From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2010 6:30 PM
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 Wednesday March 3, 2010
A service of Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, Midwest Farm Shows and KIS Futures!
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-- Greetings from Anaheim as Thousands of Farmers Begin to Arrive for the Commodity Classic
-- Certified Angus Beef Premiums Click Along at $25 Million Annually
-- Poultry Welfare Guidelines Updated
-- Pending Trade Deals Continue to Hang in Limbo
-- A Call to Action- NCGA Asks Agriculture to Help Set the Record Straight on "Food, Inc
-- For Those of You That Have Asked About Matt Gard
-- Pollard Farms Set for their Annual Bull Sale This Saturday
-- 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 Tulsa Farm Show. Click here for more information on the Southern Plains Farm Show, coming up April 15,16 and 17, 2010.

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.


Greetings from Anaheim as Thousands of Farmers Begin to Arrive for the Commodity Classic
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We arrived Tuesday afternoon in Anaheim in preparation for coverage the next several days of this joint meeting of the corn, sorghum, soybean and wheat industries. Our first day of meetings that get underway this morning are being hosted by Bayer Crop Science. This is their fourth year to host an Agricultural Issues Forum in advance of this convention- and the lineup of speakers that we will be hearing from is tremendous- top officials from Bayer, Cargill Ag Horizons, Rabo Agrifinance, John Deere and US Wheat Associates to name just a few.

Later in the week, we will be talking to the leadership of all four grain and oilseed industry groups that make up this annual gathering- and learning more about a lot of innovations from leading agri industry leaders.
On Friday morning, the combined groups will welcome USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack for some remarks- and it will be interesting to see if the Secretary can stay focused on production agriculture issues as he talks to those gathered here at Commodity Classic.

We will be posting stories on our website- and will have several stories from here tomorrow morning in our daily farm and ranch news email. We will also be posting regular "tweets" from this meeting- and you can monitor those a couple of ways. If you don't want a Twitter account- you can go to our website, WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com and look on the lower right hand column. There, you can see the four most recent "tweets" we have posted- and if you check there during the day- you will get some feel of what is being said by the shakers and movers at this meeting.

We have our Twitter information linked below- and you can sign up for Twitter and follow us- and that way, you can see all of the "Tweets" that we post from the Ag Issues Forum today and Commodity Classic the balance of this week.

Click here to see the Twitter Information for Ron_on_RON


Certified Angus Beef Premiums Click Along at $25 Million Annually
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Cumulative grid premium rewards for hitting the Certified Angus Beef (CAB) brand target stood at nearly $300 million at the end of last year, and they keep growing at an annual rate of about $25 million paid to producers. That's the five-year average according to a January 2010 survey; the second- highest total for that span was 2008, with $25.5 million in premiums reported.

“The average payout of $98,000 per working day for the last three years shows the continuing relevance of this brand as a producer target,” says Brent Eichar, Certified Angus Beef LLC senior vice president. “Thanks to their long-term commitment to genetic progress and focused management, the supply of high-quality product can meet the growing consumer demand for the best beef their money can buy.

One economist who has long followed the mechanics of grid pricing says the very fact that cattle keep earning premiums says the industry's herds continue to improve. Clem Ward, professor emeritus at Oklahoma State University, says, “If we are paying premiums above the average cash price, then it suggests premiums are exceeding discounts and one might argue it means we are moving toward desired quality cattle — or moving away from those discounted by the marketplace.”

Read more about the Premiums that continue to be paid by the Ceritifed Angus Beef Program


Poultry Welfare Guidelines Updated
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The National Chicken Council made changes in its animal welfare guidelines and audit checklist. That's the industry-standard program for assessing animal welfare programs and practices in broiler and broiler- breeder operations. The revisions were recommended by a task force of industry veterinarians and other experts and approved by the NCC executive committee and board of directors.

The revisions place a greater emphasis on corporate commitment to animal welfare, including a requirement that senior management must sign off on their company's animal welfare program. It also calls for each department of the company handling live animals to have a person in charge of promoting adherence to the Guidelines and each department must have a disaster response and recovery plan. Also, employees must be trained and retrained every year and each company must review their program every two years.

Principles stated in the document are: 1/ Poultry raised for food should be cared for in ways that prevent or minimize fear, pain, stress and suffering. 2/ Guidelines for welfare should balance scientific knowledge and professional judgment with consideration of ethical and societal values. 3/ It is the welfare of the chickens themselves that is foremost, not how humans might perceive a practice or an environment. and 4/ Poultry should be treated with respect throughout their lives and provided a humane death when processed for food or when they are euthanized for any other reason.

Click here for the link for the full rundown of standards for the National Chicken Council


Pending Trade Deals Continue to Hang in Limbo
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The newly released Obama Administration 2010 trade agenda gives little indication that the White House will quickly advance long-stalled pacts with Panama, Colombia or South Korea. After a year-long review of Bush-era trade agreements, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk released the report that stresses a new export focus, and says the administration is engaged in unprecedented consultations with Congress over the shape of impending negotiations on a Trans-Pacific Partnership, an Asia-Pacific free trade group.

The Panama, Colombia and South Korea deals are being viewed with a wary eye. None has seen action in the Senate. Labor Unions and their congressional allies; and, in the case of the South Korea deal, the U.S. auto and beef industries continue to voice strong objections to the agreements. Representative Kirk will discuss the report at a Senate Finance Committee hearing later today.

Despite the Administration's lack of interest in the Colombia, Panama and South Korea trade deals, an ad hoc coalition of food, feed and agricultural entities is urging Congress to promptly pass these deals. Under each pact, many U.S. food and agricultural products would become eligible for duty-free treatment once the agreement is implemented and nearly all would receive duty-free treatment over specified phase-in periods.

In a letter signed by 57 companies and organizations, the coalition, led by the National Pork Producers Council, has asked lawmakers to - aggressively expand market access opportunities, as our competitors are doing. The coalition says - other countries are moving forward on a host of trade deals. As an example, South Korea is negotiating or is planning to enter talks on trade agreements with 11 countries, the European Union and blocs representing Southeast Asian and South American nations. The coalition also points out that exports generate 8-thousand U.S. jobs for every one-billion dollars worth of agricultural goods exported. In addition, adding to the bottom line of producers, U.S. pork producers, for example, would see hog prices rise by 11-dollars a head under the South Korea agreement.

Click here for an analysis that Iowa State Economist Dermot Hayes has made regarding FTAs and their impact on pork exports.


A Call to Action- NCGA Asks Agriculture to Help Set the Record Straight on "Food, Inc
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I am certain that we will be hearing more about this over the next couple of days here in Anaheim, but before this Sunday's Oscars, the National Corn Growers Association is calling on its grower members and industry friends to get the truth about the documentary film Food Inc. The movie, which NCGA says is filled with lies, factual inaccuracies and misrepresentations about America's farmers and food suppliers, is nominated for Best Documentary

NCGA took language directly from the movie to conduct a fact-checking exercise using recent data from sources like the FDA and USDA and found several examples where the filmmakers set the truth aside. So they've developed a factsheet to arm those in agriculture with credible and truthful information to combat the film's arguments.

We have more at the link below- and on our website, we have the link to the fact sheets that the Corn Growers have developed to call out the producers of Food, Inc. and question the accuracy of many of the "facts" they have claimed in this production.

Click here for more on the Corn Growers and their "beef" with Food, Incorporated.


For Those of You That Have Asked About Matt Gard
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Fairview, Oklahoma farmer Matt Gard continues in ICU in Enid- and he will be in surgery later today- as the doctors go in to stabilize the broken bones in his back to give him a chance to heal.

Yesterday was Matt's birthday- and if you would want to send belated greetings, a get well card or just a personal note- I know that he appreciate your time and interest.

The address for Matt in Enid is
St. Mary's Regional Medical Center
Attn: Matt Gard, Rm. 353
305 S. 5th Street
Enid, Ok 73701
Your thoughts and prayers mean a lot to Matt and his family- this is not going to be a short term situation- plan on keeping him on your daily prayer list for weeks to come.


Pollard Farms Set for their Annual Bull Sale This Saturday
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The Pollard Farms Performance Genetics Bull & Commercial Female Sale will be happening Saturday, March 6, 2010, 12:30pm at Pollard Farms, Waukomis, Oklahoma.

Featuring 80 Home-raised service-age Angus bulls, (selling several ET full and half brothers with performance and ultrasound data furnished.) Owner Barry Pollard writes in the sale catalog about this year's set of bulls -"These young herd sires are as uniform, powerful and rugged as any bulls we have sold in the past. Through extensive embryo transfer and intense artificial insemination, we have put together a strong set of genetics that will work in all facets of the industry. The genetics behind these bulls are full of performance and longevity that should work in your operation."

You can call Pollard Farms for more information at 580-758-1464 or click on the link below for our calendar listing for the Pollard Farms sale on March 6. You will have the option there of going on to their website where you can download the catalog or view it online.

Click here for more on the Pollard Farms Spring Bull Sale on March 6- this coming Saturday.


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 $7.65 per bushel, while the 2010 New Crop contracts for Canola are now available are $7.80 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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