From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2006 06:46
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 28, 2006
A service of Midwest Farm Shows
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-- Modest growth in the number of piggies in the U.S. as we end 2006.
-- Rain- Snow- WIND! And you know you're in Oklahoma when you have WIND!
-- OIE Designation may help our cause in beef trade disputes
-- OALP Alums- An Important End of the Year reminder!
-- Never Ever Beef- we revisit our interview from earlier this year with Anne Anderson

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.


Modest growth in the number of piggies in the U.S. as we end 2006.
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USDA estimates there are now just over 62 million hogs and pigs in the United States- up one percent from this point a year ago. They also report that the number of sows kept for breeding as well as the number of market hogs in the U.S. are both up one percent from a year ago as well.

Oklahoma's numbers remain fairly stable- altho the number of hogs in the state are down 2% from December one of a year ago at 2.33 million head. Oklahoma has been in eighth place for several years now when it comes to the state's rank in total hog numbers. We are also 8th in the total number of market hogs and currently 6th in the breeding herd found here in the state.

Nationally, higher prirced corn and lots of ethanol plants around does not seem to be slowing down the hog business in Iowa- with the largest hog state in the country up four percent on their total number of hogs at 17.2 million head. In contrast, the second largest hog producing state, North Carolina, is down three percent from a year ago at 9.5 million head.

Click here for a look at the full report from USDA.


Rain- Snow- WIND! And you know you're in Oklahoma when you have WIND!
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We see wind gusts mostly in the 20s this morning, with at least one report of wind gusts to 31 miles per hour as we write this. It now appears that the winter storm that is setting up will not really reach most of Oklahoma- only the Panhandle will likely see much if any snow from this system. Rain chances for the body of Oklahoma remain highest on Friday, but it now looks like the strong north winds may have a hard time reaching down into the body of the state.

Meanwhile, the Panhandle is facing another snow event- with some rain before the snow. Three or four inches is possible for Guymon between tonight and Saturday morning, and as much as six or seven inches in Boise City, Felt and Kenton. They will get the north winds and colder temperatures that will sweep in by late tonight or early tomorrow morning.

Southern Oklahoma will be included in the rain chances- and pretty good sized amounts of rain may fall in south central and southeastern areas of the state.


OIE Designation may help our cause in beef trade disputes
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As early as this May the World Organization for Animal Health is expected to classify the BSE risk in the United States in one of three categories – negligible – controlled – or undetermined. According to the Administrator of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service – a classification of either “negligible” or “controlled” would facilitate U.S. efforts to normalize international beef trade. Dr. Ron DeHaven said – even as a controlled risk country we could trade in all of the beef and beef products that we would want. That’s if our trading partners would accept our categorization.

USDA has submitted a detailed package of information on U.S. BSE risk mitigation efforts. A scientific Commission is considering the application and is expected to make known its classification recommendation in early March. Then the World Organization’s general body will make a final determination – possibly in May.

The World Organization for Animal Health BSE Classification program was established just last year. That’s when the United States submitted its application.


OALP Alums- An Important End of the Year reminder!
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There are more than 350 Alums of the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program around-dating back to Class I in the early 1980s- the class that I am a proud member of- and for each of the Alums- I was asked to deliver a reminder as we hit the final week of the old year- NOW is the time to get your contribution in support OALP in order for the program to be able to match the generous support of the Noble Foundation. In 2006- that match is $15,000. The Noble Foundation will double each dollar you contribute as an Alum up to that $15,000 level.

While some graduates of the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program will undoubtedly give more- if 300 of the graduates would give $50 back to this rural leadership development effort- we would meet the Challenge in full! Such broad based support would really validate the program to the many groups and companies who have been OALP supporters down through the years.

To contribute- make your checks payable to the OSU Foundation/OALP. They can be mailed to the following address:
Oklahoma State University
900 University Mailing SVCS
Stillwater, Ok. 74075-9988.

To learn more about OALP- take a look at the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Website!


Never Ever Beef- we revisit our interview from earlier this year with Anne Anderson
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She is one of the sharpest ladies in the U.S. beef industry- and we talked earlier this year with Anne Anderson about some of the cutting edge stuff going on in our efforts to meet the needs of the consumer and sell beef.

We have linked below today's Beef Buzz, which takes us back to a portion of that interview where Anne talks about "never ever" beef as well as some interesting work in progress in Canada in order to meet the demands of the Europeans for hormone free beef.

It's safe to say that we won the battle but lost the war on the issue of hormone free beef with Europe. While the U.S. won the trade case back in the 1990s against Europe over the safety of our hormone implants and we have been allowed to hit them with duties on some of their products- we have never been able to break into what should be a very lucrative market for U.S. beef. Here in 2006, we have heard the USMEF folks talk about Europe being a real potential outlet for our beef- but we will have to assume the Burger King role and tell them they can have it "their way." We seem to have a hard time dealing with other countries at that level.

Click here for today's Beef Buzz with Anne Anderson from Texas


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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