UPI Farming Today

Academics study alfalfa's evolvement

Researchers trying to determine the performance of modern varieties of alfalfa are going to extremes to compare them to the varieties available 50 years ago.

Forage researchers with Purdue University conducted their alfalfa performance trials by testing 31 commercially available alfalfa varieties at university-controlled farms near West Lafayette and Wanatah, Ind.

Varieties included representatives of 22 seed companies and dealers while 38 experimental entries were tested separately.

The trials measured dry alfalfa matter and compared it to benchmark varieties from the past.

"We use as our check variety Vernal, which goes back to 1953," forage specialist Keith Johnson said. "We're fortunate that we're still able to get certified Vernal seed.

"I believe it provides a good measure of yield improvement through the decades," Johnson said.

Vernal is a winter-hardy type of alfalfa with bacteria wilt resistance.

"We have seen yield improvement over the years as compared to that variety," Johnson said. "It may be as little as 15 percent some years, but if you get the right pathogen attack you'll find that the top varieties will be 50 percent higher yielding than a variety of the past like Vernal."

Overall, alfalfa plots performed well under less than ideal weather conditions during 2002.

"We saw 9 tons to 10 tons of dry matter yield per acre this year. That's pretty decent," said Jeremy Sweeten, an Agronomy Department trial supervisor.

"About the only way a producer could get that is if they were chopping for silage, because there are measurable field losses when dry hay production occurs," Sweeten said.

While late season dryness prevented additional alfalfa production, early season storms destroyed alfalfa seeding. Soils were wetter at the farm near the West Lafayette campus than at the Wanatah agricultural center.

Company fined for soybean contamination

The Agriculture Department is imposing $250,000 in civil penalties against a Texas company for violations of the federal plant protection act.

ProdiGene Inc. officials signed a consent decree that admits no wrongdoing but agrees to the fine and for reimbursement of federal expenses to acquire and destroy 500,000 bushels of soybeans in storage in Nebraska.

Those soybeans meant for the human food supply inadvertently became tainted with genetic traits from corn that was genetically modified for use by the pharmaceutical industry. Officials say the soybeans were caught and quarantined before any reached the human food supply.

ProdiGene also agreed to a $1 million bond and higher compliance standards, including additional approvals before field testing and harvesting genetically modified material.

Corn fiber utilization project continues

The National Corn Growers Association, Archer Daniels Midland Co. and the Department of Energy Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will work together to study new markets for corn.

The groups received a $2.4 million grant from the Energy Department to extend their research on corn fiber utilization for nearly three more years.

The highly skilled project team is multidisciplinary, consisting of business managers, engineers, chemists and biochemists from ADM, NCGA and PNNL. Officials want to convert corn fiber to higher value products, thereby opening new markets for corn growers.

Soybean farmers encourage bio-diesel

The United Soybean Board will begin a new program to encourage soybean farmers across the United States to request and use bio-diesel fuels.

Bio-diesel promotion efforts are part of a larger Bio-based Products Initiative that is funded with money raised through check-off program fees.

The initiative also includes strategies to promote greater federal use of soy bio-based products. The new farm bill includes incentives for federal agencies to purchase bio-based products made from soybeans and other agricultural commodities.

Dairy farmer negotiation methods differ

"Collective bargaining" is a scare word to many farmers who associate it with the milk dumping and other actions that have accompanied efforts to organize farmers to push up prices. But University of Minnesota economist Richard Levins said the term nowadays has a different meaning.

Violence of the so-called farmer holiday movements was an attempt to use supply control to influence prices. The newer use of the term involves efforts to overcome lack of economic power.

For collective bargaining to be successful, Levin said, there must be some threat to back it up. Instead of dumping milk, producers could agree to restrict the supply of milk to just one processor.

(by E.W. Kieckhefer)

Grains down on CBOT

Grain futures were lower at the close Monday on the Chicago Board of Trade.

Soybeans fell on rainfall in Brazil.

Corn fell as investors lost interest due to the oversold condition of the market.

Wheat fell on light volume in anticipation of the supply-demand reports due Tuesday.

Oats were lower due to influence from wheat.

The prices:

Soybeans: Jan 5.62 off 1 1/4, Mar 5.59 off 1 1/2, May 5.50 3/4 off 1, Jul 5.47 3/4 off 1.

Corn: Dec 2.32 off 1 1/4, Mar 2.36 3/4 off 1/2, May 2.39 1/2 off 1/4, Jul 2.42 unch.

Wheat: Dec 3.48 off 1 1/4, Mar 3.57 1/2 off 1/4, May 3.44 3/4 up 1/2, Jul 3.11 1/2 up 2.

Oats: Dec 1.97 1/4 off 1/4, Mar 1.97 1/2 off 2 1/2, May 1.92 1/2 off 1/4, Jul 1.78 1/4 off 1.