Howdy Neighbors!

Here's your morning farm news headlines from the Director of Farm Programming for the Radio Oklahoma Network, Ron Hays. We are pleased to have American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company as a regular sponsor of our daily update- click here to go to their AFR web site to learn more about their efforts to serve rural America!

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The constitutional amendment will create a state Livestock Care Standards Board. The 13-member board, comprised mostly of farmers, veterinarians and agricultural industry leaders, will create and implement livestock care guidelines. We have audio of this victory of Issue 2 as colleague Stewart Doan of Agri-Pulse has comments from both sides of this battle that could be the model for similar boards in other states in an effort to keep radical animal rights groups from dictating specific animal husbandry practices at the ballot box.

Click on the link below and you can hear our audio report- as well as read the statements of both the coalition that promoted Issue 2 as well as a statement attributed to Wayne Pacelle of HSUS on the need to spend money and pursue "real reform" in the form of a ballot initiative that would still dictate animal care standards they deem correct, bypassing this newly created Animal Care Standards Board.

Click here for more on the Issue 2 Win for Ohio Animal Agricultural Interests.

Committee Republicans followed through on a threat to boycott the session, saying they won't begin to work on the bill until they see a full cost analysis of the measure, which would cap greenhouse gas emissions and establish a market for trading government-issued pollution allowances.

One Republican, George Voinovich of Ohio, did appear at the committee meeting, offering a lengthy plea to Boxer to delay the markup until the EPA completes a cost analysis that it says would take about five weeks. Voinovich said - this is not a stalling tactic. It is not a ruse to delay marking up a climate bill. This is an attempt to get the best information about a bill that will affect the entire country.

Several agricultural groups are helping to sponsor the 2009 Water Conference- including American Farmers & Ranchers, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, OACD and the Oklahoma Cotton Council. Two agricultural leaders have a major role on the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, with cotton farmer Mark Nichols of Altus serving as Chairman, while Ford Drummond, a cattle rancher from Osage County, is a Board member.

One of the better resources that we have found online in the Water Planning Process thus far is their 2009 Status Report. We have linked it below.

Click here for the Oklahoma Comprehensive Water Plan's 2009 Status Update

Kansas State University (KSU) is currently researching a solution to the problem. Dr. Kassim Al-Khatib, Professor of Agronomy at KSU, says because sorghum is grown in primarily dry regions, preplant herbicides can perform poorly or fail without adequate precipitation. There are herbicides that can be applied after the crop is established to control weeds but these products can potentially harm the crop as well. "There is a considerable need for over-the-top grass control in sorghum," said Al-Khatib.

Kansas State University has identified traits that are resistant to herbicides such as Acetolactate synthase (ALS) and Acetyl co-enzyme-A carboxylase (ACCase) in some sorghum varieties. The incorporation of these traits into cultivated sorghum would produce an ALS and ACCase resistant plant, allowing for higher yields and flexibility for producers.
We have more on this research on our website- click on the link below to learn more.

Click here for more on the grassy weed controls being researched for use by US Sorghum Producers

The problem stems from a January 2009 ruling by the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, which struck down a 2006 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that interpreted the Clean Water Act did not regulate most pesticide applications into, over or near "waters of the United States," so long as the pesticide use complied with EPA's requirements (such as EPA-approved label restrictions). The Sixth Circuit found in "National Cotton Council v. EPA" that EPA must require Clean Water Act permits for pesticide application in water or near waters where pesticide falls into the water. The court recognized only a very narrow exception for chemical pesticides intentionally applied to water that leave no "residue" after their use is complete. AFBF's petition seeks Supreme Court review of that decision.

The practical effect of the Sixth Circuit decision is that almost all pesticide applications directly to water, over water, or "near" water will require a Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. If the decision is allowed to stand, farmers and others who use pesticides, such as mosquito abatement districts, will be required to obtain permits in order to apply pesticides on or near water. Since EPA views "waters of the United States" very broadly-including wetlands and even some ditches-the decision could affect hundreds of thousands of farmers.

Click here for more on this appeal to the Supreme Court by the American Farm Bureau

Of course, here in Oklahoma, the group that has really promoted this concept is the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture. They have worked with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture and other groups to match up school districts with local food producers, offering farmers and local processors a substantial market during the school year.

The 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' initiative emphasizes the need for a fundamental and critical reconnection between producers and consumers. The effort builds on the 2008 Farm Bill, which provides for increases and flexibility for USDA programs in an effort to promote local foods.
You can click on the link below to jump to the USDA website and more information on this Facebook chat as well as the "Know Your Farmer- Know Your Food Initiative."

Click here for more on the Know Your Farmer- Know Your Food Facebook Chat Coming Tomorrow

The collections will take only pesticides; no other types of hazardous waste such as oil, paint or antifreeze will be accepted. All pesticides will be taken, no matter the size. "No questions will be asked of participants," said Charles Luper, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service associate with the Oklahoma State University Pesticide Safety Education Program.

The program is funded by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, with additional support from the Oklahoma Agribusiness Retailers Association and the OSU Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.
Details for these three sites are available on our Calendar pages- look for the Unwanted Pesticide listing on the dates mentioned above.

Click here for our Calendar Page found at WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com

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- 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.