These are the challenges Michigan grain producers and handlers are juggling this harvest season.

For a second consecutive year, sizable crops are expected to come off Michigan corn and soybean fields, including a projected record corn yield of 151 bushels per acre, up 8 bushels from last year. Yet available storage space at grain elevators hasn't eased much since last year when rail disruptions caused by hurricanes and Canada's ban on U.S. corn imports kept storage bins full. Raising the ante this year is growing demand to keep more corn in Michigan to feed new ethanol plants.

"It looks like a repeat of last year," said Dave Geers, president of Michigan Agricultural Commodities (MAC). "We added 3 million bushels of storage space at our facilities last year, and another 1.5 million this year, but the additional space will be split between corn and soybeans. Things will be tight."

To deal with the situation farmers are being encouraged to prepare either permanent or temporary on-farm storage for their crops. On the bright side, farmers who store crops on their farms should fetch good prices once the crops are sold down the road, said Jim Hilker, agriculture economist with Michigan State University.

As of early September, prices for new crop corn were anywhere from $1.94 to $2.09 a bushel at various West Michigan facilities. Better prices may be on the way as more ethanol plants begin production and compete for corn, said Hilker. Farmers who can store corn until next June and July have the potential to earn an additional 50 to 70 cents a bushel according to futures markets as of mid-September, said Hilker.

Rail problems
That's fine for farmers who have on-farm storage, but for elevators trying to keep bin space available for ethanol markets, rail transportation problems continue, said Jim Byrum, president of the Michigan Agri-Business Association.

"I think we can anticipate a year similar to the last two," he said. "There will be some spot shortages of rail cars. But handlers and elevators are going to try to keep more grain here to move later or move for ethanol markets. There's a real evolution going on as handlers figure out how to change their traditional marketing to in-state supply for ethanol plants as opposed to the Southeast markets.

"The real push will come on soybeans, because handlers will not want to hold that, but will be willing to hold corn. Another problem is that wheat is moving slower than we'd like because of sprouting issues, and that creates a bottleneck."

Livestock concerns
The livestock industry also should take note of storage challenges, said Ernie Birchmeier, Michigan Farm Bureau livestock and dairy specialist.

"Space shortage issues, coupled with corn demand for ethanol, will pose some interesting dynamics from a feed standpoint," he said. "If you need to purchase corn for feed, lock in prices at harvest time when prices are lowest, and lock up some storage while you have the opportunity."

Birchmeier doesn't see the challenge being resolved any time soon.

"This has the real potential to be an ongoing issue," he said. "Livestock producers will need corn; ethanol plants will need corn; and grain handlers are only willing to invest in so much storage. If we couple that with the fact that there will be storage needs for dried distiller's grain produced as a byproduct of ethanol production, one can easily realize that we have some real issues to deal with."

For more information, contact Bob Boehm (800) 292-2680 ext. 2023 or Ernie Birchmeier ext. 2024

"It's a shame to say it, but sometimes it takes large outbreaks to invigorate sanitary processes that eliminate problems like this," said Thomas Whittam, MSU professor of microbial evolution. "Twenty years ago, the main source of E. coli was hamburger, and the meat industry since then has done a good job of monitoring critical (contamination) points, and has given consumers a better education to fully cook meat," he said. "The number of outbreaks from hamburger has essentially disappeared. I'm sure there will be some similar steps involved in the vegetable processing industry now."

The problem, said Whittam, is that 90 percent of the nation's spinach comes from a very large farm where packing takes place in the field.

"They used chlorinated rinses and pressure wash it well, but sanitation under those conditions, particularly in really warm weather, is the main problem. Bacteria do very well under moist, warm conditions," said Whittam.

Bacteria also spread rapidly in co-mingled plant materials, Whittam said.

"It's not the bagging that's the problem," he said. "It's mixing the plants together. If one plant is heavily contaminated, and it's mixed with others, the contamination of one plant is spread out to multiple servings. The problem with this strain of E. coli is that you can get rid of 99.9 percent of it, but if a very small number of bacteria get through, it can be enough to contaminate large amounts of produce. So my recommendation is for people who want to buy fresh produce to buy individual servings."

Also, despite media warnings that washing bagged spinach will not kill the strain of bacteria found in the California spinach, all produce should still be washed, Whittam said.

"We assume that a lot of people eat bagged produce right out of the bag," he said. "But people should always wash their produce. It might not be effective against this strain of E. coli on this product, but it's always a better choice.

"If you cook it long enough, it will kill the bacteria, and boiling spinach will kill most things. But the recommendation in this case is just to throw it out because there is a concern that people will not cook it well enough, and that they'll unknowingly cross-contaminate other food. We've been told that more nutrients are retained by flash-stir frying or steaming, and that's true, and consumers have learned that and are unlikely to want to boil spinach. So don't take the chance. Throw it out."

Michigan-grown produce
Better yet, replace your spinach with other Michigan-grown produce, which sees little of the warm weather typical in California, and is packaged differently, said Dave Smith, executive secretary of the Michigan Vegetable Council. "Our spinach season here is earlier," he said. "We're out of season now, and there's very little grown here anyway. What there is almost all goes for processing. We can double-crop, but that second crop is not planted until mid-August, and is a 45-day crop."

As for other packaged vegetables, such as popular baby carrots, Whittam said there's essentially nothing to worry about.

":Baby carrots are not an issue," he said. "I think we need to be concerned about leafy vegetables because, particularly in California, they have huge fields and use huge sprayers, so there's a better chance that more leaves can be contaminated."

Michigan's weather also contributes to produce safety, Whittam said.

"Because of our weather, we don't see E. coli to the extent you see in California," he said. "That doesn't mean it can't happen, but in most of the E. coli 157 (illness-causing strain) cases, the E. coli came from elsewhere."

Smith said his industry awaits the final government findings on the source of the contamination, but he said that despite media speculation that the source may have been irrigation water contaminated with human or animal manure, he believes the more likely source is field wash water.

While the U. S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that consumers not eat fresh spinach or spinach-containing products until further notice, there's no reason to fear other fresh produce, Smith said.

"In spite of this problem, consumers should understand that fresh produce, no matter where it's from, is both safe and nutritious," he said. "Our growers and packers, both in Michigan and around the country, make every effort to ensure that it's grown and packaged safely and up to the highest quality standards. People should not be afraid of produce because of one problem. Vegetables are healthy for people's diets, so they should eat more."

For more information, contact Ken Nye (800) 292-2680 ext. 2020 or Jill Corrin ext. 6585.

"The Michigan Farm Bureau congratulates Nancy Dietz on her appointment to head the Michigan office of the Farm Service Agency," said MFB President Wayne H. Wood. "Nancy has been an active leader with the Calhoun County Farm Bureau, and we're confident she'll exhibit the same commitment to Michigan farmers in her new position. In addition, her practical, hands-on experience in production agriculture will be an asset to the agency and the industry as Congress prepares for the reauthorization of the farm bill.

"The Michigan Farm Bureau looks forward to working with Nancy and the FSA to not only address the formulation of the next farm bill but also the cost-effective operation and delivery of FSA services across the state."

Secretary Johanns also praised Dietz in announcing her selection.

"Nancy Lou Dietz has done a superb job as acting state executive director for several months," said Johanns. "She was Michigan's State Committee chairperson before that, with a successful history of farm management with her husband."

For the last two years Dietz has chaired the state FSA committee, which she was first appointed to in 2001. Since 1993 she and her husband, John, have operated Dietz Farms in Tekonsha, growing corn and soybeans and managing a hog finishing operation. Prior to farming, Dietz, a Webberville native, spent seven years in mortgage and consumer lending services.

FSA ensures the well-being of American agriculture, the environment and the American public through efficient and equitable administration of numerous farm programs. FSA's farm programs include commodity programs; farm ownership, operating and emergency loans; conservation and environmental programs; emergency and disaster assistance; domestic and international food assistance and international export credit programs. Contact: Jill Corrin, (800) 292-2680, ext. 6585

Crop projections forecast record state, national corn yields

Moderate temperatures and rainfall across the state increased the yield potential for some Michigan crops, according to the Michigan Agricultural Statistics Service. State crop production highlights as of Sept. 1 are listed below, followed by national projections. Michigan corn farmers expect a record yield of 151 bushels per acre, up 8 bushels from last year. The Michigan corn crop was about 10 days ahead of the average stage of development as of Sept. 1. About two-thirds of the acreage was rated good to excellent at the outset of September. Soybean yield is forecast at 40 bushels per acre. Sixty-nine percent of soybeans were in good or excellent condition. Sugar beet producers estimate a yield of 21 tons per acre, down slightly from 2005. In comparison, national statistics are listed here. U.S. corn production is forecast at 11.1 billion bushels, up 1 percent from last month and fractionally above 2005. Based on conditions as of Sept. 1, yields are expected to average 154.7 bushels per acre, up 2.5 bushels from August and 6.8 bushels from last year. If realized, yield and production would be the second largest on record, behind 2004. Nationally, soybean production is forecast at 3.09 billion bushels, up 6 percent from the August forecast and up slightly from the 2005 crop. Based on Sept. 1 conditions, yields are expected to average 41.8 bushels per acre, up 2.2 bushels from August but down 1.5 bushels from last year's record high yield. U.S. sugar beet production for 2006 is forecast at 32.4 million tons, 2 percent above the August forecast and 18 percent above last year's production. Growers in the 11 sugar beet producing states expect to harvest 1.34 million acres, down fractionally from last month but 8 percent above last year. The yield is forecast at 24.1 tons per acre, up 0.4 tons from August and 1.9 tons above 2005. Contact: Bob Boehm, (800) 292-2680, ext. 2023

Michigan's weekly crop and weather

Precipitation throughout the week slowed harvest for most crops, according to the Michigan Field Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). See Table 1 for soil moisture levels. In the countryside, corn continued to mature. An early corn harvest is expected in the Thumb. Sugar beet harvest began on a limited basis. Apple harvest continued across the state. In the southeast, Gala harvest was coming to an end. Growers were moving on to pick McIntosh, Honeycrisp, and early strains of Golden Delicious. For the progress of other crops, see Table 2. The USDA-NASS-Michigan Field Office can be reached at (517) 324-5300. This information is also available online at http://www.nass.usda.gov/mi. Table 1: Soil moisture for week ending 9/10/06 Stratum Very Short Short Adequate Surplus Topsoil 1% 7% 73% 19% Subsoil 2% 21% 67% 10% Table 2: Crop Progress for week ending 9/10/06 Crop This Week Last Week Last Year 5yr. Avg. Apples, harvested 21% 16% 24% N/A Corn, mature 41% 15% 49% 23% Corn, harvested 1% 0% 5% 2% Dry beans, harvested 33% 20% 44% 23% Peaches, harvested 85% 75% 94% 98% Potatoes, harvested 38% 25% 36% N/A