Howdy Neighbors!

Here's your morning farm news headlines from the Director of Farm Programming for the Radio Oklahoma Network, Ron Hays. We are proud to have KIS Futures as a regular sponsor of our daily E-Mail. KIS Futures provides Oklahoma Farmers & Ranchers with futures & options hedging services in the livestock and grain markets- Click here for their recent TV Commercial or call them at 1-800-256-2555.

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However, Sarah Palin is not the status quo in Presidential politics- and one analysis of her after the extraordinary speech she gave last night seems point on- that the McCain camp is up on the "high wire" with this act in front of the entire country and the world- and her first performance on the "high wire" was close to perfect. This analyst wondered if she could stay up there without falling for the next couple of months- but clearly she changed the dynamic of the race unlike any Veep pick in recent memory has done.

I read a whole collection of reactions that the Wall Street Journal received about Governor Palin- some coming in before the speech and some after- and the overwhelming majority are pumped over this "pit bull with lipstick" (her definition of what a Hockey Mom is) Patrick Cosgrove summed up her "bond" that she seemed to establish with small town Americans last night: "I live in a small town of less than 10,000 about 45 minutes northwest of St. Paul, so I have a unique perspective on this convention. I also have a 17-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old daughter who plays hockey-meaning I'm married to a 'hockey mom.' I firmly believe that those who live outside the bubbles of Manhattan, the Beltway, and L.A. see in Sarah Palin someone they know and like. By playing down her 'small town' experience, the bubbleheads tell 100 million Americans who build cars and houses, and grow food and pay taxes in small town America that they just don't matter. We are not fly-over country; we are the country."

One of the major networks that I flipped to after the speech mentioned that the Democratic response to this speech was swift in coming- saying it was a very good speech- but one written by a George Bush speechwriter with more of the same from the last eight years- adding they believe that America will want to take a chance on change with Barrack Obama.

Like I mentioned at the top- I know I have folks from both ends of the political spectrum that read this email daily- and I welcome you all- but I would suspect that one truth that we can mostly agree upon this Thursday morning is that small town and rural America has gotten included in the debate this Presidential election in a huge (and different) way- and it will make this fall's campaign much more interesting with the entry of this 44 year old Mom of five that calls small town America home.

Earlier in the week, the Republicans voted to not support the continuation of the Renewable Fuel Standard- saying that mandates should not be in place to support renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel- but rather, let the market decide if those products will live or die.
The new policy also states to meet global demand for food and biofuels, farmers much have the technology to grow more with fewer inputs and said USDA must remain the international leader in agricultural research.

There is not unanimity among Republicans on ending the mandate, as farm state lawmakers in addition to President Bush oppose the platform language. ``I disagree with that part of our platform,'' said Senator Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican who talked to reporters yesterday on a conference call. ``If we were going to have $140- a-barrel oil the rest of our life, we may not need mandates. But if we didn't have mandates, we wouldn't have the vibrant energy business we have right now.''

"More than 5,000 people attended the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council's $1 million AgNite party at the Theater de la Jeune Lune in Minneapolis on Tuesday night. It was likely the biggest and most expensive party of the convention and a proper tribute to the Midwest's huge agriculture industry. No tiny hors d'oeuvres for the aggies. Instead, they proffered pork chops on a stick (served with a single Michael-Jackson-like glove to keep your fingers clean), cream pies, and vodka made from Minnesota corn. But the celebratory atmosphere was marred by the news that John McCain, a longtime opponent of ethanol subsidies, had persuaded the delegates to adopt a platform provision ending a mandate on the use of the corn-based fuel in the U.S. gasoline supply. The Minnesota Corn Growers were one of the "platinum" sponsors of the event (a contribution of at least $75,000, we hear) but its members were shaking their heads and considering breaking with their usual Republican voting pattern. Matt Hartwig of the Renewable Fuels Association said that it was "inconceivable that the Republican Party would adopt a platform limiting the energy options available to the American people."

Click here for the Convention Buzz as written for the online edition of the National Journal

This years theme is "Managing Risk Successfully". This conference will address personal, family, business and agriculture issues that present unique challenges to women. Attendees will receive handouts and educational materials during the conference. Every breakout will focus on providing helpful information that will assist women as they work to be successful in their endeavors.

You can save $5.00 on registration if you do so by this Friday, September 5. We have our calendar linked below- scroll down to September 18 and then click on the Statewide Women's Conference on Agriculture for registration information, the full agenda and a lot more.

Click here for our Calendar page on WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com

What is a playa? I'm glad you asked- based on their website, this group says that "Playas are shallow, seasonal wetlands that lie in the lowest point of a closed watershed. Their basins are lined with clay soil, which collect and hold water from rainfall and runoff events. Playas are the center of biodiversity on the plains, supporting more than 200 species of birds and other wildlife. Playas are also the primary source of recharge for the Ogallala Aquifer, a 174,000 square mile groundwater formation that supplies nearly 100 percent of the High Plains water needs."

Five Oklahoma counties that fall in the group's territory currently have their wetlands mapped. Those five counties include the Cimarron, Texas and Beaver Counties in the Panhandle, as well as Harper and Jackson Counties in the western part of the main body of the state. We have the link below that will take you to their webpage, where you can click and get these five counties, as well as look at 150 other counties that are mapped in Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas and Texas.

Click here for the list of counties that have their wetland areas mapped.

The President of the National Pork Board, Steve Weaver, a pork producer from Elk Grove, California, says - this is a challenging time for the U.S. pork industry, but also a time of great opportunity. Weaver says - I and my fellow National Pork Board members are so excited to have someone with Chris Novak's experience and abilities to work with us in meeting those challenges and identifying opportunities on behalf of all U.S. pork producers.

Weaver said Novak will begin his National Pork Board duties October 1. He replaces Steve Murphy, who announced his resignation in January and who has continued to serve while the board searched for his replacement. Novak, who was a state FFA officer as a youth, has a bachelor's degree from Iowa State University, a law degree from the University of Iowa and an executive master's degree in business administration from Purdue University.

Meanwhile, it remains dry in the northern part of the corn and soybean belt- and the crops are well behind normal.
According to USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey 45% of this year's crop has been dented as of August 31, which is well behind the five-year average of 65%. "That is something to watch as we head deeper into September and worry about the threat of an early freeze," Rippey says. "We do only have 14% having reached the dent stage in North Dakota; the five-year average is 47%. Only 24% dented in Minnesota; the five-year average 59%."

The dry weather pattern is also affecting soybean conditions, particularly in the northern states. "We do see in Michigan and Wisconsin now 29% of the soybeans rated very poor to poor," Rippey says. "We've seen some increases in other states as well including Indiana at 18% and Ohio at 23% very poor to poor."

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- One Pager From Country Hedging- looks at all three US Wheat Futures Exchanges 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.