Soybean Planting Off to a Slow Start for 2013?

For farmers in the country’s breadbasket, it’s always more important to get the corn crop planted and underway before anything else, and that includes soybeans…  Corn has been off to a slow start this year due to the drought conditions, and then the floods that have inundated the Mississippi River and its tributaries this spring.  When the ground is too wet, as well as too dry, it makes it very hard to get seeds planted under optimum growing conditions.

Early planting of soybean crops helps improve yield potential and is definitely preferred, but corn loses yield faster than soybean so it’s important to take care of that crop first and get it planted.  The period from mid-April to the first week of May provides the best chance for higher yields for both crops. If waiting until the end of May to plant soybeans, there is a loss in potential corresponding to about 15$.  However, for corn crops, that loss in potential rises to 25% for planting that late in the season.  

In cases of high drought conditions early in the season with adequate rain in July and August, early planting can actually decrease potential yields since extended stress through flowering causes the plant to lose its ability to respond favorably to improved conditions once they appear.  On the other hand, an early wet season followed by dry weather actually benefits early planting and the yields expected.

Hopefully this season will be much wetter than the last year or two, and so far it’s definitely an improvement!  However, it may take quite some time to overcome the incredibly dry stretch we’ve had to deal with in many states in the U.S. recently.  “Normal” conditions may require a new definition and new reality for many North American farmers.

How the Right Produce Distribution Software Can Help Your Company Thrive!

The produce industry in general has not been as excited to upgrade computer systems and software as other industries, but that doesn’t make it any less necessary!  The world is changing at the speed of light, and staying current with today’s technology is vital for a company to stay competitive in any industry!  Picking the right produce distribution software for your company may take a little time and research, but it will be well worth it after it has been implemented and working.

A large to mid-sized produce company will have different needs from a much smaller company.  Larger volumes usually require more advanced inventory tracking solutions and highly sophisticated software in order to download information about their transactions and/or clients that smaller volumes would need.  So, there is a scaling range for software needs, and because of that smaller companies usually end up paying more money than they need to for options and features that aren’t required for them to properly run their businesses.  

Finding the right software to specifically meet your needs can be tough to do, but not impossible.  There are quite a few smaller produce companies that rely on QuickBooks or a similar ERP as their inventory control software, but are looking for a robust online ordering software solution so that their customers have the ability to place an order for their products on a website instead of having to phone in their orders all the time.

They may be looking for certain features such as quality customer service so that they don’t have to spend time handling that.  They may want to be able to separate items into cases, or even to break down cases into individual items.  The software should be very easy to use, so that the average customer will not have to spend much time at all to learn and master.  For the advanced user, there should be a good reporting feature where accurate and high-quality reports can be created at the touch of a button.

These and many other features may be all that a smaller company is looking for in a robust produce software system, however, many software companies will provide many more bells and whistles which also raises the price way up!  As an end result, they are now paying for something that they didn’t request and don’t need.  That’s not good business for any company!

Enter Intalogix, the perfect solution for most small to mid-sized produce companies!  Intalogix caters to all levels of clients, but specializes in providing just the right amount of reporting, features, and benefits that a smaller company needs to prosper!  Intalogix offers the OneLink product for online ordering and customer service, and this highly popular piece of software has been an industry leader for more than 13 years!  Check it out at http://www.itlgx.com, and request your free demo now!

Corn Crop Planting Behind Last Year’s Pace

The newly released USDA Crops Progress report that just came out on April 22^nd (2013) is showing that the spring corn planting is behind schedule from the same time last year, with less than 1% completed.  The change over from extreme drought to excessive rainfall and flooding has been huge, and has slowed down the pace so that farmers can get a better grasp on how to proceed with these weather conditions.  The ground seems to be significantly wet in many areas, but the unknown still persists as to how the rest of the spring and summer will shape up for crops.

The largest corn state is Iowa, and they have only planted 8% of their corn crop because of recent high rainfall, compared to a five year average of 14%.  Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri are doing much better and are well above half planted as of this time.  Over a five year period, the average for planting corn is only 16% for the states that typically grow 92% of U.S. corn, but this year that number is up to 26%.  So we are doing well compared to the longer term, but not compared to the previous year.

Wheat conditions are similar to last year but also show signs of improvement.  Overall, this year is shaping up to be better than last year, but it is still very early to know for sure if the long duration drought conditions have broken enough to allow a good planting and growing season to develop.  More rainfall is needed over the next few months in sufficient quantities before an end can be declared to this devastating drought.

Some states are doing much better than others however, and South Carolina and Georgia have had an incredible fall and winter of rains that have deluged the states.  The drought has either been officially declared over for them, or at least well on the way out.  The mid-west states, and Texas in particular, are still undergoing dry conditions which could persist into the summer.  

Produce wholesalers who may be looking for a great online ordering software solution for their customers should give Intalogix Corporation a good look!  Their OneLink software is a long-term leader in the industry, and has a reputation for providing fantastic customer service in addition to a simple, yet very robust product that is very easy to use!  OneLink is easily the most cost effective software solution in the industry!

Drought of 2013 Turning Into the Flood of 2013?

It is very hard to believe that at the beginning of 2013 the mighty Mississippi River was at its lowest level in many years, but just four months later it is at one of its highest!  In January, water levels were at the 9^th lowest ever since records have been kept, with a measurement of -4.57 feet.  This is just 1.6 feet above the all-time low record set in 1940 during the dust bowl!  However, the record rains and spring snowstorms are presently flooding the Mississippi to high levels, to a height of 45 feet more than at the first of the year!  The forecast is calling for the 8^th largest flood ever since records were kept.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is hard at work trying to control the waters and alleviate any potential stresses on the dams along the river, but as was the case in the past there are always unknowns and the possibility of breeches or supervised releases in order to save a greater area from flooding.  This has the obvious negative potential of causing major harm to certain farmland or fields where crops were recently planted or getting ready for cultivation.  Granted, the Mississippi River has always had this situation along its banks, and in most cases has relied on this new silt and rich mud to keep the soil enriched with nutrients.  This is a natural cycle of the area, and has kept the farmland very rich and productive.

However, farms today rely on other methods to enrich the soil, and the flooding of the river is something to avoid at all costs on their property.  The Army Corps of Engineers will almost always rule in favor of saving the buildings and houses of a city or town, and divert the excess water into the surrounding farmland.  In terms of property damage, this causes the least amount of losses, but it also leaves the farmers with a mess to clean up of their own.

A big question is, how will this massive spring flood affect the lingering drought of the last couple of years in the vast Midwest plains states?  Will it be enough to cycle out of this water free status and into a time of plentiful rain for the crops?  The drought was pretty severe, and it will take quite awhile of this type of rain activity to bring things back to a normal state, but it can definitely help!

The last year or two have brought crop disasters in multiple successions, and it would be nice to finally break free of this cycle that has hurt both farmers and ranchers alike.  If we can just have plentiful rain this season, it may be enough to keep small to mid-size farms from folding up and selling out to other interests.  This is the heartland of America, and the breadbasket of the world!  With a little help from Mother Nature we can make sure it stays that way!

Intalogix Produce Software Welcomes a New Company President!

Great things are happening here at Intalogix Corporation as we ramp up our activities and hires in preparation for rollouts of new and upgraded software in the coming months ahead!  2013 is going to be a record breaking year with our anticipated new mobile version of our OneLink online ordering software, where customers will not have to be sitting in front of a desktop computer in order to place their orders!  In addition, Intalogix will be adding new services and abilities to our menu of client options, and implementing ground breaking new software applications for the fresh produce industry!

We here at Intalogix are very excited about the future, and we expect great things ahead!  In support of our recently expanded goals, please help me welcome to the team our new company president, George Bechtold!  George will be in directly in charge of honing Intalogix into a fully multi-faceted corporation with expanded functionality and depth than our core products entail.  He comes to us with a vast background in project management, information technology, networking, and financial management!  After a long and exhausted search, George was selected from a pool of highly qualified candidates to help lead Intalogix into the future, and to accelerate growth and help provide direction to the company.

Intalogix Inc. is already an industry leader in the fresh produce software arena, but we are never resting on our laurels.  Always expect us to be on the cutting edge in terms of the quality of service and commitment to our customers, and to be constantly upgrading our current software and to be looking for ways we can help solve problems by providing new software solutions.  Look for us to be expanding in many new areas and parts of the world in order to expand our brand and presence!

The Intalogix OneLink online ordering software and customer service system is one of our most sought after products in the produce industry, and is definitely the leader among small to mid-sized wholesale produce companies!  Our economical price, ease of use and design, and simplicity of use with customers, are among the leading reasons wholesalers flock to our product!  If you are a wholesale produce or food distributor that is currently not using an online system for your customers, or you are shopping around for a new or better one, then please keep Intalogix in mind!  Call us for a free demo, or visit our website at http://www.itlgx.com to find out more and to request a free demo!  More than likely, OneLink is just the tool your company needs to help it grow!