Howdy Neighbors!

Here's your morning farm news headlines from the Director of Farm Programming for the Radio Oklahoma Network, Ron Hays. We are pleased to have American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company as a regular sponsor of our daily update- click here to go to their AFR web site to learn more about their efforts to serve rural America!

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Scott George, Chairman of the Federation Division of the NCBA told the trade media on the call Friday afternoon that "Yesterday evening, our NCBA officers and the producer leaders who have worked hard to improve NCBA's governance structure have decided to suspend discussions about governance changes so that the Federation of State Beef Councils can clarify its roles and its wishes."
George told me in response to a question about the decision by the Executive Committee of the Cattlemen's Beef Board to call for a separation of the NCBA and the Federation of State Beef Councils that he is "disappointed with that resolution." He pointed out at the time of the merger in the 1990s that brought the old Beef Industry Council of the National Livestock and Meat Board that the CBB at that time "was on board" with the Federation becoming a part of the NCBA.

Click on the LINK below to read more about this decision- and we have the text of the full News Release offered by NCBA later on Friday afternoon about this decision as well. And, we have an audio overview that offers some of the key answers provided by NCBA during their call.

Click here for more on the decision by NCBA to suspend their efforts to restructure the organization.

Very much up in the air right now is the future of the Federation of State Beef Councils- one of the two key checkoff bodies that are a part of the act and order that put in the place the Beef Checkoff back in the 1980s. This group that has as its members the State Beef Councils has two key functions. First and foremost, it is responsible to elect to the Beef Checkoff Operating Committee ten of the members of that group of twenty. The other ten come from the Cattlemen's Beef Board- and these twenty beef leaders really decide how the national beef checkoff funds are spent- that is the fifty cents of each dollar that goes straight to the CBB. A portion of the other half of the dollar is voluntarily put into a common pot of money at the Federation by State Councils- and these monies may be added to the first fifty cents in the national effort.

In our conversation with Roberts- he defends the NCBA efforts to reorganize as something that would be good for the organization but also good for the beef industry as a whole. He cites the efficiencies that NCBA has brought to the beef checkoff as a combination of the major contractor for the checkoff as well as the location where the Federation is housed.
Click on the LINK below for our Ag Perspectives Podcast that features our conversation with Roberts on where he sees NCBA going next- and most importantly- where he sees the beef checkoff in all of this mess.

Click here for our Ag Perspectives Podcast with Forrest Roberts of the NCBA.

The Oklahoma Wheat Commission's report on Friday afternoon indicates that there are three regions that still had wheat to cut. One of those regions is Northwestern Oklahoma- "Estimates indicate this region is 85 percent done, give or take a few areas. This week has been a great one for harvesting wheat. High temperatures, low humidity and a nice breeze helped push harvest further along. Besides a few 55 to 65 bushels per acre yield reports, they have stayed constant in the 25 to 35 bushels per acre range. Test weights are averaging 58 pounds this week."

We also have information from the northeast and the Panhandle from the OWC report- and more details from Plains Grains as well- click on the LINK below to take a look at both of these reports.

Click here on harvest details for Oklahoma's wheat harvest 2010.

Buses will depart from the Comfort Inn in Claremore at 8 a.m. June 29.
Besides touring the facilities, the workshop will feature educational seminars about creating a successful agritourism business. The environment is tailored to encouraging networking between agritourism attractions, stimulating ideas and fostering partnership opportunities among peers.

I'm not sure that there are any seats left on the tour that heads out tomorrow morning- but check with Jeff Weeks at the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry at (405) 488-7532.

"During hot summer months, the water needed for a cow herd often determines several other management decisions. To best assess the adequacy of water quantities in surface water or from wells or "rural water" supplies, it first is necessary to have an idea of the amount needed for cattle of different sizes and stages of production that you may have during the summer on the ranch.

"A University of Georgia publication lists the estimated water requirements for cattle in different production stages if the daily high temperature is 90 degrees F. They suggest that amount of water required can be estimated by the production stage and the weight of the cattle. For instance, a growing animal or a lactating cow needs 2 gallons of water per 100 pounds of body weight. A non-lactating cow or bull needs just 1 gallon of water per 100 pounds of body weight. If you are estimating water needs for your cattle, be honest about the weight of the cows in the herd. Many cows today weigh 1200 pounds or more (some a lot more). Therefore expect that most spring calving cows will need at least 24 gallons per day for themselves and another 5 to 10 gallons of water for their calf. Also recognize that some summer days in Oklahoma get even hotter than the 90 degrees used in the Georgia paper. On days with extreme heat, expect the water usage to go up even further."

The USMEF, in a news release issued on Friday afternoon (click here to see the full release), says that Canada's government has pushed the right buttons with the Chinese to get to this place. "Canada has been very flexible in working with governments along the Pacific Rim to adapt agreements to regain access for Canadian beef," said USMEF officials, who believe the Canada/China agreement may be similar to the agreement which has produced the complete restoration of access for Canadian beef to the Hong Kong market. "This deal with China is the latest and most commercially significant breakthrough by the Canadian government on behalf of its beef industry, and appears to be a solution fashioned in recognition of the needs and expectations of China."

On the NCBA side of things- their President, Steve Fogelsong, fumed about the inability of the Obama Administration to get any traction on this issue- ""China is thwarting us almost across the board on animal agriculture trade issues, while the level of U.S. engagement has been poor at best. Over the past three years, and two administrations, we've seen little progress in opening the Chinese market to U.S. beef. While the Administration has said this is a priority, they have failed to take action, despite the fact that China represents one of the largest potential growth markets for our industry, worth in excess of $200 million."
Click here for the full statement from Fogelsong on this issue.

"INTIHUASI concentrates on water quality, genetic research, conservation techniques, and researching new and different possibilities for production. One such project is that of cactus fruit. They are specializing in sickness control and entomology within the main cash crop of table grapes and potatoes as well. The land within the area has a very high salt content, thus they are currently working on the development of plants and techniques which are resistant and tolerant to the conditions of the soil. Working with small producers and keeping them informed through monthly meetings is a top priority of INTIHUASI. They work to diffuse and transfer the latest in technology to the producers within this region which generates more than fifty percent of the income for inhabitants."

Click here for the OYE website pages on the OALE program.

We also invite you to check out our website at the link below to check out an archive of these daily emails, audio reports and top farm news story links from around the globe.

Click here to check out WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com

Here are some links we will leave in place on an ongoing basis- Click on the name of the report to go to that link:
Our Daily Market Wrapup from the Radio Oklahoma Network with Ed Richards and Tom Leffler- analyzing the Futures Markets from the previous Day-
Ron on RON Markets as heard on K101 mornings with cash and futures reviewed- includes where the Cash Cattle market stands, the latest Feeder Cattle Markets Etc.
Previous Day's Wheat Market Recap- Two Pager From The Kansas City Board of Trade looks at all three US Wheat Futures Exchanges with extra info on Hard Red Winter Wheat and the why of that day's market.
Daily Oklahoma Cash Grain Prices- As Reported by the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture. <
The National Daily Feeder & Stocker Cattle Summary- as prepared by USDA.
The National Daily Slaughter Cattle Summary- as prepared by USDA.
Finally, Here is the Daily Volume and Price Summary from the Texas Cattle Feeders Association.