The good news is that seed prices have remained fairly steady from 2016 going into 2017.
The bad news, though, is that steady doesn’t match the decline of corn and soybeans prices from last summer’s spike.
“The price of some products has gone up, some prices have gone down, but, overall, we are pretty flat from where we were in the past year,” says Jeff Hartz, director of marketing for Wyffels Hybrids
The decline in commodity prices has prompted farmers to economy-shop for seed.
“We have started to see growers become more sensitive to the price of seed and to trade down,” says Ponsi Trivisvavet, president of Syngenta Seeds. “They are choosing hybrids that have a lower number of traits. Within the same trait class, we have also seen a trend of growers move into picking the lowest-priced hybrids.”
These also tend to be older ones, she adds.
This year’s trend isn’t deterring Syngenta from research and investment in seed and traits, though. “We are in it for the long term,” she says.
Be Careful
Cutting traits is a way to save money. Remember, though, that pests such as corn rootworm and European corn borer (ECB) still lurk.
“Farmers have to be careful that they don’t get into a situation that can backfire,” says Hartz. “They are still there. We saw some fields in eastern Iowa that were non-GMO that had an issue. We saw that in 2015, too, where corn borer cost farmers 30 to 40 bushels per acre in yield.”
Fertilizer
There’s good news on the fertilizer front.
Prices for the big three —nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) – had plunged to around their lowest levels since 2007 two to three months ago, says David Asbridge, president and senior economist for NPK Fertilizer Advisory Services.
“We have had way too much capacity across the board with N, P, and K, but they (manufacturers) are beginning to manage it somewhat,” he says. “China is a big factor in this. The country shut down a lot of its nitrogen and phosphate plants—not completely, but it helped the market a bit.”
For the most part, prices will likely remain steady through winter, but they will start rising in March through the end of spring. This coincides with heavy fertilizer use during and shortly after planting. Prices will then drift lower before again rising (albeit at a lower level than in spring) in the fall.
“At this point, because of overwhelming capacity, we don’t see any big price hike,” he says.
Except . . .
One factor that’s changing the N market is the opening of three large-scale plants in the U.S. “They are the first ones like this built in the U.S. since the 1960s,” says Asbridge.
Last year, CF Industries Holdings, Inc. opened a ammonia/urea/urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) plant in Donaldsonville, Louisiana. This firm has also built a $2 billion expansion for a new ammonia plant, followed by a urea synthesis and granulation plant at Port Neal, Iowa. It wasn’t open at press time, but it is expected to open any day. Iowa Fertilizer is also building a new ammonia/urea/UAN plant in Wever in southeastern Iowa.
“That one they have been pushing back on, saying it will be up and running by mid-February,” says Asbridge.
If the Iowa plants don’t open, price spikes – particularly urea and UAN – could occur, as markets have been anticipating their opening. That’s why Asbridge is recommending to clients to lock in about 40% to 45% of anticipated urea and UAN needs soon.
“If, for whatever reason, Wever doesn’t open up in mid February, there could be issues with procurement, particularly urea and also UAN,” he says. Anhydrous ammonia supplies should be adequate, he adds.
K and P
Industry overexpansion has throttled down the potash market, with about one half of the Canadian industry shut down, says Asbridge. This – along with a fall run on potash – helped perk up K prices a bit.
However, the fall run will take some of the pressure off the spring market, he says.
“Phosphate is the same way,” he says. “Mosaic is the biggest phosphate producer in the U.S. It has throttled back in the last few months, but production is picking up a bit now. This, combined with new phosphate plants being built and opening in Morocco, is keeping a cap on phosphate prices.”
To head off any upticks during the heavy spring-use season, Asbridge is recommending his clients lock up one third of their phosphate and potash needs by the end of January. BY GIL GULLICKSON.
It is said that 'knowledge is the bedrock of existence'. As such, this blog serves to freely inform the general public about the importance of agriculture. The blog also serves to educate people on the different products that could be used on plants and animals to boost their growth and minimise loss and mortality.
Sunday, 18 December 2016
CROP INSURANCE
Crop insurance is the centerpiece of the farm safety net, a victory for farm groups who made a strong insurance program their top priority for the 2014 farm law. Now, a year after that success, the federally supported program is in the bull’s eye for budget cuts on Capitol Hill, ranging from tighter rules on prevented planting to higher premiums for big operators.
The fight won’t be decided for months to come. It’s pointed at operations in 2016, so it would not affect policies for this year’s crops.
At the first House Agriculture Committee hearing of the year, chairman Mike Conaway of Texas told Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack that cuts are unacceptable. “Now is precisely the wrong time to weaken crop insurance,” Conaway said, pointing to USDA forecasts that farm income will fall by one third this year. “The ag economy has been turned on its head.”
Farm groups and crop insurers, with their allies in Congress, are working strenuously to prevent cuts. Senate Agriculture Committee chairman Pat Roberts says he would “protect, preserve, and improve the number one risk-management tool available to farmers.” Growers insured 294 million acres last year.
With the program projected to cost nearly $9 billion a year – more than conservation or traditional crop subsidies – it is an inevitable target in the drive to cut federal spending.
“Make no mistake, crop insurance’s days of flying under the radar are done,” said
industry executive Tim Weber at a crop insurance convention.
The Obama administration proposed a 17% cut in insurance costs by:
• Reducing the premium subsidy by 10 percentage points for revenue policies with the harvest price option that insures the price at harvest and
• Adjusting payment rates for prevented planting.
“The safety net is solid and still there,” said Vilsack, if Congress agrees to the reforms.
Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ), a frequent farm program critic, tried during the farm bill debate to eliminate the harvest price option and now has filed a bill to carry out the White House proposal.
Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Patrick Toomey (R-PA) have filed a bill to cap premium subsidies at $50,000 per farm, which would affect the largest 2.5% of farmers. Vilsack warned that the approach “could potentially impact participation” – quiet words of opposition.
Of the proposed reforms, the harvest price option would save the most, an average $1.4 billion a year. Reformers have talked as well of other ways to reduce costs, such as cutting off or sharply reducing premium subsidies to the wealthiest farmers. BY CHUCK ABBOTT.
The fight won’t be decided for months to come. It’s pointed at operations in 2016, so it would not affect policies for this year’s crops.
At the first House Agriculture Committee hearing of the year, chairman Mike Conaway of Texas told Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack that cuts are unacceptable. “Now is precisely the wrong time to weaken crop insurance,” Conaway said, pointing to USDA forecasts that farm income will fall by one third this year. “The ag economy has been turned on its head.”
Farm groups and crop insurers, with their allies in Congress, are working strenuously to prevent cuts. Senate Agriculture Committee chairman Pat Roberts says he would “protect, preserve, and improve the number one risk-management tool available to farmers.” Growers insured 294 million acres last year.
With the program projected to cost nearly $9 billion a year – more than conservation or traditional crop subsidies – it is an inevitable target in the drive to cut federal spending.
“Make no mistake, crop insurance’s days of flying under the radar are done,” said
industry executive Tim Weber at a crop insurance convention.
The Obama administration proposed a 17% cut in insurance costs by:
• Reducing the premium subsidy by 10 percentage points for revenue policies with the harvest price option that insures the price at harvest and
• Adjusting payment rates for prevented planting.
“The safety net is solid and still there,” said Vilsack, if Congress agrees to the reforms.
Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ), a frequent farm program critic, tried during the farm bill debate to eliminate the harvest price option and now has filed a bill to carry out the White House proposal.
Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Patrick Toomey (R-PA) have filed a bill to cap premium subsidies at $50,000 per farm, which would affect the largest 2.5% of farmers. Vilsack warned that the approach “could potentially impact participation” – quiet words of opposition.
Of the proposed reforms, the harvest price option would save the most, an average $1.4 billion a year. Reformers have talked as well of other ways to reduce costs, such as cutting off or sharply reducing premium subsidies to the wealthiest farmers. BY CHUCK ABBOTT.
Saturday, 17 December 2016
Haiti’s Community Gardeners enthusiastic about Nutrition
Haitian women are using song and theatre to promote healthy eating habits learned in FAO community garden project.
Key facts
Only
one unpaved road connects Haiti’s Grand’Anse province – a finger of
land jutting from the country’s southwest corner – to the rest of the
country.
In spite of its remoteness, the population of Grand’Anse has
increased by some 120 000 since the devastating 2010 earthquake, due to
an influx of refugees from more badly damaged areas.
This rapid upsurge
in population put serious pressure on the area’s resources and food
supply, increasing levels of already chronic malnutrition.
To prevent
the situation from deteriorating further, FAO and partners launched a
project that has improved both nutrition and livelihoods for more than 5
000 of the most vulnerable families in the area.
The project has
provided women with practical hands-on training in homestead
food-production techniques, combined with classes that introduce them to
the importance of making pro-nutrition decisions about what they plant
and feed to their families.
A community garden has become a centre of social life in the tiny
municipality of Moron, in Grand’Anse province of Haiti.
The garden is a
thriving symbol of the success of an FAO project that led the women of
several surrounding villages to move nutrition to the top of the list
when it came to making decisions about what crops to grow and livestock
to rear. In fact, the project has been such a success that project staff
refer to the local women who work together in the garden as mamans
lumières or “light mothers”.
The name symbolizes their enthusiasm for what they
are learning about nutrition and agricultural production and their
willingness to impart their knowledge to other women in their community.
They have even written songs and plays to share their knowledge,
attracting audiences and creating a ripple effect that has passed on
tips on food production and proper eating habits to families throughout
the entire region. This in turn has helped alleviate a chronic
malnutrition problem in the area.
Gardens fill nutritional gaps
The project owes part of its success to the strategic decision to go beyond merely introducing techniques that increase yields, and to also tackle the complex issue of nutrition.
In the initial stage, FAO looked at the
problems and causes of malnutrition in the area, identified local crops
that would fill in the nutritional gaps and developed a plan to improve
or increase production of those foods.
Set up in 12 municipalities of Grand’Anse, the
project offers classes aimed at improving production, such as agronomy,
livestock rearing and marketing. In parallel, it also introduces women
to good practices for hygiene, food handling and child care – while
always maintaining a pro-nutrition point of view.
The plan included
training, workshops, cooking classes and practical experience in
applying new farming techniques and cooking skills, all designed to
increase the women’s capacity to produce food and prepare meals to
improve their families’ nutrition and health.
Processing skills mean year-round nutrition
Mango processing – introduced as a way to deal with seasonality – is a case in point. As with many crops and fruits, mangoes are so plentiful that they are often left to rot on the trees or the ground because the seasonal supply greatly exceeds the demand.
The project included mango
processing, teaching the women to dry and process mangoes when they are
in season. The processed fruits not only provide consumers year-round
access to critical vitamin A – the women can also sell their excess
production to increase household income.
The same is true for other
local produce, such as okra and amaranth, leafy vegetables the women did
not appreciate for their nutritional value until they attended the FAO
training classes.
This concept has been especially important in
Grand’Anse. The province was spared the devastation of the 2010
earthquake that struck the rest of the country but had to deal with a
population spike when some 120 000 people flocked there seeking
sanctuary.
The meteoric increase put even more pressure on the area,
which already had compromised resources and a population that suffered
from chronic malnutrition, stunting and micronutrient deficiencies.
Source: FAO official site
FAO SUCCESS STORIES
This booklet provides examples of climate-smart systems
by showcasing some FAO success stories in various
countries. The cases have been selected from the FAO
Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) Sourcebook launched in
2013 to show the diversity of potential options across
different regions and agricultural systems also covering
subjects such as biodiversity and gender
SUCCESS STORIES Pt.3
This is the third Compilation of the experiences of only a few of the multitude
of farmers from around the world and India specifically. This Men,
Women, Communities, Youths and Children by their sheer dint of hard
word, perseverance and zeal to do better are silently re-writing the
story of Indian Agriculture. They are a few of the flag bearers of
Change, innovation, enterprise and courage.
The Stories Captured in this edition are but a drop in the ocean of experiences and achievements of farmers across the globe.
These Stories contain strong presence of women in the their pursuit to better their lives and the lives of their families.
To Nigeria, this is an opportunity for the youths to take advantage of this stories, wear them as shields in times of perils and forge ahead in their agricultural pursuits.
These Stories are to encourage and motivate people - Those already in the sector and those planning to get into the sector - and highlight the Power of co-operation among individuals and communities.
Click here to download the Pdf file.
God Bless Nigeria!
Source: farmers portal
The Stories Captured in this edition are but a drop in the ocean of experiences and achievements of farmers across the globe.
These Stories contain strong presence of women in the their pursuit to better their lives and the lives of their families.
To Nigeria, this is an opportunity for the youths to take advantage of this stories, wear them as shields in times of perils and forge ahead in their agricultural pursuits.
These Stories are to encourage and motivate people - Those already in the sector and those planning to get into the sector - and highlight the Power of co-operation among individuals and communities.
Click here to download the Pdf file.
God Bless Nigeria!
Source: farmers portal
SUCCESS STORIES Pt. 2
This is a Compilation of the experiences of only a few of the multitude of farmers from around the world and India specifically. This Men, Women, Communities, Youths and Children by their sheer dint of hard word, perseverance and zeal to do better are silently re-writing the story of Indian Agriculture. They are a few of the flag bearers of Change, innovation, enterprise and courage.
The Stories Captured in this edition and indeed other editions to come are but a drop in the ocean of experiences and achievements of farmers across the globe.
To Nigeria, this is an opportunity for the youths to take advantage of this stories, wear them as shields in times of perils and forge ahead in their agricultural pursuits.
These Stories are to encourage and motivate people - Those already in the sector and those planning to get into the sector - and highlight the Power of co-operation among individuals and communities.
Click here to download the Pdf file.
God Bless Nigeria!
source: farmers portal
The Stories Captured in this edition and indeed other editions to come are but a drop in the ocean of experiences and achievements of farmers across the globe.
To Nigeria, this is an opportunity for the youths to take advantage of this stories, wear them as shields in times of perils and forge ahead in their agricultural pursuits.
These Stories are to encourage and motivate people - Those already in the sector and those planning to get into the sector - and highlight the Power of co-operation among individuals and communities.
Click here to download the Pdf file.
God Bless Nigeria!
source: farmers portal
SUCCESS STORIES Pt.1
The stories in this PDF file are quite inspiring, showing Communal Collaboration, Individual Determination, Hard work, Perseverance and LOVE FOR WHAT THEY DO.
Click SUCCESS STORIES to download
source: farmers portal
Friday, 16 December 2016
Raw Cashew Nuts Investment; What You Must Know
Virtually every day, at the Agric
Investment Unit of Agro News Nigeria, we get numerous calls and
enquiries from Nigerians, who want to join the Multi – billion Cashew
Nuts trading and processing business.
With Cashew investors and traders in
Nigeria raking in over One Hundred and Fifty Million Us dollars annually
($150, 000,000), alone from local trading and export of Raw Cashew
Nuts, Nigerians are awakening to the fact that Raw Cashew Nuts is
gradually becoming the new dollar spinner and income generation agric
crop.
Gone are the days when people would
throw away cashew nuts after eating the cashew fruit. It is now like
oil, a most cherished commodity.
From youths, adults to established agric investors, the reoccurring question have always centered on the following;
- How can I make money trading Raw Cashew Nuts?
- How can I get Indians and foreigners to purchase the cashew nuts?
- Is it true that I can make a lot of money from Raw Cashew Nuts?
- Where do I source my Cashew nuts?
Unfortunately, the above questions are
not the basic questions anyone interested in the business of Raw Cashew
Nuts and its processing should be asking.
The established fact and truth is that
there is money to be made from Raw Cashew Nuts, but with every business,
anyone looking to build income and wealth through Raw Cashew Nuts must
be able to understand the following basics; I term them the “Raw Cashew
Nuts Investment Must Know”
These Cashew Nuts Must Know Include but not limited to;
- How Much Funds Is Needed to start
- Best Time to Source for Raw Cashew Nuts.
- Cheapest Locations to Source Raw Cashew Nuts
- The Best Strategy to Adopt to Be Able to Source At Cheaper Rates (Buying More For Less)
- How To Ensure Quality of Nuts
- How To Maximise Profit Through Storage
- How To Maximize Profit Through Local Processing (More is to be made from this than export of raw nuts)
- Best Strategy To Mop Up Funds To Purchase Raw Cashew Nuts
- When Best To Sell Your Raw Cashew Nuts
- Investing in the Raw Cashew Nuts Business As a Cooperative
- How To Access Foreign Buyers
- Exporting RCN (Raw Cashew Nuts)
Mastery of all the above questions,
steps and guide lines in the RCN (Raw Cashew Nuts) Business and
Investment would ensure your success in the business and that you
maximise and optimise profit.
Cucumber Farming
Cucumber farming is one venture that the
profitability could actually surprise anyone who dares to go into it
with the right knowledge and skills.
While thousands of young men and women
are busy seeking for employment and white collar jobs those who have
seen the income opportunity in cucumber farming are not concerned about
any of that because their ventures are adequately taking good care of
them financially.
Cucumber farming in Nigeria is one of those opportunities that are begging to be explored.
Cucumber is a vegetable that is widely
consumed all over the world due to its health benefits which both the
educated and non-educated individuals testify to.
Before you start cucumber farming in
Nigeria, you need to gather all of the necessary information in order to
setup your farm at the right location, right time and the right cost.
The right information should be obtained about the following areas to be farm cucumber profitably;
- Marketable variety / Specie
- Variety with better yield
- Site selection
- Soil testing
- Land preparation
- Inter row and intra row spacing
- Planting depth
- Pesticide and herbicide application
- Water and irrigation practice (You can do cucumber all year round in Greenhouse)
- Fertilizer application
- Staking
- Harvesting Practices
- Marketing (Strategic marketing guides)
Why Nigerian cocoa production is on steady decline
The president of the Federation of
Agricultural Commodity Associations of Nigeria (FACAN), Dr. Victor
Iyama, has attributed the continued decline in cocoa production in
Nigeria to the long period it takes to mature as well as impatience
among Nigerian youth, who are expected to embrace its production.
Iyama, who spoke in Abuja, yesterday, at
the 2nd Daily Trust Agric Conference, said cocoa was a good crop to
invest in but required a lot of patience from youth willing to go into
its production.
“It’s not four to six months, it is up to five years minimum but the beauty is that it can last for 70 years,” he said.
Dr. Victor also stated that production
of cocoa beans from harvest up to the time when it is properly fermented
took between 27 and 30 days depending on the weather.
He said chocolate was the easiest cocoa product to make and it generates large sums of money from the cocoa industry.
“Out of the 120 billion USD cocoa
economy, less than 15 billion USD goes to cocoa beans, cocoa cake and
cocoa butter while the rest goes to chocolate,” he said.
Dr. Victor noted that cocoa was the
second largest foreign exchange earner, next only to oil, adding that 29
states in the country can produce cocoa.
“There’s cocoa in Adamawa, Taraba,
Niger, Kogi and so many states have joined, it is no longer a southern
affair but a national affair,” Dr. Victor said
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