Oklahoma's Latest Farm
And Ranch News
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Your Update from Ron Hays of RON
Wednesday, December 30, 2020
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Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update.
- Make Every Bite Count: USDA, HHS Release Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025
- NCBA's Ethan Lane Says Budget Bill Includes Several Good Things For Animal Agriculture
- Custom Harvesters Provide Affordable, Efficient Service When Farmers Need It The Most
- Dr. Glenn Selk on Matching Inventory to Available Resources
- Noble Research Institute Donates critical Cold Storage units for Okla. COVID-19 Vaccine
- OSU Launches new Research Institute to Explore and Develop Therapies for Humans and Animals
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John Deere Partners with the National FFA Organization to Build the Next Generation of Leaders
- Ninth Circuit Continues Campaign to Protect Prop 12- Ruling Against NAMI Again
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Make Every Bite Count: USDA, HHS Release Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025
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Nutrition in America took a major step forward today with the publication of Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. Jointly published by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) every five years, the guidelines provide science-based recommendations designed to foster healthy dietary patterns for Americans of all ages - from birth through older adults. Importantly, this edition expands the guidance, for the first time including recommended healthy dietary patterns for infants and toddlers.
“At USDA and HHS, we work to serve the American people - to help every American thrive and live healthier lives through access to healthy foods and providing nutrition recommendations,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “With the release of the dietary guidelines, we have taken the very important step to provide nutrition guidance that can help all Americans lead healthier lives by making every bite count.”
Dietary Guidelines for Americans is the nation’s trusted resource for evidence-based nutrition guidance. The guidelines are designed for use by healthcare professionals and policymakers for outreach to the general public and provide the nutritional foundation for federal nutrition programs. The dietary guidelines should not be considered clinical guidelines for the treatment of disease.
NCBA's Marty Smith gave the following statement: "Beef is one of Americans' favorite foods, and science consistently shows lean beef can be the cornerstone in a variety of healthy diets. Now more than ever, the key to proper nutrition is giving people practical and realistic advice, to help create balanced diets that work for them - featuring foods they love, like beef, which pairs perfectly with other nutrient-rich foods,”
The National Milk Producers Federation also gave the following statement, "“USDA and HHS deserve praise for once again recognizing just how vital dairy is to the nation’s health and well-being,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. “We encourage them to affirm that role even more clearly in the next iteration of the Dietary Guidelines, to reflect the positive contribution of dairy fats in diets that’s increasingly recognized in a growing body of evidence.”
The National Pork Board said, "The guidelines reaffirm the role of lean pork in a healthy diet and are consistent with the recommendation to include a variety of nutrient-dense proteins. Overall, they advise people to “follow a healthy dietary pattern” that consists primarily of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean meat and poultry, and low-fat dairy or fortified soy alternatives. They also advise limiting added sugars, saturated fats, sodium and alcoholic drinks and staying within recommended calorie limits.
While fresh pork is respected by the scientific community as a nutritious source of lean protein, it continues to lag behind other proteins when it comes to consumer perceptions of being “good for me and my family”
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The Oklahoma Cotton Council is proud to serve the cotton producers and those who are a part of the cotton industry in Oklahoma- promoting and protecting their interests. In Recent Years- cotton acreage has grown in Oklahoma- and today we are the third largest Cotton State in the US- based on Acres Planted.
The Oklahoma Cotton Council works for the cotton farmer in the areas of research, advocacy and education. Follow the Oklahoma Cotton Council on Facebook or check out out the Oklahoma Cotton Council website- okiecotton.org
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NCBA's Ethan Lane Says Budget Bill Includes Several Good Things For Animal Agriculture
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The omnibus federal budget bill passed this week by Congress includes several items good for animal agriculture, said Ethan Lane, NCBA vice president of government affairs.
Lane pointed out several issues the NCBA has been working on for a long time.
Livestock mandatory reporting has been extended through September which is good news as it gives us more time to work on a full five-year reauthorization of livestock mandatory reporting, Lane said.
There was some concern this might lapse but now we’ve got it extended, he said.
Also included in the funding package was the approval to move animal gene editing oversight from the FDA to the USDA.
We always talk about the need to have the USDA in the driver’s seat on important issues for animal agriculture, Lane said.
The USDA understands what we do and how we do it, Lane said.
What it really does, given the timing, is it gives the new administration a marker to move forward with in the future, Lane said.
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Custom Harvesters Provide Affordable, Efficient Service When Farmers Need It The Most
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It’s difficult to find a good combine operator in a normal year but when the pandemic hit the small labor pool evaporated, said Raph Jolliffe, Stratton, Colo., and president, U.S. Custom Harvesters, Inc.
Jolliffe was recently interviewed by Radio Oklahoma Agriculture Network Associate Farm Director and Editor KC Sheperd.
Labor shortages and qualified labor are our biggest issues every year, but it really hurt us this year, he said.
We interviewed several guys but as soon as Covid-19 hit none of them showed up, Jolliffe said.
Finding qualified labor is an even bigger issue for individual farmers which makes the services provided by a custom harvester even more valuable, Jolliffe said.
The Colorado forage harvester said his organization consists of all types of harvesters, from grain to forage.
We’ve got grain harvesters that cut wheat from Texas to the Canadian border, 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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Dr. Glenn Selk on Matching Inventory to Available Resources
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Oklahoma State University Emeritus Extension Animal Scientist, Dr. Glenn Selk, offers herd health advice as part of the weekly series known as the "Cow Calf Corner" published electronically by Dr. Peel and Dr. Glenn Selk. Today, Dr. Selk talks about matching inventory to available resources.
Mature weight and milk production of MANY commercial beef cows are both greater than they were 30 to 40 years ago. Many ranchers have not recently weighed the adult cows in their herd to know what average mature weight to expect. Therefore most commercial ranchers would underestimate the mature size of their cows. To expect large, heavy-milking cows to be in moderate body condition at calving and maintain condition through breeding, they must receive more feed than smaller lighter-milking cows. The graph below uses the 1996 National Research Council’s guidelines to show the energy needs of two different body types and levels of milk production. These energy requirements would be representative for cows calving in February and March and weaned in October. The top line represents the energy needs of 1250 pound heavy-milking beef cows versus the lower line which represents the needs of 1100 pound moderate-milking beef cows. The values graphed are the megacalories per day required to maintain body weight throughout the year.
The larger heavier-milking cow requires about 34% more energy on the average for an entire year. Consequently, an operation that was carrying 100 of the smaller cows must carry only 66 of the larger cows in order to utilize the same quantity of forage from that farm or ranch. She also will need 34% more winter hay and supplement to maintain body condition. In some commercial herds, there are cows much larger than the 1250 pounders depicted in this graph.
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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
National Livestock was founded in 1932 in Oklahoma City. National’s Marketing Division offers cattle for sale weekly at the Oklahoma National Stockyards in Oklahoma City. The Finance Division lends money to ranchers across several states for cattle production. The Grazing Division works with producers to place cattle for grazing on wheat or grass pastures.
National also owns and operates other livestock marketing subsidiaries including Southern Oklahoma Livestock Auction in Ada, Oklahoma, OKC West Livestock Market in El Reno, Oklahoma, and the nation’s premier livestock video sale, Superior Livestock Auction. National offers customers many services custom made for today’s producer. To learn more, click here for the website or call the Oklahoma City office at 1-800-310-0220.
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Noble Research Institute Donates critical Cold Storage units for Okla. COVID-19 Vaccine
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Noble Research Institute has coordinated with the Oklahoma State Department of Health to donate 11 ultra-cold industrial freezers that will be used to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine across the state of Oklahoma.
One of the biggest hurdles to overcome in safely distributing the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is that it must be shipped and stored in ultra-cold temperatures of about -94 degrees Fahrenheit (around four times colder than a standard home freezer).
This donation fills a critical need, as no County Health Department had sufficient cold storage prior to the donation. The 11 freezers will be placed in strategic locations across the state and are key to ensuring the vaccine can be distributed to all Oklahomans, particularly rural communities, in the long term.
“We’re incredibly grateful to Noble Research Institute for this generous donation,” said Keith Reed, Deputy Commissioner with OSDH. “This ensures we can move forward with the phased vaccine distribution plan quickly and effectively and allow Oklahomans to receive the vaccine at their local healthcare providers, rather than traveling during the pandemic. These storage units are a critical piece in providing all Oklahomans, whether in a rural or urban area, with equal access to the COVID-19 vaccine.”
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OSU Launches new Research Institute to Explore and Develop therapies for Humans and Animals
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Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine has launched a new institute that aims to fulfill One Health research by doing parallel investigations in both humans and animals.
OSU’s Institute for Translational and Emerging Research in Advanced Comparative Therapy (INTERACT) is focused on developing and translating new discoveries into therapies for patients.
“The idea for INTERACT came from our long successful history in conducting clinical trials in diseases that affect both small and large animals to develop or discover new therapies and diagnostics,” said Dr. Carlos Risco, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “With our collaborations, INTERACT will provide our faculty and our college with the resources and expertise needed to innovate in animal and human health, and we are excited to launch it.”
Under the direction of Dr. Ashish Ranjan, professor and holder of the Kerr Foundation Endowed Chair, INTERACT will enhance interdisciplinary research within the veterinary college, across the OSU campus and throughout the state and nation. INTERACT includes faculty participants from almost all OSU colleges, as well as industry experts, foundation partners, and personnel from other academic institutions around the country.
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John Deere Partners with the National FFA Organization to Build the Next Generation of Leaders
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For 77 years, John Deere has worked side by side with the National FFA Organization to encourage the next generation of leaders and strengthen the agriculture industry. While the year 2020 has come with many challenges, John Deere’s commitment to FFA and agricultural education is stronger than ever.
Building on its legacy of support for FFA, John Deere announced this week that it is donating $1 million in 2021 to help support the National FFA Organization’s mission to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.
Since John Deere’s initial contribution of $1,000 in 1943, it has donated more than $16 million to the National FFA Foundation. John Deere was also one of the first corporate sponsors to form an FFA Alumni and Supporters Chapter. Today, employees from John Deere facilities across the U.S. volunteer to coach, mentor and train FFA chapters.
“Throughout the years, John Deere has shown their continuing commitment to FFA and our goal of building the next generation of leaders,” said Molly Ball, president of the National FFA Foundation and chief marketing officer of the National FFA Organization. “In today’s climate, we know every dollar is being stretched; the fact that they find value in our members and our commitment to students and educators speaks volumes. We are more than pleased to continue partnering with John Deere as we continue to provide programming that will enable the future of agricultural education and FFA.”
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Ninth Circuit Continues Campaign to Protect Prop 12- Ruling Against NAMI Again
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The North American Meat Institute’s challenge to California’s Prop 12 is unsuccessful once again. The U.S. Court of Appeals in the Ninth Circuit rejected the institute’s challenge to the California 2018 ballot initiative that imposes new standards for animal housing.
The court decision confirms an initial judgment in October. California voters approved the Prevention of Cruelty to Farm Animals Act with 63 percent of the vote. The law creates minimum requirements to provide more space for veal calves, breeding pigs, and egg-laying hens.
“California’s Proposition 12 bans the sale of wholesome pork and veal imported into California if farmers in other states and countries do not comply with the unprecedented animal-confinement requirements adopted by California,” attorneys for NAMI explained. “This trade barrier patently violates the Commerce Clause and interstate federalism because it (1) regulates commerce outside of California’s borders, (2) protects California farmers from out-of-state competition, and (3) imposes massive burdens on interstate commerce that vastly exceed any local benefits.”
By 2020, the law requires farmers to give hens at least one foot of floor space and says farmers have to eliminate cages by 2022. Farmers must now give veal calves at least 43 square feet, and sows get 24 feet of room.
Court challenges by the Meat Institute and other groups have centered around the fact that the law applies to out-of-state producers of meat and eggs who want to sell products in California. Both the federal Department of Justice and 20 states joined the Meat Institute’s challenge, arguing that the law will contribute to higher food prices for consumers.
A good overview of where the battle stands between California and the rest of the country regarding Prop 12 can be read in an article by Food Safety News- we have it linked in the button below.
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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 mixed Tuesday 12/29- Choice Beef was up $2.48 while Select Beef was cheaper by $1.17.
Click on the Button below for the latest report from USDA Market News
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Weekly Cattle Auction Reports
The buttons below allow you to check out the weekly Cattle Auctions in the region that we post on our website and here in our daily email update-
PLEASE NOTE- All of these markets have finished selling cattle in 2020- and will resume their auctions the first full week of 2021.
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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 is the 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 affecting rural America.
The Road to Rural Prosperity is here to tell stories about rural America, for rural America.
Congress has passed a 5,393-page Relief/Spending Omnibus Package- and Host Ron Hays Talks with Ethan Lane, Vice President for Government Affairs for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association about Pandemic Relief- more money in CFAP, Grants for RAMP UP, the establishment of the SALE Act and more. Lane also talks about the announcement by USDA to start the process of moving Gene Editing for animals away from FDA over to USDA, a look at the Climate Team for President-Elect Biden, a return to USDA by Tom Vilsack, and a look into 2021 from a DC Perspective.
Today's Podcast is powered by Banc First, Loyal to Oklahoma, and Loyal to You.
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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