Life Sciences Commons^™

Insurance Coverage For Drought-Damaged Crops, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Nearly 90 percent of the corn and soybean acres in Iowa are covered by multiple peril crop insurance. Drought damage is an insurable loss under these policies. Producers should consult with their crop insurance agents before harvesting or destroying any drought-damaged crops, however.

Insurance Coverage For Drought-Damaged Crops, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Nearly 90 percent of the corn and soybean acres in Iowa are covered by multiple peril crop insurance. Drought damage is an insurable loss under these policies. Producers should consult with their crop insurance agents before harvesting or destroying any drought-damaged crops, however.

Flood Damaged Crops, Crop Insurance Payments And Lease Contracts, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Some Iowa corn and soybean producers are facing substantial if not complete crop losses due to flooding. In particular, many acres of crops in the Missouri River Valley have been under water for a month or more this year. Fortunately, nearly 90 percent of Iowa’s corn and soybean acres are protected by multiple peril crop insurance.

Farmland Rental Rates Show Continued Strength In 2012, William M. Edwards, Ann M. Johanns

William Edwards

Anyone who is involved with the rental market for Iowa farmland knows that rental rates have been pushed significantly higher by the favorable corn and soybean prices that farmers have enjoyed since 2010. This trend continued in 2012.

Delayed Planting, Prevented Planting And Replanting Crop Insurance Coverage, Steven D. Johnson, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

The frequent rains that have soaked Iowa this year have left many corn and soybean fields unplanted or with flooded areas. Many producers are wondering what options they have under their multiple peril crop insurance (MPCI) policies. In Iowa, the crop insurance “late planting period” for corn begins on June 1. Corn can still be planted after this date, but the insurance guarantee on those acres is reduced by 1 percent per day until the acres are planted. Corn acres planted after June 25 will receive insurance coverage equal to 60 percent of their original guarantee. Producers should keep accurate …

Economic Impact Of Delayed And Prevented Planting, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Most crop producers know that to achieve optimum yields it is important to plant early. However, in years like this when cold weather or frequent rains prevented tillage and planting from being completed, some adjustments may be made to the amount of coverage provided by Multiple Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) as well as other types of crop insurance. These adjustments are subject to revision each year by the Risk Management Agency and crop insurance vendors.

Crop Insurance Has Some Changes For 2009, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Crop insurance indemnity prices, guarantees and premiums were all at record levels for corn and soybeans in 2008. Current market conditions make it unlikely that those levels will be reached again in 2009, but they will still be attractive. The Risk Management Agency has announced indemnity prices of $4 per bushel for corn and $9.90 per bushel for soybeans for APH (yield) insurance guarantees for 2009, the second highest prices ever offered. Prices for revenue insurance policies will not be known until the end of February.

Does A Rising Biofuels Tide Raise All Boats? A Study Of Cash Rent Determinants For Iowa Farmland Under Hay And Pasture, Xiaodong Du, David A. Hennessy, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Iowa's farmland consists of over 16% hay crops and pastureland, a significant portion of which is under cash rental contracts. This study investigates the comparative relationships between cash rental rates for cropped land and non-cropped land, where the latter includes hay and pastureland. We find that higher crop prices resulting from biofuel demand induces land use conversion from non-cropped land to crop production and thus bids up non-cropped land rents. Compared with changes in cropped land cash rents, non-cropped farmland rents could increase by a higher percentage. Non-cropped land cash rental rates are largely determined by crop and feeder cattle …

Crop Insurance Decisions Related To Delayed And Prevented Planting, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

In some years cold weather or frequent rains prevent tillage and planting from being completed as early as desired to achieve optimum yields. When this happens some adjustments may be made to the amount of coverage provided by Multiple Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) as well as other types of crop insurance. These adjustments are subject to revision each year by the Risk Management Agency and crop insurance vendors.

Early Planted Acres May Lose Replant Insurance, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Unusually warm and dry weather has allowed crop producers to start spring field work earlier than can be remembered by most people. Getting an early start on tillage and planting reduces the risk of getting behind schedule later if an extended period of rainy weather occurs, but it also has its risks. The Risk Management Agency (USDA) has some specific rules about early planted crops with regard to crop insurance coverage. For each insurable crop RMA has set an “early planting date.” The earliest planting dates allowed for counties in the state of Iowa are April 11 for corn and …

Crop Insurance May Help Flooded And Wet Corn And Soybean Acres, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Wet weather has delayed planting of corn and soybeans across the state, and flooding has severely damaged many acres that have been planted. Fortunately, nearly 90 percent of the corn and soybean acres in Iowa are covered by multiple peril crop insurance (MPCI), which can provide some relief.

Credit Needs And Cash Rents Impacted By Higher Input Costs, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Corn and soybean farmers have been enjoying record high prices and sizable profits for their past two crops. But higher input prices will eat into those margins in 2009. Many producers have already been confronted with soaring prices for fertilizer, with anhydrous ammonia selling for up to $1,000 per ton, payable in advance. Potash and phosphate fertilizers have shown similar increases. There are various reasons behind the sharply higher prices, but most of them are related to higher energy prices and their impacts on transportation and manufacturing costs. Seed, pesticide and fuel prices have also been affected, though to lesser …

Determinants Of Iowa Cropland Cash Rental Rates: Testing Ricardian Rent Theory, Xiaodong Du, David A. Hennessy, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Based on the Ricardian rent theory, this study employs the variable profit function to analyze the determinants of Iowa cropland cash rental rates using county-level panel data from 1987 to 2005. Accounting for spatial and temporal autocorrelations, responses of local cash rental rates to changes in output prices and other exogenous variables are estimated. We find that Iowa cash rental rates are largely determined by output/input prices, soil quality, relative location, and other county-specific factors. Cash rents go up by $79 for a $1 increase in corn price in the short run. The marginal value of cropland quality, as represented …

Compensation Of Farm Employees, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Iowa farm operators were surveyed to learn what type and level of compensation they paid to full-time employees in 1997. The average total compensation paid was $26, 914, of which 79 percent consisted of cash wages.Benefits accounted for 18 percent of the compensation, and bonuses and wages in kind amounted to 3 percent.Housing and insurance plans were the most significant benefits provided

Economic Impact Of Delayed And Prevented Planting, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Most crop producers know that to achieve optimum yields it is important to plant early. However, in years like this when cold weather or frequent rains prevented tillage and planting from being completed, some adjustments may be made to the amount of coverage provided by Multiple Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) as well as other types of crop insurance. These adjustments are subject to revision each year by the Risk Management Agency and crop insurance vendors.

Combine Harvester Econometric Model With Forward Speed Optimization, Nathan E. Isaac, Graeme R. Quick, Stuart J. Birrell, William M. Edwards, Bruce A. Coers

William Edwards

A combine harvester econometric simulation model was developed with the goal of matching the combine forward speed to the maximum harvested net income per acre. The model considers the machinery management costs of owning a combine and platform header for harvesting wheat. A statistical Design of Experiment (DOE) was used to evaluate the model using tri-level variables; the medium values constituted the model base case. Of the 27 input variables, the optimum speed was significantly influenced by the crop area, G/MOG ratio, grain unit price, field yield, field efficiency, grain moisture content, probability of a working day in the post-optimum …

Ag Energy: Risk Management, Energy, And Grain Issues, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Nearly everyone has been impacted by higher fuel prices this year. Custom corn and soybean harvesters are no exception. Their increased costs will likely be factored into custom harvesting rates this fall. Estimates of diesel fuel consumption of combining corn range from 1.5 to 2.0 gallons per acre. Soybean harvesting takes only about 1.0 to 1.5 gallons per acre. Larger, newer combines will typically use less fuel per acre.

Ag Decision Maker: Combine Ownership Or Custom Hire, William M. Edwards, H. Mark Hanna

William Edwards

Includes advantages and disadvantages of custom hiring and information on estimating costs; includes worksheets.

A Three-Year Level Study Of The Profitability Of Corn And Soybean Production, Todd D. Davis, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Crop producers face many decisions each year about the quantity and quality of inputs to use, the purchasing of these inputs, and the timing of production operations. Because their time for gathering and analyzing information on which to base management decisions is limited, they need to know which decision, areas have the greatest impact on profitability. A set of detailed and accurate records of production, costs, and returns from a group of producers growing corn and soybeans in Iowa over a three-year period was.available from Iowa State University Extension. This information was used to assess the relative importance of various …

Adjusting Hail-Damaged Crops For Crop Insurance Reporting, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Hail damage to crops in north central Iowa caused great losses; the total of which will become more defined with harvest. The following guidelines are intended to help farmers through the process of adjusting hail-damaged crops for crop insurance reporting.

Detection And Quantification Of Airborne Conidia Of Fusarium Circinatum, The Causal Agent Of Pine Pitch Canker, From Two California Sites Using A Real Time-Pcr Approach Combined With A Simple Spore Trapping Method, Wolfgang Schweigkofler, Kerry O'Donnell, Matteo Garbelotto

Wolfgang Schweigkofler

Pinus radiata (Monterey pine), a tree native to coastal California and Mexico, is widely planted worldwide for timber production. A major threat to Monterey pine plantations is the fungal disease pine pitch canker, caused by Fusarium circinatum (Hypocreales). We present a novel trapping approach using filter paper in combination with a rapid molecular method to detect the presence of inoculum in the air. The assay is also useful for diagnosing the presence of the pathogen on plants. The test is based on the F. circinatum specific primer pair CIRC1A-CIRC4A, which amplifies a 360-bp DNA fragment in the intergenic spacer region …

Notes On The Practice Of Food Justice In The U.S.: Understanding And Confronting Trauma And Inequity, K. Valentine Cadieux, Rachel Slocum

K. Valentine Cadieux

In this article, we focus on one of the four nodes (trauma/inequity, exchange, land and labor) around which food justice organizing appears to occur: acknowledging and confronting historical, collective trauma and persistent race, gender, and class inequality. We apply what we have learned from our research in U.S. and Canadian agri-food systems to suggest working methods that might guide practitioners as they work toward food justice, and scholars as they seek to study it. In the interests of ensuring accountability to socially just research and action, we suggest that scholars and practitioners need to be more clear on what it …

Gene Expression Response To Heat Stress In Two Broiler Lines, Jibin Zhang, Carl J. Schmidt, Susan J. Lamont

Jibin Zhang

The fast growth rate and increased body weight of modern broilers makes them susceptible to heart failure and sensitive to heat stress. To find the genetic causes of these problems, gene expression was measured in hearts of two broiler lines that differed in their response to heat stress. Each line was separated into two groups that were kept under heat stress or at ambient temperature. The comparison of gene expression between the two lines and heat treatments suggests that expression of 325 genes were significantly changed in modern broilers under heat stress, while only 3 genes changed their expression in …

Draft Genome Sequence Of Xylella Fastidiosa Pear Leaf Scorch Strain In Taiwan, C.-C. Su, W.-L. Deng, F.-J. Jan, C.-J. Chang, Hong Huang, J. Chen

Hong Huang

The draft genome sequence of Xylella fastidiosa pear leaf scorch strain PLS229, isolated from the pear cultivar Hengshan (Pyrus pyrifolia) in Taiwan, is reported here. The bacterium has a genome size of 2,733,013 bp, with a G+C content of 53.1%. The PLS229 genome was annotated and has 3,259 open reading frames and 50 RNA genes.

Visual Methods For Collaborative Food System Work, K. Valentine Cadieux, Charles Z. Levkoe, P. Mount, D. Szanto

K. Valentine Cadieux