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Corn and soybean production

2NASS

US Select Crop Value 2006Billions of Dollars

Oats Barley Sor-ghum

Wheat Soy-bean

Corn

$0.9$0.9$0.2

$7.7

$19.7

$33.8

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Small grain production

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Corn

• Graze corn - alternative pasture• Corn silage - dairy• High moisture corn• Grain

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6

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State Production (billion bu)

Yield (bu/A)

Price ($/bu)

Iowa 2.1 166 $3.15

Illinois 1.8 163 $3.35

Nebraska 1.1 152 $3.15

Minnesota 1.1 161 $3.15

Indiana 0.84 157 $3.35

Ohio 0.47 159 $3.30

Wisconsin 0.40 143 $3.30

Missouri 0.36 138 $3.10

Kansas 0.35 115 $3.20

S. Dakota 0.32 97 $2.95

US total 10.5 149 $3.20

Top ten corn producing states, representing 84% of US production, 2006 (NASS)

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152.6

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2005-2006 U.S. corn use

Corn use U.S. billion bu (%)

Feed/residual 6.1 (55%)

Exports 2.1 (19%)

Ethanol 1.6 (14.3%)

Corn starch for food, industrial use 0.275 (2.5%)

High fructose corn syrup/corn sweeteners

0.225 (2.0%)

Cereal/chips/other 0.190 (1.7%)

Beverage alcohol 0.135 (1.2%)

Total 11.2

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11

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State Production(thousand bu)

Yield (bu/A)

Price ($/bu)

Iowa 510 51 $6.25

Illinois 482 48 $6.40

Minnesota 319 44 $5.95

Indiana 284 50 $6.30

Nebraska 251 50 $5.90

Ohio 217 47 $6.25

Missouri 194 38 $6.30

S. Dakota 131 34 $5.70

N. Dakota 120 31 $5.85

Arkansas 107 35 $6.50

US total 3188 43 $6.20

Top ten soybean producing states, representing 75% of US production. 2006 (NASS)

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39.6

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64.1

63.3

US Soybean AcresMillion acres

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US 64,081

11,441

2007 Soybeans PlantedAcres (1000) and change from previous year

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2007 Corn PlantedAcres (1000) and change from previous year

US 92,88814,561

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Uses for soybean• Oil, human, 81% of edible fats in US• Soybean meal, 38.1 mil ton• Soydiesel, biodiesel• Ink• Crayons• Crop oil as surfactants• Wax• Aquaculture• Lubricants

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Why does the Midwest lead in grain production?

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Glaciers shaped the MidwestLate Wisconsinan - 10,500-30,000 yrs BP

Illinoian - 130,000-300,000 yrs BP

Pre-Illinoian - 500,000-2,500,000 yrs BP

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Estimated extent of the tall grass prairie, about 1800Representing approx. 400 million acres

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Mollisols are the soils of grassland ecosystems, characterized by a thick, dark surface horizon. This fertile surface horizon, known as a mollic epipedon, results from the long-term addition of organic materials derived from plant roots.

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23Image of NRCS

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Iowa’s (Midwest) Landscape Changed

• Iowa’s tall grass prairie declined from12.6 million ha to 24,560 ha, a 99.9% decrease

• “The tall grass prairies were erased before they were understood.” R. DeHaan

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Iowa’s (Midwest) Landscape Changed

Causes:• Human settlement• Steel, moldboard plow• Water drainage of land• Agriculture production, WW II• Chemicals• Specialization• Urban development?• Biofuel production?

26historywired.si.edu/ images/objects/212a.jpg

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Prairie potholes

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Tiling of prairies and wetlands to drain water for agriculture and development

Image of NRCS

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Crop

Iowa 1984-1986

Ohio 1962-1980

Ontario 1979-1986

Corn 10-45 20-30 26

Soybeans 4-15 7-14 7

Yield increase (bu) with subsurface drainage

31Source: USGS, 2005

(as

N)

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Nitrate-Nitrogen Loss in Tile Drainage (Randall et al., 1997)

Cropping system NO3-N loss

(kg ha-1 yr-1)

Continuous corn 55

Corn-soybean rotation 51

Alfalfa 2

CRP (perennial grasses and alfalfa)

1

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Tillage systems for seedbed preparation:Operation Conventional

tillageReduced, minimum, conservation

Ridge-till Strip-tillage

No-till

Primary tillage/land preparation

Chisel plow, often in the fall, 30-85% residueDisk-harrow/field cultivator

30-80%

Chisel plow with harrow fall or spring

Deep ripping, fall, 12-14 in.

50% residue

Scrap off ridges burying manure and weeds at planting, 40-60%

Inject anhydrous ammonia into the soil, fall

70% residue

Secondary tillage/weed control

rotary hoe (2 passes),

row-crop cultivation (1-3 passes)little chemical control of weeds

0-1 pass cultivationchemical control of weeds

rotary hoe,

1-2 pass cultivation, last cultivation makes the ridges for next year, banding chemicals

chemical control of weeds

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Dec. - Jan. Fields remain dormant

April - May Pre-plant seedbed prep., fertility source, pre-plant herbicides, planting late April-end of May

June - July Pre-emergent herbicides, post-emergent herbicides, mechanical weed control

Aug. Soybean pest control

Sept. - Oct Harvest

Oct. - Nov. Stalk chopping, deep ripping, fertility application, liming, seedbed tillage

Production Cycle, corn and soybeans alternating years

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Fertility needs

• N - 0.0-1.2 lb/bu (56 lb/bu) 35.5 lb/bu (60 lb/bu)

• P2O5 - 0.36 lb/bu 0.82 lb/bu• K2O - 0.26 lb/bu 1.00 lb/bu

Corn Soybeans

Water needs: 20-24 inches of water - 150-200 bu corn; 50-60 bu soybeans

pH, liming needs: corn - 6.0-7.0; soybeans - 6.5-7.0

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Site-specific management• uses grid sampling• recommendations are made for

each 2.5-5.0 acre cell• image represents 152 acres

Phosphorus recommendations

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Zone management• Soil sample according to

• soil type• previous management• landscape

• Zones are variable sizes• Less samples, less costly

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Problems:• Seemingly erratic weather, the only aspect of

farming that is not controlled• High N and P levels in surface water, because of

subsurface drainage and less filtering by the soil• Corn/soybean monoculture, little crop diversity on

the landscape:• Less chance to disrupt pest cycles• Greater outbreaks• Large supplies of grain

• Corn/soybean monoculture, little genetic diversity within each crop:• Greater outbreaks• Bioterrorism

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•Open canopy much of the year•not getting the full benefits of sunlight•erosion, not an perennial system•unused nutrients, N and P

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• New/more GMO products will increase corn/soybean monoculture

• Bt control of corn rootworm• Continuous corn• GMO boycotts• More fertilizer, 30-50 lb N from soybean residue

• Little profit, small margins• Commodity• More acres, larger farms

• Consolidation of agricultural industry

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2005Price/bu Cost of production

Corn $1.90 $2.83

Soybeans $5.05 $6.76

2007

Price/bu Cost of production

Corn $3.00+ $2.88

Soybeans $7.20+ $6.67

FM 1712, ISU Extension

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Issues

Should we increase diversity?Yes, but how?•Markets•Crops•Stacked genes

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Increase diversity with markets:• Development of new products, increasing

demand and more acres of monoculture• Export - some GMO boycotts• Non-food products - plastics, candles, fibers• New animal products - soybean meal for

aquaculture• Ethanol

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Increase diversity with markets:• Identity preservation:

• White corn, high oil corn• Clear hilum soybeans for human

consumption• Non-GMO grain for foreign export• Low linolenic acid (low-lin) soybeans• Organic, fastest growing ag sector• “Farmaceuticals”, profit for a very few

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Increase crop diversity:• Perceived problems

• No government payments• No market, little demand• Need different equipment, knowledge, skills• Little research• Another commodity crop from somewhere

else• BIG paradigm change

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SAG systems• 5-yr rotation: C-Sb-C-Oats underseeded with

legume-Legume or Sb-C-Sb-Oats underseeded with legume-Legume

• Legumes as the fertility source, disrupt pest cycles

• Use of organic fertility sources: animal manure, compost, green manures

• Perennials, diversity in rooting systems, soil health, C sequestration, land cover

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• Less herbicides results in more mechanical control and tillage, ?increasing erosion  

• Using a living mulch or re-seeding annuals, full year cover

• Less fertilizer needs using more realistic yield goals

• Applying fertilizer just prior to plant uptake• Perennial grains, the Land Institute• Open pollinated (Op) corn, concern about

trace level contamination of current seed stock with genetically modified seed, reduce dependence on the chemical/seed industry

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Crop rotation systems(Liebman et al)

• 2-year rotation: corn–soybean (conventional management)

• 3-year rotation: corn–soybean–triticale + red clover green manure (less fertilizer and herbicide, banded herbicides)

• 4-year rotation: corn–soybean–triticale + alfalfa–alfalfa hay (less fertilizer and herbicide, banded herbicides)

Composted beef manure applied to forage legumes before plowing

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Inputs to cropping systems (Averages for 2003–2005)

Rotation

length

Herbicide(kg a.i. ha-1 yr-1)

Fertilizer N(kg N ha-1 yr-1)

2-year 2.20 62

3-year 0.64 32

4-year 0.48 18

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Cropping system comparisons

2-year

C-SB

4-year

C-SB-T/A-A

Labor for field work (hr ha-1 yr-1)

1.85 3.36

Non-land and non-labor costs of production ($ ha-1 yr-1)

452 325

Net returns to land, labor, and management ($ ha-1 yr-1)

427 475

Net returns to management ($ ha-1 yr-1)

67 100

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Three scenarios(Burkart et al., 2005)

• Current conditions for crops, cattle, and hogs• Alternative 1: more land in oat, forage, and

eco-reserve; decreased land in corn and soybean; increased cattle; less fertilizer N

• Alternative 2: more land in oat, forage, and eco-reserve; decreased land in corn and soybean; increased cattle and hogs; no N fertilizer

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Current conditions Alternative 1 Alternative 2

Predicted Soil NO3-N Concentrations

Median: 32 kg N ha-1 15 kg N ha-1 10 kg N ha-1

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State Corn State Soybean

acres acresMinnesota 20,822 Minnesota 26,581 Iowa 20,247 Iowa 15,570 Wisconsin 16,754 Michigan 15,456 Texas 11,367 Wisconsin 8,553 Nebraska 11,251 Ohio 8,330 Ohio 7,247 Missouri 7,640 Illinois 7,245 Nebraska 6,953 Michigan 6,522 Illinois 6,505 South Dakota 4,690 Texas 6,258 Missouri 3,510 Arkansas 4,420

U.S. Total 130,672 U.S. Total 122,217

Certified Organic Crop Acreages, 2005

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Organic Price Index, The New Farmat http://newfarm.org/opx/

Organic vs. conventional grain pricesweek of 5 Sept. 2007 (2005 prices)

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