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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 Carson Horn on RON.
 Let's Check the Markets!
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.
FedCattleExchange.com has a total of 464 cattle on their showlist for the Wednesday, August 8th sale of finished cattle- details will be available after noon today by clicking here.
Steer calves traded 3.00 to 6.00 higher and heifers mostly firm on Tuesday compared to last week at OKC West - click or tap here for a look at the August 7th sale results.
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 futures- click or tap here for the report posted yesterday afternoon around 3:30 PM.
Okla Cash Grain:
Futures Wrap:
Feeder Cattle Recap:
Slaughter Cattle Recap:
TCFA Feedlot Recap:
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
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Oklahoma's Latest Farm and Ranch News
Your Update from Ron Hays of RON
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
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Howdy Neighbors!
Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update.
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Featured Story:
CFTC Chairman's Message to Producers: We are Keeping a Close Eye on Your Ag Futures So They Work as They Should
For some time now, leaders in the cattle industry have been working with the CME Group to fine tune the cattle contracts in an attempt to address issues of volatility within the futures market. Overseeing these discussions in the role of referee, has been the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission. On Tuesday, we had the chance to speak with the Commission's Chairman, Chris Giancarlo, about his involvement in these ongoing discussions during a visit to meet with producers here in Oklahoma and to learn about how they operate.
Agriculture is one area in which Giancarlo says he feels as chairman, he needs to get out and meet with the people involved to fully understand how they do business and how they use the futures market to operate. Giancarlo had the chance to visit with folks from both the grain and livestock side of Oklahoma's ag industry during his trip and says he will be taking back all that he learned this week to help him in his work in DC to make sure the markets perform as they should and need to.
"My concern is to make sure that our price discovery market and our hedging markets operate to their optimum capacity," he said, "so that our producers have the ability to make sure that prices they are either buying or selling at truly reflect supply and demand. (Producers) should know that we are keeping a close eye on these products. It's our job to make sure it's all going well - and I want them to know, we're on the job."
Listen to our complete conversation and learn more about how Chairman Giancarlo is working on producers' behalf to fix issues of volatility, by clicking here.
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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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The American Farm Bureau Federation reported, yesterday, the Trump administration's decision to return water-permitting authority back to more states. According to the release by AFBF, "this means faster, better and more affordable decision-making for all Americans." Under terms of an agreement signed by the U.S. Army, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Justice Department and the White House, states can now assume authority to issue permits for earth moving in and around regulated waterways, wetlands and land that sometimes channels water.
Currently, only two states, Michigan and New Jersey, have the authority to issue permits that allow landowners to move soil that could potentially affect federally regulated waters. Up to now, though, at least 14 other states have expressed interest in having those same powers.
AFBF President Zippy Duvall said in a statement that "regular farming and ranching activities shouldn't get tangled in bureaucratic red tape," as they have in recent years under the misinterpretation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act. Duvall continued to say that, "today's announcement takes us closer to how the law was intended to work," and called it a "major moment for federalism."
Click here to learn more about this decision by the Trump Administration, announced yesterday.
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Farm Service Agency Administrator Richard Fordyce is reminding producers that the deadline to sign up for enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program is Friday, August 17th.
"Any agricultural producer with eligible land should look into the benefits of this program," Fordyce says. "It removes marginal, erodible land from production, thereby improving water quality, increases wildlife habitat, and provides more opportunities for recreational activities like fishing, hunting, and wildlife viewing."
For this year's signup, limited priority practices are available for continuous enrollment. They include grassed waterways, filter strips, riparian buffers, wetland restoration, and others. FSA will use updated soil rental rates to make their annual payments, reflecting current values. It will not offer incentive payments as part of the new signup. USDA will not open general signup this year. However, a one-year extension will be offered to existing CRP participants with expiring contracts of 14 years or less.
For more details on this USDA program, click over to our website.
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It was a busy time for beef producers and industry leaders last week during the 2018 Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting held in Denver. Many were there representing their state beef councils review projects that may earn funding through Beef Checkoff dollars. On the policy side, though, other producers were there to speak on the behalf of their state beef associations and offer their opinions on hot-button issues that have cropped up here in 2018. Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association Executive Vice President Michael Kelsey sat down with us to talk about one of those issues that garnered a lot of attention.
"Probably the one that sparked the most interest by all states had to do with disease traceability in the Cattle health and Wellbeing Committee," Kelsey said. "I think every state has experienced those opportunities of tracing cattle due to a disease situation and certainly we want to keep our minds as sharp as we can regarding the potential of a disease outbreak."
Kelsey says having the ability to trace diseased animals quickly and efficiently - keeps trade and commerce open and allows business to continue as normal in the event that a disease outbreak does occur. USDA Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Greg Ibach was there also and agreed that a traceability system is vital to ensure consumer trust in the industry and to prevent any future market disruptions. So, while there is undeniable benefit to a traceability system, Kelsey says the industry is wary of any federally mandated systems that might be implemented. Some states, he says were actually very open to the idea, but a consensus was finally achieved in discussion that for now - any systems developed should only be established on a voluntary basis.
"A couple of states including Oklahoma, were very hesitant of a mandatory ID system," Kelsey said. "We just don't feel like we're there yet. Obviously, that discussion is going to keep happening. The pressure is there for it, but to appropriately move forward, we have a lot of work to do before we ever go down that road. Any time you put a mandatory program in place by the government, it's cost driven and there's little opportunity for any type of innovation and chance to add value."
Structured as a voluntary program, though, Kelsey says producers who wished to participate would be able to take advantage of the value-added opportunity of perhaps joining a branded program catering to consumers willing to support a traceable product.
Listen to Kelsey and I talk more about the discussions that took place this past week at the Cattle Industry Meeting over the issue of traceability in the cattle industry, on yesterday's Beef Buzz - click here.
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Sponsor Spotlight
KIS FUTURES specializes in Futures and Options for Institutions, Commercials, Hedgers, and Individual Traders and executes trades for its clients in the following markets: Livestock, Grains, Energy, Metals, Softs, Financials, Currencies, and Stock Index Futures. For more information, please give them a call Toll Free at (800) 256-2555. Click here for their website to learn more.
And- their iPhone App, which provides all electronic futures quotes is available at the App Store- click here for the KIS Futures App for your iPhone.
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Planting season is just around the corner and many producers are beginning to consider their options for crop insurance this year. Our own Carson Horn sat down recently with Jim Bellman, director of the Oklahoma City Regional Office for the United States Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency, to share with producers some of his insights on crop insurance as a risk management tool.
Bellman works with agents and companies and producers on a day-to-day basis, to make sure farmers are prepared when disaster strikes. As a veteran of this business, he's learned from experience that no two farming businesses are alike. Which is why, he says, the insurance products available today are all widely flexible and can be tailored-made to any producer's desired level of coverage. However, while every producer's needs are different, his advice is always the same when asked about where to start when looking for the right crop insurance program.
"I always tell them - they need to set back and look at their operation, see what kind of risk management tools they need and then go talk to their local agent and see what products are available," he said. "They can also always get on our website. There are all kinds of fact sheets and information to help them with their decisions. There's also an agent locator tool to help connect them with a local provider that knows their specific area."
Learn more about the Federal Crop Insurance Program and listen to his complete conversation with Carson for more tips, by clicking or tapping here. |
A judge's order forbids farmers and their neighbors from discussing the recent run of abusive and predatory lawsuits against pork farmers in North Carolina. Lawyers for the American Farm Bureau Federation and the North Carolina Farm Bureau filed a brief asking for the order to be overturned.
Although their law-abiding farms have been labeled a "nuisance" by trial lawyers seeking multi-million-dollar verdicts from urban juries, the farmers and their neighbors can't talk about it. They can't talk about the conditions and practices on their farms and the devastating effects of the lawsuits on their rural communities.
Trial lawyers actively solicited hundreds of plaintiffs to assert nuisance allegations in dozens of lawsuits against Murphy Brown, LLC. While the company is the only named defendant, most of the farms are independently owned family farms, which stand to lose their production contracts and their livelihoods as a result of the litigation.
The brief denounced the chilling effect the gag order will have on the American Farm Bureau, as well as the North Carolina Farm Bureau, for years to come if the order is not lifted.
Click here to read AFBF's original statement on the matter, released yesterday.
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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.
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Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt - NACD Signs Agreement with the National Wild Turkey Federation
This week, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), which establishes an agreement between the organizations to enhance the productivity of wild turkey and other wildlife habitats on private lands. Additionally, the agreement signifies the commitment both organizations share to collaborate on future engagements and events.
"You can't have a healthy turkey population without healthy forests," NACD President Brent Van Dyke said. "Today's signed agreement demonstrates the commitment both NACD and NWTF share in enhancing our natural resources, particularly through increasing forest health. This agreement provides both entities with the unique ability to promote and implement conservation practices at the local level."
NACD and NWTF have worked together before and through common partners like the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and state forestry agencies, NACD and NWTF are addressing resource concerns and delivering conservation programs to enhance and conserve natural resources.
This agreement helps serve the NWTF's 10-year Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. initiative, focused on conservation and hunting heritage activities in regions of the country where the most meaningful, on-the-ground impact can be made to conserve and enhance wildlife habitat and open access to more lands for public hunting.
Click here to continue reading about this initiative on our website.
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Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K Equipment, Livestock Exchange at the Oklahoma National Stockyards, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Stillwater Milling Company, 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.
God Bless! You can reach us at the following:
phone: 405-473-6144
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