United States Cattle on Feed Down 7 Percent in Latest USDA Report 

Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 9.9 million head on September 1, 2013. The inventory was 7 percent below September 1, 2012.

Placements in feedlots during August totaled 1.79 million, 11 percent below 2012. Net placements were 1.73 million head. During August, placements of cattle and calves weighing less than 600 pounds were 405,000, 600-699 pounds were 338,000, 700-799 pounds were 430,000, and 800 pounds and greater were 615,000. Placements for the month of August are the lowest since the series began in 1996.

Marketings of fed cattle during August totaled 1.88 million, 4 percent below 2012. Monthly marketings for August are the second lowest since the series began in 1996.

Other disappearance totaled 55,000 during August, 10 percent below 2012.

Click here to listen to an analysis of this report with Tom Leffler of Leffler commodities.  You'll also find a link to the full USDA report.  

Rabobank Report Finds U.S. Land Values Acceleration to Slow 

Investment in U.S. farmland is still competitive with alternative investments, but the era of extremely low interest rates and extraordinarily high commodity prices is drawing to a close, according to a new report from the Rabobank Food & Agribusiness (FAR) Research and Advisory group.

"We'll likely see lower commodity prices this year, but they aren't going to be low enough long enough to substantially impact land values over the coming year or so," says report author and Rabobank Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory (FAR) senior analyst, Sterling Liddell. "In the short term, strong farmer balance sheets and high rental rates will support current levels. However decreasing commodity prices will keep the values from accelerating as rapidly as they have been."

The report, "Land Values Peaking Out-But Not Down," finds in the medium term, the single greatest risk to U.S. agricultural land values is looming higher interest rates. Interest rates have been increasing through the first half of 2013, but based on the current Federal Reserve policy, a significant increase isn't expected until 2014 or 2015.

You can read more of this story by clicking here. 

Syngenta Launches 'The Good Growth Plan'

Syngenta last week announced six commitments to address the global food security challenge. The Good Growth Plan has specific, ambitious and measurable targets which focus on boosting resource efficiency, rejuvenating ecosystems and strengthening rural communities. 

Mike Mack, Chief Executive Officer of Syngenta, said: "We have always been acutely aware that our business can only grow if we ensure that farming is carried out in a sustainable way. We continuously seek to bring this awareness to life through our focus on land, technology and people. We now need to take our contribution to a new level and this is the driving force behind the commitments announced today."

The Good Growth Plan reflects Syngenta's belief that agricultural productivity must increase in order to feed a global population which is currently increasing by 200,000 every day. At the same time, farmland is being depleted through urbanization and soil erosion while water resources are under increasing pressure. Rural communities - those responsible for growing food - are often trapped in poverty.

Click here to read more specifics on Syngenta's plan.   

Mike Spradling Steps Down as Oklahoma Farm Bureau President

Oklahoma Farm Bureau released the following statement to us on September 20, 2013(based on action taken the previous evening):

Today, the Board of Directors of Oklahoma Farm Bureau and Affiliated Companies announces that Mike Spradling is no longer serving as President. We appreciate his many years of commitment and service. Vice President Roland Pederson has assumed the duties of President and will serve out the remaining term until the Presidential election occurs at the Annual Meeting in November. 

U.S. Soy Demand Gets Boost from Biodiesel

The biodiesel that fuels semis, farm tractors and bus fleets continues to fuel market potential for U.S. soybean oil and profit opportunities for U.S. soybean farmers.

In order to meet federal biodiesel-usage requirements of 1.28 billion gallons this year, manufacturers will need 9 billion pounds of vegetable oils and animal fats. At least 4.8 billion pounds of that could be soybean oil. That's the oil from 430 million bushels of U.S. soybeans.   

"There's value for soybean farmers from the growing market use of soybean oil for biodiesel," says Gregg Fujan, a USB director and soybean farmer from Weston, Neb. "It expands the market for our soybeans, which also increases the price we receive." 

Click here to read more.

EWG Says Lawmakers Representing Most of the Hungriest Counties Voted to Cut SNAP

Mary Ellen Kustin, legislative and policy analyst for the Environmental Working Group, published the following editorial on her organization's website:

If you live in one of America's 100 hungriest counties, there is a one-in-three chance that you rely on food stamps.

There is also a pretty good chance that your member of Congress just voted to kick you off food stamps.

And, if you live in Haywood County, Tennessee, or Shannon County, South Dakota, you can be sure your representative not only voted to kick you off food stamps but also voted to give him- or herself more farm subsidies.

Sadly, two-thirds of the 39 legislators who represent America's 100 hungriest counties voted yesterday to cut funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, by $40 billion over the next ten years.

What's more, the same legislators voted last month to increase unlimited subsidies for the largest farm businesses at a time of record farm income.

Click here to read more from Mary Ellen Kustin and the Environmental Working Group.

Procedural Vote Needs to Happen Before House Farm Bill Conferees Will Be Appointed- Maybe Next Week 

The House needs to pass a procedural motion to combine the farm bill and the just-passed nutrition bill before farm bill conferees can be named. Once that is done, the legislation will go to the United States Senate- they will likely reject it- ask for a conference- the House will accept and conferees will be named.

That's according to House Ag Committee Chairman Frank Lucas who talked with our friend and colleague Mike Hergert of the Red River Radio Network on Friday.  Click here to listen to Mike and the Congressman flesh this out.

The problem is- as Chairman Lucas said last week on the floor of the House- nothing has come easy with this farm bill process and this simple procedural vote could get caught up in the politics of the showdown between the GOP and the White House over the funding of the government and a possible government shutdown on October first.  Keith Good has pulled together at least three of the better inside the beltway writers on this subject- all weighing in on the Nutrition Stand Alone vote of last week and how tricky the procedural vote might become- click here for that review as found on Farm Policy.Com.