energy information warning tuesday about the boom in oil supplies, as sanctions on iranian oil are lifted. that could initially pump an additional 500 thousand barrels a day into the market. scott shellady at the c-m-e says as there's no strong demand for oil, the real story is the market could see these lower prices longer than analysts thought. oil prices did rebound later in the week as weekly production declinded. the bearish oil picture is spilling into other markets. the s&p hit its lowest point in two years on wednesday, but it's not just the domestic market screaming red. the u-k's exchange closing down 20 percent from it's april's high. dubai hitting a 28 month low this week. japan falling to the lowest level since october 2014. as aregentine export taxes are lifted, it's opening the gate for more exports out of the country. the first vessel of argentine wheat left for north carolina this week, with a

agriculture says that shipment alone will carry more wheat than was exported from june to november last year. as promised, the newly elected president mauricio macri scrapped export taxes on grain and beef, and knocking the soybean tax down to 30 percent. painful prices for dairy farmers aren't expected to ease anytime soon. bloomberg reports as producers saw the lowest prices in 12 years last year, sluggish demand and market turmoil in china will only further hurt prices. canadian processor saputo predicts milk prices to remain depressed in 2016. and now it's a question of which country's producers can handle the lower prices and adapt to volatility. canada based potash corp says its halting production at a mine in new burnswick. the picadilliy mine just opened in late 2014--and was expected to crank out up to one point 8 million tons of potash a year. but prices have dropped significantly in recent years...from 900 dollars a ton in 2008 to roughly 300 a ton now. the decision to

layoffs..although it will be capable of restarting production if prices increase. those are the headlines...let's check in now with meteorologist mike hoffman. mike, things are getting ugly out east. you are absolutely right, tyne. it is going to take a while for some folks to dig out from this one. the good news is that storm will continue to move off shore and things will slowly improve for the rest of the weekend and it has been slowly improving in the drought areas out west, while you can see the eastern two thirds of the country no problems there, but the extreme to exceptional drought areas california, parts of nevada, parts of oregon, continue to slowly shrink, but it is a very slow process despite all the moisture you have had it takes a long time to get out forma long term drought and that's why we were are seeing slow improvements there. let's go through the week day by day: on monday, pretty decent snow here, not like the east coast storm

across the upper midwest, parts of the north-ern great lakes and even some snow into the southern great lakes. from the central and southern mississippi valley southward, we are looking at some showers in those areas, a weak cold front coming into the pacific northwest, so we do kind of see a loll in those big storms coming in, until the end of the week as you will see does turn a little milder after that big storm in the east and then by wednesday that secondary storm causing some snow in new england some lake effect back across the great lakes, showers and thunderstorms in the southeast, pretty cold and chilly through the middle of the country and a little rain and snow in the northern rockies back into the pacific northwest. by friday, we do get a stronger system returning to the northwest, including northern and central california with rains and mountain snows. first system diving through the upper midwest with a little bit of light snow and warmer through the mid-section. back in our next half hour with a longer range forecast. thanks, mike. when we come back we'll take a deeper dive into falling oil prices. joe vaclavik and rich nelson join me to talk markets next.

the proven weed control of a new 2-4- d and glyphosate. take control of tough weeds like never befre.> control of tough weeds like never befre.> control of tough weeds like never befre.>

control of tough weeds like neve >> welcome back to u.s. farm report. well, as promised on the round table with me this week, rich nelson of allendale and joe vaclavik of standard grain. big market mover this week. we saw oil, oil prices just continued to tank, although we saw a little bit of a rebound later in the week. so, rich, moving forward, i mean, we're talking about $20 oil. do you actually think we can get down that low? >> at this point i think it's more a speculation than anything here. at the office we're using about a $25 downside objective right now for that crude oil contract, but as far as ethanol and our tying with corn this will certainly keep pressure as far as margins on these producers right now. >> these lower oil prices, joe, how is it impacting stock markets not only here but around the world? >>

of each other the last couple of weeks with all this volatility that we've seen. we've also seen some correlation into the cattle market. it seems like whenever that dow is up or down the cattle's going right along with it. so for the moment while we're in this kind of hectic phase where we're seeing a significant correction in the stock market, significant correction or collapse in crude oil, if you want to call it that. we're seeing some correlation there. once these things settle down some of these correlations will start to go away, i think. >> what makes it settle down? what makes us actually rebound in these stock markets? >> well, as far as the stock market, confidence is one big issue right now. we've got some questions regarding the short term interest rate policy for that coming march meeting of the fed here. and more important for us in the grain side there's not a lot of brand new news on the grains themselves. once we get more into the planting period we can get back to trading grain fundamentals again. >> but overall is it really just the stock market that's dragging our ag commodities down at this point? >> no, i don't think so. i think that it's the commodities space in general. it's certainly supply and demand. the supply

not going to see a whole lot of fresh news in these grain markets until we get into 2016 u.s. production, planting, summer weather, acreage rotation. that's going to be the stuff that could be the market mover moving forward, but the next couple of months could be a little slow here. >> speaking of demand when we look at china and all of these other countries, do you think we'll actually meet some of our export numbers that are coming out of usda? i mean, we've been pretty lagging, lagging those numbers so far. >> on the corn side there's no doubt. we're about 52% sold right now with usda's whole objective for the whole year. normally by this time we're 65% met, so we definitely are behind the pace on corn. it's not going to improve enough to actually fix that problem. for soybeans, though, we're on pace. we're going to do okay with usda's more conservative target to have. >> and even though we hear this bearish news coming out of china and the market turmoil there, they do keep buying, right, joe? >> yeah, china soybean demand's been good. it's just they're not buying it from us. they're buying it from brazil and argentina more so, so

big question mark. i mean, we know they've got all kinds of economic problems, but does that mean they're going to stop buying beans or ddgs? we've heard that antidumping story. it kind of still remains to be seen. it's a fluid situation. >> joe talked about argentina. this week we were hearing about wheat shipments coming out of argentina, first one since they reduced the taxes there. so as we reduce some of these tariffs in argentina how much more product are we going to see flood the market? and that just seems like another bearish factor for us at this point. >> i think we got to keep in mind here as far as total imports for the whole demand for that area; it's not going to be a major amount. these stories are important for us to follow because it does show we are overpriced a little bit here, and also with their very cheap shipping these days it does, it does pay. so we're going to see a few more of these throughout the year. not enough to actually

what's your outlook on china? i'm sorry, on argentina. we hear they're going to harvest more wheat at this point. what about corn, soybeans, what's the situation? >> well, the wheat market as it relates to the u.s. we're just the u.s. is becoming just a residual supplier of wheat. if you look at our share of the export market the last many, many years it continues to decline, and that's going to be the case here until we can become more competitive. with corn and soybeans as it relates to argentina and south america they're simply able to export more of it at lower prices, and until we fix that we're going to have a tough time rallying, i think. >> rich, i saw this week out of allendale, actually, that considering russia's currency, russia's receiving about a $2$3 premium for wheat over the u.s. right now, so what's going on and why are they receiving such a huge premium over us? >> well, the huge change in terms of currency value is not just with russia but all of our export competitors has been a major

the continued problems here with their general economy is one issue here. also keep in mind a lot of people are still concerned about their general export pace here. right now i believe there's 3.8 million tons, a record export of grain out of russia in december as well. >> well, with wheat and considering all the other crops, even small grains, how are we going to see that acreage picture play out this year? that's what we're going to get their thoughts on when we come back on u.s. farm report. [ break ] >> welcome back to u.s. farm report. okay, joe, when we look at this acres picture do farm report. okay, joe, when we look at this acres picture do

farm report. okay, joe, when we look at this acres picture do farm report. okay, joe, when we look at this acres picture do

you think overall acres are going to be down considering the prices we have right now? >> no, it actually appears as if overallwell, corn and soybean acres are going to be up, probably. we know that winter wheat acres are down pretty significantly. the way that the corn and soybean acreage rotation is going to go remains to be seen. there's a couple different schools of thought there. the one school of

to see expanded bean acreage. the other side of that is that i think the margins in a lot of areas pencil out a little bit better for corn right now given current prices, so the school of thought there would be that despite cheap prices you're going to see a year to year increase in corn acreage, so i think overall the combined row crop acreage would be up. how the rotation goes is still remained to be seen. >> rich, you're the one that crunches the numbers at allendale, that kind of your scene at this point? >> there's no doubt. between preventive plant last year, which was very large at 6.7 million acres, you throw an even average planting season you're going to come out maybe 1.7 back into the grain production here. on top of that you've got 800,000 out of crp, plus the winter wheat acres, so we've got just over 5 millionacres extra between corn, beans, spring wheat and the small grains. for corn and soybeans we think an extra 2million going into the total. >> when you talk about small grains, what crop do you see kind of carrying the load on

producers and western plains producers saying, maybe a little more sorghum, maybe a little more barley as well in fact. >> well, the moisture situation's definitely improving. we've heard forecasts that possibly the plains, you know, that area will remain drought free going into spring, so let's talk about this weather picture. i mean, el nino's hit headlines, but now we're hearing rumors of la nina, but is it going to make it in time to impact this growing season, joe? >> it's going to start off real wet. there's no one in the midwest that's even close to a drought situation right now. we had the wettest 2015 on record, i think, was the ending statistic, so, no, we're going to start off fine with moisture and, of course, if we get into some weather issue in july, which is for the corn market really the only month that matters it seems is what history tells us that it's going to be a flip of a coin. i can't predict weather forecasts six, seven months out. i don't think anybody else can either. >> and we saw from the past couple of years if we do get rain, and even if we have too much rain it

hurts grain prices. i mean, it doesn't help them, so what's your forecast going into spring then, rich? >> as far as current spring forecast what we're seeing from the weather guys we're saying in general as far as weather, we'll talk about this quick first. looks like a very good quick, planting season. warm and dry is the current forecast, therefore we're going to see some pressure as far as some good planting done. as far as prices we see a moderate rebound after the month of march going into the summer period. >> we've talked about these moderate rebounds, but we are just not moving much in price either way. i mean, joe, you mentioned before the show you said it's just not even fun to watch the markets right now because there's not a lot of volatility. >> no, it's been really slow, and nothing's really changed, although, what i will say is that if we were to getsay we get a breakout in the corn market to the upside there's going to be some kind of headline there to support it. whether or not that's the actual reason for an increase in price is tough, you know, as somebody once said, price is really what creates the headline. if we were to see a rally here it's going to be, oh, it's big-time fund short covering or it's something with china or whatever. i'm not

moves the markets. we've got a lot of money flow issues right now. we've got funds hugely short, the grain markets, and that might be the biggest thing out there right now. >> what changes that? >> anything. i think to beto see a real sustained move higher i think we need something on the weather front or something perhaps on the macroeconomic front. >> corn prices, looking at ethanol production, we're seeing some ethanol plants decrease production at this point, but still production levels have been surprisingly good. >> there's no doubt. in fact, even in the face of a 20cent per gallon production loss right now these ethanol plants are still running higher than last year. year to date we're looking at about a 2% higher increase. we're still bidding usda's pace right now of a 0.2% loss. >> what about crush demand? >> crush demand for soybeans has been very good. it's been the bright spot within the soybean demand base, and that's half your demand base right there is crush demand for beans. the question mark moving forward is crush margins, which don't look really good really from march out through the end of the year.

they do, but you could probably make a case that usda's crush number is a little too high right now. >> really quick, for the folks that still have some old crop in the bins, what's your advice right now? >> if we get another push back down on corn near that $3.50 level, maybe do some moderate basis contracts. look to move the rest of it here. if we need to sell some cash, that's fine, do some rewnership for summer rallies. >> joe? >> it's tough. i mean, like i said earlier the next couple of months are going to be tough. i don't know what's going to move the market. if you can wait til summer on some of this stuff and you^re really hoping or betting on a weather rally, which i'd kind of advise against, you're going to be selling at a loss, but you got to start selling into rallies. >> all right, thank you both. we're going to get closing thoughts when we come back on u.s. farm report. receive a free trial of the daily market letter and gain knowledge about current market conditions from the professionals at bower trading. view the markets like never before. go to

markets now. rich nelson, we'll start with you. >> main issue here, you know, things are low priced right now, and they're not going to recover majorly soon. on a positive end let's keep in mind we're coming off of a record yield for soybeans, and a second highest yield ever for corn this past year. if we bring things back down to normal yields, which we'll probably see right now based on the current forecast, we'll have a moderate rally as we go into the summer period. >> okay. joe? >> i want farmers to treat their operation like a business this year more than any year, and when i say that i mean that you should lock in margins when they're profitable and try to avoid locking in negative margins when it comes to the marketing side. i feel like the market's going to give you opportunities. it always does. there's always a point at some point during the calendar year where things are looking good and people are optimistic. that's going to be your chance to put yourself in business and maybe make a few bucks this year. >> good advice.

with all this talk about the oversupply of oil, john has some timely thoughts. john. last saturday, iran released 5 american detainees. earlier in the weekhe iranian military

navy personnel who had strayed into iranian waters. both these conclusions were to me happy endings, but how we get to those happy endings seems to matter to some more than it used to. diplomacy is boring and time-consuming and exhausting. meanwhile the rest of our lives has moved into constant excitement overdrive with nearly instantaneous consequences from our choices. and diplomatic results rarely give that "total victory" feeling many now long for. the satisfaction of concluding a trade agreement just can't compare with the feeling of winning the super bowl, even when we know which is more important. on our farms this winter, there has been some serious diplomacy underway with landowners, lenders and vendors. granted the stakes are economic, not geopolitical, but in many cases the conclusions may feel less than satisfying. we would much rather have the power to dictate our terms to obtain

illusory goal. when we can mandate the outcome, we don't make our negotiating partners eager to do repeat business, so it's likely a one-time deal. this is not a good strategy for developing long-term business ties nor for international cooperation and stability. so while the painfully slow, unglamorous work of negotiating complex agreements between countries may lack the dubious thrill of forceful confrontation, it has enormously larger long-term benefits. just like coming to those semi-satisfactory terms with your landowner this year means you are more likely to be able to benefit when prices recover, even grudgingly and watchfully dealing with adversaries like iran means we will be more likely to save billions on costly military interventions and reap some other significant gains. for instance, if you are enjoying the low gas prices right now, just wait until the

john. when we come back, as the latest avian influenza outbreak hits indiana, the response has been quicker than last year, but the frigid temperatures aren't helping ease the process. that's our farm journal report after the break. the chevy silverado our farm journal report after the break. the chevy silverado is the official news gathering vehicle for farm journal television.

journal broadcast, this is u.s. farm report. welcome back to u-s farm report. we have much more head. our farm journal report shows how officials are containing the latest avian flu outbreak. in leagacy, it's all about taking risks, no matter your age. john phipps answers a viewer's comment about wanting

tales, we have a one-of-a kind classic in kansas. now for the headlines, the winter blast didn't stop officials from cleaning up the latest avian influenza outbreak, as 400 thousand birds were killed in just a matter of days. as we first reported last week, officials confirmed the h-7-n-8 strain in turkey farms housed in southwest indiana. more than 400 thousand turkeys and egg layers were euthanized to stop the spread of the disease. even though the a-i was only found in turkeys, 156 thousand chickens were also depoulated since the birds were so close to the infected area. as we've

multiple indiana farms late last week. this is different from the h-5 strain that forced the slauthter of 48 million birds and drove up the prices of eggs. while the outbreak looks to be contained, , it's garnered international attention, and as expected, new export bans are now in place. here's the latest information from the export council. officials tell us south korea is restricting all u-s uncooked poultry products and eggs, but cooked poultry is still allowed. hong kong banned poultry from only the infected indiana county. japan has trade restrictiosn on just indiana. and china still has its ban on poultry from early last year. a bill to kill the highly debated waters of the u- s rule didn't make it past the president's desk. but supporters say they aren't giving up just yet. as expected, the president vetoed the anti- wotus bill tuesday saying, quote, too many of our waters have been left vulnerable. the senate failed to override the president's veto this week. a new survey shows it's those costly regulations

that's according to the latest rural mainstret index published each month by ernie goss of creighton university. he says when surveying rural bankers in january, the helath of the rural economy remains weak, with the index hitting the lowest point since august 2009. for a fifth consecutive month, the mainstreet index fell below growth neutral. renewable fuels are also feeling the burn. about one-fifth of bankers report cut to ethanol production in their area. speaking of ethanol, it was a hot topic on the campaign trail this week. the governor of ethanol powered iowa says voters should reject republican presidental hopeful ted cruz over his lack of support for renewable fules. while speaking at a renewable fuels summit, governor terry branstad said cruz hasn't supported renewable fuels, and thinks "it would be a big mistake for iowa to support him." when pressed on whether he wanted cruz defeated, branstad said yes. a major advocate for young farmers and ranchers is

secretary of agriculture krysta harden announced this week she's stepping down next month. no reason was given. michael scuse, the current under secretary for farm and foreign agricultural services, will now serve as acting deputy secreatry. that's it for news...meteorologist mike hoffman joins us now with a longer-range outlook. mike, as you've mentioned, the drought monitor just won't budge in california. hopefully there's even more relief on the horizon. thanks, tyne. it kind of looks like a little bit of a loll for the west coast not getting those heavy rains and snows till the end of the week again. so let's look at the jet stream, you can see another shot of the colder, but not real cold air for the eastern two-thirds of the country as we head through the middle and latter parts of the week--that could be a pretty cold shot at the end of the week. and then a warm up for two, three days before the cold air starts to return out west, so still kind of an active weather pattern and this system coming into the west coast will be a pretty good weather maker by friday. let's look at the

the four corner region all the way through the southeast and extending that up through the southern portions of the great lakes. above normal north dakota through the northwest and then the northern and central california. precipitation over the next thirty it's an el nino pattern above normal on the west coast through the southern half of the plains the southeast up to the mid-atlantic, below normal for areas around the great lakes and also the northern portions of the rockies. tyne? thanks, mike. as we reported earlier, after months of no reported cases of avian influenza, it's back, but this time in a different form. the indiana board of animal health and usda announced 10 infected commercial turkey operations tested positive for avian influenza- with both low and high path cases. national reporter betsy jibben had boots on the ground in southwest indiana this week. as she tell us in this farm journal report, while avian flu isn't new, there are still lessons to be learned. it was last year at this time avian influenza first popped up on the west coast. by march, the

grower, greg langmo wasn't spared. "that's what's been so frustrating for me.... i couldn't stop it." langmo and hundreds of others... during that time, nearly 50 million birds, including backyard flocks, were infected and depopulated. "it gave us an opportunity to how we approach the onset of ai and i think we're in a much better position to detect it more quickly and to respond more effectively within 24 hours," indiana only had one confirmed case of the virus last year - and it wsa an h5n8 strain in a backyard flock. now usda has confirmed 10 commercial turkey operations in due-boyz county indiana have tested positive for the virus. but unlike the h5- cases from last year, this is a different strain

says this finding of high path h7m8 is unique to not only indiana but the nation. "so when we receive this, we were perplexed. we weren't looking for the 5 to come through." "i can tell you, i'm as surprised as you are. it's been 90 years since we've had any kind of h7 of this magnitude. the science has gotten a lot obetter but we haven't had a lot of experience with an h7. so it's very new territory for us.">33 the original case, a facility holding 60- thousand turkeys, is a highly pathogenic strain of h7n8 making it the first known case of highly path h7n8 in the country. initially,officials put up a 10 kilometer quarentine zone. but have expanded that zone further to combat the virus. officials say birds have been depopulated on all 10 locations. so far, that's over 400thousand turkeys and laying hens. composting is a separte

response, however single digit frigid temperatures were a problem. the cold air froze water lines used to create foam for euthanization- forcing workers had to hault the process or use other humane methods. "one lesson learned is not only is it our goal to depopulate in 24 hours. we need to learn how best to do that. i think we'll learn from that from this experience. we need several differetn options ladi out beforehand. and so that if one doesn't work, we have one, two, three to go on." "we've been looking at other alternatives. i encourage others in their states who are dealing with this since this is a cold weather disease, it may happen this time of year and we need to anticipate that. we know it could be cold but these extremem conditions have made it challenging. so we've employed other alternative methods. they've worked well for

still recoverying from last year. "it impacts so many people because the industry happens in so many small towns in rural america." reporting for u.s. farm report, i'm betsy jibben. thanks, betsy. harris vaccines devloped a h5 vaccine in 2015, however it hasn't been used. they say they don't have a vaccine for this new strain..but once they get the genetic sequence, the company says it can create a vaccine quickly. up next, john phipps. "diplomacy, let's face it, it's dull."

next, john phipps. "diplomacy, let's face it, it's dull." next, john phipps. "diplomacy, let's face it, it's dull."

parntership could coast the u-s billions of dollars. but many ag groups are touting the benefit increased demand would bring to farmers adn ranchers. in customer support, one viewer is frustrated with the lack of trade pact progress out of washington. john's here with more. john. tracey lockwood in lansford, pa comments on the tpp. "there's been a lot of talk about the tppvirginia doesn't stand around waiting for the federal government to make deals. virginia makes its own deals. why can't more states take responsibility for their future?" thanks for writing. send your address and i'll get a mug to you. i think your admonition to have states take charge when the federal government is seemingly failing

states i suspect have trade missions. often farmers join them to try to improve sales of ag products from their state. illinois has sent missions to cuba, for example. i have friends who have been part of such trade delegations. to be frank, there are questions about the effectiveness and cost of such trips, but that is another problem. what is important to your comment is to remember no governor has the ability to address the major trade issues like tariffs. international agreements like tpp - the big trade package before congress - must necessarily be negotiated by the federal government. virginia does not have the authority to change import and export rules and fees. this makes sense, because otherwise states like kansas would be at the mercy of arbitrary trade rules for their products going through california or louisiana. besides article 1, section 8, clause 3 - the commerce clause - empowers congress alone "to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the indian

china for pork, for instance. and just imagine the outcry if virginia decided to import a whole bunch of sugar, ignoring us import quotas. what individual states can do is offer better terms on things like state taxes, such as property or income taxes, offer to build infrastructure like roads, or make a sales pitch for locating a new factory or sourcing some local product. however, economists are unsure whether these giveaway competitions between states really pay off in the long run. here in illinois we pretty much gave away the store for a car factory that is now closed. so while efforts by state officials to promote international trade can be worthwhile, they lack authority to tackle the larger problems of tariffs, quotas, phytosanitary standards, and the myriad other rules of commerce with foreign countries. thanks, john. when we come back, we're off to the lone-star state to

better future. number one pre emergance corn herbicide> number one pre emergance corn herbicide>

number one pre emergance corn herbicide> number one pre emergance corn herbicide>

each year, the texas farm bureau searches the state to recongnize a prolific young farmer or rancher. this year's winners grow an assortment of crops, including rice, organic corn, grain sorghum, soybeans and wheat. but as texas farm bureau tells us, it's their willingness to take risks, while not sacrificing their family values, that makes them the cream of the crop. be an innovator. don't be afraid to take risks. that was the motto of timothy gertson's grandfather. and timothy is following in his footsteps. he grows rice, grain sorghum, soybeans and wheat in wharton county. he's a fifth generation farmer. but he didn't wait

own. "i grew up watching a lot of fine examples of my dad, his brothers and my grandfather especially we try new things. we're not afraid to try new crops. this year, we're growing organic corn. we've never grown corn and we've never grown anything organically, but it seemed to be something we might want to try and get into and break the mold a little." his decision to try organics isn't because he believes they are better than conventional crops. but because there's a market. as someone who grows rice, he knows firsthand the farmers responsibility to feed the world. "the u.s. exports 80 percent of its rice. we feed a lot of people around the world. it's important domestically because we feed domestically, but we feed a lot of people around the world. it goes to a lot of poor countries. we feed more than just americans." technology is a key. auto-steer on their tractors. yield mapping crops. gps surveys. gps leveling. even a drone. "i see a huge opportunity for us to gather data. i don't know exactly what data that's going to be yet. i've got a drone now that i use for aerial imaging. i plan on using it to scout my

are a lot of possibilities for it. for now, i'm kind of exploring the possibilities to see how i can fit it into my operation." as a young farmer, it's hard to balance farm, family and service. both timothy and his wife, lindy teach sunday school at their church. timothy & his dad help with habitat for humanity. and he's the president of the wharton county farm bureau. he also serves on several rice boards & committees. helping to make sure u.s. rice is top quality. "we've made a commitment to try and grow the best package- quality rice. when rice goes to the store, it's in a clear package. you can see your product. you can see if there's broken grains or if there's stains or if the grains are different lengths. people aren't going to buy that. they're going to buy the prettiest rice in the bag." lindy is a registered nurse at a local hospital. she grew up in orlando, fla. so the farm life was new to her. but she thinks the decision to raise her kids on the farm is a great one. the couple tries to involve their sons, jacob & nathan, as much as they can. they are expecting a

living out here and how much they love interacting with their dad, how they get to see him go to work on a daily basis and see what he does and how much pride and passion he takes in what he does." thanks so much. and our congratulations to the gertsons for finsihing in the top ten nationally at the american farm bureua convention this month. when we come back, tractor tales and our country church salute...please stay with us. welcome back. tractor tales this week takes us to the kansas plains back. tractor tales this week takes us to the kansas plains

back. tractor tales this week takes us to the kansas plains back. tractor tales this week takes us to the kansas plains

back. tractor tales this week takes us to the kansas plains where we introduce you to a collector who restored a one-of-a kind classic. either 48 or 49 simpson jumbo. they were built from wwii surplus parts by a company in azusa, calif.--a

jumbo manufacturing. they had up through wwii been building train locomotives. after wwii, there was a surplus of train locomotives, because they didn't need to haul all the freight, so they got into tractors. it's got a christ surplus chrysler flat head six cylinder engine in it. it's a five speed dodge truck transmission it has got a two to one reduction behind that, as i understand that was used on a tank in wwii. it's got a two ton dodge truck rear end under it, so basically it's a dodge truck disguised as a tractor. we use this tractor at the shows and in the parades. i have done a little farming with it, but it is not really a good farm tractor because of the speed. in low gear, wide open it will still run about six mph. they

re-done. this weekend, we are paying tribute to the taylor chapel united methodist church in fort wayne, indiana. the congregation just celebrated 150 years in november. terry and marcia niccum tell us the church was hit by a tornado in 1998 and a fire in 2012, but rebuilt a new sanctuary and still going strong today. our thanks to the niccums for sharing their story. as always we want to learn about your home church as well... salutes can be sent to the address on the screen. stay with us - cropwatch is next.

8 degrees with a bare field. 8 degrees with a bare field.

but alvin tells us they've received some snow as of recent, with no shortage of wind to go along with it. the pottingers were enjoying the blanket of white snow on the farm. leah captured some photos. it looks so prestine. this is after they received four inches of snow mid-week. but that was just the start, as that goliath of a winter storm was supposed to drop ujp to a foot of snow with even a little ice. quint pottinger tells us they were pretty try in that part of kentucky going into winter, but things have turned around, with much better conditions heading into spring. and in wisconsin, this farm cat was soaking up the sun. kenneth says it's been cold

years past. thanks to el nino, it's been a below avreage year for snowfall so far due to some warmer weather, but he tells us they've had plenty of rain. and to end on a brighter note-- check out this sunset shot lindsay kimbrell says there's no snow to be seen in the texas blacklands, but the rain is a different story. they usually start planing late february, however thanks to all the moisture, they haven't applied any fertilizer yet. so they're running a bit behind. as always, we want to hear from you, send comments to mailbag-at-u-s-farm-report-dot- com or check us out on facebook and twitter. for john, al and mike, i'm tyne morgan. thank you for watching u-s farm report. be sure to join us right here again next week, as we work to build on our tradition. have a great weekend, everyone.

>> male announcer: the following is a paid presentation for the wen healthy hair care system, brought to you by guthy renker. >> female announcer: what's got these crowds of people so excited? it's the hottest trend in hair that started in hollywood and has spread all around the world. wen hair care. millions of people are throwing out their shampoo and have started using wen, getting the healthiest, best-looking hair of their lives. >> male announcer: created by world-renowned hair expert chaz dean, wen is the first ever cleansing conditioner. unlike traditional shampoos that can strip your hair, wen

shinier, and stronger the very