As the week marches on, be sure to catch up on the latest news.
From fertilizer shipments to seed technologies, these are today’s headlines.
Fertilizer and Crop Production
CF Industries Holdings is increasing fertilizer shipments to both U.S. coasts from the world’s largest nitrogen complex in Louisiana to help offset a decline in exports from Russia after it invaded Ukraine, Chief Executive Tony Will said.
Illinois-based CF Industries leased several vessels to transport more fertilizer, mostly liquid nitrogen, from its complex in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, Will told Reuters.
A Canadian-owned company has proposed doubling planned output of potash from a deposit in Brazil’s Amazon to reduce the agricultural powerhouse’s dependence on fertilizer imports disrupted by the Ukraine war.
Brazil Potash Corp said on Tuesday that its executives met with Brazilian Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina Dias in Ottawa and discussed increasing from 2.44 million tonnes to over 5 million tonnes per year the output from its Autazes project.
Editor Gil Gullickson writes about the future of weed management
“To think that weeds could be resistant to chemicals not even invented yet is troubling,” says Marc Kaiser, who farms near Carrollton, Missouri. He’s rotated herbicide-tolerant trait packages and different herbicide sites of action, which is a time-tested way to forestall target-site resistance.
Unfortunately, this strategy may not work with metabolic resistance. Read on for strategies forestall metabolic resistance from weed scientists.
To determine how much fertilizer should be applied to fields for the 2022 crop year, take a soil test.
“Proper management and the utilization of soil resources are crucial to support and sustain the agricultural resources,” says Justin Calhoun, with the University of Missouri’s Department of Plant Sciences.
In this video, find three strategies to implement this year.
The Industry
In financial terms, a black swan is an unlikely and surprising event that has a massive rippling effect on the economic climate, writes Editor Bill Spiegel.
In the last two years, agriculture has seen more than its share of black swan events.
Kevin McNew, chief economist for Farmers Business Network, says they have upended the ag economy and set the stage for historic uncertainty for farmers.
- READ MORE: A flock of black swans is disrupting 2022
Nearly all aspects of the agricultural industry have been affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Editor Alex Gray covers some of the major major manufacturers’ responses to the crisis.
They include: CLAAS, Kubota, CNH Industrial, AGCO, and John Deere.
The Momentum planter from Fendt was designed with a vertical contouring toolbar that flexes up and down as much as 68 inches to follow the countour of the field and to let farmers plant in the most efficient direction.
Arthur Santos, marketing manager for the Fendt Momentum planter, explains the toolbar and other features of the high-tech planter that was displayed at the 2022 Commodity Classic in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Alma Jorgenson runs a rural mental health program for Lake Superior Community Health Center serving 12 counties across Minnesota and Wisconsin. Jorgenson works with farmers and their families, meeting them on-farm, to provide one-on-one mental health support.
“It’s not a clinical service. I am just someone who has grown up, lived, and worked in a farming community and has some passion and understanding to work through some of the mental health challenges that face farmers and other members of the agricultural community.”
Jorgenson shared several of her tips for stress reduction on a recent Cultivating Resiliency webinar.
Minnesota Farmers Union has opened a restaurant supplied with ingredients from the state’s farm producers.
Editor Dave Kurns writes about the why behind this unique restaurant.
“The members are very positive of it, and we should be. We all need to be proud of what we’re doing in agriculture as farmers. We think it helps us elevate the importance of farmers and agriculture to the consumers,” says Gary Wertish, the president of Minnesota Farmers Union.
Livestock
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a non-commercial backyard flock (non-poultry) in Merrick County, Nebraska. The flock has been depopulated.
To date, 6,913,460 birds have been affected by HPAI.
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture today announced an investment of over $13 million in research that explores novel therapies and prevention strategies for animal diseases that cost the agricultural industry billions worldwide.
This newly funded research investigates diseases affecting a full range of species, from cattle, poultry, and pigs to horses, sheep, and fish.
The knowledge created by this research promises to aid farmers and ranchers in improving animals’ resistance to disease while also catalyzing the development of novel prevention and treatment methods.
