Here's a suggestion for a 2016 style Veterans Day observance- set the timer on your smartphone for 11 AM- and when it goes off- pray for a moment and thank God for those who have served and the freedom he allows us to live under in these United States of America.

Financial stress in the farm sector is continuing to make a slow and steady climb. The stress continued to rise in the third quarter as income in the farm sector stayed low. The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's Ag Credit Survey says producers are expending more working capital to meet financial obligations because of continued weakness in both the crop and livestock sectors of the ag economy. 

Over 90 percent of bankers who responded to the survey said they've seen at least some deterioration in working capital their clients have available. 30 percent of bankers responded by reporting a significant level of deterioration in working capital for their clients. Working capital is important buffer against financial challenges, and less capital means more borrowers run the risk of becoming highly leveraged while trying to sustain their operations. Weakness in the farm economy also led to a decline in farmland values. 

The value of each type of farmland, including irrigated, non-irrigated, and ranchland, fell more than 6 percent from last year.  Bankers also report increasing collateral requirements for agricultural loans, as well as declining available funds and farm loan repayment rates.

Some experts are predicting more soybeans and less corn will go in the ground during the 2017 planting season. The extent of the acreage switch will be determined in part by crop demand for those commodities in the new year. Producers saw an unusually good planting window in 2016, but a return to more normal planting conditions is likely for 2017. 

 "We'll go back to more typical conditions and more prevent plant in line with a typical year," said Pat Westhoff, Director of the Food and Ag Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri. Farmer liquidity will also determine how many corn acres make the switch to soybeans in 2017. "I expect more of a shift next year because we're running out of liquidity," said Ag Economist Gary Schnitkey at the University of Illinois. "The profitability of soybeans is projected higher and has lower costs, so this will move us toward soybeans." 

 Schnitkey also says lower wheat prices will likely lead some eastern Corn Belt producers to switch from wheat to soybeans next year. Talk of farmers cutting back on technology and traits next year probably doesn't happen in soybeans because of increasing resistance in weeds like Waterhemp.

Monsanto's new dicamba-based weed killers were approved for use this week by the Environmental Protection Agency. The weed killers are designed for use on next generation biotech soybean and cotton varieties. EPA approved the XtendiMax herbicide for in-crop use on Roundup Ready 2 Xtend biotech soybeans, which are designed to tolerate applications of glyphosate and dicamba. 

The agency also approved Bollgard 2 XtendFlex Cotton, which will also tolerate glyphosate and dicamba as well as glufosinate. 

 Monsanto is still waiting for EPA approval on its Roundup Extend herbicide, which is also a glyphosate and dicamba blend. Farmers have been using dicamba for years to kill weeds before they plant crops. Up until this week, farmers haven't been able to use the product on growing crops. 

 Environmental groups were not happy with the approval. The Center for Biological Diversity says the ruling will lead to a sharp increase in pesticide use with the potential for harming threatened animal and plant species. Monsanto says the Xtend product platform will be its largest technology launch in history. The company expects that soybean variety will be planted on 15 million acres next year.

To learn more about the decision by the EPA, click here.

We are starting this morning in Kansas City as we wrap up our time at the 2016 edition of the National Association of Farm Broadcasters- heard from Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack yesterday afternoon(likely for the final time as USDA Secretary as the Obama Administration counts down the days in office)- and between Carson, Kalee the Intern and yours truly- we interviewed over 30 ag industry leaders yesterday at the annual Trade Talk event.  

We will be sharing those with you in the days to come.

We will winging our way towards OKC midday- and will be hooking up with the 75th Annual Convention of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau after lunch today- looking forward to seeing many of you at this gathering of one of our two general farm organizations. 

Click here for their schedule of events for today, tomorrow and Sunday.