Oklahoma's Latest Farm
And Ranch News
|
|
Thursday, December 8, 2022
|
|
|
|
Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update.
- OSU, NOC and Tuttle FFA Bring Home National Championships in Livestock Judging
- October Pork Exports Largest in 16 Months; Beef Exports Already Top $10 Billion
- Livestock Marketing Association in Favor of More Competition in Cattle Markets
- Over 350 Ag Groups Call for Senate to Act on Ag Labor Reform Bill Before End of Congress
- High Input Costs and Rising Interest Rates Top Concerns in Latest CME/Purdue Ag Barometer
- Bayer WestBred Offers Exceptional Portfolio for Wheat Producers
- Slow is Fast and Fast is Slow: Safe Cattle Handling
- Forecast Hopeful for Rains Through the Weekend
|
OSU, NOC and Tuttle FFA Bring Home National Championships in Livestock Judging |
At the Governor’s Mansion on December 6, the Oklahoma State University, NOC and Tuttle FFA livestock judging teams were all recognized for winning national championships this year. KC Sheperd, Farm Director, attended the event and got the chance to visit with Ag Secretary Blayne Arthur, and the Northern Oklahoma College livestock judging coach Jennifer Bedwell, about this outstanding group of youth and young adults.
“Today we were able to recognize our Tuttle FFA livestock judging team, the NOC livestock judging team, and Oklahoma State livestock judging team, because this year, they were all national champions,” Arthur said. “In our research, there has never been another time a state has had those win the senior college, junior college, and the FFA contest.”
As coach of the NOC livestock judging team, Bedwell explained the hard work that these students put in, and said she is proud to be part of it all.
It is one of the most self-humbling acts that you can do, Bedwell said, because you have to prepare yourself for a moment where you are wrong.
“We have been very fortunate that my students have not had many moments this fall where they have been wrong because they have been able to have so much success,” Bedwell said.
Click the blue button below to view more photos from the event!
|
The Oklahoma Agriculture Mediation Program knows this is a hard time for farmers and ranchers. We want you to know we are still open, and we are still here for you. The Ag Mediation program is a free service that provides mediation to agriculture producers who may need help with ag-related disputes.
At Oklahoma Ag Mediation, we have been helping people in agriculture resolve conflicts since 1987. We know firsthand about working together to resolve conflicts, so you don’t have to go through the court systems. Let our professional mediators help you. Mediation is allowed for lease issues, farmer/neighbor disputes, family farm transitions, and more. These services are available at no cost for Oklahoma farmers and ranchers in all 77 counties. For more information, you can go to ok.gov/mediation, or give us a call at 800 248 5465.
|
October Pork Exports Largest in 16 Months; Beef Exports Already Top $10 Billion |
October exports of U.S. pork were the largest in more than a year and beef export volume also increased from a year ago, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).
USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom noted that the October pork results were bolstered by outstanding growth in variety meat exports, which set a new value record at $126.2 million. Export volume was the second largest on record at more than 55,000 mt.
October beef exports totaled 125,466 mt, up 8% from a year ago. Export value was $929.8 million, down 3% from the large total reported in October 2021. In the first 10 months of 2022, beef export value increased 18% from last year’s record pace to reach $10.05 billion – topping $10 billion in a single year for only the second time. January-October export volume was 1.25 million mt, up 4% from a year ago.
“The October results were remarkable considering the headwinds facing U.S. beef, especially in our large Asian markets,” Halstrom said. “Key currencies such as the Japanese yen and Korean won had sunk to their lowest levels in decades versus the U.S. dollar, which obviously affected importers’ buying power. COVID lockdowns in China were also a concerning factor, especially for buyers in the foodservice sector. But despite all that, U.S. beef still performed very well in Asia and achieved solid growth in North America and the Middle East. With some recent improvement in exchange rates, beef exports are well-positioned to surpass last year’s records.”
|
Livestock Marketing Association in Favor of More Competition in Cattle Markets |
In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am visiting with Vice President, Government and Industry and Affairs at the Livestock Marketing Association, Chelsea Good, about improving the marketplace for cattle producers.
“I think that the livestock sector has been more on center stage in Capitol Hill the last two years than they have been my entire career- probably my entire lifetime,” Good said. “There are a lot of eyes on the livestock sector.”
Livestock auctions, Good said, are the fairest and most transparent way to get true price discovery.
“I think it is a good, healthy thing that we have got our local livestock auctions spread across the United States, and we still have that working for us,” Good said. “I will say that there are some things on Capitol Hill that our association is trying to get some tweaks on. We do believe that you need to have really good oversight of the packers, especially since there are only four major packers that have 85 percent of the fat cattle marketplace.”
It is frustrating for producers, Good said, that people want to see more local and regional packers. Still, an outdated law makes it so that a livestock auction owner cannot invest in a local or regional packer.
“That is not right, and we want to be part of the solution in adding more packers and adding more competition,” Good said. “We should have the ability to do that.”
|
|
For our farmers who have either- always have had cotton on their farms- or those who have more recently have added the fiber crop to their operations- we have a daily report heard on several of our Radio Stations- It's Called Cotton Talk!
Click on the Button below to listen to our most recent report
|
Union Mutual was chartered in 1938 to write property and casualty insurance in the state of Oklahoma. Over the years, Union Mutual has maintained the attitude that started the company and continue to be that company that understands Oklahomans’ insurance needs when they contact any member of the UMIC team.
That’s 83 years of protecting rural Oklahomans, providing town and country, poultry house and legacy rural actual cash value policies.
With over 80 years of experience and 300 agents in all 77 Oklahoma Counties to serve you, it’s time to take a good hard look at Union Mutual Insurance Company.
For the agent nearest you, go to unionmutualic.com or give them a call at 405 286-7703.
|
|
Over 350 Ag Groups Call for Senate to Act on Ag Labor Reform Bill Before End of Congress |
351 agricultural trade associations, agribusinesses and farmer co-ops today urged Senate action on an agriculture labor reform bill before the end of the year. The call came in a letter to Senate leadership in both parties that was copied to all 100 Senators.
“Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) are working on legislation to provide stability for our existing workers and make key reforms to the H-2A program, the visa program farmers use to hire legal workers to supplement their U.S. workforce. The House has passed legislation already and it is time now for the Senate to act before the end of the year,” the groups said. “The House bill is not perfect and needs improvements. The Senators are working to address many of those concerns and provide stability to farmers across the country. Without immediate action by the Senate, the federal government’s outdated policies and broken immigration system are forcing many farmers to consider whether they can continue in labor-intensive agriculture.”
The letter noted that reform is especially critical since the inability of producers to find the workers they need to harvest crops and care for animals is hurting domestic agricultural production and helping to contribute to food price inflation.
Action is especially critical now since next year will bring a new Congress with a change in committee leadership. This means that the process must start anew, delaying a solution to this problem for several years that farmers across the country can ill afford.
|
|
We invite you to listen to us on great radio stations across the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network weekdays-
if you missed this morning's Farm News - or you are in an area where you can't hear it- click below for this morning's Farm news from Ron Hays and KC Sheperd on RON.
|
Sponsor Spotlight
National Livestock was founded in 1932 in Oklahoma City. National’s Marketing Division offers cattle for sale weekly at the Oklahoma National Stockyards in Oklahoma City. The Finance Division lends money to ranchers across several states for cattle production. The Grazing Division works with producers to place cattle for grazing on wheat or grass pastures.
National also owns and operates other livestock marketing subsidiaries including Southern Oklahoma Livestock Auction in Ada, Oklahoma, OKC West Livestock Market in El Reno, Oklahoma, and the nation’s premier livestock video sale, Superior Livestock Auction. National offers customers many services custom made for today’s producer. To learn more, click here for the website or call the Oklahoma City office at 1-800-310-0220.
|
|
|
High Input Costs and Rising Interest Rates Top Concerns As Farmer Sentiment Remains Unchanged |
Farmer sentiment was unchanged in November as the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer Index came in at a reading of 102, the same as in October. There was however a slight shift in underlying sentiment as the Index of Current Conditions declined 3 points this month to a reading of 98 while the Index of Future Expectations rose 2 points to 104. This month’s survey was conducted the week following the November U.S. elections but, unlike the period immediately following the two most recent presidential elections, there did not appear to be a noticeable sentiment swing attributable to the election outcomes. The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer sentiment index is calculated each month from 400 U.S. agricultural producers’ responses to a telephone survey. This month’s survey was conducted from November 14-18, 2022.
The Farm Financial Performance Index improved modestly this month to 91, up 5 points from last month, but that still left the index 14% below its year ago level of 106. The relatively weak index reading is attributable to the fact that more producers continue to say they expect their farms’ financial performance to be worse this year than last year compared to those who expect better performance. However, nearly half (45%) of producers say they expect financial performance this year to match 2021’s.
|
Bayer WestBred Offers Exceptional Portfolio for Wheat Producers |
At the recent National Farm Broadcasters gahering- I got the chance to visit with Bayer WestBred’s Jeff Koscelny about wheat seed varieties at Bayer WestBred.
Because 2022 was a tough year for anyone producing seed in the wheat industry, Koscelny said many of WestBred’s seed suppliers planted optional acres to ensure they there was enough supply.
“We have done a lot of work to make sure that we are moving supply around, so if we have got extra in southern Kansas, we are moving it to Oklahoma and trying to make sure farmers can always purchase WestBred,” Koscelny said.
Koscelny talked about the traits that wheat producers are looking for in 2023.
“Yield is always king,” Koscelny said. “Looking for that yield, that standability, that disease tolerance in eastern Oklahoma and drought tolerance in the western Oklahoma market and certainly just looking for who has performed the best.”
|
Slow is Fast and Fast is Slow: Safe Cattle Handling |
In today’s Cow-Calf Corner, Addie Womack, OSU Department of Animal and Food Sciences Graduate Research Assistant, talks about the proper way to handle cattle.
An old cowboy once told me “If you work cattle like you gotta be done quick, it takes all day; but if you work like you got all day, you get done quick.”
Animal welfare is a major concern when it comes to agriculture production. When employees are properly trained and understand cattle behaviors, they continue to safely handle animals over their careers. This ensures the safety of the animals we are entrusted to care for as well as personnel. Whether it’s in the feedlot or on the pasture, cattle management practices are important for the animals and employees. I will go over some basic tips that will hopefully turn your mindset on cattle-handling from a list of rules and quick-fix solutions to long term habits.
One of the first steps to implementing good management practices is understanding how the cattle think. We can keep their stress levels low if we build a working facility that they understand, one that works with the movements they naturally want to make.
|
Forecast hopeful for Rains Through the Weekend |
State Climatologist Gary McManus says we should see rains through the week, and Saturday, and yet another on Monday.
McManus said even though this does just look like a rain event, being that it is December, there’s always a chance for frozen temps, so that will be something to keep an eye on.
McManus says the coldest air will hit us next week, “That’ll have to be watched, but we do see cooler weather as we get later into next week regardless.”
And the rains in mostly eastern Oklahoma have arrived- check out the Mesonet Rainfall totals as of 5:30 AM this morning in the graphic below- and it's clickable so you can jump over to the real time 2 days Mesonet Rainfall map at your convenience.
|
|
OKC West is our Market Links Sponsor- they sell cattle three days a week- Cows on Mondays, Stockers on Tuesday and Feeders on Wednesday- Call 405-262-8800 to learn more.
|
Today's First Look:
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.
|
Wholesale Boxed Beef Prices were higher- Choice Beef was up $6.31 and Select Beef was up 63 cents on Wednesday 12/07/2022.
Click on the Button below for the latest report from USDA Market News
|
OKC West in El Reno had 10,427 cattle on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.
Compared to last week: Feeder steers traded 2.00-4.00 higher. Feeder heifers sold mostly steady on limited comparable sales. Demand good for feeders. Steer calves sold 8.00-12.00 higher, instances to as much as 15.00 higher. Heifer calves traded 6.00-10 higher. Demand very good again this week for light weight cattle suitable for grazing.
Click below for the complete closing report.
|
Okla Cash Grain:
Daily Oklahoma Cash Grain Prices- as reported by the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture- The report available after the close of the Futures Trade for that day.
|
Our Oklahoma Farm Report Team!!!!
Ron Hays, Senior Farm/Ranch Broadcaster and Editor
KC Sheperd, Farm Director and Editor
Dave Lanning, Markets and Production
Reagan Calk, Farm News and Email Editor
Pam Arterburn, Calendar and Template Manager
|
|
Rural Oklahoma is full of some of the greatest success stories throughout the entire state and is a big reason why Oklahoma is on track to become a top 10 state.
The Road to Rural Prosperity dives into these stories, bringing you stories covering rural life, agriculture, energy, healthcare, tourism, and politics affecting rural America.
The Road to Rural Prosperity is here to tell stories about rural America, for rural America.
KC Sheperd talks with three of the country reps that live in Japan and work for US livestock producers in Japan as a part of the US Meat Export Federation team in that important export destination for US Beef and Pork.
KC talked to Takemichi Yamashoji, Director, USMEF Japan; Satoshi Kato, Marketing Director, USMEF Japan and Taz Hijikata, Director, Consumer Affairs, USMEF Japan at the recent USMEF Strategic Planning Conference held in Oklahoma City.
Search for Road to Rural Prosperity and subscribe on your favorite Podcast platform.
To hear this podcast, you can click here or tap below:
|
|
Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K Equipment, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Oklahoma Ag Mediation Program, Great Plains Kubota, Stillwater Milling Company, National Livestock Credit Corporation, Oklahoma Beef Council, Oklahoma AgCredit, Oklahoma Pork Council, Union Mutual Insurance, the Oklahoma Cattlemens Association, 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- at NO Charge!
We invite you to check out our website at the link below too that includes an archive of these daily emails, audio reports and top farm news story links from around the globe.
|
|
God Bless!
Reach Out To Us:
|
|
Tim West
President/General Manager
Rural Oklahoma Networks
405-317-6361
***************
Mike Henderson
Director of Sales
405-615-4922
|
|
KC Sheperd
Farm Director
Radio Oklahoma Ag Network
405-443-5717
|
|
Ron Hays
Senior Farm/Ranch Broadcaster
Radio Oklahoma Ag Network
405.473.6144
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
