From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2008 7:27 AM
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 November 6, 2008!
A service of Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, Farm Credit Associations of Oklahoma and Midwest Farm Shows!
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-- How Will President Elect Obama Treat US Agriculture?
-- The Ag Secretary Sweepstakes- Who's in the race?
-- GROW Conference Set for Next Wednesday and Thursday
-- Cleveland County 4-Hers Headed for National 4-H Livestock Judging Contest
-- As the Bush Era Winds Down- Tom Dorr Plans Exit
-- FCC Opens up Spectrum for Wireless Devices
-- OSU Beef Cattle Specialist Says Time for a "Bull Check"
-- 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 salute our longest running email sponsor- Midwest Farm Shows, producer of the annual Tulsa Farm Show scheduled for December 11-13 here in 2008, as well as the springtime Southern Plains Farm Show in Oklahoma City. Check out details of both of these exciting shows at the official website of Midwest Farm Shows by clicking here.

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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.


How Will President Elect Obama Treat US Agriculture?
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As various Farm Leaders congratulate President Elect Barack Obama- the talk in agricultural circles is what will come out of this new administration, with the first hint of that likely to be who is named to various posts of importance to rural America. The National Farmers Union President congratulated President-elect Obama and offered to help him address looming agricultural challenges. NFU President Tom Buis says he'll ask Obama to convene a national agriculture summit to highlight the challenges that farmers and ranchers are facing. "The farm economy went from the strongest sector of America's economy to changing virtually overnight with declining commodity prices, high input costs and uncertainty about interest rates clouding the ag outlook for 2009."

Meanwhile, others who follow agriculture believe that farm policy issues will be on the backburner compared to regulatory decisions and directions that could impact agriculture to a greater degree. Watching the Obama's picks to run departments and agencies other than USDA will perhaps be more important to farmers and ranchers, according to American Farm Bureau director of public policy Mary Kay Thatcher. And long time ag lobbyist Randy Russell says that budget reconciliation is almost a certainty for the new administration and Congress to face in 2009.

And then there is who might be the next Secretary of Agriculture. This is one of the favorite games among ag policy junkies and those involved in agricultural issues inside the Washington beltway. I'll list who we are hearing and what we have heard in our next story below. Keep in mind that this is not a top level Cabinet pick like the ones being talked about in the general media- those top three are clearly Treasury, State and Defense.

We have an audio overview of where we are in the Obama and ag issues question- with audio comments from NFU's Tom Buis, American farm Bureau's Mary Kay Thatcher and ag lobbyists Randy Russell and Mike Torrey. Click on the link below to jump to our website and take a listen to this report.

Click here for more on how farm observers see the Obama ag plans shaping up.


The Ag Secretary Sweepstakes- Who's in the race?
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There are several names floating within ag circles that are possibles when it comes to who Barack Obama may choose to be his Secretary of Agriculture. Beyond the list below- there is the chance that he could pull someone from his dealings with ag folks in Illinois during his relatively short tenure as a Senator in Washington- or earlier in the Statehouse in Springfield. He may also want to reward a Governor that supported him early and has some knowledge of the ag industry as well as how to administer a huge agency. People on this part of the list are the wild cards that may well be played- and are not a part of the list of names that we do know.

Here's some of the names we have heard and a thought or two:
Tom Buis, NFU President. He is definitely one of the favorite farm group leaders within Democratic power circles. He is a former staffer(several years back) for former Senator Tom Daschle- who could have Obama's ear on this choice in he chooses to promote someone. I have always thought Tom would be a top contender since the night that we saw him dancing with Nancy Pelosi in Florida at the 2007 NFU Convention- if and when a Democratic Administration should become a reality. Buis says he's happy at NFU, but that if the President calls- you gotta listen.
House Ag Committee Chairman Collin Peterson- It was his band that was playing the music when Pelosi and Buis were dancing that night in Florida- Peterson did a good job with the 2008 Farm Law and might be a favorite if he wanted the job- but he told a crowd in his home state a few days before the election that he doesn't want the job- has apparently talked to some of the Obama people and got the word that "Diversity" would be one of the considerations for a cabinet appointment- so he told that group that he suggested two names to the Obama camp-
Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin of South Dakota or Senator Ken Salazar of Colorado.

Former Texas Lawmaker Charles Stenholm- Steve Kopperud told the TCFA earlier this week that he prays regularly that the Obama choice will be the Blue Dog Stenholm. Stenholm would be an incredibly popular choice among ag groups as the new Ag Secretary- but he has two strikes- he supported Hilary early on and it remains to be seen if the Obama people will forgive and forget- and he is now a lobbyist, and last year on the campaign trail- Obama promised to use no lobbyists in his Cabinet.
Two other names that have been mentioned by our colleague Stewart Doan who works for Agri-Pulse are North Dakota Ag Commissioner Roger Johnson and former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack.
It's possible that it will be a few weeks before we know who President Elect Obama's choice is- so there is plenty of time for speculation as we watch and wait.


GROW Conference Set for Next Wednesday and Thursday
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The 2008 GROW Conference is set for November 12 and 13 in downtown Oklahoma City at the Hilton Skirvin. This two-day event takes an in-depth look at the latest regulatory, agricultural and technical developments impacting the biofuels industry in Oklahoma.

The conference will discuss biofuels and competing interests, with speakers from GTL Resources of Chicago and Adcock Ranch of Dustin, Okla., who will debate corn ethanol and its impact on rising grocery and feedlot costs, the strain on water resources and other related topics.

Industry experts from OU, OSU , the Noble Foundation, Texas A&M, USDA and more will tackle a wide range of subjects over the two days. We have the link below for more information- it's important that you register right away for this conference that is now less than a week away. At this Calendar link- you can go and get the full agenda as well as conference registration and more.

Click here for more information on the 2008 GROW Conference


Cleveland County 4-Hers Headed for National 4-H Livestock Judging Contest
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The Cleveland County 4-H livestock judging team will be representing Oklahoma at the national 4-H livestock judging contest November 18, 2008 at the North American Livestock Exposition in Louisville, KY. The team qualified for the national contest in April at the Oklahoma state 4-H livestock judging contest where they were the high team.

Members of the team include:
Aerial Smith, a junior at Lexington High School, Carly Smith, a sophomore also from Lexington, Maverick Squires, a junior at Noble High School, and Chris Hall who is a senior at Moore High School.
The team's coach is Justin Rogers.

Along with the win at the state contest in April, the team has been extremely successful in 2008 with wins at several contests. The 4-H squad has judged and won at the NEO A&M College, Clarendon College, Oklahoma State Fair, Tulsa State Fair and the Texoma Beef Judging Contest. They were the reserve team at the Eastern Oklahoma State College, The OSU Animal Science Big 3 field Days in Stillwater and the National Junior Swine Association southwest regional contest in Wichita. Falls,TX.


As the Bush Era Winds Down- Tom Dorr Plans Exit
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When President George W. Bush recommended Thomas Dorr to become Under Secretary for Rural Development at U.S.D.A., there was a long concerted effort to get Dorr confirmed. But, now that there is a new leader coming to town, Dorr is leaving town.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced Dorr's resignation, effective December 1, 2008. In making the announcement, Secretary Schafer confirmed that he expects more senior leaders to move on.
Dorr is of interest to Oklahoma as he made several trips to our state while serving at USDA- so a lot of our people got the opportunity to meet and get to know the Iowa farmer.

Prior to joining USDA, Dorr managed a family farming and agribusiness holding company in Northwest Iowa, served on the Board of Directors of the 7th District Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, was a member of the Iowa Board of Regents overseeing the state university system, and was active in many state, local, and national farm and community development organizations.


FCC Opens up Spectrum for Wireless Devices
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Underserved areas of rural America will likely benefit by action taken by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC has approved the use of the "white space" between TV channels for a variety of unlicensed wireless devices. This would open the rural market for Internet broadband access.

Commissioner Michael Copps says this move - should be of enormous benefit in solving the broadband deficit in many rural areas. Critics say this use could interfere with the use of wireless microphones in theaters and concerts - even in local churches.


OSU Beef Cattle Specialist Says Time for a "Bull Check"
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Our Thursday with Glen segment is back this week on our Radio Oklahoma Network show, the Beef Buzz, and today we talk about getting your bull checked out ahead of the upcoming breeding season. Dr. Selk says that right now is the time to have your local Vet do a breeding soundness exam as you will want to start turning bulls out by late this month or early in December for a fall calf crop.

It's important that you do this check as soon as you can, so you can locate a herd bull backup if the Vet indicates a problem that might hinder your bovine Romeo from being fully functional when he is turned out into the field with your mama cows.

Our Beef Buzz is heard on great radio stations all across the state of Oklahoma on the Radio Oklahoma Network- and can also be heard via the internet on our website, WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com. Click on the link below for our Beef Buzz with Glen Selk today- and look for the Beef Buzz link on the left had side of any of our webpages to see a full list of recent Beef Buzz shows that you may want to check out.

Click here for today's Beef Buzz with Ron and Glen talking "Bull"


Our thanks to Farm Credit Associations of Oklahoma, Producers Cooperative Oil Mill and Midwest Farm Shows for their support of our daily Farm News Update. For your convenience, we have our sponsors' websites linked at the top of the email- check them 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!

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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No Cash Cattle Trade has happened this week as of yesterday afternoon- feedlot operators are looking for higher money compared to the $92 to $93 levels we saw last week.
Meanwhile, prices were stronger at OKC West in El Reno on Wednesday, with 7,332 cattle sold. Yearling steers were $2 to $4 higher, while steer and heifer calves were steady to $2 higher with very good demand. Five hundred to six hundred pound steer calves brought $$100 to $120.50, while seven to nine hundred steers were ranging from $96 to $102. For the full report- it should be up and available after eight AM Thursday morning, click here.

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.



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