From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 6:47 AM
To: Hays, Ron
Subject: Oklahoma's Farm News Update
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Oklahoma's latest farm and ranch news
Your Update from Ron Hays of RON for Wednesday September 21, 2011
A service of Johnston Enterprises, P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind Energy and American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company!
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-- Survey Shows Extent of Drought Impact on Southern Plains Producers
-- Senate Moves One Step Closer to Finalizing Free Trade Agreements
-- USMEF Study Finds Favorable Returns on Market Development Programs
-- Dairy Industry Spreads the Word at Ice Cream Contest
-- Conservation Groups Call on Congress for Support in 2012 Farm Bill
-- Soybean Farmers Score Big in New Football Season
-- Polly Ruhland Drops Interim From Her Title as CEO of the Cattlemen's Beef Board
-- If You Are Not Getting the Email Every Day- Read This
-- Let's Check the Markets!

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!

It is also great to have as an annual sponsor on our daily email Johnston Enterprises- proud to be serving agriculture across Oklahoma and around the world since 1893. Johnston is proud to be an outlet for Trimble GPS Guidance and Precision Agriculture Solutions- Call Derrick Bentz at 580-732-8080 for details. For more on Johnston Enterprises- click here for their website!

And we are proud to have P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind Energy as one of our regular sponsors of our daily email update. P & K is the premiere John Deere dealer in Oklahoma, with ten locations to serve you, and the P & K team are excited about their new Wind Power program, as they offer Endurance Wind Power wind turbines. Click here for more from the P&K website.

We invite you to listen to us weekdays on the Radio Oklahoma Network for the latest farm news and markets- if you missed today's Morning Farm News (or in an area where you can't hear it) Click here to listen to today's Morning Farm News with Ron on RON.

If you have received this email by someone forwarding it to you, you are welcome to subscribe and get this weekday update sent to you directly by clicking here.


Survey Shows Extent of Drought Impact on Southern Plains Producers
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The worst 1-year drought on record is affecting ranchers in the Southwest, however a recent survey conducted by the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) shows TSCRA members are actively implementing a variety of strategies to adapt to the current climate.

According to TSCRA's Drought Impact Survey, 84 percent of respondents indicate they have reduced their herd size from their 3-year average. Herds were reduced by an average 38 percent.

In talking with TSCRA officials, most of the surveys returned were from their Texas members- but the survey also reflects some input from Oklahoma ranchers who belong to the organization as well.

The survey indicates that individual herds were reduced through livestock market sales, early placement into feedyards, moving cattle to unused pastures or dry lots, or sending older cows to harvest.

"These numbers indicate that the drought is certainly taking its toll on ranchers, but they also indicate that the industry is adapting to the weather," said Joe Parker, President of the TSCRA. "If there is a silver lining to the drought, it may be that this has allowed us to see just how diverse the beef industry truly is."

Click here for more from TSCRA and a copy of the full report


Senate Moves One Step Closer to Finalizing Free Trade Agreements
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Monday evening, Sept. 19, 2011, the U.S. Senate voted 84 to 8 to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed with the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) legislation. According to National Cattlemen's Beef Association Manager of Legislative Affairs Kent Bacus, the Senate took the first step necessary toward passing pending Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with Colombia, Panama and South Korea.

"This procedural vote was a critical step toward ending the multi-year delay on passing pending trade pacts that would stimulate the economy and create jobs," said Bacus. "This legislation is one of the many requirements President Obama has demanded before he will send the agreements to Congress."

Bacus said the Senate is likely to consider many amendments to the GSP legislation. Bacus expects the legislation to eventually pass and then go before the U.S. House of Representatives for a vote. He said the president likely will delay sending the trade agreements to Congress until the House passes the GSP bill. As far as predicting a timeline for the FTAs, Bacus said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) "holds the cards."

"Sen. Reid holds the cards regarding how much time will be spent on the GSP bill. He has the ability to tie this up as long as he wants but there's also a chance we could see the bill move quickly. Much of that will hinge on how many amendments he allows," said Bacus. "There is enormous pressure on Sen. Reid to keep this under control."

Click here for more information on the recent movement of the FTA's


USMEF Study Finds Favorable Returns on Market Development Programs
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U.S. beef, pork, corn and soybean producers are receiving a solid return on their checkoff investments in the U.S. Meat Export Federation's (USMEF) export market development programs, according to a study completed recently by Dr. Harry Kaiser, the Gellert Family Professor of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University and director of the Cornell Commodity Promotion Research Program.

In fact, every industry dollar invested in these programs over the past 10 years returned an average of $15 in net revenue for the pork industry and $8 to the beef industry.

"An Economic Analysis of the U.S. Meat Export Federation's Export Market Development Programs" was commissioned by USMEF to quantify the returns that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and the beef, pork, corn and soybean checkoff programs receive from their investments in USMEF's export market development programs. The independent study was funded by the USDA and Dr. Kaiser was chosen from several researchers who proposed to do the research.

"It is clear that U.S. beef and pork export market development and promotion programs have had a significant and positive impact on meat export net revenue," said Dr. Kaiser.

Click here to see a full copy of the report and more from USMEF


Dairy Industry Spreads the Word at Ice Cream Contest
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With the Oklahoma State Fair well underway, the annual Cow-to-Cone Ice Cream Contest, sponsored by Dairy MAX, was held this past weekend. Eugene Corley, a dairy farmer and producer from Tuttle, Okla., served as a judge for this tasty contest. However, this contest serves as more than a chance to sample some delicious ice cream; it is also a chance to talk about the dairy industry.

Corley says the contest is a good way to get the word out about the industry and of course, ice cream is one of the best product they put out. And there are a lot of changes within the industry that many people are not aware of. Corley says there have been many changes because of the technology developed since they first started milking.

Of course, they began with milking by hand and they have now changed to using milking machines says Corley.

The drought has affected the whole state and it did not spare the dairy industry. Corley says some of the challenges the dairy industry will be facing as we move into winter are the dried up pastures, the lack of silage from corn, and the unability to find reasonably priced hay. Ultimately, Corley says it affected the dairy producers a lot like the beef producers across the state.

Click on the LINK below to hear more from Eugene Corley on the Cow-to-Cone Ice Cream Contest and how it is used to talk about the dairy industry in Oklahoma, as well as the impact of the 2011 drought on dairy producers.

Click here to jump over to our website and our story where you can listen to our conversation with Eugene Corley


Conservation Groups Call on Congress for Support in 2012 Farm Bill
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The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and other members of the Forests in the Farm Bill Coalition (FIFB) sent a letter to members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees offering recommendations for the 2012 Farm Bill. Signed by 70 groups representing conservationists, forest owners, hunters, anglers, forest-product manufacturers, and natural resource professionals, the letter urges Congress to pass a Farm Bill that enables forest conservation on private forests and surrounding rural landscapes, while supporting the creation and maintenance of forest-dependent rural jobs and strong rural economies in forest communities.

"Forests play a critical role in providing clean air, clean water and healthy habitat across the nation," NACD President Gene Schmidt said. "It's important that forest landowners are able to participate in Farm Bill conservation programs and receive the technical assistance necessary to implement on-the-ground conservation practices to ensure the sustainability of America's forests and other natural resources."

Specifically, the groups are calling for a Farm Bill which: (1) includes strong provisions for forests in conservation Programs, (2) strengthens forestry outreach, education, research, and inventory programs, (3) combats forest-related invasive species, and (4) improves forest market opportunities.

The nation's private forests, which make up more than two-thirds of all U.S. forests, supply Americans with clean water and clean air, fish and wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, and forest products. They are also a key component of our rural landscapes, stimulating healthy communities and economies, and supporting well-paying jobs in rural America. However, our forests continue to face a number of challenges threatening their long-term sustainability, including development, Invasive species, insects, diseases and wildfires.

Click here for our webstory on these lobbying efforts by NACD- and a link to the full letter sent to Congress.


Soybean Farmers Score Big in New Football Season
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U.S. soybean farmers - especially those in Kansas - are undoubtedly especially proud this season of the Kansas State University (KSU) Wildcats - or, more specifically, their stadium playing field.

KSU recently installed AstroTurf GameDay Grass at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan. AstroTurf products include a soy-based backing called BioCel, from Universal Textile Technologies. BioCel uses soy-based-polyol technology developed with support from the soybean checkoff.

"We love seeing our U.S. soy on the football field," says USB New Uses program Chair Bob Haselwood, who farms about 65 miles east of Manhattan in Berryton. "The number one user of our soybeans is the animal ag sector, which uses 98 percent of our soybean meal. But soybean oil is used in a lot of things people aren't aware of, such as paint, cleaners and turf, and the list goes on and on."

The sustainability of U.S. soy proves to be one important reason behind its increasing popularity in new, industrial uses. More often than ever, builders and other industrial customers choose soy-based products over those made with petroleum-based chemicals.

Click here to read more on the uses of soybeans for AstroTurf


Polly Ruhland Drops Interim From Her Title as CEO of the Cattlemen's Beef Board
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Polly Ruhland is the new Chief Executive Officer of the Cattlemen's Beef Board, as hired on Tuesday by the Beef Board Executive Committee. Ruhland has been serving as the interim CEO since June 28, and the chairman of the Executive Committee in charge of hiring her said she more than proved herself in her three months in that position. She replaced Tom Ramey, who resigned under fire after being reprimanded by the Board for unauthorized activity.

"The opportunity to serve farmers and ranchers in this way is an unparalleled honor," Ruhland said. "I am committed to working every hour of every day to promote beef through the unique cooperation and coordination offered by the Beef Checkoff Program."

Earlier in the year as she served as Interim CEO, we talked with her during Summer Cattle Industry Conference in Florida- and her comments with us make up today's Beef Buzz- to give you a feel of her sense of direction for the dollar a head beef checkoff. You can hear that conversation with Polly by clicking on the LINK below.

Click here for today's Beef Buzz- featuring Polly Ruhland, new CEO of the CBB


If You Are Not Getting the Email Every Day- Read This
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We have been watching some problems with certain internet providers blocking these daily updates out to you. If you seem to be getting the daily emails without problems- you may want to do some preventative work and go to either your junk email folder or spam folder and make us a safe sender in your system. Several email addresses show that in recent days- the email was being blocked on the even days and allowed through on odd days. If that is the case- please drop me an email to confirm that ron@oklahomafarmreport.com (it is linked below) and you may want to call your internet provider and explain the problem to them. Remember- we also post the daily email on our website- look at the top of the right hand column of any page for that link- and we send a link via twitter to the email daily as well- it goes out at the same time as the email itself is being emailed.

Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, PCOM, P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind Energy, Johnston Enterprises, American Farmers & Ranchers 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- FREE!

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


Let's Check the Markets!
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We've had requests to include Canola prices for your convenience here- and we will be doing so on a regular basis. Current cash price for Canola is $12.65 per bushel- as of the close of business yesterday, while the 2012 New Crop contracts for Canola are now available are $12.71 per bushel- delivered to local participating elevators that are working with PCOM.

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.



God Bless! You can reach us at the following:
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phone: 405-473-6144
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