Subject: Oklahoma's Farm News Update
From: Ron Hays <ronphays@cox.net>
Date: 5/2/2017 5:38 AM
To: ron@ronhays.com



 
OK Farm Report banner
 

Follow us on Twitter    Find us on Facebook    View our videos on YouTube

   

     View my photos on flickr

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!  
 
   
FedCattleExchange.com has a total of 1,670 cattle on their showlist for the Wednesday May 3rd sale of finished cattle- details will be available after noon today by clicking here.


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 futuresclick or tap 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 on Monday, May 1st.
  
  
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.
  


  
Our Oklahoma Farm Report Team!!!!
  
Ron Hays, Senior Farm Director and Editor

Carson Horn, Associate Farm Director and 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
   Tuesday, May 2, 2017


Howdy Neighbors! 

Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update. 
 

Featured Story:

As most of you probably are aware, we had some cold, wet weather blow through this past weekend. Some of us got it worse than others. According to some of the reports I've seen and heard, as much as a foot of snow fell on some fields around the Panhandle, particularly in western Kansas and Colorado. This late in the game, that could have significant impacts on wheat harvest. 

I'm writing this morning from Washington- participating in our annual National Farm Broadcasters Washington Watch fly in- and one of those that we talked to on Monday afternoon was Chandler Goule, CEO of the National Association of Wheat Growers.

Goule told me yesterday afternoon that snow, hail and cold temperatures have savaged the wheat crop in Kansas- and that crop observers "are estimating that about 43% of the Kansas wheat crop is probably gone."


"This is a very unfortunate event for our growers," Goule said, "but what it does do is give us more and more reasons and evidence, and proof of why it's important to have a safety net there. How do you plan and mitigate for risk of this scale without having a Farm Bill and crop insurance?"


It's true there are many critics of the crop insurance programs included in the Farm Bill that would like to lead them to the chopping block. But, Goule says what happened this weekend is precisely the reason we need Farm Bill safety nets and this situation perfectly illustrates that.


This tragedy comes just ahead of the Kansas Wheat Tour, set to begin Tuesday of this week. It is too early to say at this point what the extent of the actual damage is. However, this tour will allow crop scouts the opportunity to examine crop conditions up close for a more accurate estimation of damages.

Read more about this situation and listen to our full conversation, by clicking or tapping here.

Sponsor Spotlight
 

It's great to have one of the premiere businesses in the cattle business partner with us in helping bring you our daily Farm and Ranch News Email- National Livestock Credit Corporation.  National Livestock has been around since 1932- and they have worked with livestock producers to help them secure credit and to buy or sell cattle through the National Livestock Commission Company.  They also own and operate the Southern Oklahoma Livestock Market in Ada, Superior Livestock, which continues to operate independently and have a major stake in OKC West in El Reno. To learn more about how these folks can help you succeed in the cattle business, click here for their website or call the Oklahoma City office at 1-800-310-0220.


WheatDiseaseAhead of the Kansas Wheat Crop Tour- Bob Hunger and Eric DeWolf Find Plenty of Disease 

The latest wheat disease report from Dr. Bob Hunger of Oklahoma State University is out- and Dr. Hunger reports significant disease pressure of the 2017 crop as it nears harvest. He also has a report from Eric DeWolf from Kansas State University on the status of the Kansas crop after snow and cold weather has slammed that crop in the western counties of the state- and just ahead of the annual Wheat Quality Council HRW Wheat Tour that starts THIS morning.

Dr. Hunger has found lots of strip and leaf rust in Oklahoma wheat fields- and wheat streak mosaic, and barley yellow dwarf as well.

Dr. DeWolf says after the snow event in western Kansas- that farmers will have to weigh the yield potential that is left before pulling the trigger on a possible fungicide application- which if it happens- will need to happen in the next ten days or so.

You can read their comments on our website- click or tap here for the latest disease report for both Oklahoma and Kansas as supplied by Dr. Hunger.


CropWxLatest Crop Weather Report Notes Heavy Rain and Cold Temps Hitting Wheat Crops, Delaying Planting 

In the latest crop progress report released Monday May 1, 2017, the United States Department of Agriculture rates the US winter wheat crop condition at 54 percent good to excellent, with 33 fair, 10 poor and 3 very poor. Winter wheat headed was 42 percent compared to 40 percent this time last year and is 8 points above the five-year average. For the complete USDA Crop Progress report, click here.


According to the weekly crop progress report from USDA, Oklahoma winter wheat jointing reached 96 percent down 1 points from previous year. Winter wheat headed reached 76 percent, 8 points from normal. To view the complete Oklahoma Crop Progress and Condition Report, click here.


In Kansas, winter wheat condition rated 4 percent very poor, 12 poor, 35 fair, 43 good, and 6 excellent. Winter wheat jointed was 90 percent, behind 96 last year, but ahead of the five-year average of 81. Headed was 44 percent, near 45 last year, but ahead of 33 average. To view the complete Kansas Crop Progress and Condition Report, click here.


In Texas, winter wheat condition was rated at 78 percent fair to good. To view the complete Texas Crop Progress and Condition Report, click here.


To sum up the current winter wheat crop condition here in the southern plains- here's the Good to Excellent Ratings for this week and the change from last week:


Oklahoma     47%     +3%
Kansas         49%      -3%
Texas           44%      +2%


The drop in the poor to very poor categories also reflect the benefits of moisture:


Oklahoma    17%     +2%
Kansas         16%     +0%
Texas           15%     +0%

ThatcherAmerican Farm Bureau's Senior Lobbyist Talks Ag Policy Under Trump During His First 100 Days

In my travels around Washington, DC this week attending the National Association of Farm Broadcasters fly-in, I had the chance to speak with Mary Kay Thatcher, American Farm Bureau's senior lobbyist, about her thoughts on first 100 days of Donald Trump's presidency and how agricultural policy has fared so far.


"I think most of our farmers, the first thing they would say is, 'he really is doing what he said he would do on regulatory reform,'" Thatcher said. "The fact that he got in there early and said 'I'm not going to implement the Waters of the United States,' is important."


But in talking to Thatcher, President Trump's most important decision pertaining to agriculture has certainly been his appointment of Sonny Perdue to his cabinet as Secretary of Agriculture.


"Certainly, he is a very pro-trade guy. I think he knows what the country is saying from all the visits he's made. By every condition, he seems to be an incredibly hard worker. So, he'll be good for us," Thatcher said describing the new Secretary.


While Trump has dabbled in some ag policy issues since taking the oath of office, Thatcher speculates that things will really begin heating up once Robert Lighthizer is confirmed to the USTR office, which could happen as early as this week or next.


"I think when we get USTR Lighthizer there and then we have the Secretary, that'll be a good time to rally the administration and all the ag groups together," Thatcher contended, "so we're all pulling on the wagon in the same direction."

Read more about my visit with Thatcher or listen in on our full conversation about the Trump administration, by clicking here.

Sponsor Spotlight

 
For nearly a century, Stillwater Milling Company has been providing ranchers with the highest quality feeds made from the highest quality ingredients.  Their full line of A&M Feeds can be delivered to your farm, found at their agri-center stores in Stillwater, Davis, Claremore and Perry or at more than 100 dealers in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Texas.  We appreciate Stillwater Milling'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.
 

ConawayCottonChairman Conaway Shares Cotton Industry's Disappointment Over Exclusion from Omnibus Bill

In a shocking move of blatant partisan politics, Senators Debbie Stabenow and Pat Leahy, blocked critical relief for both cotton and dairy farmers, by excluding the two industries from Omnibus appropriations, which if included would have helped to fix safety net programs that are currently failing the producers in these segments.


According to the National Cotton Council, Stabenow and Leahy snubbed a bipartisan supported and fairly balanced plan that stood a good chance of fixing the issues at hand, written in such a way to be budget neutral with the costs offset only by cotton-related provisions and designed to help facilitate development of the 2018 farm bill.


National Cotton Council Chairman Ronnie Lee said the NCC "is extremely disappointed."


"These actions not only have left cotton producers with no near-term options to help them deal with long-running economic issues, but have harmed the prospects for developing a new farm bill," Lee said. "Without the cottonseed policy in place, the result is that all farm bill stakeholders will be seeking support from an expected smaller overall budget available for the next farm bill." Click here to read Lee's full statement on the NCC's behalf.


House Ag Committee Chairman Mike Conaway, released his own statement empathizing with both the cotton and dairy industries while at the same time expressing his displeasure with Stabenow and her colleague.


"I am extremely disappointed in the recklessness and heartlessness of such an approach. For the sake of both America's cotton and dairy farmers, I hope that all lawmakers will come together on policies broadly supported by those they are designed to help, thoroughly vetted, and fully paid for," Conaway said. "Senators Stabenow and Leahy should not be playing games with the livelihoods of those who work hard to put food on our tables and clothes on our backs. I want to reassure the nation's farmers and ranchers that I and many of my colleagues are fully committed to correcting this wrong and seeing them through their current economic challenges."


Click here to read Conaway's complete statement released yesterday.
Want to Have the Latest Energy News Delivered to Your Inbox Daily?
 

Award winning broadcast journalist Jerry Bohnen has spent years learning and understanding how to cover the energy business here in the southern plains- Click here to subscribe to his daily update of top Energy News.

 


In this week's edition of the Cow Calf Corner newsletter, Dr. Derrell Peel explores the value of trade and how it impacts the beef industry, suggesting that the right mix of both exportation and importation sustains a healthy beef industry here in the US.


According to Peel, "the U.S. is the fourth largest beef exporting country and the largest beef importing country. The U.S. is often a net importer of beef, with the quantity of beef imports exceeding beef exports. Occasionally, beef exports exceed the quantity of beef imports. Most often however, the value of beef exports exceeds imports making the U.S. a net exporter of beef in value terms."


Peel explains that in order to keep freezer storage open, and to move parts of the beef carcass most Americans would not typically consume, exportation is imperative, making room for more desirable products like steaks, while at the same time adding value to the carcass.


Conversely, much of the beef imported is lean trimmings, used to supplement domestic supplies to satisfy the huge demand in the US for ground hamburger.


"Beef imports are often viewed as (partially) offsetting beef exports thus reducing the net value of beef trade. In reality both beef exports and imports add value to the U.S. beef industry," writes Peel. "Beef trade, both exports and imports, helps to sort out the complex set of beef products in domestic and international markets to maximize the value to U.S. beef producers."

Read Peel's full analysis of the symbiotic relationship of imports vs. exports in his latest article on our website, by clicking here.
BUZZWhat Consumers Want? Understanding the Controversial Social Issues Changing the Beef Industry

Extension Livestock Market Economist Dr. Glynn Tonsor has been involved in extensive research examining the needs and wants of the consumer when it comes to the meat they buy. According to him, there are a few items that top the list of consumer concerns when shopping for beef.


"Safety and freshness are the two biggest attributes," he said. "It's been cross-validated many, many times that if you can only pick two things - safety and freshness in beef is what is most important."


However, those aspects are not what are considered to be part of the social debate going on currently among the consumer base and its influencers. Safety to a degree, yes says Tonsor, but more so about controversial matters such as the hormone and antibiotic free trend, animal well-being, environmental impacts of production, origin labeling, etc. While taste is something that can be personally experienced by the consumer, information pertaining to these matters are not easily verified. Thus, presents the challenge at hand - how do producers provide this information that consumers want, but are not willing to pay more for?


"The only way a consumer can be informed on that, is for there to be a system that tracks, labels, sorts and provides that information to them," Tonsor asserted. "So, I don't think it's by accident there are growing calls for verification and documentation of those practices, because that's the only way the public gets information on those practices."


Listen to Tonsor and I discuss the way consumer demand is influencing the way beef is being produced as the industry works to address social issues surrounding food, on yesterday's Beef Buzz - click here.

SusanAllenCongrats to Susan Allen- Honored as a Woman in Ag of Significance

One of my favorite people has been selected by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture to be spotlighted in their ongoing Significant Women in Agriculture- Susan Allen with DairyMAX.  Here's a bit of the story written by Bryan Painter of ODAFF- the full story is linked below:


"Everybody has a story to tell, but it is the journey of finding 
your story that is sometimes most challenging.


"Even though Susan Allen was raised on Lively Ranch in Sharon, Okla., where her family farmed cattle and wheat, it was many years before she recognized the vital role she could play in the agricultural industry as a non-producer.


"It took me a long time to realize that I too had an ag story to tell," Allen said. "But it takes all of our stories and our different roles to move agriculture forward."


"As the youngest of the four children, and the only girl, Allen spent a significant amount of time in the kitchen with her mother learning how to cook and "feed the farmer" with the foods they produced on their farm. Little did she know the skills she learned in that kitchen would blossom into a career of educating consumers about those products."

You can read more about Susan's career path that has led her to a position of influence in agriculture- click or tap here for the complete story.

And Congrats Susan! 


 
Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K EquipmentAmerican Farmers & Ranchers, Livestock Exchange at the Oklahoma National Stockyards, OERBOklahoma Farm BureauStillwater Milling Company, AlltechOklahoma AgCreditthe 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 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  

 


 

God Bless! You can reach us at the following:  

 

phone: 405-473-6144
 


 




© 2008-2014 Oklahoma Farm Report
Email Ron   |    Newsletter Signup
Oklahoma Farm Report, 7401 N Kelley, Oklahoma City, OK 73111
Sent by ronphays@cox.net in collaboration with
Constant Contact