That appears to be 12 million acres more than last year when 78 million acres were in corn. If the numbers are accurate (there is always the chance some acres might not be able to swim, Brother Jim) over 90 million acres are projected to be planted to corn. For at least six weeks prior to the release of the report, traders, hedgers, merchandisers, and farmers were trying to get a handle on the 2007 crop acres for corn, soybeans, and wheat. If you deduct 6-8 million acres for silage the...

The United States is the biggest producer and exporter of both crops, with a corn crop valued at $33. About 20 percent of last year's crop will be used for ethanol in the market year that ends Aug. The latest report is based on a survey of 86,000 farmers taken during the first two weeks of March. The projected spring plantings are up 15 percent from last year's 78. The ethanol boom has pushed corn prices to near-record levels. Agriculture Department Friday raised its predictions for spring...

exports will be shut out of foreign markets, the U. The secretary also said that recently released estimates of crop acreage show that U. Such scrutiny is a fact of life in worldwide trade, and ignoring it in the ongoing revision of farming legislation is not wise, he said. Northwest Arkansas' poultry and cattle farms have encountered sharply increased grain prices as more grain goes into alternative fuels, such as ethanol. Johanns, a former governor of Nebraska, is drafting the...

April is Soy Month and across the country, soybean farmers are educating consumers about this beneficial little bean. Here we are, hundreds of centuries later, still exploring the seemingly endless potential of the soybean. According to Hanks, the soybean oil in many of these products replaces petroleum oil, which benefits the environment and the economy and helps the U. Of course, the livestock industry is still the largest consumer of soybean meal, using up 94% of all we produce....

In the month of March, the soybean market had one simple job, compete with corn this spring to maintain an adequate supply of soybeans to meet the growing world soybean needs. Soybeans can not lose too many acres in 2007 or risk ending stocks falling substantially and in turn putting the soybean market in a tight stocks situation similar to corn. Cool temperatures in the first half of April is threatening the winter wheat crop yields as a hard freeze has been recorded in much of the winter...

The acreage reports are based on surveys conducted during the first two weeks of March from a sample of more than 86,000 farm operators across the United States. Acreage of crop expected to increase due to high prices, demand. Local officials attribute the increase to the high corn prices, partly driven by a growing ethanol demand and strong export sales. Others are hoping it will also be a good year for the crops. With the drought-like conditions farmers experienced last year, the weather...