Category: Ag News

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 11:15:38 CDT

Click here to listen to audio

KC Sheperd, Farm Director, is visiting with Bob Rodenberger, a partner with Stockman Oklahoma Livestock Marketing. Rodenberger and Sheperd talk about the current cattle market and the upcoming Emergency Drought Commission Meeting.

“We are still seeing an ample number of calves come to down,” Rodenberger said.

On the positive side, Rodenberger said he has seen that many people have dusted their wheat in, and some wheat has come up, so people are optimistic.

“We have a chance of rain later in next week sometime,” Rodenberger said. “A little rain continuously will help some of these people that have got this wheat up.”

The calf market, Rodenberger said, has limited places to go.

“The cow market was not saturated- we saturated it back four or five months ago,” Rodenberger said. “But we have got ample amount of cows available and the killing condition keeps dropping off, and when your cow gets thinner, it doesn’t matter whether she weighs 1000 or 1500 (pounds), she is worth less dollars because there is less meat to salvage off of her.”

As for the feeder cattle market, Rodenberger said he did not see many feeders, even in Oklahoma City on Monday.

“It would have steady at best,” Rodenberger said. “We have dropped the index down five or six dollars in the last three months, so it is back down.”

In general, Rodenberger said the overall market is doing well for this time of year for the situation we are going through.

“What I am seeing coming to town now is calves that are normally put on wheat and carried and sold after the first of the year, you know, January through March,” Rodenberger said.

This coming Monday, on October 17th, there will be another Oklahoma Emergency Drought Commission meeting to discuss the allocation of funds and additional funds for drought relief in the state.

Click the LISTEN BAR below to hear KC’s full conversation with Bob Rodenberger as he gives a cattle market update.
   

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 10:33:44 CDT

Armadillos are sneaky critters that destroy flower beds, root up lawns and test the sanity of homeowners. Oklahoma State University Extension offers advice on how to control armadillo damage during warm months when the animal’s destructive behavior is most visible.

“There is seldom a quick and easy fix to any wildlife damage problem,” said Dwayne Elmore, OSU Extension wildlife specialist. “Often the cost (time and money) of control exceeds the damage caused, and in this particular case, damage is mostly aesthetics or nuisance.”

Elmore’s OSU Extension fact sheet on nuisance armadillos suggests the following:

• Armadillo damage to Bermudagrass is manageable because healthy grass will quickly fill in bare patches.

• Bare patches in cool season grasses will need to be reseeded in the fall.

• The extra irrigation required by cool season grasses makes them especially attractive to armadillos.

• Wear gloves when filling in holes with soil and turf or smoothing out flower beds.

• Repellants and scare tactics are not effective in keeping armadillos out of the landscape.

• Fences more than 12 inches tall should eliminate most armadillo activity.

The armadillo is a mammal that typically gives birth to four identical young. They have sparse hair under their armored shell. They feed on insects and earthworms by digging in loose soil with their long claws.

“The armadillo expanded its distribution north in recent decades but is not adapted to the cold,” Elmore said. “Its population is sometimes reduced in northern Oklahoma following prolonged cold winters.”

Other interesting facts about armadillos:

• Armadillos have an excellent sense of smell but poor eyesight.

• They can swim and sometimes walk under water when crossing shallow ditches.

• They do not hibernate but become less active in the winter.

• Armadillos are the only other mammal other than humans known to carry leprosy.

• During the hottest months of the year, they are most active from 2 to 5 a.m.

• It is illegal to move an armadillo to another location for release unless the landowner grants permission.

Elmore said armadillos are not protected in Oklahoma and may be trapped or shot year-round. Trapping is highly effective using a live catch trap that is 12 inches tall, 12 inches wide and 32 inches deep. Traps that include a door work best.

As a safety reminder to those who may encounter an armadillo in close range, they often jump several feet off the ground when frightened and can cause injury if a person is standing too close. While the probability of a leprosy infection is low, Elmore cautions against handling armadillos or disturbed soil with bare skin.

OSU Extension uses research-based information to help all Oklahomans solve local issues and concerns, promote leadership and manage resources wisely throughout the state’s 77 counties. Most information is available at little to no cost.

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 10:25:50 CDT

There is a new blog post out at the Southern Plains Perspective, by Clay Pope. Read Below!

“Fire danger will be elevated at times this week, and not just because of the deepening drought. Dry and …

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 09:35:53 CDT

Chances for Rain look better across the state for this weekend according to State Climatologist Gary McManus, “Models have certainly given us some hope for a good 1″ of rain across a good portion of the state, and a bit less (or more) here and there, associated with this cold front coming to the state Saturday. Should rain through parts of Sunday.”

The Rain is bringing a cold front with it where we could see widespread lows in the 30’s and the possibility of a freeze across some portions of the state which would be and early first fall freeze for even Northern Oklahoma.

McManus says fire danger will continue across the state, especially across the historically dry Northeast Oklahoma Area, but hopefully some timely rains will help with that.

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 08:53:50 CDT

The “butter board” food craze that has become a viral sensation is rooted in dairy checkoff strategy.

Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) assembled a “Dairy Dream Team” consisting of che…

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 08:51:37 CDT

A Red Flag Warning is in effect today from Noon through 8:00 PM across northeastern and parts of eastern Oklahoma. Another warm and dry day across Oklahoma with west-southwest winds increasing into the after…

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 08:47:24 CDT

The 2022 Annual Conference and Meeting of the American Society of Agricultural Consultants (ASAC) will be held Sunday, October 23 – Tuesday, October 25 in Oklahoma City at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel.

An engaging lineup of speakers is scheduled to present on a variety of topics pertinent to the challenging environment in which agricultural professionals live and operate their businesses.

Session topics include:

   ?   You Cannot NOT Communicate, Ron Rabou
   ?   Best Practices for Today’s Ag Consultant, Keith Dickinson
   ?   Diversity and Inclusion, Rodney Patterson
   ?   Technology in Ag Consulting, Hylon Kaufmann
   ?   Accounting, Taxes and Business Planning, Paul Neiffer
   ?   Macroeconomics: Finance and the Federal Reserve, Harold Black
   ?   Discussion of the Center?s Mission and Focus on Various Regulatory Issues
            National Ag Law Center at the University of Arkansas, Rusty Rumley
   ?   Regenerative Agriculture ? Noble Research Institute, Dr. Hugh Aljoe

The Annual Banquet on Monday evening features our keynote speaker, Brittany Krehbiel-Hukill, a fifth-generation farmer from Hydro, Oklahoma, who is among the vanguard of an emerging generation of young leaders in state, regional and national agriculture. Tuesday afternoon includes a tour of the USDA-ARS National Grazinglands Research Laboratory, located west of Oklahoma City. We plan to visit Oklahoma National Stockyards on our return from the USDA station. Stockyard City is the home of the largest stocker/feeder cattle market in the world. Since its inception, more than 102,000,000 head of livestock have passed through the iron gates leading to the Stockyards operation. Cattle auctions are held Monday and Tuesday each week. There will be an opportunity to enjoy a great steak dinner at the Cattlemen’s Steakhouse.

Come to Oklahoma City and “Imagine the Possibilities – The Sooner, the Better”!

Register for the conference on the ASAC website: www.agconsultants.org/2022_annual_conference.php

About the American Society of Agricultural Consultants (ASAC)

The American Society of Agriculture Consultants (ASAC) is a non-profit organization whose members represent a diverse range of disciplines in the agriculture industry. ASAC’s membership is comprised primarily of experienced consultants boasting a wide array of expertise. Their business models range from sole proprietorships to leadership roles in larger, multi-consultant organizations, which cover a wide geographical area. To learn more about how ASAC can help you grow your agricultural consulting business, go to www.agconsultants.org.

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 08:38:01 CDT

Rail labor negotiations hit a speed bump Monday when it was announced the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division (BMWED), a division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the third-…

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 08:27:37 CDT

A global audience of approximately 500 buyers and suppliers of U.S. coarse grains and co-products kicked off a full day of learning and networking at the Export Exchange 2022 in Minneapolis, sponsored by the U.S. Grains Council (USGC), Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). Among the top speakers on Thursday were Minnesota Ag Commissioner Thom Petersen and USDA Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Ag Relations Jason Hafemeister.

In his presentation, Petersen spoke of the importance of global trade at the state level, noting how Minnesota established an office in Taiwan that recently helped secure the sale of $2.7 billion in corn and soy products to that country. “We’ve built some great relationships, we had some delegations here over the past few weeks, Peru, Colombia, the Philippines,” he said. “I think that’s really opened up doors and I can see the value of these discussions around trade.”

Hafemeister spoke of the importance of global trade for reducing overall extreme poverty, how innovations have increased crop yields, and how the global trade map has shifted over the last several decades.

“If we don’t have open markets, we won’t have the investment needed to do the research and solve new problems,” Hafemeister said. “If the markets aren’t open, our farmers can’t adopt new ideas to sell into those markets. We can’t discriminate against techniques that stifle development and shut out producers.”

“We are pleased that both speakers set the tone for this exciting meeting,” said USGC President and CEO Ryan LeGrand. “They provided not only a localized perspective on the ag sector here in Minnesota, but also provided the larger national view of the U.S. and global grains market.”

“This week has been an exciting opportunity to network and build relationships that will last into the future,” said Growth Energy Senior Vice President of Market Development Mike Lorenz. “The content in the presentations has been very informative and relevant given all the trade challenges we are facing in today’s market from supply issues to logistics.”

“It was great to see this event kick off with so much enthusiasm,” said RFA Vice President for Technical and Regulatory Affairs Kelly Davis. “It has been four years since the last event, but the high level of interest in Export Exchange for networking and connecting across markets continues as if there was no gap. Today’s presentations helped everyone understand the global dynamics at play during this period of abnormal inflation and continuing post-pandemic logistics challenges.”

Also on the agenda Thursday was:

• a WASDE report overview by Reece Cannady of the USGC,
• a review of inflation, monetary policy and commodities by Arlan Suderman of StoneX,
• a shipping and logistics overview by Jay O’Neil of HJ O’Neil Commodity Consulting,
• a DDGS Global production, supply and demand briefing by Matt Fitzthum of CHS,
• a pet food outlook from Lisa Schole of Evolve Consulting; and
• a look at aquafeed demand by USGC’s Ronnie Tan.

Taking place biannually, Export Exchange offers attendees an unparalleled opportunity to meet and build relationships with domestic suppliers of corn, distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS), sorghum, barley and other commodities. The global buyers have been broken down into 20 trade teams that have either been in the United States ahead of Export Exchange or will continue their visits after the event to see corn-growing states during harvest, explore DDGS production at ethanol plants, view port facilities and more as they build their networks with U.S. suppliers.

The conference runs through Friday at the Hilton Minneapolis. More information is available at www.exportexchange.org or on social media at #ExEx22.

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 08:21:35 CDT

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) today released a proposed regulatory framework for a new strategy to control Salmonella contamination in poultry pr…