Monday, June 12, 2017
Weekly News Highlights
Reporting Agriculture’s Business Weather is always an important story. From drought to tornado damage, the Red River Farm Network is keeping out listeners up-to-date on the latest weather-related news. Weather also seems to be driving markets right now. Drew Lerner, senior agricultural meteorologist, World Weather, Inc., provides twice-daily weather updates on RRFN. Drew’s updates can also be found on the RRFN app for your iPhone or Android phone. This week, RRFN is covering The Fertilizer Institute conference in Minneapolis, field tours in the Fargo area dealing with in-furrow and foliar technologies and a drone event near Harwood. In this edition of FarmNetNews, you’ll find stories recapping RRFN’s coverage of World Pork Expo and the North Dakota FFA Convention. Remember, you will find farm news, markets and weather on your RRFN radio affiliate. You can also find RRFN on Facebook and Twitter. The RRFN team: Carah, Mike, Randy, Jay and Don are also on Twitter.
Storm Report Sunny skies are in the forecast today with highs expected in the upper 70s and lower 80s. There is rain in the outlook starting tonight and continuing through mid-week. Severe storms were seen this past weekend. Heavy rains, hail, strong winds and even tornado damage were seen Friday night in northeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota. The National Weather Service reports winds topped 90 miles per hour west of Crystal, North Dakota. In the Langdon area, damage was reported to farm buildings and grain bins. Clay, Mahnomen and Clearwater Counties has significant hail damage. On Sunday, a morning storm destroyed all of the barns and the milking parlor at Carlson Dairy near Pennock, Minnesota. This dairy farm has approximately 2,000 head. Some of the cattle received minor injuries, but none died. Hundreds of people helped with the cleanup at Carlson Dairy and the dairy cows have been relocated to other farms in the region.
Drought Conditions Expand The tough conditions in the Dakotas were confirmed with the release of the latest U.S. Drought Monitor. Moderate drought conditions now exist in most of North Dakota and portions of northern South Dakota. For the first time, severe drought conditions are now reported in central North Dakota and north-central South Dakota. It has been hot, dry and windy, which has sucked up the topsoil moisture across the region. Any rains that were seen after Tuesday were not reflected in this report.
Hit-and-Miss Rains are Possible The latest drought monitor shows increasing drought in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota. University of Illinois Extension Meteorologist Eric Snodgrass says that does not bode well for the region. Ive looked at long-range data for the Dakotas and usually what happens is once drought is established in June, its rare to be completely relieved by the time the growing season is over. Some of the drier conditions will continue. However, Snodgrass says there is a silver lining. If it stays focused in the far western Plains, we get ridge-riding thunderstorms. Those storms are hit-and-miss, but its better than nothing. I dont see the pattern getting blocked up in one configuration. Well see some relief from that by the middle of this week. Snodgrass will be featured in RRFN’s seminar line-up at the 2017 Big Iron Farm Show.
Weed of the Week: Field Horsetail Field horsetail is a perennial which produces numerous shoots and tubers. Everyone has seen horsetail. It looks like a small evergreen most frequently found in wet, poorly drained areas of fields and/or in areas of the field with sandy or gravelly soil such as along ditches. Horsetail seldom has economic impacts in well-managed corn, soybeans, or small grains. However, it competes vigorously and can become dominate with slow growing or short-statured crops. Glyphosate does not control horsetail. Thanks to Tom Peters of North Dakota State University/University of Minnesota and Richard Zollinger of NDSU for assisting with this project.
Smaller Winter Wheat Production USDA raised its estimate of this years winter wheat production less than one percent from last month. The crop is 25 percent smaller than last year as harvested acres are down 16 percent and the average yield is down more than six bushels per acre. USDA cut South Dakotas winter wheat yield estimate six bushels per acre from last month, causing an 11 percent decline in production. No changes were made from May for Oklahoma and Texas, while the Kansas forecast is up five percent this month.
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Source: Red River Farm Network