|
|
||
| |||
| |||
Field Notes  March - April 2008 | |
|
WHAT TO DO ABOUT FERTILIZER COSTS? Fertilizer prices are not showing any signs of stopping their climb through record levels. While the high prices have put a hole in most checkbooks, it has sparked a renewed interest in soil sampling and overall nutrient management. Individual growers are now having to make some hard decisions about what to do this coming year. Even though the high prices are dominating most conversations, very soon the talk may turn to the fact that some fertilizer material may not be available at any cost. Real shortages are beginning to develop. Choices for fertilizer materials may become limited, as the less expensive alternatives are utilized first. Now is the time to have a discussion with your dealer about your needs for 2008. One real alternative for some growers will be to cut back on the amounts of P and K they have been applying. In many of the fields in Person County, growers have been applying excessive rates of P and K for so long that the amount available for plant nutrition is adequate in many cases. The bad news is that the only way this would be known is for a soil sample to be taken, and adjustments could be made according to the indexes. Crops like corn, soybeans, hay and pasture grass will probably show no ill effects if P and K rates are trimmed for one growing season. Tobacco farmers have a real opportunity to save some significant dollars by shaving P rates. Many of the tobacco fields have adequate levels of P already available in the soil. Growers can very easily shift to a 1-1-3 (8-8-24 or a 6-6-18) ratio or even down to something like a 8-4-24 blend, with no loss of yield or quality. One needs to remember that with high commodity prices, cutting nitrogen rates may not be a good idea. Since nitrogen reserves in the soil are always low, shaving N rates could be very costly in yields. Follow recommended N rates for our area. CAN GRAIN PRICES STAY THIS HIGH?? Grain farmers are asking themselves some tough questions these days. Do I go ahead and contract grain today and lock in a profit, or do I wait and see if prices continue to run up? If I do contract, what happens if it is another dry year and I can’t deliver? What will the penalty be? What if the bubble bursts and grain prices start a free-fall, how bad will I hate myself next summer? All of these decisions are based on guessing what the price of grain will do. Grain, just like any other product, is subject to the economic law of supply and demand. In most cases, as prices climb, consumers tend to start cutting back. Last week, a major livestock producer stated they were cutting back on breeding stock because the price of corn was so high, they could not afford to feed them any longer. Also the same day, several ethanol producers announced they were locking the door on their plants until corn prices fell to where ethanol production is again profitable. It is also estimated that the monthly food inflation rate could average 4% over the next six months. Look for the average housewife to start complaining about high food prices, and to start cutting back on unnecessary food purchases. So, in normal circumstances, as the demand would fall, so would the price. What is different about this time is the amount of grain being exported. The dollar is so weak, other countries have found out that it is cheaper to come to the United States and purchase our grain than to grow their own. The foreign buyers are out bidding the United States consumers for what grain is available for sale. The result has been that now, nearly all the 2007 wheat crop is gone, soybeans are down to less than a 30 day supply, and the remaining corn crop is going fast. The end result of all of this is that grain crops are in short enough supply, that prices should remain strong through the fall harvest. Look for food availability issues and food prices to become a part of the national discussion by late summer. PESTICIDE LICENSE EXPIRE 2008 If your pesticide license expire 2008, and you wish to continue to purchase and apply restricted use pesticides, you must receive re-certification credits before June 30, 2008. On March 13 we will be holding training for Category V (Safety Training) at 8:00 AM and Category X (Specialty Training) at 10:00 AM in the auditorium of the Person County Office Building. PESTICIDE TEST Has your private or commercial pesticide applicators license expired, or you have never had a pesticide license? You now have an opportunity to take an exam administered by a representative from NCDA. The exam will be given locally on April 3, in Room 166 of the Person County Office Building, beginning at 1:00 PM. Seating will be limited, so please call our office by April 1, to register. OLD PHOTOS WANTED As you may have noticed the wall of the Person County Office Building have been freshly painted, and are looking mighty barren, what we would like to do is to do a showcase of life in Person County from the early 1900’s to the mid-seventy’s. So, if you have vintage photos depicting life in Person County, we would like to make copies of photos and place on the walls of the PCOB. Community development, farming and family activities such as canning, and gardening are of particular interest. The photos will be copied and returned. Please feel free to contact our office at 599-1195 with any questions regarding this project. HOME REPAIR LOAN AND GRANT PROGRAM Rural Development, an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (NCDA), provides homeownership opportunities to low and moderate income Americans via several loan, grant and guarantee programs. They also make funding available to individuals to make their homes decent, safe and sanitary. Direct housing loans may be made for the purchase of an existing home or for new home construction and since the program may be able to help those who will not qualify for a conventional loan, the Rural Development direct loan can help many citizens become homeowners. This program is subsidized and payments are adjusted according to income. For very low income families who own homes in need of repair, the Home Repair Loan and Grant Program offers loans and grants for renovation, and also provides funds to make a home accessible to someone with disabilities. Money may be provided, to repair a leaking roof; to replace a heating system; to replace windows; to repair bathrooms and so on. Homeowners who are 62 years and older are eligible for home improvement grants. Other low income families and individuals receive loans at a 1% interest rate. You may contact the Rural Development Office in Yanceyville at 694-4162, Extension 4 (this is a local number for Roxboro) for an application. A representative is in the Roxboro office located in the Person County Office Building, Room 114, every Thursday and at other times by appointment. | |
