From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Thursday, November 19, 2009 4:28 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 19, 2009
A service of Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, Midwest Farm Shows and KIS Futures!
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-- Organized Effort Against Ethanol Underway
-- Estate Tax Extension Possible
-- NCBA's Woodall Thinks We Are Close to a New Animal ID Direction From Tom Vilsack
-- For the Fourth month in a row- Placements are expected to be larger than last year
-- Beef Innovations Group Showcases Menu Ideas for Restaurants
-- Oklahoma Wheat Growers Headed Back to the Express Events Center for their 2009 Annual Meeting
-- OSU Livestock Judging Team- EPA's Elworth and Furadan's Demise
-- 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.


Organized Effort Against Ethanol Underway
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A confederacy of special interest groups, including Big Food and Big Oil, are buying paid advertising to influence Washington, DC, insiders against ethanol. In reaction, Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy, says - some people's interest in all this goes as far as the profit they can make from selling a box of corn flakes. They don't care to take Hugo Chavez out of the business of selling oil to the U.S., and they don't care about creating a sustainable, green economy that creates U.S. jobs while cutting carbon emissions. Buis emphasized, - ethanol does all those things.

Buis proclaimed, - these are the usual critics, rehashing the same old message, and it is not supported by facts. According to Buis, - all these special interests want to do is mislead policymakers and America's consumers for their own profits.

At the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasters annual convention, we sat down and talked with the former President of the National Farmers Union who now beats the drum for ethanol as the top hired hand for Growth Energy- and we talked about this issue of anti ethanol forces pushing hard to stop ethanol from expanding further into the US energy supply. One battle ground that could be ahead is if EPA does allow the percentage of ethanol in a gasoline mix to go from 10% to 15%. That decision could come as early as December first.

Click on the link below to listen to our full conversation with Buis about the E-10 to E-15 decision and a lot more as it relates to ethanol.

Click here for our conversation with Tom Buis of Growth Energy


Estate Tax Extension Possible
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House Ways and Means Committee Democrats have agreed to back a one-year extension of current estate tax levels, and tie it to a broader overhaul of the tax code in 2010. It is believed that move would spare Democrats from endorsing a tax cut for the wealthiest few families during a time of double-digit unemployment.

Representatives John Larson of Connecticut and Richard Neal of Maryland say the direction Democrats are heading is clear. A one-year extension would make the estate tax levels expire at the same time as many other provisions in the tax code, potentially giving members an opportunity for a broader rewrite of the revenue structure.

Ways and Means Committee member Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota warns that the push for a one-year extension might falter in the broader Democratic caucus. He has threatened to vote against the rule that would bring such a bill to the floor and said other members of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Caucus might do the same.


NCBA's Woodall Thinks We Are Close to a New Animal ID Direction From Tom Vilsack
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It appears that several of the best lobbyists in Washington agree that USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack may soon announce a fresh approach to Animal ID. At the Oklahoma Farm Bureau convention a couple of weeks ago, we had that opinion expressed by Mary Kay Thatcher, American Farm Bureau's Director of their Ag Policy team. She told us that we could see a plan from the Secretary before end of the year.

Then, this past week, as we talked with Colin Woodall of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, we got the same opinion about Vilsack likely to offer some sort of Animal ID plan sooner rather than later. And, Woodall says that based on the pressure that is on the Secretary from key House leaders like Collin Peterson and Rosa DeLauro, it will more than likely be some sort of mandatory program.

We talk with Woodall about his views on Animal ID on today's Beef Buzz. We also had a chance to talk about the status of several efforts in the Pacific Rim to further open key markets to US beef, as we continue to slowly get fully back into markets after the case of the Cow that Stole Christmas way back in December 2003.

Click here for today's Beef Buzz with Colin Woodall as we talk Animal ID and Beef Trade in Asia


For the Fourth month in a row- Placements are expected to be larger than last year
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Friday after the markets close for the weekend, we get our monthly Cattle on Feed report from USDA. Joe Victor of Allendale offers us his take on what the report may tell us. "October Placements are expected to be 5.0% larger than last year. This will mark four months in a row of higher Placements. There were a few remaining cattle which came off grass last month. In addition, October 2009 is being compared against October 2008 which was a low placement month itself. October 2008 placements were down a sharp 10.5% from its previous year. Cattle placed in October will be marketed from March through early August."

Allendale anticipates a Marketing total 2.7% smaller than October of 2008. This marks four months in a row of below last year level Marketings. Soon, they will transition to above last year levels due to the recent Placement trend.

Total Cattle on Feed as of November 1 will be 2.1% higher than last year. Building Placement levels will keep Cattle on Feed above last year levels through March at least.
DowJones has compiled several estimates- and they indicate on feed numbers have an average estimate of 1.6% more cattle on feed as of November first than a year ago, Placements have an average guess less than the Allendale number- the average guess is 2.6% higher than last October. Marketing guesses come in 2.9% less than last October.


Beef Innovations Group Showcases Menu Ideas for Restaurants
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The Beef Innovations Group, funded by the Beef Checkoff, has boiled down several menu concepts for restaurants- and in their fall 2009 BIG News- they offer these insights about hot trends in beef moving to consumers through the restaurants of the US.

"Over the last few years, many restaurants have become more innovative with their menus in order to meet the budgetary needs of the new consumer. Of note, a number of noticeable trends have arisen in the appetizer category. Consumers are now ordering an appetizer for themselves in place of a main entrée. Appetizer options on menus have shifted in order to accommodate these consumer needs, including appetizers that are simply smaller versions of main entrees. According to research conducted by Technomic Inc., the most popular new categories include salads, mini-burgers and quesadillas - all of which can be considered a small meal in addition to an appetizer. Consumers also noted three things that would drive them to purchase more appetizers: better prices, variety and value.

"According to food trend expert Nancy Kruse, there are six big trends that have recently impacted menus, which include freshness, flavor, authenticity, healthful additions, tableside activity and "zations." A "zation" includes miniaturization, customization and premiumization. Kruse refers to the recent craze of miniaturization as "mini mania," and stated that "small bites are big business." Chili's menu, for example, features Big Mouth® bites, consisting of 4 mini-burgers topped with cheese, bacon, onions and ranch dressing.

"The Cheesecake Factory has also added 13 varieties onto a new Small Plates menu. Miniaturization isn't just found in appetizers, but has recently become a popular dessert trend as well. Chili's is covering both miniaturization and customization trends with their Sweet Shots dessert, where patrons can pick three mini desserts from a variety of offerings. In regards to premiumization, Kruse states that the greatest activity is with burgers. "We're seeing angus across all segments," Kruse said. A few chains that are going the premium route include McDonald's with its brand new Angus Third Pounder and Applebee's with its Bruschetta Burger."

Click here for the B.I.G. Fall Newsletter about Innovative Ideas for Restaurants Selling Beef.


Oklahoma Wheat Growers Headed Back to the Express Events Center for their 2009 Annual Meeting
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The date for the 2009 Oklahoma Wheat Growers Annual Meeting is Saturday, December 12 at the Express Events Center on Northwest Expressway just east of the Oklahoma-Canadian County line.

The program will start at 9:00 with greetings from Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Terry Peach. Other speakers include John Odes, Vice President US Wheat Portland Office; Dr. Brett Carver, OSU Wheat Breeder; Dr Bob Hunger, OSU Extension Disease Specialist; Mark Hodges, Executive Director, Oklahoma Genetics Incorporated; Tom McCreight, CEO of Equity Marketing Alliance; and Wayne Hurst, 2nd Vice President National Association of Wheat Growers.

Congressman Frank Lucas, Ranking Member House Ag Committee is scheduled to speak at Lunch. Also the The OWGA will be conducting their annual business session and Oklahoma Wheat Commission Executive Director Mike Schulte will present a report on the past years activities of the Commission. A Free Steak Dinner will be severed at lunch. There will also be a trade show during the convention.
For more information about this year's meeting, you can call 580-234-3464 and visit with Tim Bartram, Executive Director of the organization.


OSU Livestock Judging Team- EPA's Elworth and Furadan's Demise
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The OSU Livestock Judging Team competed in the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville on Monday November 16th. OSU finished 5th overall. Mason Bell was 9th High Individual Overall and 3rd High Individual in Sheep. Zachary Butler was 5th High Individual in Reasons and 10th High Individual in Sheep. Kylee Willard was 10th High Individual in Cattle and was also named an All-American. The NAILE was the wrap up event of the year for the OSU squad.

Our colleague Stewart Doan tells us that he has a most interesting interview up and online for folks to listen to this week on the Agri-Pulse website. Stewart tellls us "Open Mic this week is Larry Elworth, chief agricultural counselor to the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, who discusses the Obama EPA's philosophy when it comes to environmental regulations for agriculture. Elworth also previews soon-to-be announced EPA decisions regarding higher ethanol blends and implementation of the RFS2 final rule and explains why the agency did not contest a federal appeals court ruling requiring Clean Water Act permits for pesticide applications on, over or near water." Click here to jump to their website- and then look on the right hand side of the page for their Open Mic feature.

Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency has announced that an insecticide labeled for sorghum, Furadan (carbofuran), has not met safety standards and therefore, will not be available after Dec. 31, 2009. Food tolerances for the insecticide will be revoked after this date, as well. EPA says that under Section 408 (b) (2) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, Furadan does not meet all the safety standards that the act describes. EPA will soon work to implement its May 2009 final rule, which will revoke all tolerances for the insecticide.


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 OKC West market in El Reno sold 5,519 head of cattle during their Wednesday sale this week, well off the huge run of over 9,000 head a week earlier. Yearling cattle were called steady in a light test, while the calves sold $2 to $4 higher. Five to six hundred pound steer calves sold from $96.50 to $116, while 700 to 800 pound steer yearlings cleared from $92.75 to $94.25. Click here for the complete rundown of the OKC West market in El Reno and their Wednesday November 18 auction.

Current cash price for Canola is $8.15 per bushel, while the 2010 New Crop contracts for Canola are now available are $8.30 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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