Greetings!
We hope you enjoy this week’s edition of KAWG E-News.
Precision nitrogen management for wheat in Kansas using optical sensor technology
From K-State Agronomy
Long-term research has indicated that the optimum nitrogen (N) rate for winter wheat in Kansas shows a high year-to-year and site-to-site variability, ranging from zero to more than 120 pounds of N per acre depending on growing season conditions (Figure 1). The high variability in optimum N rate is mostly led by weather conditions during the growing season (such as precipitation distribution), residual nitrate in the profile at sowing time, N mineralization rates (affected by temperature and precipitation regimes), and differences in soil characteristics and cropping systems/rotations. Therefore, optimum N rate is highly unpredictable, and using the same flat rate of N fertilizer every year can result in either over- or under-fertilization. (Read more.)
Kansas weather summary January 2017: A big storm on Jan 13-16
From K-State Agronomy
The highlight of January weather in Kansas was the storm system that moved through the state from the 13th through the 16th. In advance of the event, ice storm warnings were issued. Eastern Kansas missed most of the ice, while southwest Kansas had significant icing followed by as much as 6 inches of snow. This event pushed the statewide average precipitation to 1.60 inches, or 227 percent of normal. It ranks as the 7th wettest January in 123 years of record. The South Central Division had the highest precipitation both in amount and percent of normal. The divisional average was 3.59 inches, or 361 percent of normal. The West Central Division had the lowest average precipitation at 0.81 inches, or 158 percent of normal. The Northeast Division was closest to normal with an average of 1.06 inches, or 140 percent of normal. The National Weather Service Cooperative station at Sun City, Barber County, reported the greatest monthly precipitation with 5.13 inches. For the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow network (CoCoRaHS) the greatest monthly total was 4.16 inches at Deerfield 0.6 NE, Kearny County. The greatest 24-hour totals reported: 2.39 inches at Coldwater, Comanche County, on the 16th (NWS); 3.74 inches at Sharon 0.2 W, Barber County, on the 16th (CoCoRaHS). (Read more.)
Senate Agriculture Committee to Hold First Field Hearing in February
On Wednesday, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) jointly announced that the Committee would hold its first field hearing of the 115th Congress on February 23, 2017 in Manhattan, KS. The intention of the hearing will be to hear from farmers about how Farm Bill programs have been working for them. The announcement of this hearing is further indication that Congressional efforts to reauthorize the Farm Bill will be beginning quickly. As NAWG will be holding its Winter Conference next week in Washington, DC, we urge producers to come to the meeting ready to discuss and debate priorities for the upcoming reauthorization process.
Applications for Herb Clutter Memorial Scholarship now accepted
High school seniors pursuing careers in agriculture are encouraged to apply for the 2017 Herb Clutter Memorial Scholarship. The Herb Clutter Memorial Scholarship was established in 2009 to honor Herb Clutter’s influential role in organizing leadership groups on behalf of Kansas wheat producers and is administered by the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers.
The scholarship fund will award one $500 scholarship per year, to a college or university-bound incoming freshman from Kansas, pursuing a career in the field of agriculture. To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must plan to be a full-time student at any two or four year, Kansas college or university. Recipients will be selected based on academic achievement, leadership qualities and career objectives focused around the field of agriculture. Recipients will receive the scholarship to be applied toward tuition for the student’s college or university education. The scholarship is non-renewable. (Read more.)
NAWG Weekly Update
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Market Analysis: BREAKOUT WEEK FOR THE WHEAT PRICE | |
Larry Glenn, market analyst for Frontier Ag, Oakley and Leffler Commodities, Augusta, provides market analysis for KAWG members. E-mail Larry at larryglenn61@yahoo.com.
This week, the March Kansas City wheat price made a 5 ½ month high as technical and fundamental buyers joined forces. The wheat price was in a short -term up trend prior to the breakout. Despite trend following indicators approaching an overbought condition, the upward momentum for the price should continue.
Information from the monthly USDA reports excited bullish fundamental traders. The bottom line of the updated balance sheets for wheat, ending stocks, decreased from the previous month. This broke a habit of increasing carryover stocks. This decrease was on both the United States supply and demand report and the World supply and demand report.
The United States report listed a 47 million bushel decrease in ending stocks. On the demand side of the balance sheet, the USDA increased their wheat export number by 50 million bushels and decreased their food usage number by three million bushels. As expected, they left the supply numbers the same as last month. This increase in wheat exports was expected but many traders thought at a later date.
The World ending stocks for wheat projected by the USDA listed 248.61 million metric tons. This was 4.6 million below the pre-report trade estimate. The USDA lowered wheat production in India, Ukraine and the FSU-12 countries as a whole.
The buying by bullish fundamental traders pushed the wheat price above resistant points found on the charts. This sent trend following funds into the wheat market with buy paper during the last two days of the week.
Some wheat producers holding 2016 inventory took advantage of the rally in the wheat price on Friday. The buying in the March Kansas City contract absorbed the elevator hedge selling and managed to close 9 ¼ cents higher.
This week’s rally in the new crop wheat futures should raise the “alert” flag for marketing 2017 wheat. In my opinion, it is still early. Wheat producers should consider Hedge to Arrive contracts for forward pricing. Most elevators require this type of marketing tool to be done in five thousand bushels contract. Some elevators will allow you to team up with a neighbor to cover the amount.
Source: Kansas Association of Wheat Growers |