Burn Ban

Faulkner County is currently under a burn ban. We are really dry and with these high winds it is very dangerous conditions for fires spreading.

Weather

Storms came through on Friday night and dropped a little bit of rain, but we are still very dry. Looking at the drought monitor, early drought conditions are starting to move into the state. The high winds we have had this week has dried everything out and made agriculture applications almost impossible. We have another chance of rain Sunday and a good half inch of rain would be appreciated. Next week looks like warm temperatures with a cold snap coming through on Thursday.

Arkansas and Mississippi River

Recap of USDA March 2025 Supply/Demand Estimates

Mr. H. Scott Stiles, Program Associate, University of Arkansas



USDA released its latest World Ag Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) on March 11^th. In general, there were only minor changes this month. Regarding U.S. ending stocks (Table 1.), there were no supply or demand adjustments to corn, soybeans or cotton. For the third consecutive month USDA has held U.S. corn and soybean ending stocks at 1.54 billion and 380 million bushels respectively.  Cotton ending stocks were held at 4.9 million bales.

Table 1. USDA 2024/25 U.S. Ending Stocks.

USDA did however lower the 24/25 season average farm price forecast for soybeans by 15 cents per bushel to $9.95. This would be the lowest marketing year average price for soybeans since 2019’s $8.57 per bushel. Corn was left unchanged at $4.35 per bushel for 24/25. Season average prices for both long-grain and medium grain rice were increased.

Figure 1. U.S. Season Average Farm Prices ($/bu.)

USDA increased ending stocks this month for wheat, sorghum and long-grain rice (Table 1). The 24/25 outlook for U.S. exports was revised lower for wheat and sorghum this month. Imports increased again for long-grain rice to a record 41 million cwt. The record levels of imports are driven largely by an influx of Thai Jasmine and Indian Basmati rice. This adjustment increased U.S. long-grain ending stocks by 1 million to a total of 35.3 million cwt.; the highest since 2010. U.S. long-grain stocks for 24/25 are now forecast to be 16 million cwt or 83% above last year’s 19.3 million.

On a more positive note, U.S. medium grain rice stocks were reduced this month by 1 million cwt. to 10 million on higher exports. This marks the fifth consecutive month USDA has revised medium grain ending stocks lower. At 10 million, 24/25 stocks are well below last year’s 18.9 million cwt. USDA season average price forecast for southern medium grain increased by 40 cents per cwt. this month to $15.20/cwt. or $6.84 per bushel.



There were only minor adjustments this month to the World balance sheets. USDA made no changes to their existing South American production estimates for corn, soybeans, rice and cotton. World ending stocks for 24/25 are shown in Table 2. Although lower this month on increased crush demand, World soybean stocks remain at record levels. However, World corn stocks are the lowest since 2014/15.

Table 2. USDA 2024/25 World Ending Stocks

USDA did note this month the WASDE report only considers trade policies that are in effect at the time of publication. U.S. tariffs on Canada and Mexico have been suspended until April 2nd for all products covered under USMCA, which include most agricultural products in the WASDE. Despite U.S. tariffs being suspended, Canada’s retaliatory tariffs remain in place. These were accounted for in this month’s WASDE estimates. U.S. tariffs on China and China’s retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. were also assumed to remain in place.

USDA’s March 2025 WASDE report can be found at this

link: https://www.usda.gov/oce/commodity/wasde/wasde0325.pdf

USDA Releases $10 Billion in Direct Economic Assistance to Agricultural Producers

by Scott Stiles - March 19, 2025

The USDA announced March 18 that it is issuing up to $10 billion directly to agricultural producers through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) for the 2024 crop year. This program is administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA). Authorized by the American Relief Act, 2025, these economic relief payments are based on planted and prevented planted crop acres for eligible commodities for the 2024 crop year.

To streamline and simplify the delivery of ECAP, FSA will begin sending pre-filled applications to producers who submitted acreage reports to FSA for 2024 eligible ECAP commodities soon after the signup period opens on March 19, 2025. Producers do not have to wait for their pre-filled ECAP application to apply. They can visit fsa.usda.gov/ecap to apply using a login.gov account or contact their local FSA office to request an application once the signup period opens.

To read more about eligibility and payments click the link below.

Wheat

The majority of the wheat continues to look good. There are a few fields that just don't seem to be growing well. This could be due to low pH or low fertility.

It is time for the last application of fertilizer. If you haven't gotten it out look at planning it soon.

Corn

Corn planting is underway in the county. Several producers got started this week with good conditions except for the wind. The wind is drying out the ground pretty fast, so a small rain Sunday wouldn't be a bad thing. We got the corn hybrid trial planted on Jill Edwards on Thursday and Friday morning. We have 17 hybrids in this years test.

Try to split up your nitrogen into three or four different applications throughout the year. Put out around 30 to 40 units preplant and save 45 units for pretassel. That leaves the other 135 units for sidedress. In a perfect world I would love to split that in two applications with one around V4 and one around V6-V8, but last year when I tried that I got caught with rainy conditions and ended up using a plane.

Arkansas Corn DD50 Program - Arkansas Corn DD50

The 2025 Arkansas Corn Quick Facts is available by clicking the following link.

Rice

Rice planting is not far off. Here are some charts on seeding rates and a link to the rice management guide. I have some hard copies I will start getting out to everyone.

Fertilizing Summer Hay and Pastures

We have reached that time of year where everyone is feeling the warm temperatures and are starting to see green in their hay fields and pastures. This starts the I want to fertilize itch! It is a tough one to not scratch, but it is still too early. We don't want to start applying any kind of nitrogen until we get night time temperatures above 60 for about a week. We are getting closer, but right now if you put out nitrogen it would be taken up by winter weeds or lost before your summer grass could take it up. The most expensive treatment we can make is a treatment that doesn't work. I know everyone wants grass, but we just have to wait a little bit longer.

Weed of the Week

The weed of the week is henbit. I don't know why, but this year is a henbit year. I have had several questions the last couple of weeks about those purple flowers in my pasture.

Henbit is one of the most common pasture weeds. Its purple, two-lipped tubular flowers are one of the first things to show color in early spring. Many of these early flowers never open completely, and the plant goes merrily about the business of producing seeds by self-pollinating itself undeterred by the weather.

Henbit usually grows 6 inches tall and a foot or more across with purple flowers at the ends of the stems in small whorls. The plant usually has only a single point of attachment, but stem rooting occurs later in the spring.

The opposite, much-notched leaves are about the size of a nickel and tightly clasp the square stems. Lower leaves are long-petioled and have little resemblance to the upper leaves. Leaf pairs alternate at right angles as they ascend the stem.

Henbit is in the mint family and grows as a winter annual in Arkansas. It originated in Eurasia and has now become established as a weed in almost all areas of the US except for a small part of the inner-mountain west.

This is one of the few broadleaves we have that 2,4-D is weak on. I prefer using Metsulfuron on henbit, but if you have bahiagrass you will need to move to something else like Weedmaster.

Pasture to Plate

We had a great day Saturday March 15 at the Kenny Simon Farm as our 4-H Pasture to Plate participants brought out their steers for the first weigh in of the year. We added ear tags, did hip heights, frame scores and calculated needed gain to make it to the minimum 1000 pound weight at the fair. The youth learned about average daily gain and what they need to do to make sure their steers are healthy and ready to go to the processor. Extension Specialists Maggie Justice and Kirstin Midkiff did a great job educating the youth about this special steer project. We also handed out record books for the youth to keep up with and turn in at the end of the project.

Bulls and Breeding Soundness Examinations

Mark Z. Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Breeding Specialist

A significant portion of reproductive failures in cow-calf enterprises are due to the fertility of the herd bull. With turnout just around the corner, it’s time to focus on your bull battery. Most spring calving cow-calf operations are 30-60 days from the start of the breeding season. There are some important management considerations to keep in mind during this pre-turnout period: 1) have a veterinarian conduct a breeding soundness exam (BSE) on all potential herd sires, 2) monitor body condition score of your bulls on inventory to make sure they are in Body Condition Score of 6 by turnout, 3) and slowly transition the newly purchased young bulls to a forage based diet.

Bull breeding soundness is one of the most economically important traits for cow-calf producers. Accordingly, a BSE is recommended to measure a bull’s potential to achieve satisfactory conception rates. The BSE should include examination of the reproductive anatomy, scrotal measurement, sperm motility, sperm morphology (physical characteristics), locomotion, eyesight and body condition score. A bull that passes the BSE appears to be sound for breeding purposes as best as science can determine at that point in time. Bulls should have a BSE 6-8 weeks prior to turn out. If a bull fails the BSE, this allows producers to have enough time to replace the animal with a sound bull for the breeding season.

Each year cow-calf operations purchase yearling bulls to replace sub-fertile bulls or poor genetics. If new bulls have been developed on grain-based, high energy diet they have the potential to be over-conditioned. New bulls should be gradually transitioned to a lower energy, forage-based grazing system over the 30-60 days before being turned out on cows. This period can allow the bull to shed excess fat and reach an optimum body condition for the breeding season. These bulls should be kept in a large enough pen or pasture so they can get daily exercise. When multiple bulls are used in a single pasture, they should be exposed to each other prior to turnout to minimize bull interactions once they join the cowherd. Bottomline: it’s time to plan for your next breeding season.

Managing Resources and Your Pocketbook: the benefits of adding sheep to a cattle operation

Rotational grazing remains a necessary management tool to conserve pastures and improve livestock nutrition. Properly rotating livestock improves soil condition, increases pasture utilization, and manages overall animal health. Adding sheep to a cattle operation can diversify assets with a quick return on investment. Multi-species rotational livestock grazing improves soil health, increases pasture yield, and manages animal health, all while increasing net cash farm income. Read more:

Coccidiosis for Small Ruminants

Coccidiosis, caused by Eimeria species, is a parasitic disease that primarily affects young lambs and kids, making them highly susceptible to diarrhea, dehydration, weight loss, weakness, and even death. Due to high veterinary costs and increased mortality rates, this disease presents a significant economic challenge to small ruminant producers.

This educational event will provide sheep and goat producers with essential knowledge on how to identify, prevent, and effectively manage coccidiosis, helping them safeguard their flocks and improve overall herd health.

Guest Speaker: Dr. Berit Bangoura DVM (College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia)

Host/Facilitator: David Brown, Ph.D. (MU Small Ruminant Specialist)

There is no fee however, registration is required: register here

Livestock Market Report

The weekly livestock market report is available on the Arkansas Department of Agriculture website.

Pesticide Applicator Trainings

This is the Pesticide Applicator Training Schedule for Faulkner, Perry and Conway County.

Cost for the certification training is $20 that is payable at the training. It is a good idea to call and register for the class or if you have any questions, feel free to call and ask. Office numbers are located below. Anyone can go to any of these trainings. You don't have to just go in your county.

Faulkner County call and talk to Mindy Beard at the office at 501-329-8344 or email at rbeard@uada.edu

Perry County - 501-889-2661

Conway County - 501-977-2146

You can also get certified online. It also costs $20. The link to the online training is listed below.

Sign up for Text Alerts

You can now sign up for text alerts from me throughout the year. I have two areas you can sign up for which includes Faulkner Livestock or Faulkner Ag (Row Crop Updates). To sign up you can follow one of these links or use the QR Codes below.