March 2010
General Manager's Comments
By Larry Sheridan
I know that none of you are waiting for spring any worse that we are. We haven't been able to do very much of our winter fertilizing or spraying we normally get done. Last week one day (in the middle of February) at 10:00 Brian was having trouble with his spray tips freezing, Monte said his foam marker was frozen and at 11:30 Richard called in and said to keep the other two trucks in, he was sliding down a hill sideways. Our window of application has been limited.
I don't personally know any ground hogs, but after living in Ellsworth County my entire life I know on February 2 there will be more winter to come. See I was right!
I can come up with a lot of words to describe the grain markets but I shouldn't put them in print. Ever since the USDA grain report in January, it hasn't been good. I hope we can only go up. Most of the time we have to accept the market offered, good or bad. Many people have failed at trying to outguess it.
We
are going to update the fuel system at Ampride.
There will be new diesel pumps with a canopy
over them and a new computer system inside. This
system should read your cards better. We are
also going to put in a new scale at Holyrood;
the deck is in poor shape and it is too short
for today's trucks. It has been needed for a
long time.
Holyrood
We have a change of employees at the Holyrood Elevator. Jennifer Lewallen has worked for us since the merger in 1996 as bookkeeper, grain accountant and customer service. She has done a great job. She is making a career change and going back to school. She has taken a job in Hays. It has been her long time passion to go back to school and reach for something better. We appreciate all the work Jennifer has done for our Co-op and we regret losing her as part of our team. We give our best wishes and support her move to the future.
We didn't advertise this opening at all; the day after Jennifer gave notice of leaving we had several good qualified applications. Jeremy has made his selection and we believe he chose well.
Gina Price started working in Holyrood Feb. 1. She lives south of Claflin with her husband John and sons Weston and Cody. Their sons attend the Claflin school district. Gina has a lot of experience in computer entry, scale operator, receptionist and doesn't mind going outside and loading feed or anything else. We feel the transition of change is going to go smoother than we could have expected.
For Sale
In late March or early April watch the Ellsworth
County Independent newspaper. We are going to
offer several items for sale by sealed bid. Just
cleaning up the back lots and sheds.
1986 Chev. PU ½ ton
1985 Ford PU ½ ton
1977 Chev. C-30 Tire Truck
1969 IHC Loadstar 1600 cab and chassis
L A Case tractor- 3323450LA
W-6 tractor with pull type bush hog
Fergusen 35 tractor with loader & three point
Three PTO drive fertilizer spreaders
Three thousand Bu. Columbian bin to be moved
Plus much more.
Farm Supplies
By Dave Svaty
How much effect does fertilizer play in crop yield? According to an article in Ag Professional Magazine the figure is near 40%. The thing to remember about fertilizer is that it is a variable which the producer has control over. If you decide to cut back 50% on fertilizer you have already cut crop yields by 20% before the growing season even starts.
Mining soil of residual fertilizer may be a practice you can adhere to once, but done in repetitive fashion may lead to a disaster. One example may be delayed maturity crops from inadequate phosphorus. What initially might be a savings in inputs may actually be a detriment to overall yield.
Soil testing enables a producer to see a picture of crop needs before the actual growing season begins. It also allows selection of varieties to match soil conditions. One example would be pH tolerance in certain varieties.
We offer a good selection of seed choices for the producer.
Triumph Seed
Grain Sorghum 418 Cruiser $148.00/Bag
Grain Sorghum 420 Cruiser $148.00/Bag
Grain Sorghum 458 Cruiser $138.00/Bag
Grain Sorghum TR448 Cruiser $138.00/Bag
Seed Corn 2011RR $190.00/Bag
Seed Corn 1608CBRR $226.00/Bag
Seed Corn 9958VT $254.00/Bag
Sunflowers 636 3ACRMX $210.00/Bag
Sunflowers 630CL 3ACRMX $224.00/Bag
Sunflowers S672 3ACRMX $228.00/Bag
Sunflowers S668 3ACRMX $228.00/Bag
Sunflowers 680CL 3ACRMX $238.00/Bag
Sunflowers 664 3ACRMX $224.00/Bag
Mycogen Seed
Grain Sorghum IG 557
Grain Sorghum IG600 Concept -$95.00/Bag Cruiser -$155.00/Bag
Grain Sorghum M3838 Concept -$95.00/Bag Cruiser -$155.00/Bag
Grain Sorghum 627
Seed Corn 2T804 $215.00/Bag
Seed Corn 2T777 $205.00/Bag
Soybean Seed 5N352RR $49.90/Bag
Soybean Seed 5B381RR $49.90/Bag
Sorghum Partners Grain Sorghum
NK 5418 $161.00/Bag
KS 585 $161.00/Bag
K 35-Y5 $156.00/Bag
Dekalb Asgrow Grain Sorghum
Pulsar Concep/Poncho $168.00/Bag
37-07 Concep/Poncho $174.00/Bag
37-07 Concep $108.00/Bag
39Y Concep $100.00/Bag
44-20 Concep/Poncho $174.00/Bag
28-05 Concep/Poncho $170.00/Bag
36-06 Concep/Poncho $174.00/Bag
Forage Seed
Browning Seed Sweet Sioux (WMR) Sorghum Sudan Grass $23.00/Bag
Tridan Sorghum Sudan Grass $16.00/Bag
Eastern Colorado Seed HP Grazer $21.50/Bag
Star Seed Excel Sudan Grass $32.50/Bag
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Star Seed Nutriplus BMR |
$39.50/Bag |
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Star Seed |
Magnum LDP |
$37.00/Bag |
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Rox Orange |
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$20.00/Bag |
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KansasOrange |
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$21.00/Bag |
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Sumac |
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$21.00/Bag |
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Ellis |
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$21.00/Bag |
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Atlas |
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$21.00/Bag |
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Hegari |
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$20.00/Bag |
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Ohlde Soybeans
3732 RR Call For Price
3721B RR Call For Price
3727 RR Call For Price
4232 RR Call For Price
392 Genuity Call For Price
As CRP Acres are being brought back into use, fencing needs will increase. We have a good supply of posts and wire to fulfill your needs. New this year we have available fence staples. With the snowfall we have received, many fencing repairs will be needed.
Pallet Price of 6ft. 1.33 posts $4.50 each
Pallet Price of 5 ft. 6. 1.33 posts $4.25 each
Oklahoma Select Barbed Wire $58.00/Roll
Red Brand 2-point Defender $70.00/Roll
Fence Staples $21.00/10/#Container
12.5 Gauge Black Tie Wire $13.50/10#Roll
Calving season is upon us. Please keep your herd's nutritional needs met with help from your local Coop. Mineral, energy, and protein needs can be met with Land-O-Lakes Purina minerals and feed. Watch for special pricing on spring minerals. Remember not to neglect bulls isolated in bull pastures. Bulls need to be in good condition during spring breeding season.
As temperatures warm and day length increases the promise of spring renews hope for a new season. Alfalfa weevil will hatch, weeds will emerge, pasture thistles will bolt and the Coop will be there to supply your spring chemical needs. Adequate moisture should help establish the spring crops and finish the winter wheat. On corn and soybean acreages a pre-emerge herbicide may be advisable. Come see us for your spraying needs.
Kansas Wheat Scoop
No. 1647:
Study Shows 23-to-1
Return on Producer
Export Investments
MANHATTAN, Kan. - U.S. wheat producers invested an average of about $10 million per year to promote their products overseas between 2000 and 2007, and for every one of those dollars they received $23 back in increased net revenue. That isthe principal conclusion of a new economic analysisof wheat export promotion released last week byU.S. Wheat Associates (USW), the wheat industry.s export market development organization.
USW commissioned the study with funding from the USDA/Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)Market Access Program. Dr. Harry M. Kaiser, the Gellert Family Professor of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell and director of the Cornell Commodity Promotion Research Program (CCPRP), designed and conducted the research using established methods he and the CCPRP team developed.
"The study showed that U.S. wheat export promotion had a large and beneficial impact for producers and the economy that far exceeded its cost," Dr. Kaiser said. "One of the econometric models we used showed that the overall average revenue benefit to the entire wheat industry from the combined producer and FAS expenditures was estimated to be about $115 for each dollar spent." The study also predicted that increasing the promotion investment has the potential for even greater returns to wheat producers, the wheat supply chain, and the U.S. economy.
Dr. Kaiser quantified the impact of wheat export promotion through a model that accounts for several factors affecting commodity export demand. The study determined that cutting promotion by 50 percent between 2000 and 2007 would have reduced wheat exports by 17.1 percent, a total export loss equal to almost 1.4 billion bushels or almost 172.7 million bushels per year. The value of that loss was determined, then compared to total wheat export promotion cost to calculate a series of benefit-to-cost ratios (BCR). The producer BCR from the total promotion cost averaged 11.5 to 1. Because producers contributed about half the total in checkoff dollars and in-kind support, the BCR for their half of the spending averaged about 23 to1.
"Our organization is accountable to wheat producers and other taxpayers who fund the market development work we do," USW President Alan Tracy said. "Dr. Kaiser's research methods are well respected, so we are very confident about the analysis and very pleased with the results." Tracy said the findings were similar to results from a study USW commissioned five years ago showing that wheat exports would decline by 28 percent with no promotion investment, and to a study FAS conducted in 2006.
USW will use additional results from the study to help plan and manage its future activities. The organization has posted full study results on its Web site, www.uswheat.org
U.S. Wheat Associates is the industry's market development organization working in more than 100 countries on behalf of America's wheat producers. The activities of USW are made possible by producer check off dollars managed by 19 state wheat commissions, in-kind support, and cost-share funding provided by USDA.s Foreign Agricultural Service. To qualify for federal funds, USW is required to prepare and submit an annual, comprehensive Unified Export Strategy that details specific market development plans for every country and region. For more information, visit www.uswheat.org or contact your state wheat commission.
Contact: Bill Spiegel, Communications Specialist Kansas Wheat P 785-539-0255 bspiegel@kswheat.com www.KansasWheat.org
Kansas Wheat is the cooperative agreement between the Kansas Wheat Commission and the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers, joining together as .leaders in the
adoption of profitable innovations for wheat..