Lafayette Online » soybeans

Soybean oil blend works well as fuel for home furnaces

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:29:36 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A blend of degummed soybean oil and No. 2 fuel oil can be used as an alternative heating fuel and reduce sulfur emissions, according to a Purdue University scientist.

Purdue researcher Klein Ileleji found that a 20 percent blend of degummed soybean oil performed well in home furnaces and reduced sulfur emissions. (Purdue Agricultural Communications photo/Tom Campbell)

Klein Ileleji, an assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering, tested blends of 20 percent, 50 percent and 100 percent degummed soybean oil – an unrefined and cheaper product to produce than soy methyl esters, commonly known as biodiesel – and found that the 20 percent blend didn’t degrade a home furnace’s parts or heat output. The only issue found with the 20 percent blend was a slight early degradation of the furnace’s seals and gaskets, which manufacturers could fix by switching to a higher quality product. Ileleji’s findings were reported in the recent early online version of the journal Fuel.

“You are going to reduce the sulfur emissions with degummed soybean oil. The things you should be worried about with a biofuel, such as the pour point temperature and heating ability, were not affected,” Ileleji said. “You want to keep the properties of your No. 2 fuel oil, and at 20 percent degummed soybean oil, you would minimally affect those properties.”

Removing gumming agents from soybean oil eliminates its harmful effects on fuel injection nozzles, gaskets and other parts, and creates a combustible biofuel. Like some other biofuels, its properties can be less desirable than traditional fuels. Ileleji’s study showed that 100 percent degummed soybean oil and a 50 percent blend had reduced flashpoints, making them more difficult to ignite; reducing heat content; creating higher temperatures associated with cold filter plugging points; and leading to early degradation of seals and gaskets.

“Overall, using 20 percent degummed soybean oil, you can get by using existing furnace designs,” Ileleji said. “You can use a 20 percent blend without changing your combustion system, and you will not be changing its performance. What you will be getting is the benefit of lower sulfur emissions, which is good for the environment.”

Ileleji’s work was a continuation of a project started by Harry Gibson, a retired Purdue professor of agricultural and biological engineering, and Gibson’s graduate student, Bradley Kaufman. The Indiana Soybean Alliance and the Indiana United Soybean Board funded the research.

Ileleji said he is testing the degummed soybean blends with farm grain dryers to see if the biofuel could be used efficiently with those devices’ burners.

Info meeting set for student corn, soybean innovation contests

admin — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:41:55 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University students from all majors are invited to an informational meeting on Sept. 15 to learn more about participating in the Student Soybean and Corn Product Innovation Competitions.

The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in Wetherill Laboratory of Chemistry, Room 200.

The two contests – which are separate, but run simultaneously – give students an opportunity to conceptualize a novel product idea; complete patent searches and literature reviews on current products; do market research reports; develop a budget; and create, package and market the product. The winning team from each competition will be awarded a $20,000 cash prize.

“These competitions give students real-world innovation experience and teach them how to take a product from concept to completion – all skills that will benefit them as they go out into the workplace,” said Katharine Woodhead, competition project coordinator. “Many of the most successful teams have been the ones made up of students from different majors and backgrounds because their multitudes of experience aid in the different aspects of the competition.”

Each team needs two faculty advisers – one technical and one non-technical – so professors and lecturers also are invited to the informational meeting.

“We need professors to step up to the challenge of advising teams,” Woodhead said. “It’s an extremely rewarding experience to help the students succeed in these competitions.”

In addition to the $20,000 cash prize for the winning team in each competition, teams may have an opportunity to network with large companies, some of which may be interested in commercializing the products. If a company is interested in commercializing a team’s product, Purdue will help with the patent process. If the company does buy the product rights, the students can receive a portion of the product’s sales royalties.

The Soybean Innovation Competition is sponsored by the Indiana Soybean Alliance. The Corn Product Innovation Competition is sponsored by the Indiana Corn Marketing Council. All supplies and lab fees are covered, so students’ only cost is energy and creativity.

For more information, visit the Student Soybean and Corn Product Innovation Competitions group on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/mla4yy, or contact Woodhead at 765-496-3837, kwoodhea@purdue.edu

Surplus U.S. crop means lower prices; need to stimulate use

admin — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:09:38 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — This year could be another record-setting year for U.S. corn production, said Purdue University’s Chris Hurt, who believes those numbers will be reflected in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Sept. 12 Crop Production report.

This year could be another record-setting year for U.S. corn production, said Purdue Extension agriculture economist, Chris Hurt.

USDA’s August estimate for corn was 159.5 bushels per acre for the average yield — 3 bushels per acre above trend — which was bold at that time, according to the Purdue Extension agriculture economist. As the crop progressed in August, Hurt questioned: “Is that number high enough? Is it fairly accurate? Has the crop improved, in terms of yield potential, since early August?”

“I think we’ll see the September estimate for corn at about 161.5 bushels per acre.”

He is aware some might not agree with the estimate, given the less than ideal crop year. Spring was extremely wet, preventing many farmers from getting into their fields on time.

However, Hurt believes the sufficient moisture and moderate weather conditions have given the crop an opportunity to increase the grain count for corn and the pod count for soybeans, as well as grain fill or the weight of the seed.

“We’ll see record yields on corn,” Hurt said. “Could this year end up being that mammoth of a yield like we had in 2004?”

He compares this year’s crop to then.

“A year much like this one, in terms of moderate weather during the growing season, 2004 ended with record yields at 160.4 bushels per acre,” Hurt said. “I think we’ll take that out in the September estimate at about 161.5.

“In looking back, the USDA weekly crop ratings track about like they did in 2004. It’s the best crop we’ve seen, and I think corn may end up slightly better this year, because in 2004 we saw declines in late August and on into September.”

Unless there is a frost, Hurt expects the crop to continue to look good and even improve a little.

Hurt also noted that in 2004, yields were about 10 percent above trend. If that were to happen again, that would put yields in the upper 160-bushel-per-acre range — close to 170 bushels per acre, he said.

“It’s too early to talk about yields that good, but we could certainly begin to think that there’s potential for yields to be in the mid-160s,” Hurt said. “I don’t think the market is thinking a number quite that high at this point. We would make new contract low prices on corn if it would move on up into the mid-160-bushel-per-acre range, and this means vulnerability on the downside of prices.”

For soybeans, the crop rating is the highest rating in recent years, Hurt pointed out.

In early August, USDA had soybean estimates at 41.7 bushels per acre, which was below trend, said Hurt, who believes they were right in their estimate.

“The beans had a long way to go, but they’ve come a long way since early August and from what can be seen on the weather forecast, weather is not going to be a threatening factor in September,” Hurt said. “I think we can be above trend this year. The previous record is 43 bushels per acre, and I’m looking for the USDA’s September number to push us on up — eventually going above that 43-bushel-per-acre record yield range going into October.”

This means there is going to be a lot of corn and soybeans, and prices are going to decrease to get end users to come in and buy more of this crop, Hurt explained.

Soybean carryover may increase from extremely tight supplies of 110 million bushels in early September, according to Hurt, who expects to see that triple and move up to 300 million bushels by the end of the 2009-2010 marketing year.

“Again, there are some price depressing forces on soybeans, but the worst might not come until we see the size of the South American crop as we go into January, February and March of 2010,” he said.

From a strategy standpoint, Hurt said this year has a different look.

“We’re likely to see good returns for corn storage — depressed prices at harvest time and above normal price appreciation going into next spring and summer,” he said. “With soybeans, we have the threat of a return to normal yields in South America and that alone would add about 800 billion bushels more world production.

“The fear then is that our exports really drop off for soybeans in the spring and summer of 2010 and we actually end up seeing lower prices. If soybean prices are around $9 out of the field this fall, we could see soybeans under $9 next spring and summer.”

However, he said a lot will depend on world demand, the value of the dollar and the ultimate size of the U.S. and South American crops.

“We’re really in a different situation now than we’ve been in,” Hurt said. “The last three years, we’ve tended to see shortages in the world market and prices had to be high to get end users to cut back.

“Now we are on the other side. Big crops in the United States could mean that we have to depress prices to get more end users to come into the market and, for now, it looks like we’ve tilted a little bit back to the old days of surplus production and lower prices to stimulate use.

Crop yield estimates to highlight annual state fair report

admin — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:17:31 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A slow start to spring planting led to a mad dash by farmers to finish in June, followed by cool and wet weather that hampered crop development. Those wild fluctuations in the 2009 crop season will provide the backdrop for fall crop yield projections that will be presented Aug. 12 at the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis.

The annual crop report takes place at 9:30 a.m. in the Pioneer Our Land Pavilion and is open to the public. Speakers include Chris Hurt, Purdue University agricultural economist; Greg Preston, Indiana director of the National Agricultural Statistics Service; and Anne Hazlett, director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. Jay Akridge, Purdue’s Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture, will moderate the panel discussion.

Crop report panelists will analyze that morning’s U.S. Department of Agriculture crop production numbers and what that data means for Indiana.

“The August crop report is one of the most anticipated in years,” Hurt said. “It will provide an evaluation of the actual acres that finally got planted this spring and what the cool summer means to yield potential.

“Just one year ago, the world was fearfully short of basic foodstuffs. This year, much better world harvest and improved prospects for U.S. production appear to have reduced the fear of supply shortages. Large crops will help reduce food price inflation, which has been a concern over the past year.”

Preston said spring planting started late across much of Indiana.

“On June 1, the amount of corn planted was 17 days behind the average five-year pace,” he said. “For soybeans, on June 1 we were 14 days behind for the five-year average.”

Lower-than-average temperatures after planting extended corn and soybean crop development, Preston said.

“By the end of July, crop development was still behind last year’s pace and about half as far along as where we would be for the five-year average,” he said.

The crop report starts 30 minutes before the Pioneer Our Land Pavilion officially opens. Those attending the meeting should enter at the main entrance on the building’s south side.

Those with Internet access also can follow the report on Twitter, the social networking Web site. Regular “tweets” will be posted throughout the meeting on the Purdue Extension Twitter feed. To receive the Twitter posts, visit http://twitter.com/PurdueExtension and request to “follow” the feed. Users must already have set up a free Twitter account.

Agricultural economists discuss USDA report in live Webcast

admin — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 22:33:31 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Two Purdue University agricultural economists will crunch U.S. Department of Agriculture planting intentions data and share their insights during an online meeting from 7-9 p.m. March 31.

Chris Hurt and Corinne Alexander will discuss the USDA’s “Prospective Plantings” report and offer marketing strategies on the same day the report is issued. Online participants can ask questions electronically and view and print Hurt’s and Alexander’s PowerPoint presentation. The meeting will be conducted using Adobe Connect, a Web conferencing program.

To participate in the live online meeting or watch an archived version later, log onto https://gomeet.itap.purdue.edu/march31outlook. Some county offices of Purdue Extension also plan to host the live Webcast. For more information, contact a Purdue Extension office.

The annual “Prospective Plantings” report estimates how many acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and other crops American farmers expect to plant each year. Acreage projections are based on a survey the USDA conducts with farmers across the country.

“The report is the first indication of what farmers are actually going to plant this year,” Alexander said. Farmers and commodities traders pay close attention to the planting intentions report, she added.

“We expect the report to have a major impact on markets,” Alexander said. “If you think back over the last couple of years, we’ve seen major acreage swings on the order of millions of acres moving out of corn or soybeans, or back into corn and soybeans and wheat, as well. We’re expecting the same sort of massive acreage shifts this year.”

In the 2008 planting intentions report, the USDA estimated that the nation’s farmers would plant 86 million acres of corn, 74.8 million acres of soybeans and 63.8 million acres of wheat. Farmers eventually planted 85.9 million acres of corn, 75.7 million acres of soybeans and 63.1 million acres of wheat.

Large acreage shifts are likely this year, Alexander said.

“We at Purdue are estimating that corn acreage will be down nationwide by about 1 million acres, soybeans will be up by 6 million acres and wheat will be down by 4 million acres,” Alexander said.

Those interested in watching the Purdue online meeting should have DSL/high-speed Internet access. Computers must have Adobe Flash Player installed to receive the Adobe Connect program. A free plug-in download of Adobe Flash Player is available at http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/

When logging in for the meeting, computer users should click “Enter as a Guest,” enter their name and then click the “Enter Room” button. Make sure computer speakers are plugged in and turned on to hear the presentation.

The 2009 USDA “Prospective Plantings” report can be accessed after 8:30 a.m. EST March 31 online at http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1136

New Corn and Soybean Field Guide available

admin — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 03:59:15 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The 2009 edition of the “Corn & Soybean Field Guide,” a pocket reference that covers corn and soybean production issues, is now available for sale.

The guide, created and distributed by Purdue University’s Crop Diagnostic Training and Research Center, is a handy resource for determining stages of plant development and identifying weeds, insects and plant diseases, as well as plant injury and deficiency symptoms. Center director Corey Gerber said pictures in the guide have been especially helpful to its users.

“The photos help identify types of pests, plant deficiencies and injuries, either related to herbicides or weather,” Gerber said. “The guide is small enough that people can take it to the field and use it as a source on the spot.”

The 2009 guide includes a few new items, including updated nitrogen recommendations and photos of early stage lesions for plant diseases on corn. Gerber said these photos would aid crop advisers, scouts and farmers in diagnosing issues early, allowing ample time to manage problems.

The guide is $6 and can be purchased online or by phone. To purchase online, go to http://www.extension.purdue.edu/store and search for product code ID-179. To order by phone, call (888) EXT-INFO (398-4636).

Yields surprising for Indiana variety trials, despite challenges

admin — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:51:18 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Crop growers now have access to the 2008 variety trial yield results for corn and soybean varieties tested in Indiana.

“As with a lot of people, this year we had challenges, but the yields are much better than anticipated,” said Phil DeVillez, director of Purdue’s Crop Performance Program.

DeVillez and his team tested 240 corn hybrids at 12 sites and about 200 soybean hybrids at nine sites.

2008 variety trial yield results for corn and soybean varieties tested in Indiana are available at the Purdue Crop Performance Program Web site.

Yield data is available at the Purdue Crop Performance Program Web site, http://www.agry.purdue.edu/pcpp/. The variety trial results are free for farmers.

“The best thing a grower can do when contemplating varieties, is to compare this year’s data to last year’s data,” he said. “Always look at multi-year data.

“Something that was on top last year could be in the middle of the pack or even on the bottom this year, in terms of performance. It all depends on the planting date, growing season and the rain patterns.”

DeVillez said the past two years have been very different. If a variety is at the top in terms of performance both last year and this year, then you can feel confident about it being a good variety for the area.

For additional information and questions about how to interpret the data, contact DeVillez at (765) 583-1406 or pld@purdue.edu.

“We learned that good yields can still be achieved with late planting,” he said. “We replanted three of our locations (Butlerville, Shelburn and Vincennes) and probably should have replanted a fourth, but we just didn’t have enough time.

“We planted our plot here in West Lafayette May 29, which is a good month behind normal, so we didn’t expect yields to be very good on that plot. Our last planting date was June 12.”

DeVillez said the plot at the Purdue Agronomy Farm yielded more than 200 bushels of corn an acre. He attributes the surprisingly good yields to September’s warm weather, as well as improved genetics and the insect resistance with which they’ve been bred.

“If you look back, September was really warm and that helped us catch up in terms of growing degree days,” he said. “Because the crop was planted late and was still maturing, it worked out quite well, other than putting us behind for harvest.

“We didn’t start harvest until Oct. 1. Typically, we start sometime during the first week of September.”

DeVillez said the data is very representative of the state this year.

This also was the first year for the Farmer Nominated Variety Program, which is a partnership between the Indiana Soybean Alliance and Purdue Agronomy. This year, 16 soybean varieties were entered into the trials and DeVillez hopes to see that number grow next year. The program, designed to ensure producers have an objective source of information about the plant health and yield characteristics of individual soybean varieties, is funded by checkoff dollars.

“It basically allows farmers to have input about what varieties will be tested,” DeVillez said. “If you have a favorite variety that’s not included in the program because the company doesn’t participate or chooses not to put it in the test, then you can nominate it.”

For more information about the Farmer Nominated Variety Program, contact the Indiana Soybean Alliance at (800) 735-0195 or DeVillez.

Extensive spring floods delay Indiana soybean planting

admin — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:22:39 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — As rain-soaked soils begin to dry in Indiana, farmers with soybean acreage left to plant should now be planting mid-season soybean varieties, said a Purdue University expert.

“In general, total rainfall across the southern third of the state is running as much as 10 to 15 inches above normal for the year with extensive flooding,” said Purdue agronomist Ellsworth Christmas. “Soybean planting has obviously been delayed and has now been delayed long enough for farmers to consider changing maturity groups.”

But because mid-season soybean varieties tend to yield lower than full-season varieties, Christmas suggests planting a few extra.

“Seeding rates should be increased by 15 to 20 percent to promote shading, taller plants, and increased pod height and number of nodes per acre,” he said. “This will help offset the reduced yields caused by delayed planting.”

Planting later than normal does mean that farmers will be harvesting crops a little bit later, but Christmas said harvest shouldn’t be delayed the same amount of time as planting.

“Unlike corn, which requires a certain number of growing degree days to mature, soybeans are more sensitive to day length,” he said. “As the day length shortens later in the growing season, soybean maturity speeds up. In general, for each three days planting is delayed, harvest is delayed only one day.”

While there is still time for farmers to get their soybeans into the ground, Christmas warned that there does come a point when late becomes too late.

“A commonly used rule of thumb to stop planting soybeans is 90 days prior to the first 32 degree frost for a given area within the state,” Christmas said. “This means that the cutoff date for the Bluffton area in northeastern Indiana is June 30, while in the Lafayette area it is July 5. Soybean planting should cease in most of the southern half of Indiana by July 10, except for the southwest corner, where planting can occur up until July 15.”

Delayed planting may be blessing in disguise for soybeans

admin — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:14:55 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Even though planting soybeans earlier has been an increasing trend for growers, a Purdue University expert said this year’s delayed planting may be more beneficial than detrimental.

The abundance of rain that has washed over the Midwest has caused planting delays in many states. Indiana and Ohio have 19 percent and 21 percent, respectively, of the intended soybean crop planted, according to the latest report from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Statistics Service. Combined, this means that nearly 7 million acres are not yet planted.

“But this late planting may be a blessing in disguise,” said Ellsworth Christmas, Purdue Extension soybean specialist. “Soybean seed quality is horrendous.

“Don’t get me wrong, there is some good quality seed, but an awful lot of it is just marginal. And that poor quality seed is at much greater risk to rot and disease, especially if it has to sit in the ground for several days.”

Purdue research shows that growers should plant soybeans between April 25 and May 10 to obtain the highest yield potential.

“We found that planting after May 10 leads to a 0.5 percent yield reduction per day,” said Andrew Robinson, an agronomy student who examined the relationship between planting dates and yield. “And, planting after early June results in a yield reduction of 1 percent to 1.5 percent per day.”

Robinson and Christmas agree that if this is the case, with new crop soybeans at $12 a bushel and an average yield of 50 bushels per acre, a 0.5 percent yield reduction per day is a loss of .25 bushels per acre per day or $3 per acre per day. For a 1,000-acre soybean farm, that’s a loss of $3,000 every day soybeans aren’t in the ground.

However, as long as growers are prepared to plant as soon as the ground is ready, that may not hold true with this year’s weather situation, Christmas said.

Robinson’s research showed that planting in late May or early June resulted in a 10 percent to 15 percent total decrease in yield.

“This could be attributed to having a shorter growing season, and the length of day probably played an important role at inducing flowering earlier and causing the plant to develop quicker,” Robinson said.

Robinson’s two-year study confirms what farmers already suspected – planting soybeans earlier, but not too early, produces better yields.

Robinson planted soybeans in 2006 and 2007 on six different planting dates, starting at the end of March and planting one acre every two weeks through the first week of June. Three varieties were planted each time: an earlier maturing variety, an average maturing variety and a late maturing variety.

Robinson not only looked at the relationship between yield and planting date, but also at how protein and oil content changed with the planting date. Researchers observed that at earlier planting dates, oil content was higher than at later planting dates and that protein content was opposite.

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