Howdy Neighbors!

Here's your morning farm news headlines from the Director of Farm Programming for the Radio Oklahoma Network, Ron Hays. We are pleased to have American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company as a regular sponsor of our daily update- click here to go to their AFR web site to learn more about their efforts to serve rural America!

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Proponents of the "local food" movement are supportive of the Jon Tester proposal. The Tester Amendment is strongly opposed by the major fresh fruit and vegetable groups in the country. The United Fresh Producers Association said the amendment proposed by US Senator Jon Tester of Montana would "reject a risk-based approach to food safety" and lead to the creation of a federal food safety system that "adheres to arbitrary exemptions rather than to sound scientific principles".

Robert Guenther of United Fresh Produce says "We are appalled at statements by Senator Tester reported today in the Capital Press that "small producers are not raising a commodity, but are raising food". Industrial agriculture, he said, takes the people out of the equation. This is simply hogwash, and should insult not only the farmers of America, but the intelligence of members of Congress."

It is unclear when the Senate would finish work on the bill. If it passes, it would have to be merged with a House-passed bill, or the House would have to approve the Senate bill as is. One other complication to passage is the demand by Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn that the Senate should find an offset to pay for this new piece of regulation. Given the mood in Congress to push everything they can to the new Congress- a Food Safety Bill may not make it through the Lame Duck.

One thing about this debate- it sums up pretty well the battle between the local food advocates and those who are producing food at a larger level.

Click here to see the letter send by 20 Fruit and Vegetable Organizations Opposing the Tester Amendment

OSU Grain Marketing Economist Dr. Kim Anderson tells Austin Moore with the weekly OSU Ag Communications produced SUNUP program that some of the jetters that we see in the market may be traced back to fears that the Commodity Funds may be ready to liquidate their positions, which could be a major shock to the ag markets.

We've got Kim and Austin talking about the latest grain market conditions at the LINK below. We also have the complete rundown of this week's SUNUP with Lyndall Stout and her team that will be seen on OETA Saturday morning at 7:30 AM. Check it out.

Click here to take a listen to Kim's take on the Grain Market Bouncing Like a SuperBall and the Complete Rundown of this Week's SUNUP

According to NCBA, provisions in the proposed rule causing the most concern for cattlemen and women include: eliminating the requirement that a plaintiff establish injury to competition in order to prove a claim, purport to define "competitive injury" and the likelihood thereof, and declare that specific acts or practices are "unfair, unjustly discriminatory or deceptive; suggesting the factors which may establish an undue or unreasonable preference; prohibiting sales of livestock by a packer to another packer or its affiliates; and requiring the production and publication of all cattle marketing and production contracts.

Woodall called the proposed rule - a pervasive invasion of government into private business. A report recently commissioned by several organizations in the meat industry, found that the rule would result in ongoing direct and indirect costs to the livestock and poultry industries - eventually borne by producers and consumers - of more than 1.64-billion dollars, including nearly 880-million to the beef industry.

Click here for the NCBA Summary of their Comments Submitted to USDA on GIPSA Rule

In its comments, NPPC, which has called the regulation a "bureaucratic overreach," said that GIPSA lacked authority to, for example, declare that no showing of injury to competition is necessary to establish a violation of the PSA. It pointed out that federal courts have uniformly rejected that view and that Congress rejected a similar provision during debate on the 2008 Farm Bill.

"In all my years in the pork industry, I have never seen a regulation proposed that would do as much harm to America's pork producers as the GIPSA rule would do," said NPPC CEO Neil Dierks. "There's no justification for imposing this rule on pork producers. It's based on anecdotes, not analyses."
NPPC plans a News Briefing later this morning to fully release their comments on the rule- Deadline for getting comments int0 USDA on GIPSA Rule is this coming Monday, November 22.

Click here for the full release from Thursday afternoon from NPPC on how they view GIPSA

Bob Mack, a cattle feeder and cow/calf producer from Watertown, S.D., told nearly 60 congressional office staffers that the marketplace should produce winners and losers based on who does the best job and who is the most efficient, not based on decisions by just two or three meatpackers positioned to pick winners and losers by rewarding some producers and discriminating against others. Mack said the GIPSA rule makes sure that packers follow the rules of the market. "All we want are fair rules for everyone and a referee," he said. "From my perspective, this rule (the GIPSA rule) makes sure the rules are followed."

Among the questions raised by congressional offices was how packers could possibly justify different prices for livestock, as required by the GIPSA rule. Mack explained that the industry is already providing such justification. He said a simple review of USDA's market reports show that USDA already provides notations to explain why different prices are paid for seemingly similar animals. "Our industry already uses common terms like 'fleshy,' 'green,' 'heavy,' and 'full' to explain price differences," he said. "The market records required under the GIPSA rule already are being generated in the normal course of the meatpackers' purchasing transactions, and all the GIPSA rule does is require the packers to maintain those records."

Click here for more on the efforts by the Pro- GIPSA Groups to Sell the Rule's benefits to Congressional Staff

He adds that EU wheat prices have become more competitive due to the recent fall in the euro, which reached a seven-week low against the dollar on Wednesday. However, the rapid pace of EU exports, which are up by more than 30 percent from last year, has substantially decreased EU supplies and underpinned prices. The difference between U.S. and EU prices is evident by the spread between the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) and Matif futures prices. The nearby contracts for the CBOT and Matif markets traded at near parity as recently as August, but have steadily grown apart as the EU faces dwindling supplies. As of Nov. 17, CBOT wheat futures traded at a $56 per metric ton (MT) discount to Matif futures, the widest spread since mid-2007. While the spread in FOB cash prices is less dramatic, U.S. HRW 11 percent protein is currently trading at approximately a $15 per MT discount to French 11 percent protein wheat, with U.S. HRW at $275 per MT compared to $290 per MT for French wheat.

U.S. wheat prices also currently have an advantage against southern hemisphere supplies. Data from the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange shows Argentine wheat currently trading at $300 per MT on a FOB basis. In Australia, the strong Aussie dollar, which reached a 28-year high against the U.S. dollar on Nov. 5, has kept Australian wheat relatively more expensive on the global market. While the Aussie dollar has softened slightly since Nov. 5, it remains at historical highs (see chart below). In the latest tender by the Egyptian General Authority for Supply Commodities, U.S. wheat came in at the lowest offer, $8 per MT less than the lowest Australian offer of $301 per MT. Despite a rapid export pace, U.S. exporters continue to find both the wheat and the export capacity to make new sales at competitive prices.

Oklahoma State University's Steve Damron has been named the 2010 Oklahoma Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
Damron was chosen for official recognition as one of 38 state award recipients, selected from more than 300 top professors in the United States. A professor of animal science, he is renowned for his ability to explain technical, complex materials in an easily understood manner. "Steve teaches a global perspective using numerous real-world applications, integrating and weaving information and ideas together into a broader, practical picture," said Ron Kensinger, head of the OSU department of animal science. "His effective use of special projects, papers and case studies helps students develop the ability to find and seek information and develop strategic thinking skills, as well as integrate and apply information in a problem-solving context. He is truly outstanding."

Our In the Field guest for Saturday morning will be Tyler Norvell of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau- and we will be talking about the policy process of the OFB at their annual convention that is getting underway today and running through Sunday midday. Tyler is the new Vice President for Public Policy for the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, taking the slot that has been held in recent years by Lori Peterson. Join us for our In the Field segment with Tyler if you can on KWTV, News9 at 6:40 AM on Saturday morning- we'll be posting an audio conversation with Tyler later on today with him on our website at www.OklahomaFarmReport.Com.

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

Here are some links we will leave in place on an ongoing basis- Click on the name of the report to go to that link:
Our Daily Market Wrapup from the Radio Oklahoma Network with Ed Richards and Tom Leffler- analyzing the Futures Markets from the previous Day-
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.
Previous Day's Wheat Market Recap- Two Pager From The Kansas City Board of Trade looks at all three US Wheat Futures Exchanges with extra info on Hard Red Winter Wheat and the why of that day's market.
Daily Oklahoma Cash Grain Prices- As Reported by the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture. <
The National Daily Feeder & Stocker Cattle Summary- as prepared by USDA.
The National Daily Slaughter Cattle Summary- as prepared by USDA.
Finally, Here is the Daily Volume and Price Summary from the Texas Cattle Feeders Association.