Subject: Oklahoma's Farm News Update
From: Ron Hays <ronphays@cox.net>
Date: 4/6/2020, 5:01 AM
To: ron@ronhays.com



 
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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.
 

 
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Today's First Look:
mornings with cash and futures reviewed- includes where the Cash Cattle market stands, the latest Feeder Cattle Markets Etc.
 
 
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 yesterday afternoon around 3:30 PM.
 
 
Okla Cash Grain:  
Daily Oklahoma Cash Grain Prices- as reported by the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture.
 
  
Futures Wrap:  
Our Daily Market Wrapup from the Radio Oklahoma Network - analyzing the Futures Markets from the previous Day.
 
Feeder Cattle Recap:  
The National Daily Feeder & Stocker Cattle Summary- as prepared by USDA.
 
Slaughter Cattle Recap: 
The National Daily Slaughter Cattle Summary- as prepared by the USDA.
 
TCFA Feedlot Recap:  
Finally, here is the Daily Volume and Price Summary from the Texas Cattle Feeders Association.
 


 
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Ron Hays, Senior Farm Director and Editor

KC Sheperd, Associate Farm Director and Editor

Sam Knipp, Farm Editor
 
Pam Arterburn, Calendar and Template Manager
 
Dave Lanning, Markets and Production

Oklahoma's Latest Farm and Ranch News
 
Your Update from Ron Hays of RON
   Monday, April 6, 2020

Howdy Neighbors! 

Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update. 
 

U.S. pork exports posted the third largest month on record in February while U.S. beef exports also recorded double-digit gains from a year ago, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Through February, exports of both pork and beef are on a record pace and account for a growing share of record-large U.S. production.

February pork exports reached 273,056 metric tons (mt), up 46% from a year ago, valued at $726.6 million (up 59%), trailing only the volume and value totals from December 2019 and January 2020. For the first two months of the year, pork exports exceeded last year's pace by 41% in volume (546,659 mt) and 54% in value ($1.47 billion).

Pork export value per head slaughtered was $67.77 in February, up 50% from a year ago and the highest since 2014. The January-February average was $65.02, up 45%. Exports accounted for just under 33% of total February pork production and nearly 30% for muscle cuts only, the highest on record and up substantially from last year (24% and 21%, respectively). The January-February ratios were 31.3% of total production and 28.6% for muscle cuts, up from 23.8% and 20.6%, respectively, in 2019.

U.S. beef exports also achieved outstanding growth in February, increasing 18% from a year ago to 112,021 mt and climbing 17% in value ($681 million). These results pushed January-February volume 10% above last year's pace at 219,395 mt and 11% higher in value ($1.35 billion).
Beef export value per head of fed slaughter was $343.03 in February, up 11% from a year ago and the highest since December 2018. The January-February average was $321.86, up 7%. Exports accounted for 15.3% of total February beef production, up from 13.9% a year ago, and 12.4% for muscle cuts only (up from 11%). Through February, exports accounted for 14.1% of total beef production and 11.5% for muscle cuts, up from 13.5% and 10.7%, respectively, last year.

With COVID-19 dominating all news headlines, including those related to global trade, USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom said the February export results confirmed that global demand for high-quality protein remains strong and resilient.


Sponsor Spotlight
 

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They would like to thank all of you who participated in their 2019 Tulsa City Farm Show. 
 
Up next will be the Oklahoma City's premier spring agricultural and ranching event with returns to the State Fair Park June 18-19-20, 2020.
 
Now is the ideal time to contact the Midwest Farm Show Office at 507-437-7969 and book space at the 2020 Oklahoma City Farm Show.  To learn more about the Oklahoma City Farm Show, click here




In light of how things have significantly changed around the world in the last 30 days due to the COVID-19 crisis , the number of corn and soybean acres farmers said they would plant this year, as indicated in the March 31 USDA Prospective Plantings Report, could change before spring planting gets underway. That was one of the key points brought out during a University of Illinois Extension farmdoc webinar April 3 featuring Rob Johansson, USDA chief economist.

Things have changed since late February and early March when farmers completed the plantings survey, Johansson said. For example, soybeans have strengthened relatively to corn since early February, suggesting those two acreage numbers could change in the next report.

The USDA's prospective plantings survey results indicate farmers intend to plant 97 million acres of corn, and 83.5 million acres of soybeans. Compared to USDA's February estimates, corn planted acres increased by 3 million. The report also indicates farmers intend to plant 7.3 million more corn acres than in 2019, a projected 8% year-over-year increase. The prospective soybean acres are 1.5 million acres fewer than USDA's February estimates, but up 7.4 million acres, or 10%, compared to 2019's significantly low soybean production year of 76.1 million planted acres.

The numbers suggest farmers may move more acres into soybeans rather than corn this year.

The real challenge is trying to determine the COVID-19 impact on farmers' planting intentions. Johansson used the 2008-9 recession to draw some conclusions.

We did see a dramatic decline on cotton, dairy and cattle receipts at the height of that recession, Johansson said.
As global growth declines this year, we will likely see a quick recover moving out into 2021-22, he said.

The USDA chief economist also said the $9.5 billion tagged for agriculture producers in the CARES Act could be distributed to a wide array of producers.
The spending authority includes support for a broad range of ag producers, Johansson said.


Today I caught up with Dr. Derrell Peel, OSU Extension livestock economist, about moving forward during uncertain times.

Dr. Peel said we're in unprecedented territory for the cattle market. We've seen massive shocks in the market before, Peel said, but these were specific events and we were able to quickly think past the event.

"This one is different," Peel said. There is just a lot more uncertainty and it involves everyone, he said.

This time of year, we normally see producers moving cattle off wheat pasture, but stocker feeder prices are in the dumps right now. Can producers wait until prices improve?

"I think waiting this out in the short run for the next 30 to 60 days, is not an option," Peel said. "I see little prospects in things letting the market rebound significantly in that time period."

Unfortunately, the uncertainty ramps up in the mid-term, around 6 months out.
In some ways, the period 2 to 9 months out, is more uncertain," Peel said. "At some point we are going to peak but when will that happen. It's even a bigger challenge as we try to figure out how this will play out," Peel said.

The OSU economists advises producers to stay in a "defensive" mode and put any expansion plans on hold.


USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) is authorizing self-certification on replant inspections and waiving witness signatures in certain situations as part of a broader suite of flexibility to support producers during the coronavirus pandemic. Specifically, Approved Insurance Providers (AIPs) may allow the use of self-certification replant inspections for certain crops with 100 gross acres (before considering share) per unit in lieu of 50 acres, and they may waive the witness signature requirement for approval of Assignment of Indemnity through July 15, 2020, for applicable crop years.

"RMA recognizes the challenges the crop insurance industry and America's farmers and ranchers face," RMA Administrator Martin Barbre said. "We will continue to provide flexibility that supports the health and safety of all parties while also ensuring the Federal crop insurance program continues to serve as a vital risk management tool."

Many state and local governments have issued "stay-at-home" orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which may prevent loss adjusters from completing on-the-farm replant inspections and obtaining associated signatures required for replant certification purposes. In the absence of "stay-at-home" orders, loss adjusters and policyholders may also be prevented from meeting in person due to concerns of spreading COVID-19.


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From dairy farmers with nowhere to send their milk and cattle ranchers reeling from plummeting beef prices, the impact of the coronavirus is rippling through farm country. Corn, cotton and soybean futures have tumbled, ethanol plants have been idled, and some fruit and vegetable farmers are finding their best option is leaving produce in the field.

Price forecasts for most agricultural products are bleak. In the past month, dairy prices have dropped 26-36%, corn futures have dropped by 14%, soybean futures are down 8% and cotton futures have plummeted 31%. Hog futures are down by 31%. A surge in demand for beef emptied grocery store meat aisles, but there is no lack of supply. Despite a rise in retail prices in some areas, the prices paid to cattle ranchers have fallen 25%.

During a special teleconference with the media outlets, Two Farm Bureau members talked about their current situation while trying to navigate through the COVID-19 Challenges. Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays heard from James Alderman, a Vegetable farmer in Florida, and Peter Bakken, a Cattle farmer from Minnesota about the daily challenges they are facing on their farms. Click or tap the listen bar below to hear their comments.

Dairy producers were optimistic at the start of 2020 that it would be a turnaround year, with milk prices on the rise and feed costs holding steady. But hopes were dashed when the coronavirus quickly and dramatically impacted demand, disrupted supply chains and led to the 26-36% drop in prices. Schools, restaurants and universities that were among the main purchasers of milk and milk products were suddenly shuttered, leaving dairy farmers with far more milk than plants are capable of processing. The sometimes-empty supermarket milk coolers reflect supply chain adaptation challenges, not lack of supply. Experts do not expect retail demand for dairy to make up for lost food service and restaurant demand.




As the Coronavirus Pandemic rages- there has been discussion about the ability of custom harvest crews to travel as they normally do- starting in Texas harvesting hard red winter wheat in a matter of weeks. OSU Extension Grain Market Economist Dr. Kim Anderson called it a possible "concern" for Oklahoma wheat producers, who will see their wheat ready for the combines to pull into their fields by the end of May or the first of June.


Well- the US Custom Harvesters are taking exception to that worry- saying that concern is NOT going to happen, because U.S. custom harvesters WILL BE right there when you need them.

Mandi Sieren, Operations Manager for US Custom Harvesters traded emails with me last week and offered this response to Dr. Anderson's commentary- "We have plenty of crews that will make this happen(meaning harvest). And if one won't, that's what our organization is here for. We have many farmers call us looking for a harvester and they find one. "So just because of COVID, there's no reason to put a fear out there that custom harvesters won't come south."

U.S. Custom Harvesters is a company based our of Turon, Kansas. They are a member's based organization that has around 400 harvester members and a little over 200 associate members. U.S. Custom Harvesters, Inc. is a non-profit association of professional harvesters (combine, forage, hay, and cotton), all serving the needs of the American farmer.

Director, Raph Jolliffe says the goal is to make harvesting easier for farmers by freeing up their time and resources, "Harvesting is a very labor-intensive time of the year, very equipment intensive-capital intensive time of the year. So if you are in the market, you can hire a harvester. Now you've taken all the extra equipment out of the shed, all the money off the banknote, and you don't have all the headache of harvest time. You've got somebody else that comes in, gets the job accomplished for you. Meanwhile, you are busy doing other chores that need to be accomplished while harvesting is happening and you don't lack on family time, and the rest of the operations around the farm that need to take place at the same time."


The deadline for students to apply to receive one of nine $1,000 college scholarships from the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee has been extended to April 30, 2020.

The Oklahoma Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee is now accepting applications for its annual $1,000 scholarships for high school seniors who will pursue a higher degree in agriculture after graduation.

Nine $1,000 scholarships, one from each OKFB district, will be awarded to high school seniors pursuing a career in agriculture at an Oklahoma institution of high learning as a full-time student.

Applications must be postmarked no later than April 30, 2020. Applicants must meet all of the following eligibility requirements:

Must be a graduating high school senior.
Must enroll full time in an agriculture program at an accredited Oklahoma institution of high learning.
Must be a member of a Farm Bureau family (father, mother or legal guardian memberships qualify; grandparents', siblings' or other relatives' memberships may not be used). Membership must remain in good standing for the duration of the scholarship.
Children of paid employees of Oklahoma Farm Bureau and Affiliated Companies are not eligible
Applicants must also provide the following materials along with the scholarship application:

A copy of the applicant's official high school transcript.
A copy of the applicant's resume with activities and honors listed.
Two character reference letters.
Three essays (500 words maximum), double-spaced, typed in Times New Roman, 12-point font.
No. 1: Explain your preferred career and describe why you have chosen it.
No. 2: How can Farm Bureau encourage young people to engage in agriculture?
No. 3: Explain how receiving this scholarship will help you achieve your educational goals.
The application can be found on the OKFB website at okfarmbureau.org/applications.


LinksLinks for Info to Help You Get Help and Relief from the Pandemic


There are getting to be more and more links to help you get help that in many cases will come from the $2 trillion CARES act. 

AND there are a lot of links with other good information during this time of social distancing and more.

Here are just a few links that may prove helpful:

USDA Coronavirus Webpages

Senator James Lankford Issues Page
(Note- Senator Inhofe's website directs you to the CDC website)

Congressman Frank Lucas on COVID-19 and Additional Links

Congressman Tom Cole- Link to the Federal Govt Website on COVID-19

CDC (Center for Disease Control)

Small Business Payroll Protection Plan Overview

American Farm Bureau on Farmers CAN Apply for Payroll Protection Plan

SBA Webpages on Small Business Payroll Protection Plan

State of Oklahoma Coronavirus Website

National Cattlemen's Beef Association Coronavirus Info

American Farm Bureau Impacts of COVID-10 on Ag

National Farmers Union- Their Actions on COVID-19


I know there are others- if you know of one that has a lot of good information for the agricultural community- please email me and I will share with your email family. 


Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K Equipment, AFR Insurance, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Great Plains Kubota, Stillwater Milling Company, National Livestock Credit CorporationOklahoma Beef Council, Oklahoma AgCredit, 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!


We also appreciate our Market Links Sponsor - OKC West Livestock! 
 
 
We invite you to check out our website at the link below too that includes an archive of these daily emails, audio reports and top farm news story links from around the globe.   
 

 
God Bless! You can reach us at the following:  
 
phone: 405-473-6144
 

 



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