Oklahoma's Latest Farm
And Ranch News
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Your Update from Ron Hays of RON
Thursday, December 3, 2020
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Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update.
- FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce Proud of How They Have Helped Farmers During This Challenging Year
- Ag Lawmakers and the Wheat Industry Cheer Passage of the Grain Standards Reauthorization Act
- Tale of Two Different Feeder Cattle Markets This Fall Says Dr. Derrell Peel
- NCBA Congratulates Rep. David Scott On His Nomination To Chair The House Agriculture Committee
- NMPF Awarded USDA Grant for Biosecurity
- Former FFA Advisor Jerry Renshaw Offers Career Ideas in the Ag Mechanics Arena
- This week's Ag in the Classroom is Featuring the Oklahoma Fruit of the Month---PLUMS!
- 39th Annual Oklahoma Select Bull and Female Sale and Super Bull Competition
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FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce Proud of How They Have Helped Farmers During This Challenging Year
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At the end of the day Richard Fordyce, administrator of the USDA Farm Service Agency, can look back on 2020 and be proud of how his staff has responded to the difficult challenges wrought by the pandemic.
Fordyce was recently interviewed by Radio Oklahoma Agriculture Network Associate Farm Director and Editor KC Sheperd.
The fact that we sent all of our folks home to work remotely when we have always been a face-to-face interaction business, really stands out, Fordyce said.
Folks were always available to meet farmers’ needs, he said.
Administration and implementation of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) presented a big challenge but Fordyce said he is proud of how USDA has met that challenge.
Sign up for the second round of CFAP ends Dec. 11 and just about every farmer is growing something that is eligible, he said.
For assistance with CFAP enrollment, Fordyce encouraged farmers to go to their website.
The FSA Administrator said how his team responded so well to the challenge will always be a memory for him.
The ability for them (USDA staff) to continue to deliver programs and serve the farmers has been tremendous he said.
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Dating back to 1891, Stillwater Milling Company has been supplying ranchers with the highest quality feeds made from the highest quality ingredients. Their full line of A & M Feeds can be delivered direct to your farm, found at their Agri-Center stores in Stillwater, Davis, Claremore and Perry or at more than 125 dealers in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Texas. We appreciate Stillwater Milling Company’s long time support of the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and we encourage you to click here to learn more about their products and services.
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Ag Groups Cheer Passage of the Grain Standards Reauthorization Act of S 4054
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House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson of Minnesota welcomed passage Wednesday of S.4054, the Grain Standards Reauthorization Act of 2020 in a statement on the House floor:
“The inspections provided by the Federal Grain Inspection Service define and classify grains as well as assign grades to specify weight and quality requirements, and these inspections provide a gold standard assurance backed by the Federal Government to both grain buyers and sellers,” Peterson said. “American grain farmers participate in a very competitive world, and foreign grain buyers should be confident in the process that we have in place to ensure our exports are adequately inspected.”
“The Grain Standards Reauthorization Act lays the foundation for grain and oilseed marketing benefiting the entire agricultural value chain. Passage of this legislation delivers regulatory stability and certainty for farmers, handlers, and processors.”
US Wheat Associates also provided the following statement, "“With our farmers facing tough economic challenges, including several years of low commodity prices and headwinds blowing against overseas demand, it is critically important that we at least maintain a smooth grain inspection system. We applaud Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate for working together to get this piece of legislation passed by the end of the year,” said NAWG President and Cass City, MI farmer Dave Milligan. “To maintain a properly functioning grain inspection system, NAWG encourages the President to sign this bill into law before the closing of 2020.”
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Tale of Two Different Feeder Cattle Markets This Fall Says Dr. Derrell Peel
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This fall’s feeder cattle market has been a mix of many variables and Dr. Derrell Peel, OSU Extension livestock market economist, said even though that is normal, the variability is even greater this year.
Anytime we look at the feeder cattle market you always have a mix of weights with young, new crop calves on one end and yearling cattle on the heavy end, Peel said.
And that’s particularly true in the fall when we are marketing our newly weaned calves, he said.
We’ve seen a pronounced difference in the lightweights and the heavyweights this year, he said.
There have been significantly higher prices on the lightweights but a flat market for the heavier caves, Peel said.
The OSU economist said it’s been the tale of two different feeder cattle markets with the different weight classes.
As we get to the end of the year, many producers may be asking “do I sell now or hold on a few months”?
Certainly, there is an opportunity now to sell with the run up in the lightweight calves, he said.
Backgrounding and retaining calves is extremely dynamic and depends on where you are at with the feed resources, he said.
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For our farmers who have either- always have had cotton on their farms- or those who have more recently have added the fiber crop to their operations- we have a new daily report starting to be heard on several of our Radio Stations- It's Called Cotton Talk- and we appreciate the Oklahoma Cotton Council for their support in making this a reality.
Click on the Button below to listen to our most recent report
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NCBA Congratulates Rep. David Scott On His Nomination To Chair The House Agriculture Committee
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The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) today issued the following statement in response to U.S. Representative David Scott (GA-13) being nominated by the Democratic Steering Committee to become the next Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee:
"Congressman Scott is a devoted friend of America’s cattle producers and I congratulate him on being selected by his colleagues to lead the House Agriculture Committee. His leadership and expertise on cattle issues demonstrates his commitment to helping producers succeed," said NCBA CEO Colin Woodall. "He is a consummate leader and an ideal choice to lead the committee. NCBA members are looking forward to the opportunity to continue working with him in the future
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We invite you to listen to us on great radio stations across the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network weekdays-
if you missed this morning's Farm News - or you are in an area where you can't hear it- click below for this morning's Farm news from Ron Hays and KC Sheperd on RON.
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Sponsor Spotlight
The Oklahoma Farm Bureau - a grassroots organization that has for its Mission Statement- “Improving the Lives of Rural Oklahomans." Farm Bureau, as the state's largest general farm organization, is active at the State Capitol fighting for the best interests of its members and working with other groups to make certain that the interests of rural Oklahoma are protected. Click here for their website to learn more about the organization and how it can benefit you to be a part of Farm Bureau.
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NMPF Awarded USDA Grant for Biosecurity
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The National Milk Producers Federation today was awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to develop and improve biosecurity on U.S. dairy farms.
As one of two livestock industry organizations chosen along with 16 state animal health authorities and 14 land-grant universities, NMPF will use the $488,603 grant to implement and coordinate the Secure Milk plan and develop a biosecurity program area through the National Dairy FARM Program (FARM). The FARM Animal Care program places an emphasis on biosecurity as a key element of dairy herd health and the grant funding will allow for further prioritization.
"The dairy industry has partnered with USDA for more than a decade on the Secure Milk Supply Plan. With this new funding, we are eager to continue and expand our work on biosecurity through integration with FARM," said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. “We applaud USDA’s work to enhance the prevention, preparedness, detection, and response to animal diseases that threaten the viability of U.S. dairy farms.”
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Former FFA Advisor Jerry Renshaw Offers Career Ideas in the Ag Mechanics Arena
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Have you ever considered a career in agricultural mechanics? People who work in ag mechanics enhance farming technology and help farmers work more efficiently. They test machine systems, troubleshoot problems, perform repairs on machinery and maintain equipment to keep productivity high.
Former Oklahoma FFA advisor Jerry Renshaw spent 28 years as an ag mechanics teacher at Elgin Public Schools before starting his own truck bed and trailer manufacturing business, Built Better Enterprises LLC. During his teaching tenure from 1982 to 2010, Renshaw led the Elgin FFA mechanical team as it achieved 26 Oklahoma State University state championship titles; 13 teams went on to the national competition. In 2020, Renshaw was the Superintendent of the first Oklahoma Youth Expo Ag Mechanics Contest (Picture here is of Renshaw at the award ceremony)
Renshaw shares six promising ag mechanics careers.
1. Agricultural Engineers
“Agricultural engineers include the person who builds a new grain drill, figures out new ways to plant or to work livestock, or works on GPS systems. Those are all engineers,” Renshaw says. “There are excellent opportunities there because right now, ag technology is climbing through the roof – not just in sciences but also in engineering and equipment.”
Electrical engineers are needed in agriculture, too.
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This week's Ag in the Classroom is Featuring the Oklahoma Fruit of the Month---PLUMS!
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Whether your kids are doing blended learning, online learning, or back in school, its always nice to have a few extra resources and fun things to do as a family! Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom has come up with some excellent daily activities you can do with your kids and family.
For this week's Ag in the Classroom we are celebrating the Oklahoma Fruit of the month.. PLUMS!
Sand plums grow wild along Oklahoma roadsides and are harvested all summer, from June to August. Many people make them into jellies or preserves. Native Americans sun-dried the plums for winter consumption. Oklahoma plums are eaten by several species of birds and mammals. The dense purple thickets stand out in the winter landscape and provide shelter for wildlife.
Little Jack Horner sat in a corner
eating his Christmas pie
Stuck in his thumb, pulled out a plum,
and said, "What a good boy am I."
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39th Annual Oklahoma Select Bull and Female Sale and Super Bull Competition
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The 39th Annual Oklahoma Select Bull and Female Sale and Super Bull Competition kicks off Saturday December 5, 2020 at 1:00 PM at the Atoka Sale Barn, Atoka, Oklahoma
They will be Selling 51 Bulls & 27 Females
(bulls sell first),
5 Purebred Bulls
2 Homo Black, Homo Polled; 1 Red
46 Lim-Flex Bulls
Black & Polled; 37 Homo Black, 35 Homo Polled
All bulls semen-tested, Trich-negative,
BW, WW, YW & EPDs on all bulls.
27 Bred Cows average age 3.9 years
26 Black, 1 Red, All Polled
1 Purebred, 26 Lim-Flex
22 Homo Black, 20 Homo Polled
Sale Day Phones Include
Ken Holloway- Sale Manager 580/581-7652
Bruce Brooks- Auctioneer 580/695-2036
To view the Sale Catalog- click here and scroll down to December 5th
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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.
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Today's First Look:
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.
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Wholesale Boxed Beef Prices were lower on Wednesday- Choice was down $2.51 while Select Beef was off 13 cents.
Click on the Button below for the latest report from USDA Market News
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OKC West in El Reno had 10,259 head of cattle this week after taking last week off for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Compared to the the last sale two weeks ago: Feeder steers and heifers traded 2.00-5.00 lower. Demand light to moderate, good for heavier weights that can be put against the April CME contract as it has a 4.00-5.00 positive basis over all other trading months. Steer and heifer calves sold 4.00-9.00 higher. Demand good to very good as recent rains have wheat pastures in good condition for grazing. Quality average to attractive with several lots of cattle being in very good condition.
Click below for the complete closing report.
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Each afternoon we are posting a recap of that day's markets as analyzed by Justin Lewis of KIS futures - click below for the latest update on the Livestock and Grain Futures Trade..
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Okla Cash Grain:
Daily Oklahoma Cash Grain Prices- as reported by the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture- The report available after the close of the Futures Trade for that day.
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Our Oklahoma Farm Report Team!!!!
Ron Hays, Senior Farm Director and Editor
KC Sheperd, Associate Farm Director and Editor
Dave Lanning, Markets and Production
Sam Knipp, Farm News Editor
Pam Arterburn, Calendar and Template Manager
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Rural Oklahoma is full of some of the greatest success stories throughout the entire state and are a main reason Oklahoma is on track to become a top 10 state.
The Road to Rural Prosperity will dive into these stories each week bringing you insight into the great things happening in and to rural Oklahoma. We will bring you stories covering rural life, agriculture, energy, healthcare, tourism and politics all affecting rural America.
The Road to Rural Prosperity is here to tell stories about rural America, for rural America.
Host Ron Hays travels the Road to Rural Prosperity with mixed feelings as he talks with Roy Lee Lindsey of OkPork- who has just announced his resignation as Executive Director as the head of the group representing hog farmers in Oklahoma- as he prepares to take a similar position with the North Carolina Pork Council- North Carolina the second largest pork state in the US.
Today's Road to Rural Prosperity is being sponsored in part by the Oklahoma Rural Water Association.
To find out more about our full series of Podcasts on The Road to Rural Prosperity- click or tap here.
To hear this Podcast you can click here or tap below:
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Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K Equipment, AFR/OFU, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Oklahoma Ag Mediation Program, Great Plains Kubota, Stillwater Milling Company, Oklahoma Cotton Council, National Livestock Credit Corporation, Oklahoma 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 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.
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God Bless!
Reach Out To Us:
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Tim West
President/General Manager
Radio Oklahoma Ag Network
2401 Exchange Avenue,
Suite F
Oklahoma City, OK 73108
405.317.6361
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Ron Hays
Director of Farm Programming
Radio Oklahoma Ag Network
405.473.6144
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