GRAIN RECAPS
Waiting on the
rain
Planting decisions delayed by weather
R
By Lindsey Bowers
ain! Rain! Rain! That’s
definitely been the theme of
the weather since our last
publication, and though the
replenished sub moisture
was greatly appreciated, we are all ready
for some sunshine. Many producers
were able to get some fertilizer out during grace periods from the weather, but
few have really begun to plant. When we
finally get some good drying conditions,
fertilizer rigs and planters will be full
throttle ahead. Until then, we really don’t
know what is going in the ground this
year. The untraditionally high milo basis,
bleak corn and soybean futures, and
weather have completely stalled confirmation of true planting indications.
We will be sending out planted acres
surveys in late March/early April. With
the added uncertainty in the market
12
conditions and weather this year, we
decided to delay sending surveys in
hopes that when we did there would be
a higher level of confidence in the acres
reported. Surveys are crucial to the grain
department. They allow us to set up
customers and farms ahead of harvest
so the scales run smoothly, market both
pool and non-pool grain, and allow us to
adequately leverage our storage.
The 2014 corn and milo marketing
pools have each made two progress payments representing a significant portion
of the equity, but not the balance. We
currently have call positions in May and
July, which should allow us to participate
in any upside due to planting intentions
and planting delays in the Corn Belt.
Although the entire milo pool has been
sold and shipped, we still have roughly
25 percent of the corn pool left to sell.
Basis levels and significant sales this year
have been stagnant to say the least. We
are working hard to secure additional
sales on the balance of the pool as well as
grain in storage.
Last year’s harvest with respect to the
software went more smoothly than we
could have anticipated. New features
were fully implemented, while others
were restored. Scale tickets and contracts
can be e-mailed. If interested in this feature, please send an e-mail with subject
line “Enroll in E-mail” to lindseyb@
unitedag.net with your account name
and e-mail address.
Also, you may now view your load
summaries online. If you have questions about accessing this information
please contact Lane via e-mail at lanes@
unitedag.net.
The grain department is ready and
willing to assist with any questions you
may have. We are hoping for better
planting and ideal growing conditions.