This week on SUNUP - OSU Grain Market Economist Dr. Kim Anderson joins host Lyndall Stout again this week, talking wheat harvest in Oklahoma and selling strategies producers should consider as they wrap up their harvest this year.


According to Anderson, there has been an $0.80 increase in the price of wheat over the last month, which he attributes $0.20 of that to an increase in the basis, and the remaining $0.60 to an increase in the Kansas City July contract, being driven by weather.


To take the best advantage of the current markets, Anderson offers a few different strategies producers can consider and hopefully secure the best price. But he says it all rests on the individual producer's preferences.

In a nutshell, depending on your risk tolerance, Anderson says you can either sell it for the current price now, or store it and hope for a better price later. Keep in mind this strategy comes with storage costs. Anderson says that will cost you about $0.30 a bushel each month. By his calculations, that means prices will need to be at least $4.20 before you can expect to make a profit.

The third option, and Anderson's personal preference, is to spread your risk and sell your grain incrementally, a third at a time. By selling a third a harvest, in the fall around September/October, and then again in November/December.

You can watch their visit tomorrow or Sunday on SUNUP- but you can hear Kim's comments right now, and check out the whole line-up for this week's episode, by clicking here.

Today's commercial landscape is dramatically different than it was even just a relative few years ago. Advancements in technology has changed the way we shop and to a degree, how we make our purchasing decisions. The pork industry realizes this and has chosen a proactive way to stay relevant and top of mind with the modern consumer of pork, by repositioning its marketing plan.

Terry O'Neel, president of the National Pork Board, announced the plan at the World Pork Expo Thursday. "The Pork Checkoff has embarked on a journey to determine how best to market pork today," he said.

The National Pork Board's chief executive officer Bill Even said the plan is structured around what he called "the three M's": Millennials, Mobile, and Multicultural, and structured around quality, trust and value.

While demand for red meat remains exceptionally strong both domestically and internationally right now, this repositioning offers an opportunity to inspire all segments of the pork chain to find new ways to succeed.

Read more about the Pork Checkoff's plan to reposition its marketing strategy, by clicking here.

The Pork Checkoff isn't the only one working to better connect with today's consumers. The Beef Checkoff too has made strides in using new marketing channels to reach it target audiences. Polly Ruhland, CEO of the Cattlemen's Beef Board, mapped out what she calls the beef industry's "complicated digital ecosystem," in an op-ed piece authored this week.

According to Ruhland, if you have a smartphone, you are participating in the digital ecosystem.

"You've managed the ecosystem of your farms and ranches since you started in the cattle business, likely putting most of the emphasis on the living things," she wrote. "There are living things in the digital ecosystem, too (you and me, for example). But it is the non-living things that take up most of the space: all those apps, photos, music, etc. Yes, you and that phone are an ecosystem.


"Your beef checkoff's digital ecosystem also relies on interactions of non-living and living things. The non-living includes: research, knowledge, recipes, and so on, all funded by your checkoff dollars. On the living side, we have consumers looking for information about beef and how it's produced, your employees, and the checkoff and industry experts you interact with."

Ruhland goes on to explain how your checkoff coordinates and connects a myriad of new media applications to occupy the digital ecosystem with beef's presence, which most consumers use to educate themselves about beef.

"Beef. It's What's For Dinner - has its own website, plus a presence on Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Facebook and Google Plus. And that's just for consumers who want to find a recipe, beef preparation tips and nutrition information," Ruhland said. "What if they want to find out how cattle are raised? That brings along a Facts About Beef website and @BeefFacts on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube."

Click here to learn more about how the Beef Checkoff is reaching consumers through innovative communication strategies.

Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Market Economist Dr. Derrell Peel has been looking at recent cattle on feed numbers - not just the latest report, but taking into consideration the last several months and comparing them to some historical averages for the major feedlot states. He brought to my attention, some changes he has observed happening, regarding where cattle are being fed across feedlot country.


According to Peel's calculations, a couple of the top cattle feeding states, both Texas and Nebraska, are experiencing a slower rate of year-over-year placements, while they still have maintained year-over-year increases. At the same time, he says, the third, fourth and fifth largest feeding states, Kansas, Colorado and Iowa respectively, have seen much more rapid growth compared to the other top two states.


"It's a combination of short and long run factors that are at play here," Peel said. "Over the last few years, Texas has declined. Even though Texas is still larger on an annual basis, that gap has cleared a little bit and it's one of the things that we kind of expected a decade ago really in the face of the ethanol juggernaut that took off, that we might see a relative shift of cattle feeding, or at least a competitiveness of cattle feeding. That's kind of what we're seeing happen."


And while Oklahoma is not one of the top five feeding states, our feedlot numbers are trending in line with those in Texas - somewhat in decline. Peel says the facts are there and the numbers tell the story, but why it's happening, Peel is hesitant to say.


"I think that's right, and again some of it is short run conditions and some of it is part of these longer run trends," he said. "I'm not sure that I have a good explanation for that, it's just something we observe at this point."


Listen to Peel and I discuss the evolution of changes happening in the feedlot industry over the last several months, recorded in recent USDA Cattle on Feed reports, on yesterday's Beef Buzz - click here.

President Donald Trump announced in Cincinnati earlier this week that he is committed to investing in upgrades and the modernization of our nation's infrastructure, including the major locks and dams of our inland waterways system, and highlighted the project's significant economic importance to our commodity industries.

"It's time to recapture our legacy as a nation of builders, and to create new lanes of travel, commerce, and discovery," President Trump said.

The President's announcement boosted farmer confidence, garnering reaction from commodity organizations.

"We especially appreciate the President's interest in inland waterways and in the unique infrastructure challenges facing rural areas," said Ken Hartman, chair of the NCGA Market Access Team. "Farmers rely on our national infrastructure every day to get our products to market quickly, safely, and efficiently. Waterways, roads, and bridges are central to farmers' efforts to feed and fuel the world, and we must invest in all of them." Click here for the complete reaction from the National Corn Growers Association.

"If we do not invest in modernization of this infrastructure, we lose our competitiveness in global export markets," said American Soybean Association Director Gerry Hayden, a soybean grower from Calhoun, Ky. "We are very pleased to see President Trump acknowledge the importance of investing in projects to improve these vital aspects of our supply chain and we look forward to working with the Administration and Congress to advance an infrastructure package this year."

Click or tap here for the ASA's full release on Trump's announcement.

The 2012 Census of Agriculture revealed some shocking  truths about farmers today, says Austin Miles, Cattle and Technology Research Associate at the Noble Research Institute, in a recent article on the transition of family farms between generations.

According to the census, he says, farmers and ranchers are getting older, fewer in numbers, and there aren't as many "new" producers entering the industry.

"While these facts may sound gloomy and disheartening, let's look closer at some of the information and, more importantly, how young producers like myself can contribute to their family's operations.


"When looking at the farm facts below one wonders, what does this mean for you and your family operation? How does a young producer get involved? What can or should you do to improve upon the legacy of the family farm or ranch?


"As a young producer, I have pondered these questions myself. Our family operation in Whitesboro, Texas, is the stereotypical small family farm as defined by the agriculture census. My great-great-grandfather homesteaded there more than 100 years ago. Since then, my family has raised everything from cotton and corn to peanuts and cattle. My grandparents both had jobs off the farm, as did my parents, as do I. While I'd like to think the farm has always been profitable, I know that is not the case; without outside income, our operation would not have survived. I'd like to reflect on my experiences as a young producer and share some observations that could hopefully aid and encourage other upstart farmers, ranchers and land managers."

To learn more about how younger generations can get involved on the family farm, click over to our website, to continue reading the full article by Miles.