Planters, pollinators & prognostication

A planting weather window, pollinators & crop prognostication are just a few big stories in the last week in agriculture. See what else is hot on and off the farm.

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The weather window's finally opened and planting appears to finally be in its last days. And now that this critical job's nearly done, attention's turning to how things will go this growing season.

• - Planting window opens
• - Attention turns

Though USDA knocked the progress chart off this week's Crop Progress report, there remain corn acres to be planted, one ag official said this week. But, is it better to switch to soybeans at this point or claim prevented planting crop insurance coverage?

• - Soybeans in the homestretch
• - Prevent plant vs. more soybeans

Even if you've been done planting for a while, growing conditions haven't exactly been perfect over the last few weeks, and heavy rainfall that preceded this week's relative drydown may have your corn underwater in the field. So, will it make it?

• - Is your corn drowning?
• - More: Keep unplanted acres intact

On the other side of the spectrum, if your corn is on and up from dry ground right now, it's probably had a good last few days, with heat cranking up and helping growing degree days catch up. But, is it just a prelude to a crop-strangling 'heat dome?'

• - Heat fueling early crop growth
• - Talk: 'Drought starts today?'

Too much rain. Too little rain. Too much grain in the supply pipeline. Too little grain in the supply pipeline. Economic issues at home and overseas. These kinds of factors can have major influence on grain prices from day to day. So, how does the market balance it all? Or, does it? Farmers chat this hot topic this week.

• - Chat the marketplace's 'poker face'

And, with such crop variability lately, it's becoming a tall order to try to accurately predict what USDA with have in store with its big Grain Stocks and Acreage reports next week. "These reports have the potential to provide large surprises," one expert said this week.

• - Pegging USDA stocks, acreage data

Pork and beef stocks have grown -- a sign of last year's drought and its effects on the marketplace -- but cattle feeder placements have declined recently as pasture conditions improve. How will the markets adjust down the road?

• - Pork, beef stocks seen rocketing
• - Feeder placements slip

Despite leaders' call to urge a quick vote in the House of Representatives this week, the bill didn't see much life. It was voted down by House members on Thursday afternoon, many of whom cited food stamp funding as a primary reason for their vote.

• - Read more

This week is 'Pollinator Week,' a week when the ag industry's focusing on the importance of bees and other pollinators to farmers and their output. And, it's something farmers should take seriously.

• - Learn more
• - 'Taking this pollinator thing seriously'
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