Much of the rise in acres for corn is coming from farmers switching to the crop from soybeans. According to the report, there will be about 11 percent fewer acres for soybeans in 2007 than in the last year. Although ADM is the country's largest ethanol producer and will benefit from a bigger corn yield and lower prices, analyst Robert Moskow said the soybean drop may harm the producer and offset the corn benefits. With more acres planted, analysts foresee corn prices falling. Associated...

Soybean rust made it to Illinois in October of 2006, but fortunately, its arrival was too late to cause damage to the state s soybean crop. JG-TC.com > Features > Coles County Extension to host soybean rust detection, management program. Soybean producers, crop advisors and other agri-business professionals will hear the most current information on the biology and monitoring for soybean rust, scouting and detection of soybean rust and management strategies in the 2007 soybean crop says...

On March 8, he says an independent crop consultant brought in two baggies, one containing seeds and pods and one with parts of a dead soybean leaf. Experts say the recent confirmation of soybean rust in Iowa in 2006 should serve as a reminder that the fungus can happen in Iowa. While experts were able to confirm rust on the soybean leaves when they were dead, Tylka says it is more important to look for signs of the disease earlier. Soybean leaves show various amounts of soybean rust. If...

Soybean futures are competing with corn futures for soybean acres. It was reported that about 6,000 spreads were done near the close of the market offsetting active fund rolling as the funds liquidated old net long positions in April futures. This market shows signs of losing steam, at least through late March and early April, on declining crude prices and increasing crop acres. Profit taking by chartists fueled early fund selling as mixed reports and expectations for cash hogs contributed...

The government said that if farmers followed through with their stated intentions, soybean acreage would drop 11 percent and cotton acreage would fall 20 percent. The rush to plant corn comes at the cost of other crops, particularly soybeans and cotton. Corn should be planted by mid-May for good yields and soybeans can be planted as late as June, which could be a fallback plan for farmers if corn doesn't get planted in time. Department of Agriculture's annual prospective plantings report...