Report on grain crops

[CountryBertha]

A wheat producer sent me a report concerning the damage to wheat crops that resulted from two situations; the first being a lack of rain, and the second being damaged by the storms.

Many of the growers are opting to destroy and take the insurance payout, but many growers do have enough viable crops that can be harvested but some shortages are expected.

Corn growers have also said pretty much the same thing in other emails.

Will keep you posted.

[Equilibrium]

We're going to lose crops to too much rain out my way. The weather has been so terrible they haven't been able to get their wheat, corn, or soybean crops in the ground. They won't be able to deliver what they can't plant. This is horrible what's happening in the midwest and combined with what's occurring elsewhere in the US.... we can expect another sharp rise in the cost of our food.

[grumble]

Back in January, I posted about the La Nina parked off the west coast, and the drought/flooding it would cause. Sure enough, here it is. It is now starting to dissipate, so hopefully those who were able to plant will also be able to harvest.

Still, with the weather hit to the "breadbasket," grain crops are sure to be less than normal.

Seems to me that corn in particular is going to cause trouble. It is a major feed crop, is used for fillers and sweeteners in almost all processed food, and worst of all, it is used for ethanol added to gasoline, by order of Congress and our ever-helpful EPA. If the price of corn doubles, it will at least double the cost of ethanol, which is 10%-20% of the cost of gas. Which means that a $3 gallon of gas would immediately become a $3.30 gallon of gas. And there's a whole 'nuther thread about what happens when gas prices go up.

[sbemt456]

We didnt plant a lot of corn this year, just about 1 1/2 acres for cornmeal and stock feed. But we planted it later than normal for us here and I am hoping we dont have an early winter set in and the snow start. Around our area it is good to harvest corn in mid to late November but with our late planting I am thinking we will be probably mid December picking it. We raise open pollinated varieties that has a tendency to grow to about 12 to 14 ft tall and snow will put it all on the ground if it happens to be still out in the fields when we get a good snowfall. Not fun picking corn by hand, been there, done that.

Have a great day!

stella

[Dame]

We are still planting here and that is normal for corn, vegetables etc. For those of you with late planting dates further south, perhaps a shorter season variety would work. I will be putting in some 60 day corn next week and some of the farmers will be putting in feed corn in the next couple of weeks for harvest the first part of October.