Subject: Oklahoma's Farm News Update
From: Ron Hays <ronphays@cox.net>
Date: 4/15/2020, 5:58 AM
To: ron@ronhays.com



 
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We invite you to listen to us on great radio stations across the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network weekdays- if you missed this morning's Farm News - or you are in an area where you can't hear it- click here for this morning's Farm news from Ron Hays on RON.
 

 
 
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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:
mornings with cash and futures reviewed- includes where the Cash Cattle market stands, the latest Feeder Cattle Markets Etc.
 
 
Each afternoon we are posting a recap of that day's markets as analyzed by Justin Lewis of KIS futures-click here for the report posted yesterday afternoon around 3:30 PM.
 

OKC West in El Reno had just 1,000 head of calves in their Tuesday trade on April 14- not enough to establish a market trend- click here for the details from USDA Market news. 


Okla Cash Grain:  
Daily Oklahoma Cash Grain Prices- as reported by the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture.
 
  
Futures Wrap:  
Our Daily Market Wrapup from the Radio Oklahoma Network - analyzing the Futures Markets from the previous Day.
 
Feeder Cattle Recap:  
The National Daily Feeder & Stocker Cattle Summary- as prepared by USDA.
 
Slaughter Cattle Recap: 
The National Daily Slaughter Cattle Summary- as prepared by the USDA.
 
TCFA Feedlot Recap:  
Finally, here is the Daily Volume and Price Summary from the Texas Cattle Feeders Association.
 


 
Our Oklahoma Farm Report Team!!!!
 
Ron Hays, Senior Farm Director and Editor

KC Sheperd, Associate Farm Director and Editor

Sam Knipp, Farm Editor
 
Pam Arterburn, Calendar and Template Manager
 
Dave Lanning, Markets and Production

Oklahoma's Latest Farm and Ranch News

Your Update from Ron Hays of RON
  Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Howdy Neighbors! 

Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update. 
 










CattleLossBlue Ribbon Panel Led by OSU's Derrell Peel Sees a $13.6 Billion Loss for Beef Cattle Producers from Pandemic Panic

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association rolled out a study that they commissioned late yesterday afternoon- showing huge economic damage to beef cattle producers of $9.2 Billion for 2020- and additional harm that totals $4.45 Billion to the Cow-Calf sector in future years if the 2020 economic harm is not offset by government assistance. 

This study will be supplied to members of Congress and the Administration as USDA attempts to allocate the $9.5 billion put into the CARES act that was aimed at helping livestock and specialty crop producers hurt by Coronavirus. 

The total damage seen by the Blue Ribbon Panel of economists is $13.6 Billion, with the footnote that "Additional damages are likely."

The study shows cow-calf producers will see the largest impact, with COVID-19-related losses totaling an estimated $3.7 billion, or $111.91 per head for each mature breeding animal in the United States. Without offsetting relief payments, those losses could increase by $135.24 per mature breeding animal, for an additional impact totaling $4.45 billion in the coming years.

Stocker/backgrounder segment losses were estimated at $159.98 per head, for a total economic impact of $2.5 billion in 2020, while feeding sector losses were estimated at $3.0 billion or $205.96 per head.

"This study confirms that cattle producers have suffered massive economic damage as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and those losses will continue to mount for years to come, driving many producers to the brink of collapse and beyond if relief funds aren't made available soon," said NCBA CEO Colin Woodall. 

Woodall pointed out that relief funds that were meant to provide aid directly to cattle producers(the $9.5 Billion allocated by Congress) will apparently be divided among multiple commodities, many of which already have government programs in place to support production. However, cattle producers have always maintained their independence from government programs, and most operate today without the safety net others enjoy.

OSU's Dr. Derrell Peel chaired this special task force and OSU had a second voice on the panel in Farm Policy specialist Dr. Amy Hagerman. Others on the blue ribbon panel included Dr. Glynn Tonsor of K-State, Randy Blach of Cattlefax and Don Close of Rabo AgriFinance. 

Click or tap here to read more about the study- and to get to the links to the complete study which we have in our Top Ag Story on our website this morning. 
 


Fear of the unknown is driving the cattle market now and that's why Dr. Derrell Peel, OSU Extension livestock market economist said the cattle market is under so much pressure now.I caught up with Dr. Peel to talk about that fear and how producers should react.


"I think the biggest thing the market is reacting to right now is the threats the coronavirus has for the labor supply in these processing facilities," Peel said.

He said the uncertainty is really showing up in the futures market because we don't know what lies ahead.

"There's a very important distinction between current expectations of supply and demand and expected supply and demand," Peel said.

He said the futures market is looking ahead to possible plant closings and worried about future demand due to economic recession.

"The futures market is anticipating the worse," Peel said. "That is part of its job."

The uncertainty and fear make it difficult for cattle producers to determine a market strategy.

There's no good answer, Peel said.

In the short run, if animals must be marketed, producers may just have to bite the bullet.


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The impact of COVID-19 has caused hog values to plummet, creating a financial disaster for pork producers nationwide who face a collective $5 billion loss for the remainder of the year. At a press briefing today, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) outlined the crisis as described by producers and the immediate relief they are requesting from the administration and Congress.

"We remain committed to supplying Americans with high-quality U.S. pork, but face a dire situation that threatens the livelihoods of thousands of farm families," said NPPC President Howard "A.V." Roth, a pork producer from Wauzeka, Wisconsin. "We are taking on water fast. Immediate action is imperative, or a lot of hog farms will go under."

The suspension of pork packing plant operations and rising employee absenteeism due to COVID-19 has exacerbated an existing harvest facility capacity challenge due to a labor shortage in rural America. With limited harvest capacity, a surplus of pigs exists, causing hog values to plunge. The loss of the food services market (i.e. restaurants) and the COVID-related slowdown in most export markets has crashed demand and overwhelmed the cold storage of meat.

Dr. Dermot Hayes, an economist with Iowa State University, and Dr. Steve Meyer, a pork industry economist with Kerns & Associates, estimate that hog farmers will lose nearly $37 per hog, or almost $5 billion collectively, for each hog marketed for the rest of the year. Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, and after two challenging years, hog farmers were generally expecting a profitable year, with industry analysts forecasting earnings of approximately $10 per hog on average for 2020.


As the pandemic continues across the globe, there have been lots of questions about animals being carriers for the coronavirus and becoming infected with the coronavirus. Associate Farm director, KC Sheperd, went to Dr. Rosslyn Biggs, Director of Continuing education and assistant clinical professor at Oklahoma State to get some answers for producers who work around animals daily.

Dr. Biggs says across the board; livestock producers are familiar with coronaviruses that can infect animals. Still, coronaviruses, in general, have been around a long time, especially in livestock. Again, that coronavirus is very different from COVID 19, "Definitely not the same type of coronavirus we see in cattle. The coronavirus that infects cattle is not the same as COVID-19. The coronavirus we see in cattle is not one we should be concerned about infecting humans. There are very different properties to those two coronaviruses."

There have been reports that a Tiger in the zoo in New York contracted COVID-19, as well as a few other dogs that were reported to have it as well. Biggs said the information changes daily, and so she is encouraging animal owners to be smart about practices, "If you are showing illness, or test positive for COVID 19, you want to limit your interaction with humans. Isolate yourself, don't interact with others. We are encouraging the same principals, just simply out of an abundance for caution, in particular with pets."

Biggs goes onto say how vital biosecurity is on the farm, as well as emergency planning and preparedness. With all the weather changes throughout Oklahoma, it's essential to have reasonable discussions about being prepared and having your plans in place to take care of not only small animals but large animals should you have an emergency on your farm. Biggs says the same principals apply with COVID 19, "Folks need to be preparedi if they become ill for the care of their animals. Agriculture doesn't stop, so we've got to continue taking care of those animals."


The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA), the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) and the Public Lands Council (PLC) called on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today to request rural healthcare providers have resources and funding to properly respond to the COVID-19 virus.

"Rural healthcare providers have unique needs unlike densely populated areas. We are calling on Secretary Alex Azar and Secretary Sonny Perdue to ensure rural healthcare providers have needed resources, particularly where the number of providers are limited across a vast geographic area, and technology to allow for expanded tele-health services amid the COVID-19 pandemic."

- NCBA CEO Colin Woodall



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Union Mutual of Oklahoma is pleased to announce the election of John Wiscaver as the Chairman of the Board of Directors during its annual meeting of the board.

Monica Collison, President and CEO of Union Mutual stated "We are looking forward to John as the Chairman of the Board of Directors. I have worked with John for several years in this industry and have respect for his knowledge and experience and am excited about the leadership of Union presently as we forge a new path for one of Oklahoma's longest tenured mutual companies".

Wiscaver is a public relations, marketing and government affairs professional. Wiscaver has extensive experience in the property & casualty insurance industry serving in senior executive positions for several companies over his career. His experience includes managing major property/casualty catastrophe response operations, including coordinating external affairs, media relations and advertising related to these events. Wiscaver led the catastrophe response for companies in response to several major disasters, including Hurricane Katrina, major Midwest flooding events, the 2008 Oklahoma ice storm, the Joplin, Missouri tornado, and the Moore, Oklahoma tornado in 2013.

Wiscaver currently serves as the Executive Vice President of Strategic Communications for Grand River Dam Authority. He leads corporate communications, external affairs, media relations, crisis management and marketing. Wiscaver is also a member of GRDA's senior leadership team for governmental affairs.



Oklahomans are cooking at home now more than ever. With this in mind, the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association and the Oklahoma Beef Council have partnered to host a video competition featuring cooking at home with recipes including beef.

The guidelines are simple. 1) Recipe must include beef. 2) 2-minute maximum video length. 3) Entries must live in Oklahoma. 4) 1 entry per person.
The competition has three age categories: Kids 12 and under, Kids 13 to 18 and Adults. The videos will be judged on recipe clarity, plate presentation, chef charisma and proper food safety.

A panel of judges will select the top 3 videos in each category. The winner of each category will be selected by popular vote on Facebook which will take place May 7-13. Winners will be announced on May 15. The winners of each category will also receive a $100 cash prize, an apron and steak seasoning.

Learn more about submitting your video at okcattlemen.org/at-home-cooking-video-competition. Submission deadline is May 5.


It was announced on April 2 the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) board of directors, along with the Florida 2020 BIF Research Symposium and Convention committee, made the decision to transition this year's conference to an online format due to COVID-19.

BIF leadership is in the process of planning an updated symposium online. "Our BIF program committee working with the Florida group has honed the original schedule to work in the new online format," says Joe Mushrush, BIF vice president and program chairman. "Our goal is to provide learning opportunities that will help producers continue to improve their bottom line focused on beef improvement. As our President Tommy Clark said last week, 'Our mission as an organization is intact during this challenging time and we will continue to provide educational programing focused on how the beef industry can enhance value through genetic improvement.'"

The virtual event will be hosted online the week of June 8 starting at noon CDT each day. The conference will be hosted on the Zoom webinar platform. By mid-May, participants will be able to register for the event, find a detailed schedule and Zoom tutorials on the BIF website - BeefImprovement.org.

2020 BIF award winners, including Seedstock and Commercial Producers of the Year, Pioneer and Continuing Service award winners will be recognized during the online symposium.


WeatherFINALLY- Another Morning of Freezing Temps- This Time Catching a LOT of Oklahoma

For the third morning in a row- we have late season freezing temperatures- and today- the lines drawn by the freezing line is really wild- and shows a lot of counties up along the Kansas border just above the freezing mark- while places further south getting bit by the those under 32 degree levels. 

Mangum, down in Greer County, actually was in the mid 20s earlier this morning when I first looked just before 4 AM- and the map below is as of 5:30 AM- and I have made it clickable back to the Mesonet site so you can see what the current temps are when you see this report. 




Our Panhandle may face another night or two of freezing temps- but the bulk of the state seems to be done with the below 32 levels for at least the balance of this week. 

Now- we wait- at least as far as what level of damage to the 2020 winter wheat may have happened- that might start showing up early next week. 

 
Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K Equipment, AFR Insurance, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Great Plains Kubota, Stillwater Milling Company, National Livestock Credit CorporationOklahoma Beef Council, Oklahoma AgCredit, 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 also appreciate our Market Links Sponsor - OKC West Livestock! 
 
 
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! You can reach us at the following:  
 
phone: 405-473-6144
 

 



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