Cornucopia -- April 11, 2021

Updates 

April 12, 2021: from Breitbart --

America is China’s top supplier of corn so far in 2021, Chinese media noted Sunday, with corn prices in China at record highs.

Corn is used in China for feeding pigs — pork is the nation’s most popular meat — making it an indispensable crop. Increased demand for corn follows not just a devastating African swine flu outbreak that sent pork prices soaring, but torrential floods that destroyed much of China’s 2020 crop yield and raised concerns of food shortages in the world’s most populous nation.

Original Post

US farmers celebrate as corn exports near records. Link here. 

Reuters reports US corn exports "have blown past nearly every benchmark" as China, the world's largest food and ag importer, appears to be ramping up purchases of US farm goods. 

What's mildly funny is how China has begun to purchase large amounts of farm goods from the US under the Biden administration. 

According to official US export data Wednesday, February's corn exports recorded 6.3 million tons. 

The amount topped "2008's record for the month by 17% and is the largest monthly volume since July 2018," said Reuters. A few months back, December's corn exports exploded to 13-year highs. The first-quarter outlook already suggests record volumes. 

Even a caveman can "read" this graph: the graph says that under the Obama administration, things were simply incredibly awful. 

By the way, this will lead to a stand-along commentary when I get caught up. 

The other day I noted:

• Got corn? Corn futures rise to highest since 2013 before USDA report. 

Here's the link and the story:

Chicago corn futures climbed more than 3% on Thursday, April 8, 2021, to hit their highest since 2013, as the market was buoyed by smaller-than-expected US planting.

Another metric that doesn't matter (don't take that out of context).

Google search on the blog for "corn."

Back on February 13, 2013 -- note the Reuters date above -- coincidental? I think not -- Don sent me a great story. Here's the blog link with the story link "inside": 

Narrow-row corn just got narrower. Stine Seed Company planted and harvested 2,500 acres of 12-in.-row corn in central Iowa last year. A hybrid designed for high density production yielded 320 to 330 bu./acre on the cropland.

“(The fields) were up where we had a little extra rain and a little extra nitrogen on it,” reports Harry Stine, president, Stine Seed. “Most of our other yields were much lower with a farm average of 145 bu./acre (mostly 22½-in. rows).”

The trend to 20- and 15-in.-row corn has been around for years. But interest in even narrower rows such as 12 in. has increased as growers seek the elusive 300 bu./acre yield mark.

That's for the "average" farmer. 

David Hula isn't average. 

David Hula grows 600-bushel+ corn. Link here. This was just one year ago, January 6, 2020.

Meanwhile, from the USDA just a few days ago:

Increased acreage and higher yields for corn and soybeans allowed both crops to return to more typical production levels, according to the 2020 Crop Production Annual Summary released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

U.S. corn growers produced 14.2 billion bushels, up 4% from 2019. Corn yield in the United States is estimated at 172.0 bushels per acre, 4.5 bushels above the 2019 yield of 167.5 bushels per acre. Area harvested for grain, at 82.5 million acres, is up 1% from 2019.

Soybean production for 2020 totaled 4.14 billion bushels, up 16% from 2019. With record high yields in Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, and Tennessee, the average soybean yield is estimated at 50.2 bushels per acre, 2.8 bushels above 2019, but 0.5 bushel below the Nov. 1 forecast.

For 2020, all cotton production is down 25% from 2019, at 15.0 million 480-pound bales. The U.S. yield is estimated at 825 pounds per acre, up 2 pounds from last year’s yield. Harvested area, at 8.70 million acres, is down 25% from last year.

Also released today were the Winter Wheat and Canola Seedings and Grain Stocks reports. The Winter Wheat and Canola Seedings report provides the first indicator of this year’s winter wheat acreage. Planted area for harvest in 2021 is estimated at 32.0 million acres, up 5% from 2020.