Oklahoma's Latest Farm
And Ranch News
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Your Update from Ron Hays of RON
Tuesday, December 7, 2021
A Day That Lives in Infamy
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Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update.
- Get More Than a Christmas Tree by Shopping Local This Season
- OSU's Derrell Peel Explores Drought Impacts in 2021, 2022 and Beyond
- American Angus Association's Jeff Mafi Optimistic as 2021 Ends and 2022 Begins
- USDA Awards Funds for Fiscal Year 2022 Market Development Programs
- OSU Receives $500,000 Grant to Bolster Locally Sourced Meat
- FMC's Drake Copeland Reflects on an Epic Fall Armyworm Year
- More Stories Further Down in Today's Email on Fire Situation, Fake Dairy and Beef Genetics
- Check Out Our Market Info- Including 18,000 Head on Monday at the Oklahoma National Stockyards- and Higher Prices
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Get More Than a Christmas Tree by Shopping Local This Season |
Christmas tree shopping is one of the best ways to get into the Christmas spirit. Oklahoma has a wide selection of local-buying options that offer opportunities to make memories and get that beautiful Christmas tree.
Sherri Hurst, cattle producer and owner of Molly and Socks Christmas Tree Farm in Bristow, Okla. prides herself in not only the farming aspect of her operation but also in her agritourism savvy.
“I have had people say, ‘this is just like walking into a Hallmark movie,’” Hurst said.
Molly and Socks Christmas Tree Farm offers fun for the whole family, including yard games, hot food and drinks, photo opportunities and much more. Kids can be set loose on the 15 acres while parents can shop a variety of trees or Hurst’s handmade wreaths and garlands.
At Molly and Socks Christmas Tree Farm, it is about much more than just buying a beautiful Christmas tree. Hurst said her goal is to fill people with the Christmas spirit.
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The vision of the Oklahoma Beef Council is to be a positive difference for Oklahoma's farming and ranching families and the greater beef community, and its mission is to enhance beef demand by strengthening consumer trust and exceeding consumer expectations.
And Check out this video below that helps you learn more about the Beef Checkoff- .
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OSU's Derrell Peel Explores Drought Impacts in 2021, 2022 and Beyond |
Weekly, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist Derrell Peel offers his expertise in the cattle industry. This is a part of the weekly series known as the "Cow-Calf Corner" published electronically by Paul Beck. Today, Peel talks about current and future drought conditions in the U.S.
At the end of November, 69% of the U.S. was abnormally dry or worse with over 53% in some degree of drought (D1-D4) according to the Drought Monitor.
The drought values indicate how beef cattle operations are affected in various locations. Beef cow slaughter is up 8.6% for the year to date and includes some drought liquidation but from exactly where is unclear. The annual Cattle report, due out January 31, 2022, will reveal exactly where and how much beef cow inventories changed along with other cattle inventory data.
Drought in the wintertime is generally not a major cattle market issue with limited exceptions, such as the winter wheat crop (winter wheat grazing). However, the extent and level of drought in the U.S. at this time is troubling because of the potential for drought to extend into the next growing season, at least in some regions.
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American Angus Association's Jeff Mafi Optimistic as 2021 Ends and 2022 Begins |
Despite 2021’s challenges, the year has proved to be a prosperous one for the American Angus Association. Jeff Mafi, regional manager of Kansas and Oklahoma for AAA, told us registrations were up this year.
“Registrations were up this year - just a little bit over 300,000 nationwide,” Mafi said. “We surpassed 1 million genotypes submitted through (Angus Genetics Inc.) for enhancing the accuracy of those (expected progeny differences.)
On top of all that, regional bull sales have also been up this fall thanks to long-awaited improving cattle prices.
“Fed-cattle prices continue to get a little better every day,” Mafi said. “Optimism is really high over the next two to three years, so things feel pretty good right now.”
Looking forward, the second annual Cattlemen’s Congress is coming up soon, which Mafi said AAA leaders and members are both looking forward to.
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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 daily report 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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USDA Awards Funds for Fiscal Year 2022 Market Development Programs |
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service has awarded fiscal year 2022 funding to more than 60 U.S. agricultural organizations to help expand commercial export markets for U.S. goods.
The Market Access Program focuses on consumer promotion, including brand promotion for small companies and cooperatives, and is used extensively by organizations promoting fruits, vegetables, nuts, processed products, and bulk and intermediate commodities. The Foreign Market Development Program focuses on trade servicing and trade capacity building by helping to create, expand and maintain long-term export markets for U.S. agricultural products.
“The Market Access and Foreign Market Development programs benefit producers throughout the United States, building markets for a wide variety of U.S. farm and food products around the globe,” FAS Administrator Daniel Whitley said. “These programs play a significant role in supporting the U.S. agricultural industry that achieved record exports in 2021 and is projected to do even better in 2022. Increased exports are critical to expand farm incomes, improve the economic health of rural communities, and ensure nutrition security here at home and overseas.”
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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
Oklahoma AgCredit supports rural Oklahoma with reliable and consistent credit, today and tomorrow. We offer loans for land, livestock, equipment, operating costs and country homes (NMLSR #809962) to farmers, ranchers and rural businesses across 60 counties. As a cooperative, we are owned by the members we serve. Through our Patronage Program, we have returned more than $74 million to our members since 1997.
For more information on our services or to find a location near you, visit our website here.
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OSU Receives $500,000 Grant to Bolster Locally Sourced Meat |
Oklahoma State University has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture worth nearly $500,000 to strengthen and explore new market opportunities for local and regional meat businesses.
The funding comes at a particularly opportune time for Oklahoma, as an already-growing trend of consumer interest in locally sourced food has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, OSU researchers Courtney Bir, OSU Extension specialist and assistant professor in the OSU Department of Agricultural Economics; JJ Jones, OSU Extension area agricultural economist; and Rodney Holcomb, agribusiness economist for OSU’s Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center, said.
The project's purpose is to provide online and in-person education and OSU Extension materials to inform producers about direct-to-consumer meat sales and marketing. Some of those materials may be available to the public as soon as October, said Bir, the lead investigator.
Direct-to-consumer meat sales and custom harvests are not simple endeavors for ranchers, Bir said. There are many food-safety rules and sales regulations that must be understood before a rancher can begin selling directly to consumers or retailers. Even then, knowing how to market the products and reach consumers remain significant hurdles.
The award itself is $388,224, with matching funds of $97,056 bringing the total to $485,280. It is part of the USDA's recent announcement of a $90.2 million investment in 203 projects across the country.
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FMC's Drake Copeland Reflects on an Epic Fall Armyworm Year |
Many Oklahomans, in both urban and rural areas, got a hard lesson in pest awareness this summer. Fall armyworms were knocking out lawns overnight, leaving many Oklahoma wondering why their lawns were brown all of a sudden. Drake Copeland, technical services manager at FMC Corporation, told us the early signs were there.
“Our entomologist friends in Texas said they were seeing moths a month earlier, so that should have been a good indicator that it was going to be a problem in southern states,” Copeland said.
Copeland said weather conditions were ideal for armyworms across the Great Plains and the Midwest. Although a lush, green lawn turned brown is a bummer, the loss is small compared to when armyworms target acres of crops.
“It is something you have to say on top of because they work fast,” Copeland said. “If you can get a product that is working for you when you are not in the field - that is what you want to do."
When you are battling an epic army of armyworms, Copeland suggests winter wheat farmers reach for FMC’s Vantacor Insect Control. Because armyworms are known to come back to an area depending on the environment, Vantacor is great because it offers long residual control of armyworms, he added.
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Monday, December 6, 2021, Fire Situation Report |
Warm and dry conditions last week enhanced curing of fuels pushed into seasonal dormancy by repetitive frost/freeze events and leaf-fall. As such, the amount of available fuels has greatly increased and composite fuel moisture is steadily declining. Fuel loads are driest in the western panhandle.
Today: A weak cold front is expected today, with potential for another stronger front late week that will result in increased fire danger across much of Oklahoma with the highest indices in western Oklahoma.
Wednesday - Friday: A warming trend with temperatures 20 - 25 degrees above normal by Friday, coupled with continued dry conditions in advance of a weekend cold front, will drive increasing fire danger indices through the week. While no critical fire weather is expected, initial attack activity will likely increase. The highest fire danger will develop Friday and be focused on western Oklahoma where rates of fire spread will likely be 159 - 220 ft./min. with flame lengths 10 - 13 ft. in rangeland fuels. Brush fuels will support single and group tree torching although spotting distances will be limited to short range and ROS 47 - 110 ft./min.
Oklahoma. Burn Bans: Cimarron & Texas Counties.
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Dairy Defined: Tough Times Arrive in Fake-Food Land |
The hype couldn’t last forever.
No matter how many celebrity funders are brought on board or “next best thing” pitches are made to launch a product, eventually, over-the-top marketing comes back to bite, and that’s what’s been happening in the world of fake food. Here are a couple recent examples.
Oatly, the darling of the plant-based beverage set, lost one-fifth of its trading value in one day last month after warning it wouldn’t meet revenue expectations. As is the fashion of the day, Oatly blamed the pandemic and supply chains, but the simple truth is, consumer demand isn’t what it was earlier hyped up to be. Third-quarter sales in the Americas, expected at 40 million liters a month, fell short by 3 million.
Beyond Meat is another case study in facts can complicate an all-too-perfect narrative. Last month the company had to dramatically lower its expectations for revenue growth, using the pandemic as a cover for a consumer market that’s fizzled much faster than anticipated. Share prices fell accordingly, and like Oatly’s, they keep heading down. Beyond Meat isn’t in the fake dairy business (though it’s made rumbles), but it’s all the same story in animal agriculture, with so-called “innovators” making a short-term splash, then fading with their ad campaigns.
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Beef Producers and Industry Professionals Discuss the power of Genetic Data |
The Angus University: Genetics workshop sponsored by Zoetis at the 2021 National Angus Convention and Trade Show served as an educational session to inform breeders about the value of collecting genetic data and ways to use it in decision making. The panel included moderator, Kelli Retallick-Riley, president of Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI), and four panelists - Justin Sexten, vice president of strategy and product development for Performance Livestock Analytics; Jim Moore of Moore Cattle Company, a commercial Angus operation; James Henderson of Bradley 3 Ranch, an Angus seedstock operation; Troy Marshall, director of commercial industry relations for the American Angus Association.
Understanding and valuing genetic data can present as a daunting task to seedstock and commercial producers alike. Retallick-Riley asked panelists to describe how they use genetic data to navigate breeding decisions and market cattle to the next industry segment.
“Being able to have some prediction of what those cattle are really worth and being able to get that kind of value out of them and they perform accordingly makes it better for all of us,” Henderson said. “We can sit down with an individual customer and say, ‘Here’s where you are today, here’s where you want to be and here’s what it’s going to take to do that.’”
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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 down yesterday. Choice Beef was down $1.83 and Select Beef was down 79 cents on Monday 12/06/2021.
Click on the Button below for the latest report from USDA Market News
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Oklahoma National Stockyards had 18,000 head on Monday the biggest one day sale held at ONSY here in 2021...
Compared to last week: Feeder steers steady to 3.00 higher with instances 7.00 higher. Feeder heifers unevenly steady. Steer calves 2.00 - 4.00 higher. Heifer calves 3.00 - 6.00 lower. Demand moderate to good. Quality mostly attractive. Slaughter cattle prices once again moved higher and clearance from feed yards was pretty good. This week's sale somewhat larger as dry conditions and a good market is encouraging some producers to sell early. Today's sale consists of about 4,000 head of calves in the Certified Angus Program. These calves had at least two rounds of shots and weaned 60 days. These calves are marked as value added in the report. Quality mostly attractive.
Click below for the complete closing report.
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Superior Livestock Auction hosted their December 2nd video auction live from the Superior Livestock Office & Studio located in Hudson Oaks, Texas. Cattle producers offered almost 29,000 head of calves, yearlings, and breeding stock from 24 states for this auction.
Favorable market conditions and increased slaughter volume for the week all led to a an upwardly trending market report.
Region 3/4/5/6 (which includes Oklahoma)feeder steers witnessed a strong buyer demand with 700 to 800 pounds fully steady and 800 pounds and up were $3 to $5 higher. Feeder heifers also were in strong demand at $3 to $6 higher on all weights. Region 3/4/5/6 weaned calves were $2 to as much as $10 higher again most advances on thin fleshed calves weighing under 600 pounds for grazing purposes.
Click on the button below for details of the trade and examples of lots sold from across the country.
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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
Pam Arterburn, Calendar and Template Manager
Chelsea Stanfield, Farm News and Email Editor
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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.
KC Sheperd talks with Jed Green, the founder of the group ORCA- Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Action. They discuss the problems that have developed in rural Oklahoma because of the explosive growth of medical marijuana production in the state- and of the need for better regulation of the industry- as well as recognition of the economic benefits Green believes are a part of the arrival of this industry- especially in areas where legal operations are being established.
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, 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, Union Mutual Insurance, 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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