Feed Outlook, October 2019

The third survey-based estimate for the 2019/20 corn crop lowered harvested acres by 200,000 and raised yield 0.2-bushel per acre, lowering the crop projection by 19.8 million bushels this month. However, supplies declined 350.8 million bushels due to lower carryin, reaching 15,944 million bushels. On the demand side, an increase in feed and residual partially offsets decreases in exports and food, seed and industrial (FSI) use, for a net 90-million-bushel decline in total use to 14,015 million bushels. Tightening supplies and observed prices to date caused the projected average for the season average price received by farmers to gain $0.20 per bushel to $3.80.

 

The slow pace of U.S. corn sales and shipments in recent months reveal the country’s weak price competitiveness relative to other major corn exporters. U.S. corn exports for the October-September international trade year are projected 3.5 million tons lower. With reduced supplies and high corn output by competitors this year, the United States is expected to lose its export market share. This month, corn exports are projected higher for Brazil and Russia.

 

See the October Feed Outlook report and previous reports.

 

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.