03/07/13: Truck strike delays Brazilian grain; Russian grain harvest underway; Silos Cordoba is a top exporter in Andalucia

Grain deliveries at Brazil's largest port in Santos have been delayed due to a strike by truck workers. Reuters reports that two thirds of of grains are delivered to Santos by trucks.

The trucker's union MUBC, is demanding a subsidy for diesel fuel, exemptions on highway toll payments for drivers and the creation of a new federal government department of cargo transportation.

Despite fewer deliveries, shipments have continued because exporting firms hold grains in private storage units to minimize the effect of interruptions in ground transport

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Russia sped up its grain harvest to avoid losses from wet weather in the southern areas.

Farmers reaped 8.5 million metric tons of cereals by the start of July, the Moscow-based Agriculture Ministry said on its website, up from 4.9 million tons a year earlier. They gathered 6.8 million tons of wheat, against 4.3 million tons last year, from 7.6 percent of the planted area.

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Silos Cordoba is the sixth largest export company in Cordoba, Spain according to the journal Economic Andalucia. Congratulations to all at Silos Cordoba.

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Containers at Santos port (Photo credit: markhillary)

13/03/13: We're at VIV Asia; Thai company invests in Cambodia and Laos; rain in the USA

Two of the Grain and Feed Milling Technology magazine team are in Bangkok for VIV Asia. If you are at the show, come and see us on stand H105 B051. If you're not there, check our blog for updates throughout the show.

Grain and Feed Milling Technology publisher, Roger Gilbert is hosting the ‘CropTech-FeedTech 2013’ seminar titled, Digital Engineering in Feed Manufacturing. The seminar is aimed at those working in the area of mill technology and aims at providing background information on intelligent solutions that have been introduced to address processing chain dilemmas.

“What’s unique for our industry about this event is it’s format,” says Roger Gilbert. “There will be seven or eight very short presentations made by supply companies that have developed products either using or that use digital technologies to improve the feed manufacturing process.

More information about VIV Asia...

CPF, Thailand is to set up a feed mill plant in Laos and a corn silo in Cambodia. The combined investment of  THB 250 million (US$ 8.40 million) will strengthen the company's agri-industrial business ahead of the Asean Economic Community (AEC). 

The aim of the facilities is to put CPF in a strong position to serve rising demand once the regional single market is established in 2015.

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Rains helps ease the drought pressure on US crops. Over the weekend, most of the Plains wheat region and the western Midwest were treated to a welcome shower.

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This image shows a cloud to cloud lightning in a very stormy and rainy night in Zwickau, Germany. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

01/11/12: Australia wheat deregulation pushed through; Rain in Argentina; US winter wheat

Hello, 

• Plans for wheat deregulation in Australia have been afoot for sometime now but were delayed due to political wrangling.  However, yesterday the bill finally passed through parliament after the Labor party, Greens and independents joined forces to vote in favour of full deregulation. Read more...

• How times change.  Last week Argentina was touted as the answer to the world corn shortage.  Today, we learn that the continued wet weather may cut corn acreage.  Back to square one. Read more...

• Winter wheat crops in the USA are in the worst condition since the government started monitoring in 1985, according to Bloomberg.  In the first USDA crops assessment of the season, 40 percent of winter wheat was rated good or excellent, compared to 46 percent last year. Read more...

Soil Health: Soybeans Planted into Winter Wheat Stubble (Photo credit: NRCS Soil Health)

15/10/12: US rice exports to China; drought resistant corn; pest risk

Hello,

• Draft protocol advances prospects for US Rice exports to China. The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service office in Beijing has received a draft phytosanitary protocol from Chinese plant health officials covering prospective exports of U.S.-grown rice to China.  A translation of the document has been sent to APHIS headquarters in Riverdale, Maryland, for review and assessment and to formulate a response.  “From what we understand, there are a significant number of onerous conditions placed on US milled rice entry into China,” says USA Rice Federation President and CEO Betsy Ward.  “Nevertheless, this is a significant achievement.”  More information...
  

• Seed suppliers seek drought resistant corn varieties. As the US tries to recover from one of the driest summers corn seed suppliers are looking towards new strains that can survive with less water, including crossbreeding and GM.  Read more...

• Wet weather in the UK means rodents are setting up home in grain stores warns the HGCA and British Pest Control.  It's believed that heavy rain has flushed the animals out of their usual field homes.  Read more...

A laboratory rat strain known as a Zucker rat. These rats are bred to be genetically prone to diabetes, the same metabolic disorder found among humans. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

21/09/12: Drought and weather special

Hello, 
Drought has dominated the milling headlines throughout the USA and mainland Europe this summer.  In the UK,  rain, rain and more rain caused infection fears for farmers and millers.
The effects of this spate of unpredictable weather look set to continue making the news as the northern hemisphere moves into autumn.  
With this in mind, we thought it was appropriate to dedicate a blog post to drought and weather.

• The USDA has expanded its drought relief system to 22 states.  An additional $11.8 million for financial aid and technical assistance has been pledged by the USDA to help crop and livestock producers.  The money comes on top of the $16 million given earlier in the summer.  Read more...

• Russia may have to double its wheat imports due to drought.  Read more...

• In the UK, high levels of BYDV were found in cereal crops earlier this year and the wet weather this summer has helped to create a green bridge of cereal volunteers and grass-weeds which is now acting as a reservoir for BYDV vectors, reports farminguk.com.  Read the full article here.

• But there is some good news: despite a slow start, the Indian monsoon is well underway with rainfall 44 percent higher than average.  Fingers crossed the wet weather will help revive summer-planted crops such as rice, corn and soybeans.  Read more...

English: Sheep on a drought-affected paddock near Uranquinty (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nitorgen loss expected due to heavy rains

With the heavy rains that has inundated the Upper Midwest from South Dakota to Minnesota, University of South Dakota Extension Soil Specialist Ron Gelderman says "some fields may experience nitrogen (N) loss. Whether N leaching has occurred depends on many factors". 

He also said "There are many considerations including: soil type, amount of rainfall, rainfall intensity, when Nitrogen was applied, nitrification inhibitors used, organic matter levels and many more". Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers

Looks like a bumper crops for Australia

The Eastern states in Australia have started their winter cropping season, and it looks as if it will be a bumper season for wheat according to Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) Australian Crop Report for the June Quarter. ABARES deputy executive director, Paul Morris said "that good soil moisture in the eastern states and favourable grain and oilseed prices have encouraged Australian producers to increase winter crop plantings this year".

Due to recent rainfall over the cropping area which has boosted the winter crop even after a dry start to the season. However Morris also said that more rainfall is needed to complete this year planting. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers

Eye on crops, June 3, 2011

On May 29, we received rainfall in the range of 0.5-1 in. With the wind, sun and high temperatures drying the soil surface, I was able to return to post-emergence application of herbicides in our cornfields on May 31; it was a real challenge to avoid the soft areas of mud. Every day the situation improves, but not as fast as farmers would like. As they waited to enter the fields, some farmers began mowing roadsides.

On June 2, tractors were returning to some fields to work ground to dry out the soil in order to plant the next day. There were also a few farmers I saw planting no-till or planting ground that was worked before the rain knocked them out of the field on May 22 without reworking the soil. The conditions are not ideal, but the farmers do not want to wait any longer to plant more of their crops. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers

Weather 'hurdles' ahead

Surprise thunderstorms overnight in the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles are coming far too late to help out the wheat crop in that area, but are certainly going to help conditions in regards to summer row-crop planting. Not everyone in that area is getting these rains, but those locations that are under the strongest thunderstorms are getting over an inch. Look for that activity to end by mid-morning and dry weather will be seen in that area for the rest of the five-day forecast.

The rest of the hard-red winter wheat belt has rain chances for today and in some areas tomorrow, and chances are good that a lot of this will be quite severe in nature. Rains this morning in the Corn Belt are mainly in the west, and this activity marks the start of what will be an active period of weather that will last through at least the end of the weekend (or even into Monday in the east). Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers

Wheat slumps on needed rains - Grain and Soy Review

US wheat futures ended lower Thursday, falling to two-week lows on forecasts for rains to reach some of the dry areas of the hard red winter wheat belt. Forecasts for some much needed rainfall in the southern Plains next week enticed traders to reduce risk exposure in wheat markets. Wheat for May delivery, the most actively traded contract, ended down 12 1/4 cents, or 1.6 percent, to US$7.40 1/2 a bushel at the Chicago Board of Trade.

Rains are forecast to hit some of the driest areas of the winter wheat belt this week, with another system expected to move into parts of the parched southern plains next week, said Tim Hannagan, analyst at PFG Best in Chicago. The market was focused on weather, led by the Kansas City hard red winter wheat contract, and despite the rains expected to miss some of the driest areas, it provided enough jitters to encourage traders to reduce some risk exposure. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers