2015 US Corn Belt Crop Tour: Iowa

Jul 17, 2015

Tenth state in a 12-state tour

The 4^th annual Farms.com US Corn Belt Crop Tour continues to make its way through the American Midwest, visiting some of the highest producing states along the way.

Farms.com Risk Management’s Chief Commodity Strategist Moe Agostino and his team have made their way through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota.

The tenth state to be visited on the 12-state tour was Iowa.

Depending on where in Iowa was visited, the crop performances differed.

“We’re near Sheldon, Iowa, and folks, it’s looking good,” he said. “The corn looks really consistent (and) the beans look awesome. Lots of consistency and very little weed pressure.”

However as the tour traveled to Kossuth and Humboldt counties, things took a different turn.

“I’m very disappointed with what I’m seeing,” Agostino said. “I’m seeing too much moisture pressure and I have not seen a corn field yet that’s tasseled in Iowa. This crop is behind; at least one, maybe two weeks behind from what I saw last year.”

Near Manchester, Iowa, the crops seemed to be doing a little better.

“A lot of lush, green corn and beans,” he said. “Probably another week, maybe two weeks away from tasseling. Still seeing some moisture stress but not looking too bad.”

Agostino said based on his findings in Iowa, he can’t rank the state in his top five for the tour, saying the effects will be felt on national corn and soybean yields.

Be sure to follow along the Corn Belt Crop Tour on Twitter using the hashtag #CornBelt15.

The next state to be visited will be Wisconsin.

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.