"Net Neutrality"

One of my posting friends asked this very good question in the Cafe on NAT:

"I haven't paid much attention to the NN arguments that have been going on, but I see the FFC has ruled on it today.

Could somebody give me the CliffsNotes version.

Good for us ? Bad for us?"

"Federal Government is going to treat the internet like a utility.

Do you remember when there was only one phone company.

Well that is what we are getting.

User will now have to get FCC permission do provide new products and get any charges approved by the FCC.

I am sure that in no time the internet will be a shell of its former self. Have you ever seen anything that the federal government has improved?

They are claiming the plan is to keep the net free and neutral when it is in fact a power grab by the Obama gang.

"If the government were to take control of the desert there would be a shortage of sand within tow years."
paraphrased quote from Milton Friedman"

"A few years back some companies played with speeds of sites. Quickly they realized the gov would begin to regulate them so they knocked it off and still since have been good out of that fear. A YouTube video scared people and drove to the fcc takeover, it was largely unneeded as abuses were checked. Europe has had it for years. If we follow what happened there the speed of Internet will eventually go down for all as the incentive to create higher speeds is lost through government intervention. Yes some of the other posters predictions can come in time but for now you will see little change."

I thought this was a pretty good synopsis of the situation.  I guess it's all about one's opinion how much the government can or should regulate business.

No doubt, the Internet is big business today and I think we knew it was coming.

It's always a surprise when it happens, though.

Ed

Who Has The Shipping Edge, South America or the United States?

I have been wondering who has the advantage shipping grain, principally soybeans to China- South America or the United States?  Even with our port problems now and a very high valued dollar, we have had amazing exports in recent months and years.  I think transportation costs enter in the equation.

I always enjoy Michael Cordonnier's reports of crop production in South America.  He does as good a job as anyone telling us in America what is going on in South America.  We all know that infrastructure is lacking in South America but that is slowly changing.

This year they planted later than normal so their crop is coming to market slower, too.  That has helped us keep US exports up to some extent.  Today is a good example as soybeans closed to a price high enough that it has farmers making moves on new and old soybeans.

CGB-Cincinnati - Beans
Delivery Pd	Option		Futures	Basis		Cash Price
LH FEB 2015	SH5		$10.16	$0.30		$10.46
MAR 2015	SH5		$10.16	$0.24		$10.40
APR 2015	SK5		$10.18¾	$0.15		$10.33¾
MAY 2015	SK5		$10.18¾	$0.15		$10.33¾
JUN 2015	SN5		$10.23	$0.10		$10.33
JUL 2015	SN5		$10.23	$0.10		$10.33
O/N 2015	SX5		$9.92¾	($0.21)		$9.71¾
DEC 2015	SF6		$9.97½	($0.06)		$9.91½
JAN 2016	SF6		$9.97½	($0.06)		$9.91½

One thing that caught my eye in these reports is that the US can ship beans from New Orleans for $30 per ton but South American farmers can spend $70 a metric tonne just GETTING their beans to their port.  That reaffirmed what I have been thinking.

Still, too many beans are too many beans and the world has a big crop this year.  That makes for lower prices and how many US farmers can grow soybeans for $9.91 this year and stay in business?

Those kinds of calculations takes some of the fun out of farming but it is a business.  If you enjoy your job they say you never have to work a day in your life.  I have met a lot of farmers who are not enjoying their job as much as they did two years ago.

Ed Winkle

Soil, The Root of Mankind

In celebration of the International Year of Soil 2015 (IYS), the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) is coordinating a series of activities throughout to educate the public about the importance of soil. March’s theme is “Soils Support Agriculture.”
Here are a few facts about soils and agriculture:

1. Soils support agriculture by serving as the foundation of where we grow our food.
2. Virtually everything in our diets either directly or indirectly came from the soil.
3. The nutritious calcium found in broccoli is not only good for humans, but it was necessary for the broccoli plant to grow, too. Plants use calcium to help with cell division, and for getting other nutrients from the soil.
4. Some plants, like alfalfa, not only grow in the soil, but add nutrients back to the soil.

As part of their celebration of IYS, SSSA is developing a series of twelve 2-minute educational videos. March’s Soils Support Agriculture video can be viewed at www.soils.org/iys/monthly-videos. The American Society of Agronomy co-sponsored the video. Educational materials can be viewed at www.soils.org/iys by clicking on the March tab.

Follow SSSA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SSSA.soils, Twitter at SSSA_Soils. SSSA also has a blog, Soils Matter, at http://soilsmatter.wordpress.com/. Additional soils information is on www.soils.org/discover-soils, for teachers at www.soils4teachers.org, and for students through 12^th grade, www.soils4kids.org.

The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) is a progressive international scientific society that fosters the transfer of knowledge and practices to sustain global soils. Based in Madison, WI, and founded in 1936, SSSA is the professional home for 6,000+ members and 1,000+ certified professionals dedicated to advancing the field of soil science. The Society provides information about soils in relation to crop production, environmental quality, ecosystem sustainability, bioremediation, waste management, recycling, and wise land use.

Soil and its qualities or lack thereof have become a hot farmer topic in most crop producing areas.  No-till is still being adopted but no quicker than cover crops planted between row crops.

Nutrient density and seed quality has slowly come to the mainstream at the same time.  Some soils produce quality that is nearly double the quality of crops grown in soils that are not managed intensely.

Making it all pay and meeting market demand is the trick.  There is always a trick, isn't there?

Food for thought on another cold February day.  This winter weather are making many wonder what this year has in store for us.

Ed Winkle

The Power Of Blogging

I am trying to recover from this week's treatments so I let LuAnn talk me into accompanying her to CVS and Kroger.  I had a long walk through Kroger but I didn't think I was going to make it.  She is always right if I can do it, the walking helps my nerve pain.

We got our groceries put away and I was able to eat a tuna fish sandwich for lunch.  I was sipping on green tea with an oatmeal cookie when a van pulled into our drive.

Our new neighbor reads my blog and brought us flowers and dinner!  I was hoping I would get to meet her someday because the last time I heard from her, she said she would be moving to our area.  Her family bought one of our friend's house just past the covered bridge!

The neat thing is we share the same faith and go to the same churches.  We had to see each other before but didn't know what each other looked like!  Her timing was perfect because I really need prayer today and needed to talk to someone about our faith.  God brought both to me thanks to her.  Laying my life out there for everyone to read paid big dividends today.

LuAnn and I are humbled by the support we have from all over, next door to New Zealand and just about everywhere.  I pray for all the wonderful people praying for me and give thanks for all I've got.  Right now is really scary but we all have scary parts in our lives.  I've learned that people make the difference and God uses them to speak to me.  I like it when that happens because that reminds me we are all in this together.

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law tested him by asking, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments" (Mt 22:34-40).

Can we do this with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind?  We are fragile and broken and we fail but when we live these commandments, I do believe the angels rejoice.

I hope I can do this with everyone I meet.  Sometimes I don't but when it works out like it did today for us, we rejoice also!

Blessings to all my readers, especially our "new" neighbors.  You sure made two people happy today.

Ed Winkle

Ten Things To Know Before Buying Farm Ground

On AgTalk we get a lot of questions just like the one I had when I graduated college.  How in the world will a poor guy like me ever own any farm ground?

I waited too long and passed up a lot of good opportunities.  I blamed it on my support system.  I never had anyone behind me who agreed with my goal and passion until I met LuAnn in 1999.

One poster gave what I thought was some really sound advice last week on Crop Talk.

1. Start looking now and get connected quietly
2. Pile the cash away
3. Study soil maps and drainage
4. Identify and verify property lines
5. Make sure you know about all easements and liabilities and contracts and leases connected to the land
6. Pay the first one off fast
7. Be offensive but set your limits and obey them and don't be afraid to low ball or walk away as appropriate
8. Keep off farm income rolling in as long as it makes sense
9. Have a plan or at least discuss thing with your father. You have a chance to grow the entire pie which helps the entire operation especially if he is on board
10. Start looking now, yes I said it twice

FWIW. Have bought several hundred acres in the last 18 months. Deals are out there, just gotta be patient and look and be ready. The deals never make it to the headline internet chat. The record high ones do. Picked up one piece last year for under 4K and pulled 200 bushel corn and 70 bushel beans off it this year. Just gotta look and be patient.

This is one of those really good threads that appear from time to time and worth your reading if you are interested in farm ground.  I bet my readers could write some really good stories if I could just get you to comment!

Many of you younger readers I've talked to could really benefit from this list.  Actually doing it and applying it to your own situation may require the support I felt I never had.

My door and email is open to you and I might even talk on the phone with you.

Ed

Bird Agronomics

You've heard me mention my friend Leon Bird here on HyMark High Spots many times.  I thought I would direct you to his latest venture, Bird Agronomics.  It's a pretty interesting website with lots of information on it.  I am interested in every product discussed on his website as it is all cutting edge technology.  Inoculation is important to the farmer and the gardener and so are cover crops.

Leon just had both knees replaced so we call to check up on each other.  He has been a good friend for over 20 years.  He is the most honest, humble man I've dealt with and I enjoy talking to him.  We say more in 5 minutes than other conversations converse in an hour.  We are on the same level, though he has a mind for numbers and statistics far beyond my capabilities.

He taught me all about hybrid seed corn and the seed corn industry in the early 90's.  It changed the way I look at seed.  I look for quality as much as I look at pedigree.  Quality is so important and often overlooked.  A problem with the big companies is they are so big and handle so much seed, the dollar can become more important than the seed.The larger the quantity, the larger the chance for error and do they ever make errors.

The small company cannot afford to do that.  They have to pay close attention to quality and follow through on every sale.  One bad comment on the Internet could ruin a year's sales.  Leon has never had to worry about that and one time someone asked about Leon on Crop Talk and about 20 guys gave him more praise than I ever heard one man given on Crop Talk.

I miss the old Bird Hybrid signs pictured above. Now I have signs in the barn that are no longer up to date.   He sold his seed corn business to Mark Denzler in Indiana and that became 1st Choice Seeds.  That farm where the sign was became my favorite corn crop of all time and I still show pictures of it on Ag Talk when we are talking about what good corn should look like.

The reason I mention Leon today is a friend from Nebraska asked me who to buy inoculant from and I recommended Leon.  He will make sure my friend gets fresh product that can be stored cool to keep every "bug" alive in the inoculant.

If you need any of the products listed on his website, you already know I highly recommend you deal with Leon.  He has helped some of my Crop Talk friends immensely and helped change the way they farm.  From corn to cabbage, Leon has helped many farmers.  I have no doubt his products will increase your return on investment in this very tight year.  I have 20 years of experience to prove that.

You might want to be the next one.

Sincerely,

Ed Winkle

Considerations On Inoculants

"The benefit from using rhizobium-containing inoculants is not as clear cut as are the benefits from using fungicide and insecticide seed treatments, according to the Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board (MSPB). We all know that these bacteria must be present in the soil in sufficient numbers for proper nodulation on soybean roots to occur. What we don’t know in such a hard-and-fast fashion is just when to expect an economic or agronomic response when inoculants are applied.
Points to consider in the decision of whether or not to use an inoculant are:

• An appropriate inoculant is cheap, generally less than $3/acre. Thus, cost is not a factor in deciding whether or not to inoculate.
• Do not apply inoculants to gain a yield increase. Rather, apply them to ensure that nitrogen fixation will be sufficient for the crop to realize the yield potential from the planted site.
• Inoculants are generally not compatible with fungicide seed treatments, so inoculant application must be made at planting. This will slow the planting operation.
• There is overwhelming evidence that applying inoculants to soils that have recently been cropped to soybeans provides no yield benefit.
• The cheapness of inoculants warrants their application when soybeans have not been grown recently on a site and the risk of insufficient native soil inoculum is high. The importance of this fact is because there is no option after planting but to apply expensive nitrogen fertilizer to overcome the effects of poor nodulation.
• With the change in cropping systems that is occurring in Mississippi, it is a good idea to inoculate when soybeans are planted on a site that has had continuous cotton or corn or if the site has not been cropped to soybeans in the last 4 to 5 years.
• There is a potential advantage from choosing inoculant products that contain more than one strain of bacteria.
• Results from a study that was planted behind the 2011 flood in Mississippi showed no advantage for applying inoculants even though the flood period was several weeks.

For more information, read MSPB’s “Soybean Seed Treatments and Inoculants.”

I started inoculating soybeans again in 1994 when the USDA strain came out.  I've not seen a year since I didn't think it paid.

Ed Winkle