come to the forest. where the other you lives. but first, stop by discovertheforest.org. today on u.s. farm report. the never ending story of the 2009 crop prompts another usda recount. anxious farmers propel fieldwork at warp speed and cotton makes a come back in the south. u.s. farm report brought to you by chevy and their award winning cars, trucks and cross overs and by case ih. visit case ih.com for field

event sales offers. welcome to u.s. farm report. i'm john. this must be a great time to be an economic bundt. unemployment stays high while the economy is expanding. here in agriculture an explosive stature planting is underway while prices for grains rise. you can reach any conclusion you want. several books will explain this in a few years. right now it is foggy because we are writing history. from what i have read confusion and doubt are two key ingredient for remarkable times. hello everyone. it appears the usda may not be done counting the 2009 corn

crop. the ag report may do it in the may 11 crop update. when producers were surveyed there was corn acreage still unharvested in both states. while planting is in the early stages across much of the u.s. corn in louisiana thinks right around 600,000 acres. many growers have moved on to soybeans. plots have already been planted across the state to provide an early warning. >> they are going in throughout the state looking for asian soybean trying to detect it, give farmers a heads up when they find it in the area. a cold winter should help

in the fight against rust. this week's usda crop progress report shows 6% of the nation's cotton is planted. in texas 9% is in the ground. usda is estimating texas doing 8 more acres than last year. we will see 10 and a half acres in the cotton belt. an upswing is enticing to growers who switched to corn last year. >> the end of the corn prices were higher andicaten was lower. now it is vice versa. cotton prices are higher than normal. we are going to go back with all cotton. >> right now we are projecting more slow growth. it is a pretty steady increase. acres, we sort of project acres to level out between 10 and 11

million acres nationwide. we are going to get a good bump this year and then a slow upper trend. winter weather also played a role in planting decisions. hudson says a return to cotton will boost employment levels in texas. that is it for headlines. now back to john for crop watch. and in crop watch i am happy to report many folks in the midwest are able to get some serious planting done this week. farm journal reports from central illinois that plenty farmers will rolling. after two years of wet weather farmers are almost giddy with

current conditions. he said the ground was in good shape. >> when u.s. farm report returns al sits down to talk markets. the discussion begins in just 2 minutes. please stay with us. this week i

our guest this morning u.s. farm report scott stewart, ryan. i have one question for each of you and i'm going to ask that question independently and then ask answers. scott, i'd like you to figure out and tell me what you think the number one issue facing farmers are today. and then i'm going to ask you the same thing, the number one issuess that farmers are facing

today. i would like to get your answers. >> well, the obvious one and i am saying it a little tongue and cheek. getting the crop in the ground. they don't care about anything else right now and considering how wet the spring was for the last two years they are going like crazy right now to get the crop in the ground. that is on their mind. my bias is what should be on their mind is marketing. when they come out of getting the crop on the ground, corn could be 1.50 higher or lower. they need to be on top of their marketing. we are bullish enough that there is a lot of uncertainty. they need to be prepared. your comments now. >> i agree with scott. i think strategy is so critical right now with the dollars involved in farming today

whether it is cash, rent, seed, fertilizer. the voltillity in the market has been increasing so having a marketing strategy in place andflect ability and having a plan, managing prices on the upside and downside. >> scott, you were telling me off camera about, you also got on your phone call today about people that are actually harvesting and planting at the same time. >> we had farmers harvesting and planting on the same day. that's got to be practically unheard of. they have to get the corn out of the field before they can plant it. >> that's right. and you have the same thing. >> we had not only harvesting and planting but putting on, too. it was the whole gamut of fieldwork taking place.

>> you have 3 operations you are going to do and you are a lot going on in the same field, maybe. something else that we need to talk about and that is where do you think it is going to go weather wise? you are the guy that can say it can be bad or good. what do you think? >> i think you have to always be careful about having a fixed expectation because as soon as you start thinking where something is going to go it will go the opposite way. you have to plan for all the possibilities. we have gone 20 something years without a drought. >> 88 is the one i remember. >> ellen has done a lot of research on drought cycles and i followed the analysis. to me it is sound. about every 20 years you flip from the dry pattern to the wet pattern. we have had ideal conditions for the last decades. and going forward we are in a

window where activity is supposed to kick up and the risk of droughts is much greater going forward. you combine that with this demand situation. all that bullishness in the market place when corn was at 8- dollars it is still underline there. we have beaten the tar out of it. it will come back in spades if we get a weather scare. and at the same time big yield said mean lousy price s and there is the buck downside in the market. you have to use strategy and options and be prepared for whatever the markett dishes out. >> your comments on weather. he talked about if it gets dry we can have high prices. how low can we go if we have extra yield and china quits buying? >> scott makes a great point. there is considerable downside

when you look at for example december corn bushing $4 a bushel here. one can look at a scenario of 14 and a half bushel crop and maybe bigger if we plant more acres. then you look at the notion of our feed demand suffering because the livestock folks struggled. i can see december corn at 2.50 this fall. we'll be back with more u.s. farm report in just a moment.

round table guests this week. we are going to talk about the world situation and how the world effects united states agriculture. all eyes are on south america and the southern crops and what they are doing. i understand that soybeans are really pretty good but they can't ship them at this point in time and that is going to make a difference to our beans. >> when you look forward from midapril to summer and early fall and i think south america is going to own the soybean market. there will be windows to ship from here to there. i think as long as they can get their logistics straightened out they will own the soybean market president the next 6 months. >> do you think our soybeans

will stay the same? >> i'll turn that over to scott. >> i agree with brian. there is going to be a lot of competition from south america. if our crops get in the ground and planted well they will head lower. certainly we can take a buck, a buck and a half off beans and real easily from normal seasonal pressure and south american competition pressure. out in the summer it won't matter how many beans south america has. >> it wouldn't scare you very much at this point in time. >> i would expect it. always protect against the downside. >> we talked about the world situation. i talked about fundamentals. we talk about them in the united states, what we grew and what we use. but then we added the world because the world grows, what

they are growing against us and add to our bean and corn. to our usage and that sort of thing. we also have another fundamental which is the outside money to effect our prices. you had a story to explain if we go back to the early 80s where we were particularly with corn and where we are today. >> the world changed dramatically. the story i'm going to tell is bullish. i spent 30 years in this business being bearish. my goal has always been to scare farmers into selling. normally, i grew up in the 70s, 80s and 90s in this business and the market always went down. the story is really bullish. back in the 80s we had carry over that was half our production. we would have a billion bushel

carey over enough to give us $4 corn. now we are talking about 12 billion-bushel usage. so our usage is up 50% and our supply s and careyu carryovers aren't that much. we have this outside money pouring in wanting to buy this thinking everything is going to go up forever. it is really an explosive bullet situation long term. >> brian, i know you understood this and you put this in your own mind, how would you translate to what a producer of agriculture cropsitute be doing in other to be in the right position. >> we like gaining as much flexibility as possible. as a producer you want to lock in the floor. you want to leave that upside

open if this market were to take off for a combination overdraught and demand you want to be able to participation. you can roll up that option as a rally. flexibility is is important was as a producer if you lock in a price and don't buy an option. we like the idea of managing voltillity, taking advantage of it and embracing it and viewing it as an opportunity rather than being afraid of it. you want to embrace voltillity. >> take advantage of the profit when it is available. we'll be back with more u.s. farm report in just a u moment.

welcome back to u.s. farm report. we will take a look at the drought monitor starting to see some dry areas from louisiana up through the tennessee and eastern ohio valley. the northern great lakes starting to get drier. all of a sudden we are starting to see some problem areas we have to watch. the worst area continues to be northern wisconsin. it is typical to see dry air out west. it is not nearly as much as last year at this time. parts of western montana. let's take a look at the jetstream as we head through this week we start off with a

cut off low in the northeast. rain and snow will move away a little bit but will remain chilly this week. and then a cut off by next weekend over the rest of the country. the models have been flip- flopping on this a little bit. we are looking at the weather maps. on monday we have a weak storm system. these will be scattered showers and thunderstorms. stationary front in south florida. the system out west will be the big weather maker. by wednesday it is moving into the northern and central rockies. snow in the highest elevations and rain in the lower ones. ahead of it rain and thunderstorms, could be heavy in parts of the southern plains wednesday and thursday. on friday it will be moving

into texas. that will be causing shower s and thunderstorms there. and rain even with a little ribbon of snow in the back edge of this thing as we head into friday. other than that it looks like a pretty cold, dry air mass in the middle of the country once again. we will check the longer range forecast in our next half hour.

this week i suffered weather whip lash when we volted from winter to summer skipping spring all together. jan was scrambling to switch flannel shorts for short sleeve cotton. 121 days breaking my old mark by 27 days. i had a neighbor with a better story. a nearby friend asked him to combine since last fall. he harvested the last few acres. as he pulled back another neighbor was in hot pursuit. jim told him what brand he was

planting. the neighbor said i looked up and you passed by going to the field with your planter. now you come back by with your combine tank full. opposite back-to-back weather extremes are much rarer than we think. since 2009 was unlike anything i had ever seen this comparison is more stark. i'll keep you up to date as the search for a happy weather medium continues on our farm. let us know what you think. send e-mails to u.s. farm report.com or call and leave us a voice mail. coming up in our next half hour virginia responder -- farmers respond to a demand for more goat meat.

today on u.s. farm report. ag trade remains an economic bright spot. nature pushes back against bitechnology as weed resistance grows and fighting fire with fire in the southern plains. u.s. farm report brought to you by chevy and their award winning cars, trucks and cross overs and by case ih. visit your local dealer for field of deals sales event offers. welcome to u-s farm report, i hello and welcome to u.s. farm report.

i'm john. one of the most interesting books i have read interesting is 14991 new revelations of the americans before columbus. one particularly intriguish piece of history is how our vegetation has been influenced by fire. the huge turds of bison would not have existed without the prairie grasslands. it is important to know that without human intervention much of the tall grass prairie would have been forest. it is fair to say this is one example that suggests the answer is at least some. let's get started with those headlines now. hello everyone. international demand for american ag products continues

to run strong. if the fiscal year the value of ag total under $50 billion. that leaves a surplus of 18 billion. china's huge appetite for american grown soybeans continues to be good for the trade picture. farmers in the corn belt don't seem to be facing the same delays as last year. 3% of the nation's corn crop has been planted. in the top corn growing states only nebraska has yet to register any planting. it appears resistance to genetically modified crops are on the rise. in addition two insect species have developed resistance to

the bt gene. at this time bio techcrops make up 60% of the crops. researchers say natural evolution is creating the resistance. pam says this is an issue growers can't ignore. >> it is a wonderful chemistry. it is something that we really need to work to preserve because it is very important to farmers to have that chemistry. and that is the whole point of talking about this is that it is not that you have to not use it or round up anymore but you have to find a way to extend it and keep that technology by using different modes of action. >> we will post a link on our home page, u.s. farm report.com. wild fires continue to be a major problem in just about every corner of the country. it is a problem in natural

resources which is tackling through a process called prescribed burn to reduce the fuel available and stimulate growth of native plants. in this report clinton shows us what it takes to manage the land with fire. >> this isn't what people normally think of when they think of fire on the oklahoma plain. usually it's this. but the natural resources conservation services and the division of agricultural sciences is trying to change that through a calm and calculated process called prescribed burning. this is the national fire school. 13 people from across the country spend a week learning what it takes to manage the land with a prescribed burn. >> they are trying to learn

basic fire techniques, how to use the tools and safety. the school has been going on for about 20 years and typically happens 5 times a year, 3 times in oklahoma, once in texas and once in florida. the participants are employees who hope to take what they learn back to their home state. >> i work for the service and i am the liaison with the national wild turkey federation. we are trying to learn about how they do fires in the west. >> sometimes you plan something and if you don't do it you don't have a good feel for it. to come out here and burn is valuable. >> john has been teaching these classes for years and says the time of year these burns happen matters less than getting out and doing it.

>> burn in the winter. we talked about burning in the summer, you can burn in the winter. anytime it will burn is a good time to burn. >> reporter: participants plan to use these skills to teach others how to keep their states and homes safe in fire. each year acres are burned using controlled fire. that's it for headlines. mike joins us now with the national forecast. u.s. farm report weather is brought to you by manna. manna is the right crop protection partner because our products and prices give you better choices. that is why manna makes sense. we are going to start this week with some pretty cold air in the northeast. lingering trough out there and

snow and rain, as well. moisture in the western parts of the country. this is a weak system. we are not talking too much rain here. widely scattered showers and thunderstorms. that starts to dive into the southwest and central rockies by wednesday. rain and mountain snow across most of the rockies and a wide spread area of rain and showers and thunderstorms as this trough continues to come east. a little bit of rain and snow in the eastern great lakes. by friday the trough sits out west and the new one dives into the northern part of the great lakes. most of it will be rain, though. shower s and thunderstorms from the tennessee valley back into eastern texas and down into alabama and mississippi, as well. scattered showers in the far

western state. next week, the 25th of april right into the first day of may looks like below normal. above normal for parts of the gulf coast area. looks to be chillier than normal. central plains above normal. same thing in the west. western texas into the southwest. 30 day out look, there will be above normal temperatures and below normal in texas. precip titian below normal for new england. other than that most of the country appears normal. when u.s. farm report returns virginia farmers react for growing demand for a different kind of meat. spirit of the heart land is next.

goat cheese and goat cheese and f@

goat cheese and goat milk have been popular items for years...and now, thanks to goat cheese and goat milk have been popular for years and now demand for goat meat is on the rise. in this report from the virginia farm bureau sherry shows us how this new demand

offers new opportunity. >> reporter: goats have been raised for years in virginia for their dairy product. >> probably the fastest growing. i don't know that i can put a number on it. i know that part time here at the farm this year we have probably sold about 250. >> reporter: glen martin has been in the livestock business for years raising cattle to pigs but he turned a small dairy goat business into a successful meat goat business and he isn't alone. much of the growth comes from a diet preference of recent immigrants populations. most go directly to the farmer to purchase it. there is an estimated 62,000 goats in virginia. of that total 75,000 wereu --

57,000 were meat goats. the demand is not coming from consumers looking for low fat alternative. >> 99% of my marketing is directly off of the farm. they come here and pick them up. usually it is 2 or 3 at a time. >> reporter: demand for goat meat is high during easter and prices go up to about $3.55 per pound. at other times prices were range around $1.65 per pound. >> by me marketing them on the farm i will get about $100 a piece for them. being willing to deal with the

clientele and market directly off the farm i can take a real advantage of the market that way. >> reporter: most of the meat is originally from south africa. it produces a good amount of meat. goats are small by livestock standards. they do best in fresh air and they enjoy being outside. goats live on mountain tops and deserts as well as the green fields of virginia. reporting in virginia i'm sherry. when we come back baxter checks in with his weekly visit. baxter black is

baxter black is brought to you by the beef checkoff. if you have questions about how your beef checkoff is invested, who makes the decisions and

what is the return you will find all the answers and so much more on my beef checkoff.com. baxter has a story to tell about a fast flying goose and a wayward rope. >> the cowboys see a lot of these big birds. he was demonstrating his ability with his rope as they pushed and pulled up the alley. the other cowboys respected him and knew that his team rope and buckle was real. while displaying the proper angle he lost control. the rope slipped from his hand and shot straight up in the air. the lead gander heading in for

a lunch break flew right into jim's loop. honest. there rur witnesses. the goose was slapped to the ground. he rose in a squawk and charged. jim was riding buck who was only 3. though he had adjusted the the roar of the mill and the bucket loader he had never been attacked by a maddened water fowl. buck approached the end of the alley at the speed of a tiger woods tee off. while jim was debating whether to bunch the ejection seat, the pursuing goose sored. he was dragging 35 feet of

nylon rope. the feathered projectile stretched far enough to spring the goose back. he managed to bounce in a muddy spot and survive. the audience of cowboys hooted and hollered and honked. well, jim regained his composure, eased the snorting buck and announced tomorrow he would demonstrate his technique, goose healing. this is baxter black. baxter will return next week. until you can read his work online.

it was more surreal than anything. you're under fire. you're getting blown up.

there's definitely adrenaline. there was the explosion, and i remember just opening my eyes, and it got both of my legs. i had surgery after surgery, you know, i was on a lot of pain medicine. "what's going to happen next? and how long am i going to be here?" the wounded warrior project dropped off a backpack for me. and it had everything in there that i could possibly have needed at that time. peer visitors, people who have been where i had been before, said, "look, brother, "everything's going to be okay. "three months from now, or four months "from now, a year from now, you'll be fine." that type of thing was an invaluable service. to be honest, i don't know if i would be as well adjusted as i am now if it wasn't for them. to learn more, call... or visit woundedwarriorproject.org. tractor tales this week features the owner of a 1941

farmall-b who claims he bought tractor tales this week features the owner of a farm all who claims he bought the tractor for his wife's birthday. you be the judge. >> 1941 i bought it from a friend of mine that was in our club a few years ago. he was in the car detail business and he had it restored and fixed. it looked better than this when i got it. it had cultivators on it. general tractor. it needs an oil leak fix.

i have a gasket leaking getting oil all over everything. valve cover gasket needs to be replaced. >> why did you pick this particular tractor for your wife? >> well, she was raised on a farm and she says she drove this when she was on a farm. so this came available and i bought it for her. >> what did your wife say when you gave it to her? >> i don't know. i lived through it. >> the original cost was just under $800. our first country church absolute. founded by cheque settlers it was built that style. an organ was installed. today the 600 members are served by a church built in

1953. our second church is the mount caramel church, the oldest in the jackson purchase which i had to look up. it is compromised of the southwest most 8 counties of kentucky founded as the dunn church, the first home was constructed in 1931. the current home was dedicated in 1999. present membership is 170. jack sent us the information. as always if you would like to learn about your home church. absolute can be sent to the address on your screen. time now for our weekly look time now for our weekly look

♪ don't it always seem to go ♪ ♪ that you don't know what you got till it's gone? ♪ ♪ they paved paradise and put up a parking lot ♪ ♪ ba ba ba ♪ la la, ba ba ba ♪ they took all the trees ♪ put 'em in a tree museum

♪ and charged the people ♪ a dollar and a half to see them ♪ ♪ now, now, now, don't it always seem to go ♪ ♪ that you don't know what you got till it's gone? ♪ ♪ they paved paradise and put up a parking lot ♪ ♪ ba ba ba... ♪ now, don't it always seem to go ♪ ♪ that you don't know what you've got till it's gone? ♪ ♪ i don't wanna give it, why you wanna give it ♪ ♪ why you wanna give it all away? ♪ time now for our weekly look inside the farm report mailbag.... some unusual let's look in the mail bag.

gardening advice. when i was growing up my father used to save seeds from a particularly good vegetable or plant. he would spread seeds out on newspaper to drive. we had a large cat which would sleep on the seeds. i don't know if it is scientific but it seemed like the seeds incubaited by the cats did better. i know jan is brooding over mixed signals from the calendar and the thermometer. for the cat i would say we like to have barn cats around our seed corn. once you bring bags of seeds home it is a race with the

mice. one big help is buying seed in 50 bag boxes which are handled by fork lift. i'm not sure if cats sleeping on those will evoke the same response but i know trying to make a cat do anything is like herding cats. we like to hear from you. send comments. for al and mike i'm john saying thank you for watching u.s. farm report. be sure to join us next week. we'll be working to do even better.