Magazine
Avoiding a Bumper Harvest Train Wreck
A primer on demands for adequate assurance of performance in the grain trade.
Delayed Price Dilemma
Advice for grain merchandisers facing rail problems and a record crop year.
Successful Fundraiser Helps Uncover PEDv Answers
IFEEDER donates $100,000 to study the role of feed in controlling PEDv
Big Crop Coming: Managing Turning Points
How to identify and meet customers’ needs under changing market conditions.
Rail Wars
Competition for railcars, track space and locomotives top the grain handling industry’s list of concerns.
OSHA’s Full Time Enforcement Policy Regarding Temporary Workers
Who is responsible under the law — the staffing agency or the host employer?
The Showdown Over GMOs and Pesticides in Hawaii
Misguided laws are being enacted in Hawaii through a campaign of fear, charged emotional appeals and deliberate misinformation
What’s Behind China’s Interest in African Agriculture?
May be a way to eventually break its dependence on imports of U.S. farm commodities
Confined Spaces: More to Consider Than You Think
Instruct employees to first assess temperature, atmosphere and operator’s skill set.
Pre-harvest Safety Lesson
Reinforce your safety culture before the busiest season arrives
Having Tough Conversations to Improve Your Business
Tactics and strategies for critical conversations with your employees
Image by jppi (morgueFile)
Why Bins Fail
How the most expensive piece of equipment at a site may fail and steps to take to prevent it
Hidden Giant
Tucked away mere miles from downtown Indianapolis lies ADM's newly expanded Beech Grove, IN, wheat milling facility — the third largest flour mill in the U.S.
Position Limits, Hedging, and Excessive Speculation
New position limits would have a substantial impact on the agricultural sector
Wheat Growers Pleased with House Action on Regulatory Relief Bill
Addresses a duplicative permit required for pesticide application
An October Surprise?
If conditions persist, this year may break records for soybeans and corn.
Show-and-Tell Season
Summer brings opportunities to show people where food comes from
Making Sense of PRCS Regulations
How to know if entering your facility's boot pit is an OSHA violation.
The 2014 U.S. Average Soybean Yield: Headed for a New Record?
Like corn, high soybean yield expectations this year are based on generally favorable growing conditions to date and on the high percentage of the crop rated in good or excellent condition.
How Burdensome Are Corn Supplies?
A second consecutive large crop would lead to a further build-up in stocks of corn by the end of the 2014-15 marketing year
The 2014 U.S. Average Corn Yield: Big or Really Big?
High yield expectations are based on generally favorable growing conditions to date and on the high percentage of the crop rated in good or excellent condition
Kalmbach Feeds Counts on VMSAC Piston Vibrators to Free Up Product Flow and Reduce Bin Damage
Home to a wealth of animal feed processing equipment, including a network of hopper bins holding up to 40 tons each of granular feed
After a trial period, Kalmbach Feeds purchased more than a dozen VMSAC 1200 coated vibrators for use in the MPK Complex.(Courtesy of Cleveland Vibrator Company)
Competing Water Uses in the West
As water becomes scarcer, the ability of Western states’ water policies to accurately reflect public interest, or adapt to changing public interests, will be tested. The current demand for water to support the oil and gas boom provides an example of this challenge.
Financial Health of Banks Lending to Agriculture Continues to Improve
The profitability of agriculture the past decade has helped mitigate the nonfarm real estate losses for banks lending to agriculture. However, the increase in regulatory compliance costs impacts the profitability of banks
Anticipating the Soybean Stocks and Acreage Estimates
Since the magnitude of both the domestic crush and exports during the previous quarter are mostly known, the stocks estimate is expected to reveal the smallest June 1 inventory in 37 years. However, there is always room for some surprise in the June 1 stocks estimate as the magnitude of seed and residual use in the previous quarter is revealed. In addition, the unknown magnitude of imports during May will be reflected in the stocks estimate.
Potential for U.S. Average Corn and Soybean Yields
The average corn yield set records in 1985, 1986, and 1987 and five more times over the next 26 years
Importance of Month-End USDA Reports for Corn
The USDA will release its quarterly Grain Stocks and Acreage reports on June 30. These reports provide important fundamental information that will set the tone for the corn market going into the critical stage of the growing season
Case Study: Concrete Grain Silo Repair
In 2011, A co-op in Sidney, NE, discovered chunks of concrete within one bin of their eight-bin grain silo structure. Upon further investigation, they found a large crack and concrete spalls in the silo wall where the subject bin is connected to an adjacent bin.
Photo by Restruction Corporation
Are You Sampling Enough?
Near infrared spectroscopy can be used to determine nutritional content in feed ingredient profiling
Dust Bowl Dàjá Vu?
Drought plus rail logistics problems spell rough outlook for the Plains
Sponsored Items
Recently Added to Buyer's Guide
Utility Monitor
- Plant-wide utility consumption analysis helps identify anomalies
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TotalTarget
- First-of-its-kind quantitative LFD
- Rapid and reliable solution for detecting predominant allergen, safety and grain process ability concerns
GrainVue
- Enables commercial grain facilities to monitor bins to protect quality of stored grain
- Digital cable technology checks grain temperature and moisture, automatically activating fans to help prevent out-of-condition issues
Silver-Sweet QL Series Bucket Elevators
- Convey bulk materials vertically
- 400 to 11,925 bushel/hour capacities
TUBO Push Conveyor
- Now with 8-inch tube for higher capacity throughput, up to 43 tons/hour
- System transports products gently over distances from 165 to 230 feet in all directions
Marketwatch: Mar, 22
US Corn Price Idx: ZCPAUS.CM
open: 6.3953
high: 6.4181
low: 6.3257
close: 6.3367
US Soybean Price Idx: ZSPAUS.CM
open: 14.5632
high: 14.6036
low: 14.2836
close: 14.3043
US Hard Red Winter Wheat Price Idx: KEPAUS.CM
open: 7.9969
high: 8.0419
low: 7.7626
close: 7.8126
US Soft Red Winter Wheat Price Idx: ZWPAUS.CM
open: 6.5073
high: 6.5348
low: 6.2823
close: 6.3123
