Farm Briefs

Wet conditions slow field work Conditions were favorable for crops last week, with warm days and periods of rain. The average statewide temperature was 64 degrees, 1.5 degrees below normal. Precipitation was high, averaging 2.83 inches for the state, while the norm for the time period is 1.03 inches. Conditions were less favorable for planting. The number of days suitable for fieldwork averaged only 2.3 for the state. With just a few days of good weather, some progress was nonetheless made in planting crops, though fieldwork remained on hold in areas that were flooded or saturated with water. Soybeans planted climbed to 59 percent. This compares with 47 percent planted the previous week and a five-year average of 64 percent. Soybeans emerged were at 30 percent. Corn planted was at 94 percent, 4 percentage points above the previous week and one percentage point above the five-year average. Corn emerged stood at 80 percent, also one percentage point above the five-year average. Topsoil moisture increased to 51 percent adequate and 49 percent surplus. Winter wheat was 93 percent headed and 69 percent filled.Wheat conditions stood at 3 percent very poor, 9 percent poor, 29 percent fair, 48 percent good and 11 percent excellent. Extension granted for ACRE deadline The deadline for farmers to certify their 2010 Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) production has been extended from July 15 to Sept. 1, according to an announcement this week from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency. Producers who participate in the ACRE program receive revenue-based payments as an alternative to receiving price-based counter-cyclical payments. ‘The original deadline was extended to Sept. 1 due to the large workload that many county offices are experiencing,’ said Scherrie Giamanco, FSA state executive director. ‘The extension applies to reporting the farm benchmark yields for 2005 through 2009, and the actual farm yield for 2010.’ Because of the extension, FSA county offices will not be authorized to use a late-file registration. That means that no ACRE production certifications will be accepted beyond the Sept. 1 deadline.