View the May statistics for crop and livestock.

One of the earliest Kansas wheat harvests in history officially began May 22 near the town of Kiowa in Barber County, where the OK Coop took in 35 truckloads of wheat. Each year, Kiowa, is the starting point for the annual wheat harvest.

Get the details at http://www.kswheat.com/wheatpageid320_2012KansasWheatHarvestReports.shtml

South Dakota farmers and ranchers are reminded that the June 1, 2012, deadline for Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE), the Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program (DCP), and the Average Crop Revenue Election Program (ACRE) is fast approaching.

Voices Across the Plains program and All Abroad Wheat Harvest tour with High Plains Journal deliver an intimate understanding of the 2012 wheat and barley seasons, these programs allow growers, retailers and harvest crews to share their unique stories throughout the course of the season via multiple media channels. New features for 2012 include a retail component of Voices Across the Plains, expanded geography and a birds-eye view of combining with the All Aboard Wheat Harvest crews.

Friday, the House Ag Committee wrapped up hearings on the 2012 Farm Bill using a series of subcommittee hearings. The closer Friday was with the Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy and Forestry, where a range of interested parties shared their ideas, including a focus on the value of the conservation investment made today that could have longer-term value. More

Speaking at a House Committee on Agriculture hearing held to get stakeholder views prior to mark-up of 2012 Farm Bill legislation in the full Committee, Younggren stressed the importance of crop insurance to farmers’ risk management plans, which has made it the top priority for wheat growers and other crop producers in the 2012 Farm Bill.  However, he and other panelists recognized that crop insurance alone is not a fully-functioning safety net, and he voiced support for a revenue-based Title I program modeled on ACRE and SURE with an on- farm trigger and coverage by commodity.

On May 15, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed an act establishing the Department of Agriculture. Five days later, he signed the Homestead Act, which opened up western lands to settlement, including much of today’s wheat production region. Later that summer, Lincoln signed the Morrill Act, establishing the system of “land grant” universities that are still vital to wheat and other agricultural research.
 

In a huge victory for U.S. wheat farmers, the United States and Colombia officially implemented on Tuesday a free trade agreement (FTA) first signed in 2006. The pact immediately eliminates all tariffs on U.S. wheat imports to Colombia and ends a significant tariff disadvantage U.S. farmers have faced compared to Canadian and Argentine wheat imports there.

Rain has halted wheat harvest progress in parts of Texas and Oklahoma, but was welcomed as portions of the area are still in need of moisture. Overall, the wheat crop remains ahead of schedule and has been reporting above average yields in places.

      A majority of consumers likely would purchase bread, crackers, cookies, cereals or pasta made with flour from wheat that had been modified by biotechnology to use less land, water and/or pesticides, according to the International Food Information Council’s 2012 “Consumer perceptions of food technology” survey.

Forty-two per cent said they would be somewhat likely to buy the products, which compared with 47% in a 2010 survey, and 28% said they would be very likely, which compared with 26% in 2010. Cogent Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., polled 752 U.S. adults using an on-line survey tool March 7-19.

IFIC presents the survey every two years. The 2012 survey also found 43% would be somewhat likely and 28% would be very likely to buy a food product made with oils that had been modified by biotechnology to provide more healthful fats like omega-3 fatty acids. The 2012 percentages compared with 2010 percentages...