start for the corn crop and our market experts ponder what it means for prices. u.s. farm report brought to you by chevy and their award winning cars, trucks and cross overs and by case i. h. hello and welcome to u.s. farm report. i'm john. well, a quick glance at the planning progress report illustrates two unique aspects of this season. plus the ideal weather has made april one for the books and how far ahead illinois farmers are. after 2008 so many of us were pumped we sprinted the whole way. for younger farmers like my son

we'll always have 2009 in our thoughts pushing to crowd the pace for years to come. for my part i'm glad i had many less frantic planting periods to enjoy. let's get started with the headlines. >> hello everyone. even though some elements for yet to be implemented work got underway to write the 2012 version. it should focus on energy and jobs in rural american. agriculture secretary tom was the first witness to testify. and in his prepared remarks he outlined priorities for the administration. renewable energy will mean jobs. bio fuel development and energy use policies have played a role

in ag and role policy and should continue to do so. he says the farm bill should provide incentives that would reverse population declined in rural american and be attractive to young people. our reporting partners at pro farmer say the new measure will be debated with a smaller budget by. >> there are some 35 programs that will come to an end before the 2008 farm bill does. what that means is they no longer have a place holder or a budget line item in the budget proposal at least in the budget package as it relates to that next farm bill and one of those programs is the popular shore program that was implemented as part of the 2008 farm bill. another thing used was the shifting the payment timing, in

other words when farmers receive their dollars from the government. that was done to garner the agriculture committee about 4 and a half billion in savings. but the new rules mean they can no longer use that. >> ag policy is rewriten every 5 years but because of congressional delays the 2007 bill didn't get proval until 2008. ideal weather last week helped farmers get their corn planted at an amazic plate pace. there was an even bigger jump in illinois. 34% of corn acres planted. a week ago 1% was in the ground. iowa sits at 19%. 17% in indiana, 13% in

minnesota and 6% in nebraska. looking at winter wheat. usda says 69% is good to excellent. 71% in kansas, 61% in texas have thaterating. now it is back to john for crop lodge. grower in bond county, illinois says he finished and in our crop watch a grower in illinois said he finished planting his corn on monday. he said the first 300-acres are up and out of the ground. and a grower from washington says spring wheat seeding is about half completed. some of the early seeded winter wheat was too big for herb

iicides so the planes will be used.

round table guests this week john, our host. illinois farmer. he is a speaker and also a top producer down there. give us an update on what the market done just this last week. >> we had a very volatile week. we came into the week on monday and corn was down 12 to 18- cents. we are down 12 for the week. for the week we are down around 12 for corn.

beans vervolatile. the wheat market managed to gain about a nickel for the week. >> didn't the beans closing up for the week surprise you? >> i think it is but if you look at some of the stuff going on in china. >> they bought a lot of beans this week. >> my read on it is their corn market has been rising as we have been coming up since last fall and so corn was around 717 today. and this shortness and this tightness in their corn market where they don't have enough grain. they have 5 million metric tons of beans coming this month and next month. it looks like they are on schedule for the next month which they usually do around 4 million metric tons so they are doing this extra purchase. the numbers don't work to use corn over there as they are

substituting beans and meal. which is why they are having a little riff with argentina. they are not going to need the oil. so this whole thing to me on the strength and beans comes from the fact that they are short on corn and they are going to crush extra soybeans. >> is there guess that plant the corn. listening to -- is there guess that there will be plenty of corn available so there is no rush? >> from their standpoint and ours we feel like our weather is really good and we are going to come in monday with a 50% planting or somewhere along that which would be the best since 2004 and 2005. but in china they are around 10 to 12 days behind planting. they had snow earlier in the week. they are not comfortable about where they are standing for the

crop. my guess is if they start having crop problems this year then they are going to start a major import program next year. >> if they start a major import program with corn then they will plant it. >> most of them are done in my area. we ran out of moistture and there is one field of specialty corn to wait on. if they stature appreciate a little bit then they can buy corn cheaper and cheaper. i think maybe some are fading. they telegraph this move a long way ahead that some appreciation thin currency would accrue. maybe they are back loading their corn demand? >> i think they have just enough corn to get through. their talk stocks are tighter than people know. as far as the currency goes, if

the inflation is tough enough on them they will have to float the currency. you see the $7.17 corn, the more pressure that is the more pressure to raise the currency. >> we need to point out that $7.17 is china's price for corn. >> which would only go higher if they allow the curitancy start appreciating. it is good news for us exporting. >> our disappearance of corn is going to be greater. people are saying we are going to raise too much corn. >> feed demand is questionable. i am concerned about livestock meeting their quotas. >> i don't think that we'll do that this year. i don't see it. i think from a livestock standpoint we have taken the market straight up into the sky so you are going to see your numbers pick up and hogs is

numbers you will see jump. you will see numbers jump in china, as well. the big picture is great. for the next 3 months not so great. we will come back with more u.s. farm report in just a moment. ooooooo/o=oooxñxñókókokóóó z

returning to our round table and our host of u.s. farm report. we talk briefly about livestock. i want to get to that a little bit more and see what our crops are doing. but i like to go back to where we were in terms of these prices and what is happening with the advanced planting. it seems to me like we are way ahead. you told me last year and this year is probably the greatest

ever. >> in crop watch today we had a guy talking about 300-acres up. we are seeing the same thing. for us in the center part of the corn belt there is an urgency i have never felt. you would think it was the 24th of july. this is just stupid. what is our problem? you can't get last year out of your mind. we are having days we could not have gotten at all last year. so the sunshining go plant something and do stuff. we are going to stet a record i think in illinois. when monday rolls around i think you are going to see a stagling figure in illinois. i think it will take us up to the stock ground that didn't get worked up last year. there is no water in the upper 4 inches. we don't know whether to bury the corn 6 inches deep.

i can see in illinois a 70 to 80% completion on monday. >> i would agree. most of the people that we work with will be done this weekend. the numbers always kind of fall a little bit behind. northern illinois is the area behind. guys have planted a lot of corn. one of the things interesting is you get an early plant day and you assume it produceathize bigsh crop of all die but the statistics don't go that way. of the earliest plant dates we had 2004 was quicker. 2004 was a new record crop and 2005 was the worst in illinois since 1988. when you get the dry weather to put the crop inch -- in you get

more dry weather later. 60% you don't meet the trend line which i thought was really odd so it almost a coin toss. >> what we do know is planting in june doesn't work. we can't get 2009 out of our memory. i just assume take april and i'll take my chances you are exactly right. i do think that the areas that were impacted most last year are the ones that are most resilient are the poorly trained ground most resilient to the type of dryness you are talking about. there is question about how much corn is planted in dry dirt. and depending on the rain events in the next week or two what the emergence will look like. all of this is minor because so much of it from south to north

we had a great timecephalism does planting time have anything to do with the price? >> when you have rain it is bearish. the other thing is you guys are rolling through the field s and you might do an extra field or two of corn so you might have extra acres put in. i know guys are doing extra corn and that is going to become more bearish. that might come from soybeans but there is this miscellaneous 4 million acres. i'm not sure how that works but my guess is lots of soybeans but we have also had high cotton prices. they are still going to keep a lot of acres. i think people are thinking new beans went up. you keep most of everything because of the higher prices. we haven't had that extra price in corn to pick it up to 2

million-acres of corn. >> even as we are focusing on the guys making it getting it in the ground. >> we are going to talk about livestock. we don't have any more time this morning. we will be back with more u.s. farm report in just a moment.

welcome back to u.s. farm report. the drought monitor is showing some pockets starting to develop. parts of the tennessee and ohio valley. the worst in the corn belt area continues to be the western great lakes. we continue to see the dry areas out west. those have expanded over the last week or two. it is more typical in the western areas sootea the dry

conditions. we have multiple cut off lows in the jetstream. these are show moving wet storm systems. we are going to start the week with one in the eastern great lakes and new england and one diving into montana. you can see as we move through time the one over montana sits there. the one over new england gets away and we have a huge quit off for the southwestern areas sending us another slow moving system eastworn. we will start off with a couple of weak sitsms in the eastern great lakes on monday. cold front in the southeast. lininger light showers continuing to move slowly

northeastward. more nan likely by wednesday the sitsms are kind of gone so lingering snow showers in new england. there is the major storm system coming eastward having a decent amount of snow. rain farther south. that will come eastward slowly with&by friday be in the northern plain states. and a wide spread area of rain. i'll see you in the next half hour with the longer range forecast. - for carol. - for my wife.

for my mom. for every pink bucket of grilled or original recipe, kfc makes a 50 cent contribution... to susan g. komen for the cure. together, we can make the largest donation in komen history... to help end breast cancer forever. a familiar defence of the status quo in farming has emerged as market forces and government a familiar defense in the status quo has emerged as market forces and government policy continue to create

pressure. it looks something like this. the change will hurt good people. for example the reallocation of water between cities and farms is illustrated of how it will force a farmer out of business in decades or the changes of trade rules in countries. admirable people including charming people face uncertain futures due to changes beyond their control. focusing on this makes a powerful emotional counter part to propose changes. left unsaid is the way things are also means difficulties for other good people. much of the support from change are those who feel the salves are unsupported. it is also the case is the status quo is trending the wrong directions for the nation as a whole. being good people does not make

us exempt from this. such justification is self balancing for the most part. in fact, proponents use individual stories to support their claim for correct action. it leads me to suspect they do so because they lack hard data for their position. let us know what you think. sends e-mails to u.s. arm report.com or leave us a voice mail. coming up two california farms share a passion for conservation. stay with us. the second half of u.s. farm report is coming right up.

u today on u.s. farm report good news for livestock producers looks less exciting in the supermarket. where to go for a top notch ag engineering breed and california farms work to make sustainable a meaningful concept on their operations. u.s. farm report brought to you by chevy and by case i. h. hello and welcome to u.s. farm report. i'm john. it was a curious week for us in

the food industry from food economics to arguments over food ingredient. there was turmoil that could be an indicator of changing our conflicting ideals for our nation's food system. as economic forces prompt us to get the most for our dollars more cuteny on what we will eat. farm programs will hardly remain untouched by budget cutters. american agriculture will be grappling with a different consumer here and abroad. where it is a hard thine stipel your views of good nutrition we could misunderstand our markets. let's get started with the headlines. >> and hello ever one. hole sale prices rose more than expected last month as food prices surged by the most in 26 years. the labor department said the

price index rose by 7/10 of a percentige march. specifically on food prices usda expects 3% rise. with the ag department they say grocery stores will return to normal pricing. >> as costs have begun to stablealize in terms of food products buying and as consumers improve we see less of that aggressive price cutting. there is potentful resurgence of inflation later this year. >> usda says beef and pork prices will be up about 2% and higher for poultry. a wind energy group continues to push for electricity standard and a recent poll supports the idea. american wind energy

association commissioned a pole. it says 89% believe increasing the amount of energy from wind is a good idea. 84% are republican votererize 93% of democrat. 600 voters were surveyed. when it comes to the best ag engineering schools in the nation you don't have to look outside the corn belt. 2010 ranking the nest jinearing schools in the u.s. this year the best ranked program was a tie. it was awarded to the university of illinois and purdue university. texas a and m, cornell and university of davis round out the top 5 spots. that's it for headlines.

and here is your national forecast. we're getting into a pattern here where we have slow moving storm systems. that could be some good news for the areas drying out. if you have your crops planted it is good news. we have a trough to start in the eastern parts of country. we are seeing it now with a slow moving trough move through. a little bit of a trough there diving southeastward. you will notice this off the west coast beginning to expand. we will see a trough expanding into the west heading into wednesday. these will be scattered showered through the plain states. and we do have a couple of dry days in the great lakes. still some lingering snow showers in new england. by friday you can see

everything coming eastward. big trough in the westward states t. is going to be another wet system with some pretty heavy shower s and thunderstorms. most of it will be rain but this could have a ribbon of snow on the far northwest areas. temperatures the following week for may 2 through 8 will go above normal from texas, ohio and tennessee valves. below normal for the western third of the country. precipitation for the first full week of may above normal for mississippi, alabama on up into the lower great lakes and an area of above normful the plain states. in the 90 day outlook from texas.

90 the out look for precipitation. no below normal area expected. above normal for texas and kansas. above normal in the extreme eastern areas. when u.s. farm report returns how two california farming operations celebrate earth day every day. spirit of the heart land is next. when it comes to managing land,

farmers and ranchers when it comes to managing land farmers and ranchers understand better than most the importance of protecting it. it is their future. having just marked earth day this past thursday spirit of the heartland visits two operations that take great pride in conservation. >> reporter: being a successful rancher, a steward of the land and the environment's best friend are all in a day's work for bill and kay. they ranch is an example of what hard work, determination and being open minded can do. in 1985 their 100 year old ranch had experienced 7 years of negative cash flow and watched neighbor after neighbor

go bankrupt. then they were exposed to wholistic management. >> we had 100 years or more of the cattle ranch. now it opened up my vision, my pair dime and belief system that there is a lot more here than being able to raise cattle. >> reporter: it is based on the ecosystem with a vision based on family, community and making a profit while enhancing the environment at the same time. they went from a cow ranch to a sun harvesting ranch. they looked at the way sun light fell to produce plants and animals it could provide a profit and improve the land at the same time. this change had an enormtt immediate impact on the ranch and on the couple. >> you decide the kind of day you have. i tell my grand kids when they come out here to work and they

all come out to work and have fun, it is the first day of the rest of your life. make it count. >> what a legacy that leaves for your children. it makes me weepy. >> reporter: leaving the land better than you found it for the next generation of farmers is the motto of farmer john. as his ranch he farms more than 5,000-acres with a wide range of cropinizecluding tomatoes, corn, wheat a grapes. he has become a pioneer. for example, because most plants are sensitive to salty conditions he designed a process where a natural filtration system uses it to purify drain water. learning from the past while

adapting to the future. >> good stewardship is nothing more than green technology from days gone by. there are a lot of things to be learned. we work with the university of california so we are engaged in different programs they have and trying to do research to help farmers be better stewerreds of the soil. >> reporter: you see being a steward of a land isn't just a title to these special farmers and ranchers it is a moniker they hold in great esteem as they protect soil, conserve water and save wild life. >> that was tracy sellers reporting. the burrows were finalists and john was the winner of the award, an honor that recognizes achievements. for more on this operation we will post a ling on our home

page. up next baxter black. we'll be right back. including

veterinarian...and this baxter black wears many hats. he is an advice columnist from his ranch in arizona. dear baxter. as a fellow vet i am hoping you can help me. my wife has two cow dogs that will obey commands until they get near a cow then they chase the critter and can't hear a word we say. it is obvious to me they go deaf near livestock. what is your diagnosis? dear lw i am pleased to inform you that they are suffering

from a malady that is common in blue healer and occurs in species like backyard horses or teenagers. your suggested diagnosis associate their problem with the nearness of cattle. research at the nasa cow dog behavioral institute indicated a relationship more closely related to the proximity of the dominant figure the greater the distance between the master, you the dog and the less your influence. the technical name is called progressive dumb dog detachment amnesia or pda. some believe it is a result of a broken home, a puppy trauma. extensive studies have been

done to discover a method to change the behavior such as necking him to a mule or letting him drag 100-foot of chain. all of this can alter his direction and interfere are his mobility in the coral. the most state of the heart information has come from a sheep herdedder. it is his contention that there is nothing wrong with the dog's breathing, hearing or training. it has chosen to ignore you. my advice. live with it or leave him home. this is baxter black. next week baxter as the story of one tough cowboy. when we come back it's time for tractor tales and our

country church absoluteu salute.

we're off to the sunny skies of southern we are off to the sunny skies of southern california this week have tractor tales. darwin shows off his 51. >> when i first heard about this tractor it was green and yellow just like a john deere. and a friend of mine had seen it up on a farm and kept driving by and went toot the farmer and asked if he could buy it. he thought he was buying a john deere. when he picked it up it was the funniest looking john deere he had ever seen.

i said i'll take it because he didn't want it. it was my first tractor. it has been the best tractor i have ever had. they are pound for pound stronger than most other tractors. you can always tell the moline engines because the heads come off the block and the pistons, if you can see, there is a place here that comes off and there is no pan like on the regular engine. you pull this off and then you have your rods connections and your bearing and everything inside. when you pull the head off the pistons come with it. and it's a strong engine. this is a 4 cylinder but pulls like a 6 cylinder. when i first got it i restored it and everybody said it was the last it would work.

it has been working ever since. the farm i was raised on had a john deere&from the time i was about 6 years old i was on that tractor and even when i started school i had to get home to work. and i felt like i had enough of that pop, pop, pop. i like to hear them smooth now. >> darwin told me it earns its keep. he had to pull a john deere tractor because it wouldn't start. our church salute goes to the 1st presbyterian church. in 1967 the congregation moved

to its present home. the church is dedicated to faith and action especially in local ministries and mission projects. our thanks to lorain. our second church is st. johns also called bury's church. an independent nondenomimational church. special 175th anniversary events are planned for this june including an organ concert on their 1839 pipe organ. the congregation is active in food ministries. as always we would like to hear about your home church. salutes can be sent to the address on the screen. please stay with us. the mail bag is next.

time now for our

closed captioning is brought to you by optimum brand innovations from pioneer hybrid . time now for our weekly look inside the farm report mail bag. tom has a thought about tractor prices. he quoted the purchase price new of 800 bucks. i said wow. i am looking at buying a $4,500 lawn mower that just cuts grass. john, i'm old enough to have the same reactions especially since i remember when many of those antiques were newmanmans.

simple inflation increases the cost but other facts make old prices hard to put in perspective. that lawn mower likely has more horse power. the first tractor i remember riding was only 45 horse power. when the first 100 horse came out we marveled it as an enormous power house. prices should be put in context. farmers point out how expensive a new combine is. these machines do the work of hundreds or thousands of humans while driving themselves, keeping detailed maps of yields. most tools cost and do more now. as we deploy more technology we do so because it makes good economic sense. the tricky question is how much technology will replace how many humans in our profession? as always we want to hear from

you. send comments to infoat u.s. farm report.com or leave us a voice mailer. for al and mike thank you for watching. be sure to join us again next week. we'll be working to do even better. wb- belief system, that, hey, there's a lot more here than just being able to raise cattle. >> as bill describes it, holistic management is based on the ecosystem, with a personal vision

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