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April 3, 2014 Volume 18 Issue 7
Nebraska Farmers to Increase Soybean Acreage
Check out our Agstuff Classifieds Pages 20-23
Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A7 Shop Hop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A8 Special Section FFA . . . . . B1-12 Weather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2
Country Living House Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5
The Lighter Side Lee Pitts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4
Markets Grains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A9 Livestock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A16
The Omaha World-Herald Robert Pore, The Grand Island Independent Nebraska farmers intend to plant more soybean acres this year, according to a Monday report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Nebraska farmers will plant a record high 5.4 million soybean acres, up 13 percent from last year, the USDA said in its planting
The previous record soybean acreage in Nebraska was in 2010 at 5.15 million acres, which also produced the state's biggest soybean crop at 267.75 million bushels. Nebraska also planted more than 5 million acres of soybeans in 2012 and 2006. In 2013 Nebraska's soybean production was 252.29 million bushels. Of the 4.8 million acres of soybean planted last year, 2.17 million were irrigated. The state's
average soybean yield last year was 53 bushels per acre. Soybeans planted on irrigated acres had an average yield of 61 bushels, which was the second highest irrigated yield average on record. It was also the most profitable year on record for soybeans in Nebraska, with the crop's value at $3.15 billion. Nationwide, soybean planted area for 2014 is estimated at a record high Continued on page 17
What may have started as the first major flood event on the South Platte River in nearly 50 years, may have ended up benefiting the state. A wall of water, stemming from a week of steady rains in the upper basin of the South Platte River slammed into Lincoln County on Sept. 21. “To my knowledge, there wasn’t any adverse flooding impacts in this region,” said Jerry Kenny, executive director of the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program, headquartered in Grand Island. “Throughout Nebraska, the mechanisms were in place that allowed excess flows to be diverted into irrigation systems for recharge.”
In that regard, he said, the flooding eventually helped an area in need of water, and in the case of the South Platte River specifically has kept water at higher-than-normal levels. “All in all, we are still seeing much higher flows on the South Platte than we normally would,” Kenny said. “Plus, the reservoirs in Colorado are full or the diversion structures haven’t been fixed. They just got filled during the event, so more of the water generated is coming across the border.” Water crested the flood stage near Sutherland on Sept. 21 and in North Platte on Sept. 22, peaking in North Platte at 14.36 feet, 1.36 feet above flood stage. In terms of ecological damage, Kenny said there was very little in Nebraska, and things mostly
For daily agriculture news, updates and local happenings, visit the Heartland Express website at www.myfarmandranch.com
Government Report . . . . . . . . . . . . A6
Ag Management Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Announces Increased Oportunity for Producers as Part of New Farm Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A11
Livestock News Heartland Cattleman. . . . . . . . . . A15
Production News Starter Fertilizer for Corn. . . . . . A10
Schedule of Events
Flood Waters Benefit State Andrew Bottrell, North Platte Telegraph
Government Report
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A19
returned to normal very quickly. Contrast that with the flooding of the North Platte River in 2011, and he said the area came out benefiting from the floods. “We’re still actually benefiting in terms of flows in the central Platte [River],” he said. “The watershed in Colorado, they seemed to have gotten more precipitation this winter. As that has snowed and melted we’ve got continued good flows because the watershed was pretty well soaked up, so there was higher runoff.” Water quality was also a concern at the time, but a Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality spokesman said the threat was short-lived. “We did see elevated levels of bacteria, but from our point of view, it’s pretty much a transient
situation,” said Jim Bunstock, public information officer for the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. With the flooding event only taking several days, he said, any bacteria in the water flowed on through Nebraska, and had disappeared within a month. “Within a month, everything measured by the DEQ was back to normal,” he said. While the long-term effects seem to be at a minimum, Kenny said they are still assessing some aspects of the flooding. “We’re in the process of assessing the data in terms of what it did moving sand around and scouring vegetation,” he said. Little long-term damage detected.
MARKET GLANCE Livestock and Products, Weekly Average
Crops, Daily Spot Prices Year Ago 4 Wks Ago 3/7/14
Nebraska Slaughter Steer 35-65% Choice, Live Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$124.93 146.94 Nebraska Feeder Steers, Med. & Large Frame, 550-600# . . . . . . . . . . . .165.52 215.40 Med & Large Frame, 750-800 # . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131.54 173.41 Choice Boxed Beef, 600-750# Carcass . . . . . . . . . .1193.57 212.98 Western Corn Belt Base Hog Price . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72.30 92.06 Feeder Pigs, National Direct, 50#, FOB . . . . . . . . . . . .* * Pork Carcass Cutout, 185#, 51-52% Lean . . . . . . . .77.98 97.19 Slaughter Lambs, Ch. & Pr.,Heavy, SD Dir. . . . . . . . .90.00 151.00 Nat. Carcass Lamb Cutout, FOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .293.42 369.22
152.50 221.82 179.37 242.71 125.62 * 129.14 155.00 371.16
Wheat, No. 1, H.W. Imperial, bu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.11 Corn, No. 2, Yellow, Omaha, bu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.46 Soybeans, No. 1 Yellow Omaha, bu . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14.56 Grain Sorg. No. 2 Yellow, Dorchester, cwt . . . . . . . . .12.52 Oats, No. 2, Heavy Minneapolis, MN, bu. . . . . . . . . . .4.26
6.48 4.33 13.34 7.64 4.72
7.22 4.39 13.84 7.89 4.47
162.50 125.00 107.50 195.00 63.50
182.50 127.50 107.50 235.00 95.75
Hay (per ton) Alfalfa, Lrg. Sq. Bales Good to Prem., NE Neb. . . . . . . .* Alfalfa, Lrg. Rounds, Good, Platte Valley, . . . . . . . . .227.50 Grass Hay, Lrg. Rounds, Premium, Neb., . . . . . . . . .217.50 Dried Distillers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265.00 Wet Distillers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100.50 * No market.