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We invite you to listen to us on great radio stations across the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network weekdays- if you missed this morning's Farm News - or you are in an area where you can't hear it- click here for this morning's Farm news from Ron Hays on RON.
Let's Check the Markets!
OKC West is our Market Links Sponsor- they sell cattle three days a week- Cows on Mondays, Stockers on Tuesday and Feeders on Wednesday- Call 405-262-8800 to learn more.
Today's First Look:
mornings with cash and futures reviewed- includes where the Cash Cattle market stands, the latest Feeder Cattle Markets Etc.
The HUGE cattle runs this week continued on Tuesday at OKC West- 6,000 for their calf run- Compared to last Tuesday: Steer and heifer calves sold unevenly steady as buyers were being very cautious especially about days weaned and flesh conditions. Demand good to very good to very good for light weight weaned calves; light to moderate for fleshy calves. Click here for the Tuesday sales as reported by USDA Market News.
Each afternoon we are posting a recap of that day's markets as analyzed by Justin Lewis of KIS futures- click here for the report posted Tuesday December 10th..
Okla Cash Grain:
Futures Wrap:
Feeder Cattle Recap:
Slaughter Cattle Recap:
TCFA Feedlot Recap:
Our Oklahoma Farm Report Team!!!!
Ron Hays, Senior Farm Director and Editor
Pam Arterburn, Calendar and Template Manager
Dave Lanning, Markets and Production
Kane Kinion, Web and Email Editorial Assistant
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Oklahoma's Latest Farm and Ranch News
Your Update from Ron Hays of RON
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
See You There!!!
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Howdy Neighbors!
Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update.
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 Featured Story:
Top trade officials from the U.S., Mexico and Canada finalized a sweeping agreement to update the old NAFTA trade deal in an unusual alliance that won the backing of the powerful AFL-CIO labor federation, President Donald Trump and House Democrats.
The pact appears to have widespread support in the House and Senate, giving Trump a major domestic policy victory and moderate Democrats something to sell back home as Washington is consumed by impeachment.
The deal didn't come easy - and it was on the brink of death multiple times over the past year. Getting to yes required negotiations with an ideologically diverse coalition that included congressional Democrats, organized labor and Mexico's private sector, Canadian ministers and Trump's hard-charging U.S. trade representative, Robert Lighthizer.
United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer issued the following statement today on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement:
"Thanks to President Trump's leadership, we have reached an historic agreement on the USMCA. After working with Republicans, Democrats, and many other stakeholders for the past two years we have created a deal that will benefit American workers, farmers, and ranchers for years to come. This will be the model for American trade deals going forward."
You can read more from Lighthizer regarding the movement on USMCA, by clicking or tapping here.
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Several members of Congress have praised the word that an USMCA deal has happened.
Here are a few of those comments:
Today, House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member K. Michael Conaway released the following statement upon news of a deal on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement:
"Today's announcement of a deal on USMCA is news America's farmers and ranchers have been waiting over a year for. I appreciate the work of President Trump and Ambassador Lighthizer in delivering on the promise of an improved trade agreement with Canada and Mexico. I urge Speaker Pelosi to quickly schedule a vote on USMCA."
Congressman Frank Lucas (OK-03) released the following statement regarding the conclusion of negotiations for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement:
"Today's announcement that negotiations around USMCA have concluded is excellent news for trade in North America. America's farmers and manufacturers have waited far too long for a modernized trade agreement guaranteed to increase agricultural exports and spread economic prosperity across the country."
Lucas continued, "Immediate passage of this monumental agreement not only ensures the best for American trade, it strengthens our negotiation positions for other ongoing trade discussions. As China continues to distort trade relationships across the globe, the United States remains vigilant in protecting fair trade, competition, and free enterprise no matter the trading partner."
You can read more statements from the Oklahoma Congressional Delegation regarding USMCA, by jumping over to our website.
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It was announced yesterday that the US - Mexico - Canada Agreement has been finalized. The following statements are from organizations whom are very pleased with the progress made.
Jennifer Houston with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association(their President from Tennessee) issued these comments- "There is no higher policy priority for America's beef producers than maintaining our duty-free access to Canada and Mexico, and that's exactly what the USMCA will do. The Trump Administration and Speaker Pelosi deserve credit for working together to get this deal done, and now is the time for Congress to approve USMCA so our producers can move forward with the certainty they need and deserve."
Here in Oklahoma, AFR's Scott Blubaugh released a statement- saying in part "I am thrilled Congress and the White House have finally come to an agreement on USMCA," said AFR/OFU Cooperative President Scott Blubaugh. "While we didn't get everything we had hoped for, the agreement is a vast improvement over NAFTA and is a step in the right direction. This agreement should clear the way for a deal with China. Hopefully, this is the breakthrough America's farmers and ranchers have been looking for."
"U.S. wheat growers need to continue trading freely and fairly with Mexico, our largest international customer, and this agreement will finally end that uncertainty," said Doug Goyings, USW Chairman and a wheat farmer from Paulding, Ohio in his statement. "In addition, if U.S. farmers want to deliver wheat across the border to a Canadian elevator, and that wheat is on Canada's varietal registration list, under USMCA it will not be downgraded. We hope that this agreement will be approved and implemented quickly so we can move on to negotiating more high-quality trade agreements like USMCA that benefit our economy and our trading partners."
Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) president Dennis Slater issued the following statement today hailing a deal struck between House Democrats and the Trump Administration to move the USMCA closer to ratification:
"This is good news for equipment manufacturers, the 1.3 million men and women of our industry, and the entire U.S. economy," said Dennis Slater, president of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). "We're another step closer to getting the USMCA ratified. Getting this across the finish line will preserve duty-free market access to our most important trade partners, add more than $68 billion to the U.S. economy, and create 176,000 U.S. jobs."
Following the announcement, Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor issued a statement in support of USMCA:
"This is welcomed news for U.S agriculture and biofuel producers across North America," said Skor. "We have a rich history of trade with Mexico and Canada, and the USMCA strengthens that vital economic bond between our three nations. This was no easy feat, so we thank our champions in Congress and the administration for their tireless efforts to secure its approval and for pursuing much-needed economic opportunities for rural Americans."
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Populist Cattle Group R-CALF USA released the following comments following announcement of an agreement between House Democrats and the White House on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
"Once again the House of Representatives and the White House have reached an agreement on a measure that will provide windfall profits for Agribusiness giants at the expense of America's hard-working cattle farmers and ranchers.
"Although the U.S. cattle industry is the largest segment of American agriculture, making it an unsurpassed economic cornerstone for Rural America, the proposed USMCA does absolutely nothing to change provisions impacting cattle and beef trade between the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Click here to read more from R-CALF regarding their disappointment in USMCA.
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Sponsor Spotlight
The vision of the Oklahoma Beef Council is to be a positive difference for Oklahoma's farming and ranching families and the greater beef community and its mission is to enhance beef demand by strengthening consumer trust and exceeding consumer expectations. To learn more, visit www.oklabeef.org. Also, don't forget to like its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/oklabeef for stories on Oklahoma's ranching families and great beef recipes.
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The December Crop Production report features the cotton crop estimates for the calendar year- with the United States upland cotton production forecast at 19.5 million 480-pound bales, up 11 percent from last year's 17.6 million bales. Yield is expected to average 761 pounds per acre, down 86.0 pounds from 2018. Acreage expected for harvest is estimated at 12.3 million acres, 23 percent higher than last year.
Oklahoma Upland Cotton production totaled 650 thousand bales, 5 percent lower than 2018. Yield averaged 543 pounds per acre, compared with 595 pounds last year. Acreage harvested, at 575 thousand acres, is up 5 percent from last year.
You can read more about the 2019 cotton crop, and the full complete report from the USDA, by clicking or tapping here.
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Word came this last week that we are in the final steps to get the U.S./Japanese partial trade deal across the finish line and implemented. The deal was cut by President Trump and Prime Minister Shinz? Abe. Dan Halstrom, President, and CEO of the U.S. Meat Export Federation says this is excellent news, "I personally think this U.S./Japan agricultural agreement is probably the biggest positive thing that hit agriculture in 2019. This is a big deal in terms of getting us on a level playing field with our international competition. On the beef side, we are at 12.5/13% duty disadvantage to the Australians, to the Canadians, etc. On the pork side, we are also at a disadvantage on duty with season ground pork, processed pork products, and other items as well. This agreement will get us on a level playing field where we can compete, and we can excel in those segments we are focused on which is primarily the chilled beef programs and the chilled pork programs and also the processed pork that I mentioned earlier."
Halstrom said last year, Japan accounted for 3.7 billion dollars in export sales of beef and pork combined. He says they would like to grow that number closer to $5 billion in the next few years. It's not just the dollar amount, its also the profitability of the cuts that the Japanese prefer, "Not only is it good news in terms of the export quantity and export value, but keep in mind one of the largest margin opportunities for the industry is Japan. On a lot of fronts, this is really really good news."
Halstrom says that when the Trump administration backed out of the trans-pacific partnership, it was almost certain that we would start losing ground when it came to tariff rates to our major competitors, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and even Mexico. All these countries have a significant tariff advantage over U.S beef right now. Most recent U.S. meat export numbers through October showed about an 11% drop in U.S. beef exports compared to a year ago. We were down 2.5% for the year both on value and on the volume of U.S. beef overall. A big chunk of that is because we're falling behind in the Japanese Market.
You can listen to entire conversation between Halstrom and I on Tuesday's Beef Buzz - here.
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A drive down just about any highway in Oklahoma and drivers will spot litter along the way. A drive down more isolated roads will yield not only scattered litter, but a number of dump sites in the ditches. These dumps are not only unsightly and illegal, they also can cause damage to the environment.
Keima Kamara, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension assistant state specialist with the Solid Waste Management Program, said these sites can cause contamination of soil, ground water, drinking water wells, streams and rivers.
"It's not just that these illegal dumping areas are unsightly. There are other side effects, as well, including possible injury to children playing on or around the dump site, damage to plant and wildlife habitats and even a decrease in the quality of life to nearby residents and the local community," Kamara said.
Click here to read more about environmental law enforcement and how to register for the event.
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Oklahoma City Voters Pass Maps4 with a 71% Yes Vote- Includes Money for New Arena at Fairgrounds
The extra penny sales tax in Oklahoma City will remain in place for another eight years as Oklahoma City voters said yes at a record pace yesterday- with 71% approving the extension of the MAPS concept.
Money will be spread out across a lot of projects to make OKC a better destination for residents and those who come to visit- and of great interest to those who have traveled to the City and been at events at the State Fair Park- the extra penny will mean $63 Million dollars towards a new arena to replace the aging Norrick arena.
One of the eventual beneficiaries of that new arena will be the Oklahoma Youth Expo- as well as the many National Horse Shows that are so important to the economy of the region.
Here's a good story to read more on this vote- and a listing of the various projects that will be funded in the next several years.
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Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K Equipment, AFR Insurance, Oklahoma Pork Council, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Stillwater Milling Company, National Livestock Credit Corporation, Oklahoma Beef Council, Oklahoma AgCredit, Oklahoma Ag Mediation Program, Inc., the Oklahoma Cattlemens Association, and KIS Futures for their support of our daily Farm News Update. For your convenience, we have our sponsors' websites linked here- just click on their name to jump to their website- check their sites out and let these folks know you appreciate the support of this daily email, as their sponsorship helps us keep this arriving in your inbox on a regular basis- at NO Charge!
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phone: 405-473-6144
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