January 2009 Newsletter

It appears that the record-setting winter of 2007-08 is being matched this year as far as snow, ice and temperature swings. I have traded my old worn #14 shovel for a new aluminum scoop shovel. This is carried just in case the road slips out from under the car. That is a discussion for another time.

We are still waiting on fertilizer price adjustments as local supply is purchased at levels established by last summer’s run up. The supply at the manufacturing locations is high, and the price is dropping as a result. This will squeeze local companies that have been on thin margins for awhile. Look at your crop budgets and projected sales values carefully before committing to pricing inputs. There is a time in the future when nitrogen will follow the fuel prices down. Phosphorus and potash will decline as the resupply starts to come in to local plants. When will local suppliers be willing to bring prices down? That may well be a $300 to $500 a ton question. As you check DTN and on line sources note that there is more than just price to be considered. The planting season is short and finding added tons my be difficult.

This is a time to mention alternatives – most notably, the manure produced by those dairy cows in Wisconsin. It is back to the basics with soil testing and looking at what is available at a given price. Some grades of fertilizer are less costly per pound than others. We may want to look at that during a farm stop.

The beginning of 2009 will be very busy as I look at the variety of special meetings offered by FVTC, the county extension agents and other educational groups. (See the calendar of activities.)
I have included the commercial training flyer for those who are custom pesticide applicators.

Remember to check out our blog at:
http://fbpm-fvtc.blogspot.com/

Dates of Upcoming Activities

Jan. 6, 13 - Cow College at Waupaca Regional Center.

Jan. 8 - Farm Management for FSA borrowers – filling out the forms (hands on) at FVTC, Appleton. We will go through an example farm year- end and projection. These will be on a computer form. Representatives from FSA may be present for additional questions. (Change of date from February 26.)

Jan. 20 -Cow College Tour and panel discussion of successful dairy farms - held at Clintonville Regional Center.

Jan. 21 -Wisconsin Corn Conference at the Best Western Grand Seasons, Waupaca, WI. (Correction to calendar which said Jan. 22.)

Jan. 26, 27, 29 - Fertilizer Alternatives, Precision Cropping Classes with county FSA directors.

Feb. 4 - PRIVATE Pesticide Applicator Training and Testing – Manawa City Hall. (Contact 715-258-6230.)

Feb. 24 - PRIVATE Pesticide Applicator Training and Testing – Winnebago Co. UW-EX. (Contact 920-232-1971.)

Mar. 4 - Snap Plus Class – Waupaca Regional Center

Mar. 5 - Snap Plus Class – Clintonville Regional Center

Mar. 5 - PRIVATE Pesticide Applicator Training and Testing – Waupaca Courthouse. (Contact 715-258-6230.)

November 2008 Newsletter

Cow College 2009

It is time to register for this year’s Cow College which will be held in January. There will be sessions in Waupaca and in Clintonville. Please sign up on the downloadable sheet below and indicate which sessions you plan to attend. The deadline is Dec. 31.

2009 Cow College Registration Form




Corn Growers Meeting In January

The Wisconsin Corn Conference will be held Jan. 21st at Best Western Grand Season in Waupaca. Seating is limited to 100, so be sure to get your registration in soon!

Download form below.

2009 Wisconsin Corn Conference Registration Form



We’re Online! (And you found us!)

Check out our new blog for the latest Farm Business Production Management information. You will also find helpful links and resources to help you stay informed!

Blog address: http://fbpm-fvtc.blogspot.com

Upcoming Events

• The Wisconsin signup for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) will will be Dec. 1, 2008 – Jan. 30, 2009, for 2009 funding. Web info: http://www.wi.nrcs.usda.gov/


• Wisconsin grain trials will be available after Thanksgiving. These will be published in Farm papers.

Class Schedule Updates

• Jan. 20 - Cow College Tour will be in Clintonville in the afternoon.
• Feb. 26 - Management class will be at FVTC.
• Mar. 5 - Snap Plus class will be at FVTC-Clintonville Center.

Nutrient Management Plans

Beginning 2009, everyone spreading manure and applying fertilizer will need a nutrient management plan for their farm or rented land. This nutrient management plan will require Snap Plus reports to be produced for your yearly cropping/fertilizing and manure application.

You have two choices to get this accomplished:

1. You can contract with a certified agronomist, private or through a fertilizer plant.

2. You can have your soil tested and do your own nutrient management plan.

FVTC will train you how to update your cropping, fertilizing and manure application records using a computer program called Snap Plus.

Snap Plus is a program that is FREE from the State Department of Agriculture. We will train whoever is interested using their own farm soil test. If you are a student at FVTC, you can use the computer lab and create your own reports. You will be able to buy a memory stick from FVTC for $20.99 + tax, or bring your own to store your information on from year to year. If you have a computer/laptop at home, we can load the program onto your computer at no charge. You then can do the updates on your own home computer/laptop whenever cropping and nutrient changes take place.

If using your laptop, please bring it along to class.

Download registration form below. Registration deadline is Feb. 16.

2009 SNAP Plus Registration Form

Alternate SNAP Plus workshop:
March 4th
12:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
FVTC Waupaca Regional Center

Contact Lynn if interested.


Farm Futures: Report on Fertilizer

Fertilizer prices drop further, but bottom may be close
Weekly Fertilizer Review for Nov. 14, 2008
Fertilizer prices remain on a downward spiral with news of more plant shutdowns surfacing around the world this week, even as the industry met in Charleston, S.C., for its annual outlook conference.

But while demand expectations are being scaled back after farmers balked at high prices, there are signs the market may be closing in on a seasonal bottom. Moreover, chaos could emerge in 2009 as farmers who rejected fall applications due to high prices and harvest delays scramble for product in a pipeline that could be dented by the on-going financial crisis.

The good news is that wholesale prices for most products in the U.S. are now starting to reflect the freefall seen internationally. Anhydrous ammonia at the Gulf was quoted at $317 a short ton, down more than $200 from last week and $525 off its highs from earlier in the fall. If international prices are any indication, ammonia may have more room to fall, with the short ton forward price out of the Black Sea down to $208. That would translate into a farm gate price of around $500 a ton or less, so producers should be urging their suppliers to start looking for product and getting deals together.

This unfortunately may be difficult to do. Some suppliers are still sitting on high-priced inventory they may be forced to write down. Others may find it difficult to obtain credit, or to get barges up river before it closes for the season.

As a result, USDA quoted farm gate prices in Illinois at little changed from fall highs, averaging $1,125 a ton.

Other fertilizer product prices are fading faster for farmers, though offers to the farmer remain high. Urea at the Gulf was quoted at $282 this week, down a little from last week, although forward prices out of the Black Sea are stabilizing, with January quoted higher than December. However, China announced a cut in its export tax, which could put more product on the international market soon.

DAP at the Gulf is also lower, falling $100 or more in the latest week to $595, with January prices bid at $450.

Meanwhile, natural gas in storage increased 62 billion cubic feet in the latest week, more than the 45 bcf expected by analysts. The government earlier in the week said industrial demand for gas is expected to fall due to the weak economy, with prices average $6.82, $1.35 lower than its previous forecast and less than 2007. Natural Gas futures edged closer to a test of $6 after release of the storage report today.

Class Two: Budgets, Carbon Credits, Accounting, Plant Growth

Outline for class two (held Nov. 10, 11, & 13)

• Current affairs: Schedule update with guest\speakers. Nutrient management update and class.


• Spreadsheets for developing your cost of production. This point in time is very different from the past.


• Rental rates and land sales - Wisconsin Statistical reporting service and current.


• Fertilizer- PSNT results, available and pricing.


• When to apply fertilizer: during crop growth or ahead of planting?


• Fast Facts update sheet.


• Crop stages.

Class handouts:

Grain Fill Stages in Corn (Bob Nielsen, Purdue University)

Soybean Growth and Development (Palle Pedersen, Iowa State University)

Crop Budget (References: Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Rural Affairs - Ontario; Center for Dairy Profitability - UW Madison; Modified by FVTC)

Class One: Crop Year in Review - Weather, Economics

Outline for class one (held Oct. 13, 14, & 16)

1. Calendar
2. Oshkosh precipitation
3. Drought
4. What happened? And maybe will?
5. E. coli tomatoes
6. CDC and similar COOL or Premise ID
7. Soybean growth
8. Corn development and weeds
9. Value of the $ vs. other currency and how that will play with input prices
10. Dow Jones and the 30’s
11. Fuel and supply not at all relevant
12. Class III milk price and dairy situation
13. Prof. Bob Cropp, UW-EX position paper on milk price
14. Prof. Ken Bailey, Penn State Univ. position paper on milk price

Class handouts:

Weather history for Oshkosh area, May 15, 2008 - October 10, 2008 (Weather Underground)

Center for Disease Control - E. Coli and salmonilla outbreaks (CDC)

Growth Stages of Soybeans (Michigan State University Extension)

Growth Stages of Corn (Iowa State University Extension)

Dollar Falls to New Low Against the Euro (New York Times)

Dow Jones Industrial Averages from 1905 to 2008 (Stock Charts)

Gas Price Historical Charts (Gas Buddy)

Class III Milk Price at 3.5% Test (UW-Madison )

Crude Oil Prices (WTRG Economics)

Placements: Cattle on Feed Notes (Rob Cook, Cattle Network.com)

USDA upgrades corn, soybean forecast (KansasCity.com)

Feed Grains Database: Yearbook Tables (USDA Economic Research Service)

Dairy Situation and Outlook (UW-Madison)

Dairy Outlook (Dairy Outlook - Penn State)

(For more information or to see handouts, contact Lynn Jerrett or show up at the next class. The next round of classes are Nov. 10, 11, and 13. See schedule.)

October Newsletter

I am just back from a two-day meeting at the Arlington Experimental Station. We were shown several examples of crops and systems that are being studied for use in biofuel production. The biofuels of the future will be based on sustainable production from crops we commonly use for livestock feed. Some of the concepts relate to long-term soil and crop systems that would meet nutrient management criteria as well as value added from crop production.

The engineering department had some toys to show off. Can you find the Hesston chopper in the picture?



Leaves, cob and stalk would be used for fuel in a biofuel electrical station. There is such a biofuel conversion under consideration at the Cassville power plant. Wisconsin is uniquely situated for this to work well. The soil in this area is high in nutrients that could be efficiently used this way. Biofuels are close to the power plant and the by-products can be returned to the area as fertilizer. Livestock can enhance the system by providing an additional income stream.




Carbon dioxide levels are the measure of efficiency and sustainability at this time. Therefore, the old wood heater now has a catalyst for more complete combustion. Carbon sequestering is important and accomplished with crop that can be on-farm or left in the field until needed. Corn stover, for example, would not be harvested until after all the haying equipment has been put away for the year. More about this at night class.

Upcoming classes - see schedule at bottom of this page. (Click for print version.)

First class will be the review of summer and student input for the year. We will look at the roller coaster that has become our daily life.

On to handling the business side of the production system. A long time ago (1980) someone reported to the public that a computer would be very useful for farmers. Before you scoff this off, think about the cell phone in your pocket or the electronic scale connected to the TMR, or the electronics in the equipment we use every day. Much of the information we use each day is delivered in an electronic format. E-mails now contain dairy production information, crop history, recommendations for the next fertilizer application. I looked into some improved methods for receiving this information in a faster and more dependable way.

Now that I understand the computer, what additional work and information can it help me do?

There’s a lot to be concerned with nowadays when looking for an internet service provider. You first need to decide what type of connection you want and how much you’re willing to pay for it. For rural location, availability is a major problem.

There are two broad classifications of internet access, which are:

1) Dial-up access on plain old telephone lines. This works, but you will wait for data to move.

2) Broadband is the next major category of internet access and can be classified in the following main groups. Access is the key to these.

a) Cable internet access - very fast access offered through your cable television company.

b) DSL - Digital Subscriber Line access - offered through your local telephone company.

c) Fiber Optic access - if available - offered through your telephone company.

d) Satellite internet access - used primarily in rural areas where cheaper alternatives are not available.

e) Wireless internet access - offered through a PDA or cell phone, a rapidly growing area of internet service.

Some of the possibilities in the rural Waupaca, Winnebago, Waushara counties are:

Alltel offers broadband for about $25.00 per month in addition to cell fees. Other cell phone companies have competing plans. Check with your current provider.

AT&T has a remote internet using a cellular phone modem tied to the computer. Approx. $50/month.

For those who want a more dependable satellite dish there is:

Solarus operating on the Dish network.

Wild Blue uses its own small dish just for internet with various connection speeds. The cost here is on a scale from $55 to $90 approx. and you lease the dish.

The purpose for these increased speeds and cost is to make more information available in a timely way.

As with any management decision, look into the cost first. You will be signing a multi -year contract.