when the crop should have been nearly 80 percent complete.

Near-constant rains during harvest-time have cost Mississippi farmers an estimated $371 million in losses, and producers with crop insurance may be the only ones able to salvage much more from the fields this year. ...

Mississippi Farmers Could See 100 Percent Crop Losses
Adam Lynch, Jackson Free Press — October 19, 2009
The Mississippi State Fair isn't the only thing suffering because of the state's run of bad weather. The state is considering declaring entire Mississippi counties disaster areas because of enormous farming losses due to weather, said Mississippi Department of Agriculture spokesman Andy Prosser...

Cool summer weather means fall harvest is behind normal
Larry Dreiling, High Plains Journal — October 16, 2009
Cooler than normal temperatures during the growing season has resulted in slower than normal crop development. What that means to fall harvest is the possibility of some crop losses as normal freeze days occur. ...

Growers fear looming disaster
Judy Killen, Powell Tribune — October 15, 2009
Temperatures hovered around 22 degrees while Regan Smith harvested snow-covered crops Friday afternoon. Last weekend's bitter weather afflicted local sugar beets, causing severe damage to what was expected to be one of the best crops on record. Beet losses could mount as farmers endure harsh harvest...

Idaho Producers Benefit from New Risk Management Insurance
Special plan covers livestock, bee programs.
Western Farmer-Stockman — October 14, 2009
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency announces that the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation's board has approved revisions to the Pasture, Rangeland, Forage Pasture, Forage and Apiculture Pilot programs for Idaho producers next year...

Climate Legislation; Food Security; Ag Economy; ACRE- Crop Insurance; C.O.O.L.; Animal Agriculture; USDA Issues; and Sen. Lincoln
Keith Good, FarmPolicy.com — October 13, 2009
ACRE- Crop Insurance
Ohio State University Agricultural Economist Carl Zulauf penned at item that was posted yesterday at DTN (link requires subscription) entitled, "Why I Chose ACRE."

In part, Dr. Zulauf stated that, "People might assume I would elect the new Average Crop Revenue Election for my corn-soybean-wheat farm in northwest Ohio since I was the developer of many of the central concepts of the ACRE farm program. I strongly believe that ACRE is a farm program for the 21st-century instead of one for 20th-century farming. However, like everyone else, I needed to decide if ACRE fit the needs of my farm. It was not a given that I would choose ACRE. ...

Food Security; Ag Spending Bill (Dairy, Nutrition); Climate Issues; Crop Insurance; and Soybeans
Keith Good FarmPolicy.com — October 9, 2009
Steve Johnson, an Iowa Sate University Extension specialist, noted earlier this week that, "Harvest is upon us and most producers look forward to finalizing their 2009 yields. However, good record keeping during harvest should be practiced. Each year a producer can provide the actual production guarantee from their farm fields to help determine the Actual Production History (APH) for crop insurance purposes. Proving the actual dry weight yields for each farm field or crop insurance unit should be the goal...

Citrus Crop Forecast 2009 / 2010 Released by U S D A
Gary, Southeast Ag Net — October 9, 2009
Florida citrus growers are forecast to produce 136 million boxes of oranges for the 2009/2010 season, according to U. S. Department of Agriculture in its annual October Citrus Crop Forecast released Friday morning October 9. Early-Mids (includes 2.3 M boxes navels) came in at 69 million, and valencias projected at 67 million boxes. FCOJ content is projected at 1.63 gallons per box...

Climate Legislation; Dairy-Animal Agriculture; Crop Insurance; Doha; and Sen. Johanns Discusses the Ag Economy
Keith Good, FarmPolicy.com — October 7, 2009
An update posted yesterday at USDA's Risk Management Agency Online stated that, "USDA's Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Board of Directors recently approved an additional technology, SmartStaxTM, as a qualifying hybrid for the Pilot Biotechnology Endorsement (BE) program, beginning with the 2010 crop year. SmartStaxTM is a multi-event technology developed by the Monsanto Company and Dow AgroSciences LLC...

Keep good records now for crop insurance later
Changing insurance units ups record-keeping importance
Steve Johnson, Agriculture Online — October 7, 2009
Harvest is upon us and most producers look forward to finalizing their 2009 yields. However, good record keeping during harvest should be practiced. Each year a producer can provide the actual production guarantee from their farm fields to help determine the Actual Production History (APH) for crop insurance purposes. Proving the actual dry weight yields for each farm field or crop insurance unit should be the goal...

Ag Economy; Animal Agriculture; Food Safety; Climate Legislation; and Crop Insurance
Keith Good, FarmPolicy.com — October 6, 2009
A news release issued last week by National Crop Insurance Services (NCIS) indicated that, "[NCIS] is urging farmers with grain quality concerns to contact their crop insurance agent or company to determine coverage options in case of damage to crops from disease, weatherrelated events, or other causes...

Local farmers to get disaster relief
Stan Freeman, The Republican — October 06, 2009
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved federal disaster relief for 12 of the 14 counties in Massachusetts, including all those in the Pioneer Valley, due to losses created by the growing season's abnormally cool and rainy weather...