2016 Corn Belt Crop Tour: Missouri

Jul 04, 2016

Fourth state in a 12-state tour

By Andrea Gal
Managing Editor, Integrated Media
Farms.com

The Farms.com Risk Management team stopped in Missouri as the fifth annual U.S. Corn Belt Crop Tour continues across the American Midwest.

Moe Agostino, Farms.com Risk Management chief commodity strategist, recently said the corn in Missouri is “pretty good. It is some of the most mature corn” they’ve seen so far on the tour.

The corn is in tassel and the soybeans are in flower.

Farmer Kevin Otto of Jerico Springs, Missouri said “up until this last week we really hadn’t been dry (and crops) hadn’t been showing signs of heat stress.” But now, with “a couple of days with 105 degree heat index (and) 20 mile per hour winds,” it’s a bit different.

Agostino echoed Otto’s comments. “It’s a little dry but there is some rain in the forecast over the next five to 10 days. They are talking about five inches of rain. That would definitely help this crop and continue to help it finish,” said Agostino.

Agostino ranked the Missouri crops at a 7.5 to 8 out of 10.

Be sure to check back daily as more videos from the tour are posted. The next stop on the tour is Kansas.

Use the hashtag #cornbelt16 to follow the tour on social media.

Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?