USDA TO SURVEY FARMERS' PLANTED CROP ACREAGE
AUSTIN: How many acres of cotton and corn will farmers plant this
growing season? Which percentage of those acres was planted to
biotech varieties? Will actual planted acreage be above or below
farmers' reported planting intentions? These are just a couple of the
critical questions the Texas Field Office of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will be
asking more than 10,000 producers statewide as part of the June
Agricultural Survey.
"The June Agricultural Survey, also known as the Crops/Stocks
Survey, is one of the most important surveys conducted each year by
NASS", explained David Abbe, director of the NASS Texas Field Office.
"This survey will provide the first clear indication of the potential
production and supply of major commodities in the United States for
the 2007 crop year.
"Data from the June Agricultural Survey benefit farmers by
providing timely and accurate information to help them make critical
business decisions. When evaluating selling and storage options, this
survey will be an important source of information for producers,"
added Mr. Abbe.
Beginning the end of May, NASS will contact selected Texas
producers by mail, telephone or in person and ask them to provide
information on the total number of acres planted and acres planted to
specific commodities, including peanuts, rice, sorghum, soybeans and
hay harvested. NASS will also collect data on quantities of grains
and oilseeds stored on-farm. The information will be compiled and
analyzed and then published in a series of USDA reports, including
the annual Acreage report and quarterly, Grain Stocks report, both to
be released on June 29.
As with all NASS surveys, information provided by respondents is
confidential by law. "NASS safeguards the confidentiality of all
responses and publishes only state- and national-level data, ensuring
that no individual operation or producer can be identified," stated
Mr. Abbe. All reports are available on the NASS web site:
www.nass.usda.gov. For more information on NASS surveys and reports,
call the NASS Texas Field Office at 800-626-3142.
TEXAS-SIZED SORGHUM: NEW SOLUTION FOR FUEL?
Contact: Jason Cook, 979-862-7346,jason.cook@tamu.edu
COLLEGE STATION - Big Sorghum is moving up on Big Oil in Texas. Ten-foot
tall stalks of bioenergy sorghum, planted on thousands of acres, could march
across Texas just as oil derricks once did, replacing black gold with green
gold.
Texas A&M Agriculture will host U.S. Department of Agriculture Under
Secretary Gale Buchanan and Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples
on Tuesday, May 1, for a behind-the-scenes tour of some of the most
promising biomass research efforts within The Texas A&M University System.
Biofuels derived from plant cellulose - found in the tall sorghum among other
biomass alternatives - offers an energy future that is at once sustainable,
environmentally responsible, and just around the corner.
"Corn is a viable way to produce ethanol from starch," said Dr. Elsa Murano,
who serves as Vice Chancellor of Agriculture and Life Sciences for the A&M
System and also directs the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, where
scientists are digging into a range of biofuels alternatives. "But that's not the
only option for Texas and the southern part of the country."
In addition to growing corn for biofuels, Texas can capitalize on decades of
sorghum research at the Experiment Station, Murano said. The giant sorghum
varieties being grown in experimental plots today are drought-tolerant, can be
grown across the state, and offer high yields in ethanol.
"Based upon our analyses, we find it's efficient to take something like our new
sorghum varieties or sugar cane that produces large volumes of biomass,
rather than producing grain and then converting grain-starch to ethanol,"
Murano said.
Texas is uniquely posed to take advantage of this developing technology as a
leading agricultural state with a large forest industry, a major biomass
producer with diverse growing environments, and major universities and
agencies with energy expertise, said Bob Avant, program manager for the
A&M System's Texas Agricultural Experiment Station.
Texas is an energy-friendly state, Avant adds, producing 26 percent of the
U.S. domestic oil and 29 percent of natural gas. The state already has an
"extensive energy infrastructure in place," with 26 existing refineries, 135,000
miles of natural gas pipeline and a large structure of pipelines for transporting
crude oil and liquefied petroleum gas.
Texas is also a huge energy user. Texans used about 12 billion gallons of
gasoline in 2004, or 533 gallons per capita. The economics aside, there isn't
enough grain production capacity in Texas to supply that need, Avant said.
COLEMAN LIVESTOCK AUCTION SALES REPORT FOR APRIL 25TH
COLEMAN LIVESTOCK AUCTION SALE RESULTS FOR APRIL 25TH
Receipts at the Coleman Livestock Auction sale on Wednesday, April
25th were 1,524; a week ago - 1,454; year ago 1,257.
Compared to last week: Feeder steers under 600 lbs. steady to
3.00 lower, over 600 lbs. 2.00-4.00 lower. Feeder heifers under 600
lbs. 2.00-4.00 lower, over 600 lbs. 1.00-3.00 higher. Slaughter cows
and bulls 1.00-2.00 lower. Replacement cow and cow/calf pairs steady.
Trade and demand good.
Bulk supply Medium & Large 1-2: 300-600 lb. feeder steers and
heifers. Feeder cattle accounted for 75 percent and slaughter cows
and bulls 25 percent of the run. In the feeder supply, steers made up
approximately 56 percent of the run; heifers 44 percent; steers and
heifers over 600 lbs. totaled 36 percent.
Steers: Medium & Large 1: 300-400 lbs. 127.00-133.00, few
139.00-143.00; 400-500 lbs. 117.00-127.00, few 130.00-147.00; 500-600
lbs. 110.00-117.00, yearlings 112.00-122.00, few 124.00; 600-700 lbs.
109.00-113.00, few 111.00; 700-800 lbs. 103.00-106.00; 800-900 lbs.
103.50.
Medium & Large 2: 200-300 lbs. 140.00-145.00, few 200.00; 300-400
lbs. 130.00-139.00, few 141.00-143.00; 400-500 lbs. 113.00-123.00,
few 126.00-139.00; 500-600 lbs. 105.00-115.00, few 116.00-123.00,
yearlings 109.00-119.00, few 121.00-130.00; 600-700 lbs.
104.00-114.50, few 116.00-120.00, calves 104.00-110.00; 700-800 lbs.
98.00-108.00, few 109.00; 800-900 lbs. 95.00-104.00.
Medium & Large 3: 200-300 lbs. 123.00-129.00, few 135.00; 400-500
lbs. 106.00-111.00; 500-600 lbs. 106.00.
Heifers: Medium & Large 1: 300-400 lbs. 118.00-121.00, few 130.00;
400-500 lbs. 113.00-121.00, few 122.00; 500-600 lbs. 109.00-112.00,
yearlings 108.00-117.00, few 122.00; 600-700 lbs. 100.00-110.00, few
112.00-113.00; 700-800 lbs. 89.50-91.00.
Medium & Large 2: 200-300 lbs. 125.00-129.00; 300-400 lbs.
117.00-127.00, few 129.00-137.00; 400-500 lbs. 111.00-121.00, few
122.00; 500-600 lbs. 103.00-112.00, few 114.00, yearlings
100.00-110.00, few 111.00-114.00; 600-700 lbs. 90.00-100.00, few
101.00--113.00; 700-800 lbs. 90.00-95.00; 800-900 lbs. 86.00-90.50.
Medium & Large 3: 300-400 lbs. 102.00-112.00.
Slaughter Cows: Breakers, 75-80 percent lean, 1200-1600 lbs. Avg.
dres. 46.50-49.00. Boners, 80-85 percent lean, 1200-1600 lbs. Avg.
dres. 49.00-56.00, Hi dres. 55.00-57.50. Boners, 80-85 percent,
1000-1200 lbs. Avg. dres. 47.00-54.50, Hi dres. 54.50-57.00. Lean
85-90 percent, 1000-1200 lbs. Avg. dres. 44.00-50.50. Lean, 85-90
percent, 800-1000 lbs. Avg. dres. 42.00-50.00. Lean, 85-90 percent,
under 800 lbs. Avg. dres. 37.00.
Slaughter Bulls: Yield Grade -2: 1300-2100 lbs. Avg. dres.
57.50-66.50.
Replacement Cows: Medium & Large 1-2: young to middle aged
705-1070 lb. cows 2-8 months bred 512.00-925.00 per head. Young to
middle aged 1107-1625 lb. cows 2-8 months bred 630.00-1000.00 per head.
Cow/Calf Pairs: Medium & Large 1-2: young to middle aged 925-1085
lb. cows w/80-260 lb. calves 850.00-1040.00 per pair. Young to middle
aged 1110-1595 lb. cows w/85-310 lb. calves 835.000-1275.00 per pair.