Producers can commonly double-crop wheat with soybeans, which means they can plant soybeans right behind the wheat harvest in the same field, and the price of soybeans has soared to as high as $10 per bushel. Next year's soybeans could perform like this year's corn, which was planted in record acreage because of the demand for ethanol. But that's not the only reason for the increase in wheat acres. Growers see profit potential planting wheat, then soybeans. This material may not be...

Early estimates for next year s corn and soybean plantings have begun to flow in, even as the harvest of this year s corn and soybean crops continues. While soybeans may pick up some of that slack acreage, there are concerns that demand may outpace supply, given the growth in the global market for biodiesel, a cleaner burning fuel made from vegetable oils. The USDA currently projects soybean inventories at the end of the crop year will stand at 215 million bushels, down from 573 million...

He said soybean yield and soybean harvest, as a whole, were disappointing for many area producers, with most field averages in the mid-40s to the low 50s. From a producer perspective, you can never have too much corn, but the increased production has caused the entire marketing system to temporarily back up, West said. As harvest starts to wind down in the Tri-County area, mounds of golden grain can be seen at many local elevators as a testament to a banner year, well at least for corn....

Experts say the recent confirmation of soybean rust in Iowa in 2006 should serve as a reminder that the fungus can happen in Iowa. On March 8, he says an independent crop consultant brought in two baggies, one containing seeds and pods and one with parts of a dead soybean leaf. While experts were able to confirm rust on the soybean leaves when they were dead, Tylka says it is more important to look for signs of the disease earlier. Soybean leaves show various amounts of soybean rust. After...

While there has been disappointment with weather-related problems in the corn and soybean crops, such as stalk rot, Gerdes said it wasn't as widespread as first thought. Also, irrigated corn did not respond as well as some producers had hoped, but Gerdes said both dryland corn and soybeans did exceptionally well this year, boosting harvest gains. Combined average corn yields are estimated to be slightly above 200 bushels per acre, while combined soybean yields are in the mid- to upper 50...

Scores of businesses that serve the agriculture sector are also benefiting, especially railroads, trucking and ports, as well as farm equipment makers and construction companies. And it'll last years as demand grows for farm products such as corn, wheat, soybeans, milk, meat and poultry and fresh produce, among others. It's creating high demand and high prices for major crops, "with the resulting increases in farm income ultimately equating to optimism around equipment sales. Acting...