From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Thursday, December 21, 2006 07:11
To: ron@oklahomafarmreport.com
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 Thursday December 21, 2006
A service of Midwest Farm Shows
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-- Livestock Grant Assistance Program Checks about ready to be cut!
-- Rainfall totals pleasing to lots of folks across the state!
-- Cattle on Feed numbers due out on Friday- Prereport guesses expect two percent more cattle on feed than last December first.
-- Best Cattle prices of 2007 could happen in 4th quarter next year- so says Jim Gill of TCFA
-- Unwanted Pesticide Pickup Sites selected for February
-- Farm Bureau Board gets visit from Dr. Coburn- what's the prognosis?
-- Countdown to Christmas- Five Days!

Howdy Neighbors!

Here's your morning farm news headlines from the Director of Farm Programming for the Radio Oklahoma Network, Ron Hays. Our email this morning is a service of Midwest Farm Shows, featuring the Southern Plains Farm Show in Oklahoma City April 19-21, 2007, as well as the Tulsa Farm Show held each December. Check out details of both of these exciting shows at the official website of Midwest Farm Shows by clicking here.

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


Livestock Grant Assistance Program Checks about ready to be cut!
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We can't say the checks are in the mail- at least not yet- but the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture continues to get closer to sending over 13,000 checks out to livestock producers across the state to help with forage shortfalls because of drought suffered here in 2006. USDA provided $6.5 million to Oklahoma in the form of a block grant for drought help- a part of some $50 million that USDA handed out this way to some 24 states.

ODAFF officials tells us the audits are about done, and the latest number of animal units qualified stands at 1,725,133, coming from 13,895 applications. This means the average sized application has 124 animal units. It also means that at this point the value of each animal unit within this program is $3.76, which equates to an average check of $466 going out to those who successfully applied for the program.

The goal of the department is to have those checks in the mail by the end of next week or very early in 2007, according to Jack Carson of ODA. That is a quick turnaround in government timelines- given the fact they had to develop the program from scratch, hold informational meetings in all 77 counties, input an avalanche of last minute applications and then perform an audit that would satisfy USDA. Still unknown- a cost to Oklahoma for getting this program done from A to Z as USDA provided zero dollars for implementation.


Rainfall totals pleasing to lots of folks across the state!
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At least two Oklahoma Mesonet sites received over 3 inches of rainfall from this December storm that has caused blizzard conditions to our north. Butler received over 3.7 inches of rain, with Cheyenne picking up 3.16 inches of the wet stuff. Many other locations added over two inches of rain to their annual totals in these final days of 2006, with Cherokee in Alfalfa County checking in at over 2.5 inches of rain- badly needed to say the least. Medford in Grant County only recorded a half inch of rain- and for wheat farmers in that county- that's a disappointment when so much more rain was received elsewhere.

Lots of other Mesonet stations recorded more than an inch of rain, with virtually every station in all 77 counties getting over the half inch level. The one exception seems to be the Panhandle- and it remains to be seen how much moisture they actually got from the frozen rain and snow they had fall on them. Boise City has only recorded 4 hundredths of an inch of liquid precipitation, with Kenton getting zero in their gauge- so Cimarron County is in that wait and see category.

The weather forecasts now seem to show with this system gone- clear and dry weather lies ahead through the middle of next week at least. Temperatures will be in line with norms for this time of year.


Cattle on Feed numbers due out on Friday- Prereport guesses expect two percent more cattle on feed than last December first.
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Joe Victor of Allendale is telling us that we will likely end the string of several months of record large cattle on feed numbers in the next USDA Cattle on Feed report that is due out on Friday after the markets close for the week and just ahead of the long holiday weekend.

Victor tells us "Lower placements are expected for the third month in a row. Sharply higher corn costs are seen as the primary driver. Lower placements and stronger marketings are expected to lower the total Cattle on Feed as of Dec 1 to 1.4% higher than last year at this time. That is the largest Dec 1 estimate since 2000. This ends the three straight months of record COF levels."

Pre report guesses that we have seen range from one to two and half percent more cattle on feed compared to last December first. The number of placements into feedlots November of this year versus last year ranges from five percent less to sixteen percent less than in 2005. Marketing numbers are pegged from one to six percent more than last November.


Best Cattle prices of 2007 could happen in 4th quarter next year- so says Jim Gill of TCFA
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We could see cash cattle prices in the Southern Plains feedlots hit the mid 90s in the 4th quarter of 2007- based on tighter supplies of cattle and somewhat reduced carcass weights by that time. That's the prediction of Jim Gill, Market Analyst for the Texas Cattle Feeders Association. Gill says that the higher price for corn that seems to be building a base at these new higher levels will discourage feedlots from holding cattle too long and allowing carcass weights to continue their creep upward.

TCFA represents feedlots in Oklahoma, as well as Texas and New Mexico. We feature their market outlook that was released at their recent end of the year news conference, with Burt Rutherford joining us today on the Beef Buzz. We have linked today's show for you below.

Speaking of Burt, we have a note from him that he is leaving TCFA at the end of the year- and will be joining Beef Magazine. He mentions that TCFA is looking for his replacement now- and that if you know someone with some Ag Communications background- you might want to steer them to the TCFA website, www.tcfa.org and check out their employment opportunities.

Click here for the latest Beef Buzz featuring Burt Rutherford from TCFA on 2007 Market Outlook.


Unwanted Pesticide Pickup Sites selected for February
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As we reported earlier this month, the Unwanted Pesticide Collection Program was very successful, with all those involved very pleased with the program. Over 62,000 pounds of unwanted pesticides just sitting around barns and sheds and who knows where else were taken to Altus and taken off of the hands of those who owned it- no questions asked.

This joint effort of the OSU Extension service, the Oklahoma Department of Ag and the Oklahoma Agribusiness Retailers Association will continue in 2007- and we now have details of the two sites that will be collection points in February. The first of those sites will be in Drummond on February 20th, with a second collection point planned February 22nd in Webbers Falls.

We have linked below from our calendar section of our web site an informational brochure on the subject which will give you the rules and contact numbers for any questions you might have. State Ag Secretary Terry Peach told us recently that he is very pleased with this program and that several more sites will be identified and used as collection points as the year unfolds.

Click here for more information on the Unwanted Pesticide Collection Points Planned for February 2007.


Farm Bureau Board gets visit from Dr. Coburn- what's the prognosis?
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You don't find many doctors willing to make house calls these days- but Doctor and Senator Tom Coburn stopped by and visited with the Board of Directors of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau who were meeting earlier this week. We have been told that Senator Coburn assured the Farm Bureau members that he would be working to find a way to get some targeted disaster assistance, perhaps as much as four billion dollars worth, for agriculture early in 2007 as the new Congress organizes and the Democrats assume control.

He also expressed support for monies to support writing new farm policy in 2007- as he had told reporters earlier this month- he is most in favor of a direct decoupled payment to farmers that would help them build a capital base and would allow them to achieve enough of a financial cushion to weather disasters without the need of almost annual disaster aid packages that have been the norm for more than a decade.

Speaking of Farm Bureau- it was pointed out to me that OFB President Steve Kouplen is facing a term limit in 2007 on the number of years he can serve as President of the group- and that is the reason he will not seek re-election next fall. Steve continues his service as Farm Bureau President for the coming year, and we understand that Bob Drake of Davis will continue as Vice President of the general farm organization in 2007, elected to that position by board action this week.


Countdown to Christmas- Five Days!
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We will have an e-mail update tomorrow, then will be off on Monday for Christmas and then four updates next week to wrap up the old year.

As we count down to December 25- our wish for you and yours is a Happy and Holy Holiday- as we pause and remember an event that God chose to stage in a livestock barn- with those sheep, cattle and donkeys witnesses of the birthday of a King! Are we open to opportunity to get involved in what God is up to? Would we open up our stable? Are you willing to allow your resources to be used in such an incredible way- whatever God has in mind? It's both a scary and exciting thought to contemplate during this most wonderful time of the year!!!


Our thanks to Midwest Farm Shows for their support of our daily Farm News Update. Go to their website at the link at the top of today's email for more information on either the Tulsa Farm Show or the Southern Plains Farm Show.

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



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