High in Oil

The USDA has predicted the corn harvest to be the smallest since 2006; with the yield per acre being the lowest since 1995. With nearly 87% of the drought-damaged crop harvested, the spiral upward trend of commodities has stalled. Meat producers and ethanol plants cannot keep operating on $8.00/bushel corn. On the other hand, the farmers are reluctant to sell what is in their bins when we are still about 8”-10” of rainfall below normal. We have reason to be concerned about the 2013 crop. We’ll keep our eye on the South American corn and soybean harvest that will take place March 2013.

The millet crop was hit the hardest by this year’s drought. The 2012 harvest is only 20% of an average year. So far, the farm price has tripled since April. Big bird-feed packers are almost eliminating millet from their “least-cost” formulations and using more milo and corn instead. Don’t let your customers be fooled – you can’t fool the birds! How cheap is bird feed when it is wasted on the ground?

With cool weather moving in, it is important to provide high quality seeds and mixes that are high in oil seeds. These will provide energy for the birds to keep warm and keep them coming back to your feeder.

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