Month: June 2019

Good morning! This is Bob Bragg. Welcome to the June 25^th edition of Farm News and Views.

Last Friday, we celebrated the summer solstice, then, some of us in southwest Colorado had to cover our garden plants to protect them from frost Saturday night into Sunday morning. The National Weather Service recorded temperature near to or below freezing in the Montezuma Valley during the early morning hours on Sunday. Higher elevations escaped with temperatures in the mid 30’s to low 40’s, and there are no reports of crops fields being harmed by the low temps.. read more

Good morning! This is Bob Bragg. Welcome to the June 18^th edition of Farm News and Views.

For the past several weeks I’ve reported about problems that farmers are having planting crops in the Midwest, but weather has also been affecting farmers in Colorado. Last week, in the San Luis Valley, hail caused light damage to barley fields, Fall potato emergence is still behind the average, and some freeze damage was noted in alfalfa fields due to below freezing overnight temperatures . Although hay harvest is going well in southwest Colorado, it’s progressing slowly in much of the rest of the state due to persistent rain showers. A downside to the good soil moisture this spring is that growing conditions are ideal for weeds. Reports are coming in about robust stands of invasive cheat grass, also known as downy brome grass, that are causing concerns about fire danger later in the summer when this highly flammable plant dries out. read more

Good morning! This is Bob Bragg. Welcome to the June 11^th Edition of Farm News and Views.

Delphinium species plants have showy purple flowers and are often planted in flower gardens, but this common wild flower, known as Larkspur is deadly if it’s consumed in quantity by cattle and sheep. According to the Gallop Independent Newspaper, ranchers in northwestern New Mexico, near Shiprock, suspect that Larkspur is responsible for the death of a dozen or more cattle. The plant is growing in abundance on grazing lands in the area because of the unusually wet weather this spring. Larkspur is often a problem for livestock producers who move sheep and cattle to mountain ranges during late June. If cool temperatures at higher elevations favor Larkspur growth over grass and other range plants, livestock may graze larkspur that is flowering or developing seed pods, which is Larkspur’s most poisonous stage. read more

Good morning! This is Bob Bragg with the June 4^th edition of Farm News and Views.

I hate to sound like the proverbial broken record, but the top ag news today…You guessed it weather and trade or maybe trade and weather.

Soggy fields are still keeping many farmers out to their fields in the Midwest, but weather forecasts are calling for rains to let up later this week in the Corn Belt. The U.S. corn planting in 2019, is the slowest pace in USDA records dating back to 1980. As of May 26, only 58% of the country’s estimated 92.8 million corn acres have been planted. The five-year average for this time off year is 90%. Soybean planting is only at 29% complete on 84.6 million acres allocated to this crop, with he five-year average for late May of 66% planted. read more