- Published On: July 18, 2018
- Author: Steve Sinkula
AgriSecure Field Day on August 10, 2018
AgriSecure is hosting our annual Field Day to share insights and expertise about organic production on August 10th near Omaha, NE. We would love to have you join the AgriSecure Team!
Sessions will include more information on the following:
- Introduction to the transition process, key decision factors, and best practices
- Market update on organic crop prices and contract considerations
- Review the economics of transitioning and producing organic crops
- Overview of organic weed management equipment and techniques
- Crop tour of Rhea Brothers organic corn, organic seed corn, and organic soybean fields, that will feature expert insight on organic production best practices
Agronomy insights
The July 4 holiday is behind us and we are flying through another growing season.
Unfortunately, it has been another year of extreme weather with many of our clients experiencing too much rain, high winds, and/or hail. Such events are important reminders on the importance of having a solid crop insurance plan to protect against the ever changing weather or other unpredictable events. Risk management is critical for your operation and it is never too early to start thinking about what protections you should add to your plan. As always, reach out to an AgriSecure Account Executive to understand your options going forward into the 2019 crop year.
With weather it is always important to understand what potential issues can follow. For most crops, one form of disease or another is directly related to the weather that proceeded the growing cycle. For example, too much rain will mean fungus is likely lurking in the shadows. It is important to keep a close eye on plant health by scouting your fields and watching for changes to the plant. AgriSecure recommends sending tissue samples throughout the season to get analyses on plant health. If you experience fungus issues there are several cost effective bio fungicides which provide good results. Many can be applied by ground rig, pivot or aerially, if needed.
AgriSecure encourages you to speak with your Account Executive about what the best option for your crop.
Unlike GMO crops your transition and organic acres have no seed traits to enable plant defense against pests and insects, so it is critical to be diligent in identifying potential issues and quickly evaluating what can be done to further protect your crop. As always, be proactive in contacting your Account Executive as there often effective bio insecticides options to help protect your crop.
Merchandising update
We are well into the heart of the season and have recently seen conventional commodity prices experience additional downward pressure. On the contrary, the organic market pricing has remained consistent throughout in the same time frame. However, 2018 organic market price are stronger versus this time last year as domestic production is not keeping pace with domestic demand.
Domestic consumer demand for organic animal proteins is experiencing significant growth, which has created a similar increase in demand for organic feed grade crops. As such, the price spread between organic food grade and organic feed grade corn – with feed grades gaining strength – is seemingly narrowing, at least for the time being. Please see the graph below to see the USDA market prices of Feed Grade Corn and Feed Grade Soybeans since January to present.
U.S. organic corn and soybean prices
(USDA National Organic & Feedstuffs Report, June 2018)
As mentioned in our June newsletter, please contact your Account Executive if you have any available 2017 organic feed grade yellow corn as we have been contacted by several groups in search of open bushels. As always, contact your Account Executive to discussion contract prices for 2018 new crop.
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