August 25, 2020
MN Wheat Weekly Update
Drought Monitor August 13th vs August 20th (US Drought Monitor)
Yellow = Abnormally Dry, Tan = Moderate Drought, Orange = Severe Drought
MN Crop Progress Report (USDA) August 24th (USDA)
- Harvest 54% Complete – 5 days ahead of last year, 5 day behind normal
- HRS Crop Condition – 2% Very Poor, 3% Poor, 18% Fair, 65% Good, & 12% Excellent
- Top Soil Moisture – 3% Very Short, 13% Short, 74% Adequate, & 10% Surplus
- Sub Soil Moisture – 3% Very Short, 10% Short, 79% Adequate, & 8% Surplus
NCI Webinar – Navigating Change & Building Resilience in Small Scale Ag Food Processing.
- August 26th – 9am – 10:30am CST
- Guest Speakers – Guy Moos & Dennis Hoiberg
- If you are interested in how to navigate your business through turbulent times, register to join us.
Wheat Harvest 2020 (Erica Oakley, US Wheat Associates)
- The HRW harvest is winding down with less than 10% remaining. The SRW harvest is complete and all samples received; final quality results still to come. The SW crop is progressing quickly with protein, moisture and test weights looking very good. HRS and northern durum harvests are advancing; local reports are of sound quality though yield variability due to early environmental stresses.
- US Wheat Associates weekly harvest reports. Register here for their weekly updates…good information.
Virtual September Marketing Seminar hosted by Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers and the North Dakota Grain Growers
As times change, so do we! Please join us for this virtual event. Presenters will be together at one location to maximize the delivery of their valuable information. Your registration and participation is requested! Register today!
Speaker Lineup:
- Crunching the Numbers – Betsy Jensen, Farm Business Management Instructor, Northland Community & Technical College
- COVID, China and Confusion: 2020/21 Crop Market Outlook – Dr. Frayne Olson, Crops Economist/Marketing Specialist, NDSU
- Ag Policy and Its Influence on Marketing -, Howard Olson, SVP Government & Public Affairs, AgCountry Farm Credit Services
- Profits Through Intensive Marketing – Bret Oelke, Owner, Innovus Agra, LLC
MN Farm Suicide Survivors Support Group
An online group providing support to Minnesota farmers and farm families who have lost a loved one to suicide. Group will be held the third Monday of each month from 8-9:30 pm.
- Goal: To give survivors a nonjudgmental, comfortable and completely confidential space to express themselves and find support among other farm family members who truly understand.
- For more information contact: Monica McConkey, Minnesota Rural Mental Health Specialist, monicamariekm@yahoo.com or 218-280-7785.
- Register here
US Wheat Price Report (Claire Hutchins)
- Technical short-covering supported all wheat futures prices week-over-week. CBOT September soft red winter (SRW) futures ended up 27 cents at $5.27/bu. KCBT September hard red winter (HRW) futures added 20 cents to close at $4.46/bu. MGE September hard red spring (HRS) futures gained 17 cents to end at $5.15/bu. CBOT corn futures added 2 cents to end at $3.27/bu. CBOT soybean futures gained 4 cents to close at $9.00/bu
Commercial Sales
- This week’s commercial sales of 523,000 metric tons (MT) for delivery in 2020/21, as of Aug. 13, were 42% more than last week’s 368,000 MT and on the high end of trade expectations of 300,000 MT to 600,000 MT. Year-to-date commercial sales now total 11.1 million metric tons (MMT), 7% ahead of last year’s pace. USDA expects the United States will export 26.5 MMT of wheat in 2020/21, up 1% from last year, if realized.
- US Wheat Full Supply & Demand Report:
NAWG Weekly Update (Caitlin Eannello)
- DTN: Ninth Circuit Court Denies Companies’ Petition to Rehear Dicamba Case
On Monday, August 17, 2020, three dicamba registrants lost one of their last remaining legal options to overturn a federal court’s mandate ending the registrations of three dicamba herbicides. On June 3, a panel of three judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a decision to vacate three dicamba herbicides, XtendiMax (Bayer), Engenia (BASF) and FeXapan (Corteva Agriscience). On July 20, all three companies petitioned for a broader group of Ninth Circuit judges to rehear that case…On Monday, the Ninth Circuit Court disagreed and dismissed those requests, known as petitions for “rehearing en banc”. Read more here.
A reminder that when Bayer, BASF, and Corteva filed their motion for a rehearing before the full 9th Circuit Court panel regarding the earlier decision to vacate dicamba product registrations that NAWG joined with other groups in filing an amicus brief in support of the motion.
- Reuters: Mexico to Phase Out Use of Herbicide Glyphosate
“Mexico will gradually phase out use of the herbicide glyphosate by the time the current administration ends in late 2024, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday, following a ministerial spat over the product. Acknowledging differences between his agriculture and environment ministries over the herbicide, which is used in brands such as Roundup, Lopez Obrador said the government would immediately stop using glyphosate on its own projects.” Read the entire article here.
In May 2020, NAWG, with several other ag groups, sent a letter to President Donald Trump addressing Mexico’s attempts to suppress the use of certain pesticides and impact a ban on biotechnology crops.
Soil Health Partnership Collaboration
SHP Wheat Week, September 8-10. It will be composed of three consecutive virtual field days all focused around our wheat trials.
On day one we will get perspectives on soil health from our wheat industry partners. Then, on day two and three, attendees will hear from SHP farmer partners in Kansas and Minnesota to see the wheat trials they are implementing along with their challenges and goals for soil health on their operation.
Click here for details and to register.
Industry News – MN Farm Bureau Federation Weekly Update Clippings
- CFAP Application
The deadline to apply for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) has been extended to September 11. The original application deadline was August 28, 2020.
Go to farmers.gov/cfap for more information on eligibility and how to apply.
A CFAP Call Center is available for producers who would like additional one-on-one support with the CFAP application process. Please call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer assistance.
- Funds Available to Improve Safety on Minnesota Farms
Minnesota farmers who want to add safety equipment to their on-farm grain storage facilities can now apply for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s new Grain Storage Facility Safety Cost-Share program.
The program reimburses up to 75 percent of the cost to buy, ship, and install eligible safety equipment for on-farm grain bins or silos. The program will pay up to $400 per bin or silo, with a limit of $2,400 per farm per year. The Minnesota Legislature appropriated $50,000 for this new program earlier this year. For examples of eligible equipment, click here.
- TransFARMation
Prompted by the many sources of stress currently impacting farmers and ranchers, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the Red River Farm Network have joined forces to create a new radio and podcast series called TransFARMation.