The warm, mostly dry weather led to deteriorating row crop and pasture conditions and put late-planted corn crops in northern areas - especially the northeast - at risk, MASS said. Soybean planting was 64 percent complete, with conditions rated 4 percent very poor, 10 percent poor, 36 percent fair, 43 percent good and 7 percent excellent. Corn conditions in the western two-thirds of the state remained steady from the previous week, but the three eastern districts declined significantly....

Exports are lowered 50 million bushels reflecting the lagging pace of export shipments even as export sales and outstanding balances indicate strong demand for old- crop supplies. Soybean production is projected at 2,625 million bushels, down 120 million bushels because harvested area reported in the June 29 Acreage report is 2.8 million acres below last month's projection. Exports for 2007/08 are raised 50 million bushels as reduced supplies in major exporting countries provide more...

Opinions expressed on this web site are those of the respective individuals and/or institutions and do not represent the opinions of etvFUTURES or its management. Traders say soybeans remain locked in a weather story and that should continue as we get into the key development stages of their growing period. Forecasts for hotter dryer conditions in the next week to 10 days helped support the market. The products also closed higher despite the CBOT raising its initial margin in soybean meal...

Since Chinese demand represents such a large share of the global market, especially in minerals and metals, the China Discount is now the gap between the price Western sellers offer for their commodities and what China agrees to pay. Its ancient uses were in the manufacture of glass, soap and crop fertilizers, and it is the last of these that predominates today, supplying one of the key nutrients for plant and crop growth. It represented the gap between what the little Western traders...

Asian soybean rust, a fungus that can wipe out a field of soybeans in three weeks if left unchecked, is creeping closer to northeastern Louisiana. Experts earlier had found the disease on sentinel plots specially planted soybean fields that were being watched for any signs of the disease in Avoyelles and Rapides in late June. I think that the soybean producers in the state have been warned and have been poised to take action. The good news, however, is that our scientists have been on top...

Climatologists are building evidence that crops, particularly corn, are driving up dew points as they put water into the atmosphere through evaporation. Federal disaster assistance available for 81 Illinois counties Governor Rod Blagojevichsays federal disaster assistance is now available for farmers and nursery owners in 81 of Illinois' 102 counties to help them recover from an April freeze that damaged crops. Federal disaster assistance available for 81 Illinois counties Governor Rod...

However, I also believe that refining margins will remain very volatile due to the increasingly complex refined product specifications, the low levels of petroleum product storage capacity around the world, and the extremely old refining system that the world is running on (mostly built in the 1970s) Dr Blanch answered FT.com readers questions on the outlook for oil, metals and agriculture, commodity index strategies, the risks to crude oil prices in the next six months and whether Opec...

Main Category: Water - Air Quality / Agriculture News Article Date: 27 Jul 2007 - 7:00 PDT email to a friend printer friendly view / write opinions rate article newsletters University of Minnesota (U of M) scientists are field testing a beneficial insect, a stingless wasp from China also known as Binodoxys communis, that kills soybean aphids. Main Category: Water - Air Quality / Agriculture News Article Date: 27 Jul 2007 - 7:00 PDT email to a friend printer friendly view / write opinions...

ISA invests in research at the University of Illinois, Southern Illinois University, Western Illinois University and Illinois State University because it can deliver results that increase yields, control pests and diseases, and expand markets for our crop, Hieser said. ISA invests in research at the University of Illinois, Southern Illinois University, Western Illinois University and Illinois State University because it can deliver results that increase yields, control pests and diseases,...