From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 5:40 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 October 20, 2009
A service of Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, Midwest Farm Shows and KIS Futures!
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-- Way Behind and Not Catching Up- At Least Not Yet
-- Oklahoma FFA President Amy Peel Leads Oklahoma Contingent into Indy
-- Congrats to Mark Hodges, Honored by OSU's Division of Ag
-- Consumers Want Positive Reinforcement About the Safety and Nutrition of Their Beef
-- As Anticipated- Minnestoa Pigs Test Positive for H1N1
-- "Fuel from the Field - Oklahoma Grown" Biofuels Field Day is Tomorrow
-- School Land Lease Auction Road Show Continues Today and Tomorrow
-- 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.

And we salute our longest running email sponsor- Midwest Farm Shows, producer of the springtime Southern Plains Farm Show, as well as the December 2009 Tulsa Farm Show. Click here for more information on the Tulsa Show, coming up December 10,11 and 12, 2009.

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.


Way Behind and Not Catching Up- At Least Not Yet
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That headline pretty well sums up the status of the corn and soybean harvest in the midwest, with soybean harvest now 30% done nationally, versus a five year average of 72%. Illinois is the biggest laggard, with slowly maturing beans- just 13% has been harvested to this point versus a five year average of 79%. Iowa is at 37% versus their long term average of 85% and Indiana, where we are headed today for the National FFA convention, stands at 27% versus the 5 year average of 72%.

Corn has also been slow to come to maturity and begin the dry down process to be ready for harvest. Just 17% of the corn crop has now been harvested versus the five year average of 46%. Illinois, which had such a hard time getting their crop into the ground, has 11% of their corn now cut, versus the five year average of 68% done by this point. Iowa is 10% harvested versus 33% average and Minnesota, with very chilly weather over this past weekend, has just 3% harvested versus 31% normally.

Livestock producers around the country were hoping for the big crops promised by USDA in their crop reports to be harvested quickly and push corn closer to $3 a bushel- but instead the maturity issues, the cold weather and harvest slowness has allowed both corn and soybeans to rise higher- corn much closer to $4 than $3 and that dollar difference makes the bottom lines of poultry and pork producers more red and less black. To a lesser extent- it does the same for feedlot closeouts.

Closer to home, winter wheat seedings moved a little this past week, even with saturated soils in much of Oklahoma and neighboring states. Oklahoma now has 74% of the wheat crop in the ground versus 68% a week ago and the five year average of 80%. Kansas is 73% done, up just three percent from a week ago and versus 83% their five year average. Texas got more wheat in the ground this past week than the other states, with 73% now planted- a nine point jump in the last week and right even with their five year average.
We have the full story on the Oklahoma crop weather update- just click on the link below to read where we are in the state on our fall planting and spring crop harvesting and more.

Click here for the latest Oklahoma Crop Weather Update


Oklahoma FFA President Amy Peel Leads Oklahoma Contingent into Indy
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She leads the delegation of Oklahoma FFA members to the National FFA Convention, and State FFA President Amy Peel of Wetumka says she looks forward to that role the next few days- and considers herself as one of the lead "cheerleaders" of all the many Oklahomans that will be competing in a variety of ways this week in Indianapolis.

She says it may be in speech or a judging contest- or one of the 27 Proficiency Award categories that Oklahoma has finalists in the running. It also are those who will perform as one of the talent acts this week, sing in the National Chorus or play in the National Band. And Amy Peel says she especially is excited to cheer on one of her fellow state officers from last year, Riley Pagett, as he competes for a national office.

We have the audio from a conversation that we had with Amy as she prepared to pack her bags and head to the 82nd National Convention of the FFA. Click on the link below and check it out.
Our coverage from Indianapolis will be cranking up today and tomorrow- our thanks to the Oklahoma FFA Alumni and the Oklahoma FFA Association for sponsoring these reports- and we remind you to check the Blue Green Gazette section of our website from time to time for fresh postings- and we have added a Twitter update of our posts on the website on the lower right hand side page (any page) on www.OklahomaFarmReport.Com. Whereever we are in and around the convention- we will be "tweeting" on what we see and who we meet and how Oklahoma FFA members are doing. Watch that- listen to our reports on the Radio Oklahoma Network as well as via the website- it's gonna be a fun week!

Click here for our story and the audio with Amy Peel, State President of the Oklahoma FFA


Congrats to Mark Hodges, Honored by OSU's Division of Ag
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Mark Hodges, past executive director of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission, has been honored as a 2009 Distinguished Agriculture Alumnus by Oklahoma State University's Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. "Oklahoma's agriculture and business communities are well aware of Mark's many significant, positive contributions to wheat producers and agribusiness operations across our great state," said Robert E. Whitson, DASNR dean and director and vice president of agricultural programs at OSU. "Mark also has been one of the most vocal champions for rural Oklahoma over the past several decades."

Hodges, a native of Forgan, completed his Master of Science degree in agronomy at Oklahoma State University in 1983, after having first earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Oklahoma Panhandle State University in 1978.

He served for a number of years as OSU Cooperative Extension area agronomist in the Oklahoma Panhandle before eventually being named executive director of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission in 1996. After a brief stint as head of the Oregon Wheat Commission, Hodges returned home in 2001 and served a second term as executive director of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission, retiring in 2008.
But, as many of you know, he has not quit serving the wheat industry, as he now involved in Plains Grains, Inc and Oklahoma Genetics. Click on the link below for more on his activities and this honor bestowed by the University.

Click here for more on OSU honoring Mark Hodges


Consumers Want Positive Reinforcement About the Safety and Nutrition of Their Beef
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Dr. Nevil Speer of Western Kentucky University does not buy the logic offered by groups that have demanded COOL, but have called NAIS an evil over reaching of the USDA. In today's Beef Buzz, he says it does not compute that on one hand, you praise COOL to the heavens as the right to know for consumers, but then work aggressively to stop more meaningful traceability for consumers by wanting to eliminate Animal ID, saying that "it would destroy the very foundation of animal agriculture.

Dr. Speer, at the ID Expo earlier this year in Kansas City, says it is important that we provide enough information to consumers so that they have greater confidence in today's beef supply- COOL does not provide info that reassures consumers. Dr. Speer says distrust of Beef as a product is growing and we have probably wasted resources putting COOL in place rather than more meaningfuil reform. and traceability.

Click on the link below and you can listen to his arguments that we need to provide consumers assurance about the beef they are buying, especially when you have national publications like Time Magazine and USA Today raising questions about its safety.

Click here for our Beef Buzz with Nevil Speer on reconciling our thoughts on COOL and NAIS


As Anticipated- Minnestoa Pigs Test Positive for H1N1
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Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Monday that USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) has confirmed the presence of 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus in a pig sample collected at the Minnesota State Fair submitted by the University of Minnesota. Additional samples are being tested.

"We have fully engaged our trading partners to remind them that several international organizations, including the World Organization for Animal Health, have advised that there is no scientific basis to restrict trade in pork and pork products," said Vilsack. "People cannot get this flu from eating pork or pork products. Pork is safe to eat."

Sequence results on the hemagglutinin, neuraminidase and matrix genes from the virus isolate are compatible with reported 2009 pandemic H1N1 sequences. The samples collected at the 2009 Minnesota State Fair were part of a University of Iowa and University of Minnesota cooperative agreement research project funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which documents influenza viruses where humans and pigs interact at such as fairs.

The infection of the fair pig does not suggest infection of commercial herds because show pigs and commercially raised pigs are in separate segments of the swine industry that do not typically interchange personnel or animal stock. USDA continues to remind U.S. swine producers about the need for good hygiene, biosecurity and other practices that will prevent the introduction and spread of influenza viruses in their herd and encourage them to participate in USDA's swine influenza virus surveillance program.

Click here for reaction from the National Pork Producers afer this announcement was made midday Monday


"Fuel from the Field - Oklahoma Grown" Biofuels Field Day is Tomorrow
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On Wednesday, Oklahoma State University's Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources will showcase some of its recent advances designed to allow Oklahoma to take advantage of the bio-based economy. Wednesday October 21, division scientists and engineers will host "Fuel from the Field - Oklahoma Grown" biofuels field day from 8:30 a.m. to past noon at the organization's South Central Research Station in Chickasha. There is no cost for the event and lunch will be provided.

"Last year, researchers set the stage for how forage sorghum and sweet sorghum could soon become viable enterprises to support the feedstocks for a biorefinery or on-farm production of ethanol," said Ray Huhnke, Biobased Products and Energy Center director. "This year, participants will be provided research updates in crop production, harvesting, handling and storage practices." An added component to this year's event is an in-depth look at the economics of biofuel production.

Click on the link below for more on this Field Day- it looks like it will be an excellent update on what Ray Huhnke and his team have been working on in recent months.

Click here for more on the Biofuels Field Day coming tomorrow- Wednesday- in Chickasha


School Land Lease Auction Road Show Continues Today and Tomorrow
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Oklahoma School Land Lease Auctions are underway, with the opening round of leases being auctioned on Monday in Beaver County. The auction process moves forward with two stops today. The first is in Boise CIty this morning for tracts of land to be offered in Cimarron County. The auction is set to begin at 9:00 AM.

This afternoon, the auction process moves to Guymon and the Texas County Fairgrounds for tracts of land in Texas County to be auctioned at 2 PM. On Wednesday, more tracts will be offered in the 10 AM auction in Woodward at the High Plains Vo Tech. Tracts from several counties, including Woodward, Major, Harper, Woods, Ellis and Dewey will be auctioned.

Click on the link below for more on what tracts are available in all 34 counties that have tracts that will be offered for five year lease by the School Land Commission. You can also call their office for more information at 1-888-355-2637.

Click here for the full PDF of the listing of the lands offered this fall in the School Land Lease Auctions


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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We've had requests to include Canola prices for your convenience here- and we will be doing so on a regular basis. Current cash price for Canola is $7.60 per bushel, while the 2010 New Crop contracts for Canola are now available are $7.90 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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