From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Monday, December 01, 2008 6:46 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 Monday December 1, 2008!
A service of Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, Farm Credit Associations of Oklahoma and Midwest Farm Shows!
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-- Wheat Crop Looking Pretty Good- But A Drink of Water Would be Appreciated
-- Waiting on Committee Structure Announcement From House Republicans
-- Request for Referendum Starts a Week From Today For Pork Checkoff
-- Is She Good for Another Year?
-- Terry Peach is Promoting a Made in Oklahoma Christmas
-- Dr. Lowell Catlett Will Keynote 2009 International Livestock Congress in Denver
-- This Week- Amarillo, Wind Energy, OALP and Pesticides
-- 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.

It's also great to have the Farm Credit Associations of Oklahoma with us regularly as an Email Sponsor- Financing Oklahoma is their business! Check out their website which shows their locations statewide by clicking here!
And we are excited to have as one of our sponsors for the daily email Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, with 64 years of progress through producer ownership. Call Brandon Winters at 405-232-7555 for more information on the oilseed crops they are crushing, including sunflowers and canola- and remember they post closing market prices for canola and sunflowers on the PCOM website- go there 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.


Wheat Crop Looking Pretty Good- But A Drink of Water Would be Appreciated
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The last weekly crop weather update of the season was last Monday- and it showed that all of the Hard Red Winter states have 2009 wheat crops that look generally in good condition as we head into the winter months and dormancy. The percentages of poor to very poor wheat in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Colorado and Nebraska was almost non- existent in this last weekly check. We talked about this with Mark Hodges of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission- and he agrees with others we have talked with that this 2009 crop is looking pretty good- although he adds there are areas that are dry and need some rain to get some of the later planted wheat fully established with a good root system before winter hits full force.

Earlier in November, at their monthly Board of Directors' Meeting of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission, Hodges announced his intentions to end his more than a decade of service to the OWC as the top hired hand of the Commission. He plans to end that tenure around the first of the year.

We talked with Mark about a variety of wheat industry issues. including the current condition of the crop in the southern plains, his plan to retire from the OWC and a good bit of time talking about the differences in how we market wheat today versus fifteen years ago as Mark was getting started as the Executive Director of the wheat promotion, education and research group.

We have our conversation with Mark on our website as a Ag Perspectives Podcast- and it can be linked on our Front Page under the "Latest RON Podcasts" Section in the lower part of the center column found on WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com. We have the link below that jumps straight to the story- and we invite you to check it out.

Click here for our story and Podcast with Mark Hodges of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission.


Waiting on Committee Structure Announcement From House Republicans
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It is a very real possibility that when the Oklahoma House Republican Leadership unveils their Committee Structure in the next few days- it will be different than the Umbrella Committees with several subcommittees under them that we have lived with the last couple of years.

In talking to several lawmakers and lobbyists in recent days- the consensus is that the subcommittee setup just added a layer of government that was not really needed and in some cases hindered the legislative process. The Senate Republican Leadership under the direction of Senator Glenn Coffee made some slight changes to the Senate Committee makeup- and it is possible that the House may try to line up their Committees to better match their counterparts on the other side of the Capital in order to minimize any confusion over which Committees should have jurisdiction over various issues.

It is anticipated that we should see House Committee details out the first half of December to give House members time to get organized for the 2009 Legislative session.
One thing that everyone we have talked to in recent days agrees on as we think about this upcoming session- lawmakers are concerned about how much impact the national/international economic mess will impact Oklahoma's budget- and what response may be needed by state government as we approach the new calendar year.


Request for Referendum Starts a Week From Today For Pork Checkoff
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The Ag Department's Agricultural Marketing Service announced it will conduct a Request for Referendum among eligible producers and importers of hogs, pigs, pork and pork products to determine if they want a referendum on the Pork Checkoff Program. Participation is voluntary, and only individuals who desire a referendum on the Pork Checkoff Program should participate.
The one-time Request for Referendum is being conducted as a result of a settlement of a lawsuit entered into Feb. 28, 2001, between USDA and the Michigan Pork Producers Association Inc.

USDA will only conduct a referendum on the order if at least 15 percent of the total number of eligible pork producers and importers request a referendum. If necessary, the referendum will be conducted within one year after the results of the Request for Referendum are announced. The Request for Referendum will be held Dec. 8 through Jan. 2. Producers and importers who were engaged in pork production or in the importation of hogs, pigs, pork or pork products between Jan. 1, 2007, and Dec. 31, 2007, and were at least 18 years of age on or before Dec. 31, 2007, are eligible to participate.

The Request for Referendum is being conducted through the local Farm Service Agency offices- and you can check with your local FSA office for more details.

Clcik here for more on the Pork Checkoff Request for Referendum Procedure.


Is She Good for Another Year?
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That's the question being answered this morning by OSU Beef Cattle Specialist Dr. Glenn Selk of OSU. Dr. Selk offers these thoughts about some of those older Mama Cows that are a part of your herd. "At cow culling time, producers often face some tough decisions. Optimum culling of the herd seems to require a sharp crystal ball that could see into the future. Will she keep enough body condition through the winter to rebreed next year? How old is the cow? Is her mouth sound so that she can harvest forage and be nutritionally strong enough to reproduce and raise a big calf? At what age do cows usually start to become less productive? Obviously there is no one set rule to determine when a cow is culled. Nonetheless, understanding "average trends" for cows can serve as guidelines and help cow calf producers cull the herd in a timely and effective manner.

"There is great variability in the longevity of beef cows. Records kept by the Deseret Ranches of Florida in the 1980's and published in the 33rd Annual Proceedings of the Beef Cattle Short Course by the University of Florida Animal Science Department, show how productivity changes over the life of the beef cows. These large data sets, (19500 cows, and 14000 cows in two separate years) compared the average percentage of cows determined to be pregnant based on their age in years.

"This data would indicate that cows are consistent in the rebreeding performance through about 8 years of age. A small decline was noted as cows aged from 8 to 10 years of age. However the most consistent decline in reproductive performance was noted after cows were 10 years of age. A steeper decline in reproductive performance was found as they became 12 years of age. In other words, start to watch for reasons to cull a cow at about age 8. By the time she is 10, look at her very closely and consider culling; as she reaches her 12th year, plan to cull her before she gets health problems or in very poor body condition."


Terry Peach is Promoting a Made in Oklahoma Christmas
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As we hit the first of December, Oklahomans have an opportunity to give themselves and their state a truly helpful economic stimulus package for the holidays if they choose Made in Oklahoma gifts for friends and family. Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, Terry Peach, says giving gifts of gourmet foods and specialty gift baskets made locally will be appreciated and support our economy. "This year as we make our Christmas shopping lists I hope everyone will give consideration to where the gifts they are purchasing was made or packaged," he said. "It is imperative that we renew our commitment to supporting Oklahoma producers, processors and retailers."

"Something like a gift basket or a gift of Oklahoma wine paired with a locally produced cheese or other product is just a far more personal gift than most other items," Peach said. "In a sense it is also a gift back to our state in terms of supporting our local economies by using our resources and keeping our dollars here at home."

The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry maintains a Made in Oklahoma Gift Basket Directory on the MIO website we have linked below. Other MIO products are also located on the site.

Click here for great gift ideas that represent Oklahoma Agriculture Well During the Holiday Season


Dr. Lowell Catlett Will Keynote 2009 International Livestock Congress in Denver
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Global Beef -Meating the Demand is the theme that will resonate throughout this year's International Livestock Congress-USA. Beef producers, packers, retailers, students and other industry leaders will hear first hand how the world's largest retailers are meeting the protein demands of their consumers and, in turn, what those retailers are demanding of the suppliers of protein.

Dr. Lowell Catlett, world-renowned futurist will set the stage with his presentation on the Globalization of the Beef Business. Speakers representing major food retailers in the USA, UK, Europe and Mexico will outline the supply, the demand and the marketing strategies used to reach their customers.

We have additional details of this January event that is a part of the National Western Stock Show- as we are starting to work to populate our January calendar listings. We have the link below for this event on our Calendar page at WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com and would invite you to check this event out- as well others that are happening here in the month of December as well as early in 2009.

Click here for more on the International Livestock Congress Event in Denver in mid January.


This Week- Amarillo, Wind Energy, OALP and Pesticides
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If you go to our calendar on WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com, you will find a bunch of events happening these first few days of December. That includes the regular board meeting of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission set for today in Oklahoma City. Tomorrow brings the start of Revolution 2008- the Oklahoma Wind Energy Conference in downtown OKC as well as out I-40 in the Texas Panhandle- the annual Amarillo Farm Show.

There are four Unwanted Pesticide Collection sites across Oklahoma this week and next being planned, with the ones this week happening tomorrow in McAlester and Thursday in Kellyville- next week, the collection efforts move to Morrison and Woodward- again details available on our calendar pages.

Finally, the current class of the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program has a most interesting seminar coming up Wednesday through Friday. A pair of panels populated with rural leaders will address how to weather the current economic storms that seem likely to linger well into 2009. There will also be media training that will be a part of the three day seminar for Class 15 of the OALP.

Clcik here for more details on these events on our Calendar page at WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com


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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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 Country 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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