Latest / Farm Tales Unplugged - Daily Farm Brief / New BioFuel Rules, USDA Progress Update, Fertilizer made from Air, Diesel Prognosis, Hurricane Destroys Cotton | Daily Farm Brief

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New BioFuel Rules, USDA Progress Update, Fertilizer made from Air, Diesel Prognosis, Hurricane Destroys Cotton | Daily Farm Brief · Farm Tales Unplugged - Daily Farm Brief

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Good morning, Farm Nation, and Hello Truck City.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: This is FarmTales Unplugged Daily Farm Brief for Tuesday, October 20th.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: Brought to you by World TradeX, empowering farmers.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Rick Portanova.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: Today, a major biofuel proposal could help protect demand for corn and soybeans.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Then cotton growers count devastating storm losses, and we'll check whether the Russia talks could bring relief from high diesel prices.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: We'll visit an Alaska farm where the harvest starts with combing a musk ox and a New Jersey grower finding new crops for visitors to pick.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: Plus the USDA Harvest Report, fertilizer from air and electricity, and an underground animal that stores its food alive.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: And if you enjoy the show, would you give us a follow, a like, or a share?
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: That would be fantastic.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: So grab your coffee, fire up whatever you're driving, and let's find out what was happening while you were busy actually working.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: We begin with a proposal that matters to anyone growing corn or soybeans.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: The EPA wants to protect biofuel demand after giving small refineries more exemptions than it had expected.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: Those exemptions let qualifying refineries out of some renewable fuel requirements.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: Now, the agency proposes adding the extra waived obligations to the requirements for other fuel suppliers.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: The amount is substantial.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: 770 million additional renewable fuel credits.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: The plan was announced last week and published Friday.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: One option divides those extra requirements between this year and next.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: Another puts them all into the next year.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: The EPA says this move would help keep its existing biofuel targets from being weakened by those exemptions.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: It is still a proposal.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Public comments run through December 4th.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: So this doesn't put a higher bid on the elevator sign today, but it could help protect a major domestic market for the crops coming off that combine.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: That's the situation growers are describing after Hurricane Isaiah hit parts of Florida and Alabama.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: In an October 16th report from EggWeb, Florida farmer Mickey Diamond described cotton stripped from its stocks around Santa Rosa County.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: He estimated losses near 95% in his area.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: That is a local farmer's estimate rather than a statewide tally.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: Over in Alabama's Geneva County, grower William Birdsong estimated cotton losses around 30%.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: He also described stocks twisted together, making the remaining crop harder to harvest without losing more.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: And the damage goes beyond the fields.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: Diamond reported damaged barns and equipment and the destruction of the facility where he delivers peanuts.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: Think about that timing.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: The seed, fertilizer, labor, and months of work are already in the crop.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: Then the storm takes the harvest and damages the places needed to handle what survives.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: Those families are now facing both a cleanup bill and a smaller crop to pay for it.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: For Farm Nation and Truck City, the diesel bill is still taking a serious bite.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: The latest published federal average for October 12th was$6.18 a gallon for highway diesel.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: That was down just two cents in a week.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: President Trump's October 9th call with Vladimir Putin led to a deal-easing restrictions on Russian diesel.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: Reuters reports that export loadings have resumed.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: That adds supply, but the initial promise shipment amounts to less than one day of U.S.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: transportation diesel use.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: A possible meeting involving Trump, Putin, and China's president is also discussed as of Monday.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: It had not been agreed.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: Meanwhile, the Iran war disrupted oil flows through the Strait of Hermuz, and tight fuel inventories continued to strain the global market.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: There is some hope for relief.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: The federal government's October forecast puts highway diesel prices around$4.50 next year.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: That forecast was prepared before the Russia deal, and it assumes supplies recover.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: My takeaway: lower prices look possible, but there's no dependable date for a big drop at the pump.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: Lasting relief depends on fuel reaching buyers and inventories rebuilding.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: For farmers and truckers, the deliveries matter as much as the announcements.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: At the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer, Alaska, one of the most important harvest tools is a comb.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: The crop is Kiviot, the soft undercoat that helps musk oxen survive Arctic winters.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: These are big, shaggy animals with curved horns.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: Underneath that rough outer coat is fiber that can be spun into remarkably soft yarn.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: The harvest comes in spring when the animals naturally shed.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: Staff bring the accustomed animals into the barn, offer treats, and gently comb out the loose fiber.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: A session might last five minutes or an hour, depending on the animal's comfort.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: Over the season, one musk ox can provide anywhere from two to nine pounds.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: And the animals that aren't comfortable being handled, the farm lets them shed in the pasture, then somebody goes out and gathers the fiber from the grass.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: After cleaning and processing, that undercoat becomes yarn.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: An animal built for Arctic survival ends up supplying somebody's winter knitting.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: Now to a farm finding a way to keep its fall season going.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: At Johnson's Corner Farm in Medford, New Jersey, there weren't enough apples for the usual picking season after damaging spring frosts.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: Owner Gil Johnson and his team responded with sunflowers, sweet potatoes, and popcorn for visitors to harvest.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: And the sweet potatoes have been a hit.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: Kids get to dig through the soil and discover something they couldn't see from above.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: There's a good farm business story tucked into that dirt.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: The farm already brings families out for hay rides and fall activities.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: Giving those visitors another crop to pick helps keep the trip worthwhile when the apple trees can't deliver.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't replace every lost apple or guarantee the same income, but it gives the farm another way to bring customers through the gate.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: This fall, some families who expected to reach into a tree are reaching into the ground instead.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's check what matters behind the grain prices.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: Monday's USD crop progress update is a key checkpoint for the grain market.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: It tracked corn and soybean harvest progress along with winter wheat planting.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: The comparisons that matter are last week, last year, and the normal pace for this point in the season.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: ProFarmers' Monday morning outlook pointed to favorable harvest weather in the week ahead.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: More days in the field can mean more grain arriving at elevators at once.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: That can put pressure on local bids, even when the future screen doesn't move very much.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: The difference between the local cash price and the futures price is called basis.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: Around harvest, that difference can matter a great deal.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: There's also a fresh longer range forecast.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: NOAA's Winter Outlook, issued October 15th, favors wetter conditions across much of the southern United States and along the East Coast.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: Warmer conditions are favored across much of the north.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: For dry areas, that raises hopes for rebuilding soil moisture.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: But a seasonal outlook describes the odds over several months.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't tell you which day rain will reach your field.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: So we're watching how quickly harvest advances, whether demand keeps pace, and what local buyers are offering.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: Those are the pieces that give the Daily Futures number some meaning.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: And here's the USDA update released Monday afternoon at 4 Eastern, 1 Pacific.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: Corn harvest is 44% complete, eight points behind the five-year average.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: Soybeans are 64% harvested, nearly on schedule.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: Winter wheat planting is 63% complete, six points behind average.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: What if part of your nitrogen fertilizer could be made from the air around your farm?
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: At the University of Minnesota, researcher George Anner and his colleagues are exploring a process called cold plasma.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: Electricity energizes the gas.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: That process can turn nitrogen from the air into compounds that dissolve in water and that can feed plants.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: Picture a piece of equipment producing nitrogen-rich water near the place it will be used.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: That is the attraction, a possible way to make some fertilizer closer to the crop.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: The Minnesota team is also studying how plasma treatment affects seeds.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: In laboratory work, it has helped seed surfaces take up more water readily, encouraging germination.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: The Minnesota team is also studying how plasma treatment affects seeds.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: In laboratory work, it has helped seed surfaces take up water more readily, encouraging germination.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: There's still a practical test ahead.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: Equipment costs money, so does electricity, and the results have to hold up under farm conditions.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: This is developing research.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: Field performance will determine how much of a farm's fertilizer needs it might eventually supply.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: But making plant nutrients from air, water, and electrical power is an idea worth watching.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: Now to our almanac corner and a creature that stores its food alive.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: Under a lawn or field's edge, a mole can keep a pantry full of living earthworms.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: The old farmer's almanac explains that moles hunt worms, grubs, and other small creatures in the soil.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: But the University of Florida describes a habit that sounds like something out of a Halloween story.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: A mole can bite an earthworm in a way that leaves it alive but unable to move.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: Then it stores the worm in an underground chamber for later.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: Those storage chambers are called larders.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: They give a mole a food supply when conditions make hunting difficult, and it has the equipment to build its own pantry.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: Those broad feet work like digging paddles.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: In loose soil, a mole can tunnel as much as 18 feet an hour.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: The tunnels are part of its hunting system.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: It's searching through the soil for its next meal.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: Moles can be especially active near the surface in spring and fall when the soil is moist.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: And a yard covered in ridges doesn't necessarily mean a crowd of animals.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: Moles tend to be solitary.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: So the little mound beside the fence may connect to more than a travel route.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: There may be a food storage chamber down there, and the food is still alive.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: Today, we looked at a biofuel proposal with real stakes for corn and soybean demand, cotton growers facing severe storm losses, and the outlook for diesel prices as Russia talks continue.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: We visited Alaska's musk ox harvest and a New Jersey farm keeping its picking season going.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: We also covered the USDA harvest checkpoint and winter outlook, explored fertilizer made with electricity, and found a Mole's underground pantry.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: And if you'd like more information about any of the topics we covered, there's a matching blog for every episode we release.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: You'll find it on our website, farmtailsunplugged.com.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_00: To Farm Nation, have a safe and productive day.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: To Truck City, keep the shiny side up.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_00: The future of food starts with the people who grow it and depends on the people who move it.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: And there you have it.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: That's your FarmTales Unplugged Daily Farm Brief for Tuesday, October 20th.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: Brought to you by World TradeX, empowering farmers.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Rick Portanova, and I'll see you Wednesday morning.