Editors' Notebook

SPRING, WHEREFORE ART THOU?

Twenty-one days to the first official day of spring. With more snow and bitter cold temps forecast for this weekend, it seems forever away.

"The first day of spring is one thing and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month." -- Henry Van Dyke

Sigh. We know. We are all waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

"In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours." -- Mark Twain.

Yeah. We hear ya, Mark. We're living it as we edge into the planting season.

Elevator manager Bud Tate from Greenwood, Miss., sent me this email:

"On this date last year, the field by my house in Stoneville, Miss., was planted in corn. It took 29 days for that corn to come up and its yield was 270 bu.

"Yesterday it was 29 degrees with ice in the ditch, cold and wet, at least a week or so from starting to plant. Most of the coffee shop talk is to plant a lot less corn in the Delta -- maybe a third less. Cotton will get some of those acres, but the majority will go to soybeans. Probably more peanuts and sorghum, with far less soft red wheat."

Take solace, spring and planting must come eventually. "O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?" -- Percy Bysshe Shelley

DRYING DOWN EXPORT CORN

Reader Kyle Bushman, of Dodge, Wis., sent me this email:

"Heard a rumor that a shipping exporter was lobbying to change moisture levels on barges for corn export from 15% to 14%. Kind of an expensive proposition with LP at $3 to $4 gal."

So I asked our Cash Grains Analyst Mary Kennedy about it. Here's what she replied: "Gulf bids for export are below 15% always; (U.S. No. 2, 14.5 pct moisture, cif New Orleans)."

Her answer surprised Kyle.

"Even requiring a half percent under that seems crazy to me. I.E. 14.5 to 14. If that is the case I would forecast those companies needing to go positive basis by a decent margin to attract enough growers to dry corn below 14% or they will probably be attracted to sell to an end user i.e. ethanol plant or whoever whose discount schedule doesn't start until 15.5%. I guess on the other hand the people floating barges could always sell domestic as well. Makes me wonder how much they make floating that commodity to China? Has to be a decent amount to warrant taking on that risk!"

MOM DESERVES SOME CREDIT

I love my mom. I love my husband's mom, too. There have been occasions when my mom-in-law was talking about all she did when her six kids were young that my dad-in-law foolishly would reply with a sarcastic comment about how she should get a medal.

She should have gotten a medal. All moms should. If you're a farm mom, this might be the next best thing.

Monsanto is looking for its next America's Farmers Mom of the Year. Winners could receive up to $10,000

To nominate your favorite farm mom, go to AmericasFarmers.com before March 31 and submit a brief essay about your choice. Leave out any snarky comments about medals.

Monsanto will select five regional winners based on the judges’ decisions. Each regional winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize. Profiles of the regional winners will then be posted to AmericasFarmers.com, where the public can vote for one national farm mom winner. Announced just prior to Mother’s Day, the national winner will receive an additional $5,000 cash prize above and beyond her regional prize.

Go mom!

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