From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 4:48 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 Tuesday November 17, 2009
A service of Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, Midwest Farm Shows and KIS Futures!
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-- US Corn Crop Harvest Continues to Struggle- 35 Points Behind Normal
-- Mostly Mild for Oklahoma Weather this Past Week
-- Dust Standards Wanted by EPA Would Stop Farming and Ranching As We Know It.
-- The Pork Industry Losses Are Now Worse Than in 1998-1999- so Says Ron Plain
-- Agribusiness Coalition Calls on USDA for More Flexibility on Opting Out of CRP
-- Angus Breeders Now Able to Combine DNA with EPDs
-- Food InSecurity in the US on the Rise- Even as More Money Has Been Shoveled That Direction
-- 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 are proud to have KIS Futures as a regular sponsor of our daily email update. KIS Futures provides Oklahoma Farmers & Ranchers with futures & options hedging services in the livestock and grain markets- Click here for the free market quote page they provide us for our website or call them at 1-800-256-2555.

We are also 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 handle, including sunflowers and canola- and remember they post closing market prices for canola and sunflowers on the PCOM website- go there by clicking here.

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US Corn Crop Harvest Continues to Struggle- 35 Points Behind Normal
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The corn harvest in the midwest would normally be right at 90% done by this date, with just a few acres here and there yet to be combined. That's not the case this year in the heart of the corn belt, where the big corn states are thirty to more than forty percentage points behind the five year average.

Illinois remains the poster child of the late 2009 corn crop, with harvest just passing the fifty percent mark (52% done) while normal would be 95% complete. That's 43 percentage points behind normal progress! Iowa farmers are thirty percentage points behind normal at 63% done, while Indiana is 29 percentage points behind normal at 59% complete. While they are not a huge state as far as the number of acres go- the state of North Dakota is probably the one farther behind than all the others- 8% complete when they normally would be 74% harvested by this date.

Meanwhile, midwest farmers have caught up on soybean harvest compared to just a couple of weeks ago- lagging normal progress by just 7 percentage points- and cotton farmers have done a good job of playing catch up as well, with 60% of the cotton crop now harvested nationally- the five year average is 68%. Arkansas farmers on the eastern side of that state lag on cotton harvest about as badly as anyone- 23 percentage points behind normal at 71% complete.

We have the full weekly national crop progress and condition report as issued by USDA linked below. Click on the link and review all of the harvest and crop conditions as reported by USDA.

Click here for the latest Crop Progress Numbers Nationally by USDA


Mostly Mild for Oklahoma Weather this Past Week
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With slightly more than five days of weather available for field work this past week, the mild weather allowed fields to dry out and producers were able to make progress in small grain planting and row crop harvesting.

The latest Oklahoma Crop Weather update shows that "Small grain planting is winding down around the State as favorable weather conditions allowed producers ample opportunity to get back in the fields. Wheat planted is nearing completion at 93 percent, up five points from last week but four points behind normal. Wheat emerged increased to 82 percent complete, up three points from the prior week, but seven points behind the five-year average. Stocker cattle are being placed on early-planted wheat pasture."

On the row crop side of things- "Oklahoma producers made great strides in row crop harvest activities this past week as drier conditions prevailed. Corn harvest is nearing completion at 94 percent, up three points from the prior week but six points behind the five-year average. By week's end, virtually all sorghum had reached maturity while 68 percent was harvested, a 26 point jump from the previous week, and one point ahead of normal. Soybeans at maturity reached 94 percent, up six points from the prior week. By Sunday, 65 percent of soybeans were harvested, a 19 point increase from the previous week but still 14 points behind the five-year average. Peanuts dug reached 90 percent complete while 78 percent were combined by week's end, up 18 points from last week but eight points behind normal. Cotton harvest slowly continues as 35 percent was harvested by week's end, up nine points from the prior week, but still 23 points behind the five-year average."

Click on the link below for the complete crop weather update as reported by USDA.

Click here for the latest Oklahoma Crop Weather Update


Dust Standards Wanted by EPA Would Stop Farming and Ranching As We Know It.
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One week ago, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) submitted comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in opposition to flawed science behind EPA's review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Particulate Matter (PM). The comments were submitted in response to EPA's 2nd Draft Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) that appears to lay the foundation to set the coarse PM standard at levels of 12-15 ug/m3-1/10th of the current standard.

Of course what NCBA is referring to is "DUST." And on today's Beef Buzz, we visit with Colin Woodall, who is a part of the Washington staff of the NCBA. Woodall talked with us about the unrealistic nature of these standards being considered by EPA. Coarse PM is nothing more than the dust kicked up by cars or trucks traveling on dirt roads or a tractor tilling a field, and has long been found to be of no health concern at ambient levels. Because of the high dust levels found in the arid west, many critical western industries have a difficult time meeting the current NAAQS, even with use of best management practices to control dust. Both existing and new sources of coarse PM, including agriculture sources, would be affected by EPA's decision. For parts of the country having trouble meeting the current PM standard, EPA has proposed "no-till" days for agriculture. New sources of coarse PM emissions would simply not be allowed-forcing producers to cut back on their operations.

You can click on the link below for the latest Beef Buzz with Colin Woodall of the NCBA Washington staff on what they have told EPA- and what they think you can do to help slow down the EPA "Dust Express."

Click here for the latest Beef Buzz with Colin Woodall on EPA and their concept of dust.


The Pork Industry Losses Are Now Worse Than in 1998-1999- so Says Ron Plain
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As of noon on Friday the 13th of November, pork producers have lost more money than they lost in the pork price disaster of 1998-99, said Ron Plain, University of Missouri Extension livestock economist. "Hog farmers are losing more money than they did in what they thought was a once-a-lifetime crunch just a decade ago," Plain said.

Speaking at the annual Swine Institute in Columbia Missouri, Plain said, during the past 24 months - the average hog was marketed at a loss of $19.18 per head. In fact he said, farmers have - lost money raising hogs in 23 of the last 25 months. The problems are moderately low market prices but record-high production costs.

Is there a way out? Plain said the dilemma of too many pigs and not enough buyers will be solved only one way - farmers must cut production 15% from the peak for prices to return to break-even. Weak consumer demand just adds to the pork producers' problems. "We are in a recession that has lasted longer than the Great Depression," Plain said. "Weak demand is felt not only in the U.S. but worldwide."
You can read more of what Dr. Plain told pork industry folks in Missouri last Friday- just click on the link below.

Click here for more on hog industry losses- as they continue to mount.


Agribusiness Coalition Calls on USDA for More Flexibility on Opting Out of CRP
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Agribusiness and Grain Companies from around the United States, including at least three entities that call Oklahoma home, have sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urging modification of rules for USDA's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

The groups point to this year's "weather-delayed" corn and soybean harvest reducing projected yields and crop quality, which could once again drive up grain prices for meat and poultry producers as a reason for giving producers more flexibility to pull acres that are not environmentally sensitive out of the CRP when tight supplies of grain start pushing prices higher.

The letter, submitted by the Alliance for Agricultural Growth and Competitiveness (AAGC) and signed by the Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association, Johnston Enterprises, Wheeler Brothers Grain and Tyson Foods, among many others, calls for increased flexibility for producers to remove non-highly environmentally sensitive land prior to CRP contract expiration when crop supply disruptions and growing market demand warrant. Under current rules, producers wishing to bring CRP land into production prior to contract expiration are required to repay 100 percent of the CRP rental payments received over the life of their contracts, plus interest and liquidated damages.
Click on the link below for more on this story- and a link to the full letter submitted to the USDA.

Click here for more on the contention of the need for more CRP Flexibility.


Angus Breeders Now Able to Combine DNA with EPDs
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Angus Genetics Inc. is now accepting DNA samples for analysis with the industry's first breed-specific DNA profile from IGENITY. Angus breeders are one step closer to putting the power of DNA to work in combination with expected progeny differences (EPDs) by using the first genomic-enhanced EPDs available for multiple traits.

"We are pleased to offer Angus breeders the opportunity to apply the next great advancement in cattle breeding and genetics," says Bill Bowman, chief operating officer, AGI. "The combination of DNA technology from IGENITY with the Angus National Cattle Evaluation (NCE) results in more predictable EPDs, which Angus breeders and their commercial customers can use to help make more confident decisions and faster genetic progress."

A total of 14 economically important traits are the focus of the DNA technology- and you can read more on this by clicking on the link below for this story that is found in our new segment that is debuting this week on our website- Agri Innovations. Check it out.

Click here for our Agri Innovations page- the Angus DNA-EPD story is at the top this morning.


Food InSecurity in the US on the Rise- Even as More Money Has Been Shoveled That Direction
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USDA's Economic Research Service's (ERS) has released its annual report on Household Food Security in the U.S., which revealed that in 2008, 17 million households, or 14.6 percent, were food insecure and families had difficulty putting enough food on the table at times during the year. This is an increase from 13 million households, or 11.1 percent, in 2007. The 2008 figures represent the highest level observed since nationally representative food security surveys were initiated in 1995.

Oklahoma is tied for fifth place when it comes to low or very low food security in the US, based on the 2006-2008 average in the study released by USDA. Mississippi has more than 17% of its population ranked in one of these two categories, while Oklahoma and Missouri tie for the fifth worst number at 14%.

You can read more about this study and we have the link to the full study and other USDA resources as well in our webstory linked below.

Click here for more on the Food InSecurity Study just released by USDA.


Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, PCOM, P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind Energy, Johnston Enterprises, AFR and KIS Futures for their support of our daily Farm News Update. For your convenience, we have our sponsors' websites linked here- just click on their name to jump to their website- check their sites 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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The Oklahoma City cattle market had an estimated 11,200 cattle for their Monday run, with calves steady to $2 higher, while yearling cattle were lightly tested and $1 to $2 lower. Five to six hundred pound steer calves brought from $94.75 to $110 (a few fancy cattle to $114) while the 700 to 800 pound steer yearlings cleared from $92.50 to $95. Click here for the complete Oklahoma National Cattle market report as compiled by the folks at the Market News office at the stockyards.

Current cash price for Canola is $8.05 per bushel, while the 2010 New Crop contracts for Canola are now available are $8.25 per bushel- delivered to local participating elevators that are working with PCOM.

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 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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