SFG Update - Summer 2021

Knoxville Main Office

Pleasantville Location

Centerville Location

Albia Location

1650 Quebec St

702 E. Jasper

1605 S. 24th St

805 Hwy 5 North

Knoxville, IA 50138

Pleasantville, IA 50228

Centerville, IA 52544

Albia, IA 52531

Office: 641-828-8500

Office: 515-848-5000

Office: 641-856-2828

Office: 641-932-2100

the better than average planting weather we had it

would seem likely that these numbers went up. The wild card will be what happened in the northern plain states.

Knoxville City Location

Melcher-Dallas Location

Milo Location

Columbia Fuel Station

This area has been extremely dry for over a year. A lot of

601 N. Sherman St

126 2nd St SE

101 1st St

2441 Hwy 14

spring wheat did not get planted due to the drought

Knoxville, IA 50138

Melcher-Dallas, IA 50163

Milo, IA 50166

Columbia, IA 50057

Office: 641-842-5511

Office: 641-947-2000

Office: 641-942-6223

Cell: 641-218-4035

conditions. Some of these areas were switched to either corn or beans, but with the continued poor weather it may not matter. Northern and western Iowa and areas on west remain water short. These are areas started the season way short of sub soil moisture and it has not im-

proved. A high percentage of the corn crop went in the ground in a 2-week period this spring. That will com-

Mark White SFG Grain Merchandiser

press the pollination time on a lot of acres so a hot dry period during the first 2 weeks of July could have a huge effect on yield. The balance sheet for both corn and beans show we need trend line yields or better to maintain the low carryout numbers we have today. It will not

Volatility remains the driver in the grain markets as we

take much of a hiccup to fire the speculators back up.

head into the summer months. After mounting a tremen-

However, we have learned from past experiences that

dous rally that started last fall, we have seen a lot of sell

you should not stake your lively hood strictly on the

off in the corn and bean futures in the past month. Rallies

weather. New crop prices are still well above average

need fresh bullish news to keep the fires burning and with

even though we have fallen back a ways. Our area has

the cooler/wetter weather many areas have had the past 2

been fortunate to receive timely rains to this point giv-

weeks the funds have become sellers. Now that is not to

ing us some confidence of a good crop. Many producers

say we are washed up and prices are headed to the

are kicking themselves for missing the selling opportuni-

bottom. There are still several factors at play that can

ties we had earlier this spring. We should not let that

swing this market higher at a moments notice. The USDA

keep us from locking in some profitable prices today

releases their June stocks and updated planted acreage

with the hope we will see better prices in the near fu-

reports this week. It is expected they will trim the ending

ture. Volatility is not always a bad thing; it can be a good

corn stocks a touch more while they leave the bean num-

thing if you recognize when to use it to your advantage.

ber alone. The bigger mover will be the acreage numbers.

Private forecasters have thrown out a wide range of numbers for both corn and beans. Most felt the numbers the

Visit www.sfgiowa.com/grain/sfg-daily-bids for

USDA used in their March report were too low and given

daily corn and bean bids, updated at 3pm

SFG Update

Page 2

Kyle Smith Business Manager As some of you may already know – we’re making a few changes within our feed department. Scott Goetz will be taking over as our SFG Feed Sales Manager and Kelly Harvey will assume the role of our Albia Location Manager. Both Scott and Kelly have feed backgrounds and a strong passion to grow our feed business. SFG looks forward to teaming with them to provide the resources they need to continue to provide you with quality feed at the best price possible. I will continue to work with both of them and will be in Albia as needed, as well as throughout the harvest.

Scott Goetz Feed Sales Manager, Milo Location Manager Hi everybody, My name is Scott Goetz, I am the Feed Sales Manager for SFG as well as the Milo Location Manager. I grew up south of Mt Ayr, where we had a large cow/calf operation.

I now raise cattle and horses in Lucas County with my wife. I have worked in Agriculture most of my life. Although most of that was in agronomy, my passion has always been livestock. I enjoy focusing on the feed business at SFG. We have a full service feed mill in Albia from which we can produce feed for whatever livestock you need to feed. We have seven locations which offer bagged feed from Hubbard, Kent, and our own bagged SFG Feed. We have a fleet of 3 bulk trucks for farm delivery, and offer many other services to meet your specific needs. Our trade area has some of the best livestock operations in the state of Iowa. I look forward to meeting you. SFG would like to be a partner in your livestock business. Contact Kent or myself to discuss what we can do for you.

Kelly Harvey Albia Location Manager My name is Kelly Harvey. I grew up in Jefferson, Iowa with my parents and three siblings. My dad had hog confinements and that is where my passion for the agriculture industry all started. My dad and I raised show pigs that were shown at the local and state level.

I graduated from high School in 2013, then I went to Des Moines Area Community College to earn my Associate Degree in Agribusiness. During college I met my husband, and upon graduating we moved to Knoxville. My husband and I have two daughters: Jordyn, 5, and Bexley, 2.

After college I worked for Iowa Select Farms doing what I have done most of my life.

Eventually I decided I wanted something more to challenge me. I applied at Smith Fertilizer and Grain and was hired for the Albia front counter position, then later transitioned into the office manager role. After working for SFG I quickly realized how much I enjoy harvest time and all things feed related.

When I was offered the opportunity to become the Albia Location Manager, I knew I could not pass it up. I am excited and eager to start. Over the next couple of months, I will be working with Kyle to learn the ins and outs of this position.

I look forward to assisting you this fair season. We offer many products which could be helpful to you, such as bedding for your livestock. In addition to the Eco Flake bedding that we have carried in the past, we now stock Mini Flake. If you need any bedding for your animals, please stop in at any of our feed locations and pick up a bag. We also carry Kent and Show Rite products. If you are needing any products to give your animal that winning edge, stop in or give us call. We have a great feed team that wants to help you succeed. We also carry loose minerals, tubs, salt and mineral blocks, and a wide range of feeds to fit your feeding program.

Page 3

SFG Update

Jason Jensen Agronomy Sales Manager What an eventful weather year we have had with the 2021 crop to date: we started out dry for several weeks then turned cool and wet for a few weeks, then hot and dry for a few weeks, and now wet again. These conditions have raised havoc with pre-emerge chemical performance throughout the early part of the growing season. They have also slowed down the growth of our crops during periods of stress during each of the weather events. The next question is what plant health issues have these crazy weather patterns set up? Will we have diseases related to cool wet weather, hot dry weather, or a combination of both latter in the growing season. We need to look at protecting our crops with a fungicide to get the best possible return on our investment. With soybean prices as they are today, we are only looking at around 2-3 bushels of beans/acre to start reaping returns from fungicide/insecticide treatment. This includes adding an insecticide to gain the synergistic effect that has shown an increase in yields by more than the 3 bushel/ acre without disease present. After looking at an application of fungicide from this perspective it makes it hard to look away from applying fungicides/insecticides to our soybean crop to protect them from insects and fungal diseases.

Corn also shows good returns on fungicide, taking around 5 bushel/acre to reap a return on investment at today’s market. We need to look at Return to Fungicide scores on hybrids to make an educated decision before applying fungicide. At SFG each member of our agronomy sales team has information available to them that will rate all hybrids that we sell and many others on return to insecticide. Contact your SFG agronomist to sit down with you and go over the hybrids that you have planted on each acre to make an educated decision of which corn acres need protection and will reap the most return for your investment. While applying these fungicides, a great opportunity exists to treat any nutrient deficiencies that may be showing up on your acres. Many effective foliar treatments exist for nitrogen, nutrients, and micronutrients that will feed your plants rapidly to give nutrients during grain development giving you the opportunity to gain the greatest return on your investment to your crop.

Charles Smith Agronomy Operations Manager Summer has officially begun, and we are celebrating with some much-needed rain so far.

We have had a very dry summer. Crops were starting to show signs of stress. Corn was starting to curl and the beans were starting to flip their leaves. After receiving 1.7 inches, we have seen beans begin to canopy and corn starting to green up a little bit.

The SFG agronomy department has been keeping up with the demand for post applications. We are receiving requests for applying fungicides. We have had a successful spraying season due to great ground conditions and have sprayed an average of 1000 acres a day. As far as spraying goes, we have scouts in the fields looking for weed infestations and different insects and diseases. We need to make sure we are paying close attention to our fields and catching things ahead of time.

Fall will be here before we know it. Once your crops have been harvested, you will need to get the ground soil sampled to see what you will need to apply for the following season. Fall fertilizer and lime applications are two things that we need to stay on top of. With that said, keep SFG in mind when you start thinking about the upcoming season. You can never start planning too far in advance.

Tune in to SFG Top Performance, with new episodes posted weekly on Monday Mornings! View them on our website at https://www.sfgiowa.com/.

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