News Update
Aug. 22, 2008

$87.5M Aids Conservation Measures After Floods, Drought

Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced Aug. 21 that farmers and ranchers will receive U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding to repair land damage created by natural disasters in 34 states since September 2007.

Producers will use the $87.5 million in Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) funding for removal of farmland debris, restoring fences and repairing conservation structures which were caused or damaged by floods, and for carrying out emergency water conservation measures in response to severe drought. “This funding will allow farmers and ranchers to repair the unusually harsh damage to conservation efforts caused by the disaster conditions, notably flooding and drought,” Schafer said. “USDA has worked shoulder to shoulder with producers when weather turns against them, and we remain involved to help in the weeks and months of recovery afterward.”

For land to be eligible, the natural disaster must create new conservation problems that: if untreated, will impair or endanger the land; materially affect the land’s productive capacity; represent unusual damage that, except for wind erosion, is not of the type likely to recur frequently in the same area; and would be so costly to repair that federal assistance is or will be required to return the land to productive agricultural use.

All of the above conditions must be met for eligibility. Conservation problems existing prior to the disaster are not eligible for cost-share assistance.

Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committees determine land eligibility based on on-site inspections of damage, taking into account the type and extent of damage.

The states and estimated dollar amounts for ECP funding are available at www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/ecpcounties.pdf. 

 A national map with a visual depiction of the affected counties and disaster types is available at www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/ecpmap.pdf.

— Release provided by USDA.


Wheat Producers Should Keep Phosphorus Prices in Perspective

Phosphorus (P) fertilizer prices are high, no question, but wheat producers should not overreact to the lofty price tags by cutting back on phosphate fertilizer if it’s needed for the wheat crop, said Kansas State University (K-State) agronomist Barney Gordon.

“Where soil phosphorous levels are low [10-20 parts per million (ppm) Mehlich III or Bray-1 P] or very low (less than 10 ppm), the likelihood of a wheat yield response to phosphorous is greater than 50 percent,” said Gordon, who is the agronomist-in-charge at the K-State Research and Extension North Central Experiment Field near Belleville. “Often, the yield response is great enough to more than pay for the phosphorous fertilizer, even at today’s prices.”

In mid-August, prices in Kansas for dry and liquid forms of phosphorus ranged from $1 to $1.30 per pound (lb.) — approximately 180% to 210% higher than a year ago.

Wheat tends to be highly responsive to P input if the soil test category is low or very low, he said. Phosphorus is generally the second-most limiting nutrient in wheat production behind nitrogen (N), but in some areas of the Great Plains, phosphorous is even more limiting than nitrogen.

“Early-season phosphorous deficiency can limit wheat yield potential. The first five to six weeks after emergence is the critical period. Wheat absorbs about 18% of its total seasonal phosphorus uptake in just the first two weeks of growth,” Gordon said.

Phosphorus has significant effects on tillering and rooting of wheat, and an early-season phosphorus deficiency can reduce those important aspects of growth and development, he explained. In turn, a poorly developed plant is more susceptible to stresses in winter and spring.

“It doesn’t take much added phosphorous fertilizer, with the proper timing and placement, to have a big effect on early-season development and yields,” the agronomist said.

Later-season phosphorous deficiency has a much lower effect on wheat production than early-season phosphorous deficiency.

Gordon said the biggest response to phosphorous will come from placing the fertilizer with the seed — either as a dry product, such as 11-52-0, or as a liquid, such as 10-34-0.

Broadcasting phosphorous can also improve early-season wheat growth in some cases (especially on soils testing medium for Mehlich III or Bray-1
P). But, broadcasting is less efficient and requires a higher rate to obtain a similar response, making it more expensive.

— Release provided by K-State Research and Extension.

Profitable Landownership
Topic of Saint Louis Workshop

The stakes of farmland ownership have never been higher with record land values, stronger rents, biofuel’s influence, changes to the government farm program and updates to the tax code. Non-operator landowners, and those considering purchasing farmland, are invited to attend a workshop Sept. 25 in Saint Louis, Mo., to learn about the financial aspects of land ownership.

Workshop topics include: key indicators for commodity price direction; the profit potential of alternative lease types; the formula to managing a cash rent lease; the effect of the new Farm Bill; and profit opportunities for the future. 

Farmers National Co. is hosting the 2008 Landowner Workshop, titled “The Keys to Profitable Land Ownership.”

As a way to get the next generation involved, current clients of Farmers National Co. and their children can attend the workshop at no cost. The Landowner Workshop will be offered Sept. 25 from 9 a.m. to 3:50 p.m. at the Sheraton Westport Chalet, 191 Westport Plaza, Saint Louis, Mo. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.

More than 1,400 landowners attended Farmers National Co. workshops last year. Seating is limited, and preregistration is suggested. For more information or to register, call 1-800-346-2650 or visit www.farmersnational.com/Landowner_Workshops. The cost for registration is $15 in advance and $20 at the door.


Farming with Grass Conference Nears

The Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) will convene a conference October 20-22 at the Sheraton Oklahoma City Hotel, Oklahoma City, Okla., to address the factors driving change in mixed agricultural systems. Specific objectives include:

• Engage participants across diverse disciplines and institutions in identifying research, technology, and policy needs to maintain competitive and environmentally sound agricultural systems under dynamic natural, social, economic and policy drivers.
• Provide professional development and networking opportunities.
• Identify key knowledge gaps and technology limitations that impede the ability of individuals and communities to evaluate options to meet multiple objectives.
• Identify policy alternatives to promote sustainable agricultural systems.

The three-day conference will be organized around the following topic areas:

1. Status and trends in types of agricultural systems, inputs, productivity, profitability, environmental indicators, and rural demographics and economics.
2. Environmental, social and economic benefits of mixed grassland landscapes to include farm level, rural community and broad social perspectives.
3. Factors driving change in grassland environments (e.g., resource availability, demographics, social dynamics, economics, climate change, farm, environmental and energy policy, and local zoning/farmland preservation).
4. Assessment tools for monitoring and predicting changes and to support scenario analyses of alternatives and tradeoffs.
5. Science and policy needed to sustain agriculture in mixed grassland environments, including role of market-based tools, state and local water laws and policies, and environmental trades (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions, water allocation, effluent releases).

The early registration deadline is Wednesday, Sept. 10. Additional information is available online at www.swcs.org/fwg.

— Release provided by SWCS.

— compiled by Crystal Albers, associate editor, Angus Productions Inc.