In this Evening Edition, catch up on the latest news about the planting season, avian influenza, and the supply of late-model balers.
Crop Progress
In the USDA Crop Progress report released today, data shows corn and soybeans catching up to the five-year averages.
Corn is reportedly planted at 86%, compared with 87% for the previous five-year average; 61% has emerged compared with 68% for the previous five-year average.
Soybeans are 66% planted, compared with 67% for the previous five-year average; 39% has emerged compared with 43% for the previous five-year average.
Chad Henderson and Lee Lubbers from the XtremeAg team report progress for the 2022 planting season.
Lubbers, farmer near Gregory, South Dakota is nearly finished with corn and soybeans. Now, he says, “We have also needed to run more planes this year to get our wheat sprayed due to having too many windy days and the rain from earlier this month. To stay on track, we decided to hit our first pass on winter wheat from the air.”
Henderson in Madison, Alabama, hopes to cut wheat this week as long as the weather cooperates.
Avian Influenza
Nearly 38 million birds in domestic flocks have died in outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) from coast to coast since early February, but USDA data suggest the threat is fading.
Chuck Abbott reports that 780,000 birds in commercial flocks died of HPAI or were culled so far in May, compared to 1.49 million birds in February, 20.96 million in March, and 14.73 million in April.
Late-Model Balers
Editor Dave Mowitz reports on the increased availability of late-model round balers on dealers’ lots.
Any and all late-model used equipment is bringing exceptionally strong (if not historically high) prices these days, he writes.
Well-equipped round balers are certainly enjoying steady values, but not outlandish prices such as we are seeing for tractors combines and tillage equipment, for example.
