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Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update. 
 

-- Today's Forecast- Hot- The Extended Outlook- Hot

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National Row Crops Look Good as Wheat Harvest Nears Completion Across the Southern Plains

The latest U.S. Department of Agriculture crop progress report rates 16 percent of the national corn crop in excellent condition, 59 percent in good condition, 20 percent fair and 5 percent percent poor to very poor. National soybean conditions include 13 percent excellent, 57 percent good, 23 percent fair and 7 percent poor to very poor. The national grain sorghum is 9 percent excellent, 60 percent good, 28 percent fair and 3 percent poor. National cotton conditions include 10 percent excellent, 46 percent good, 36 percent fair and 8 percent poor to very poor. 


For the complete USDA Crop Progress report, click here. 


In the weekly crop progress report from USDA, Oklahoma winter wheat harvest is nearly complete, reaching 96 percent this past week. The Oklahoma wheat crop condition rated 55 percent good and 12 percent excellent condition, 28 percent fair and only 5 percent percent poor to very poor. Canola harvested is also nearing an end at 92 percent complete. Corn silk reached 48 percent, up 19 points from the previous year. Sorghum planted reached 96 percent, up 7 points from the previous year and up 4 points from normal. Sorghum headed reached 15 percent, up 9 points from the previous year and up 7 points from normal. Soybeans emerged reached 79 percent, up 10 points from the previous year and up 1 point from normal. Soybeans blooming reached 4 percent, up 3 points from the previous year but unchanged from normal. 


Click here for the full Oklahoma report.


Texas winter wheat harvest has also neared completion throughout the state, up to 95 percent, which is 7 points higher than the five-year average. Forty-three percent of the wheat crop is rated in the good to excellent condition, with 43 percent of the crop in fair condition and 14 percent in poor to very poor condition. Row crops continued to make progress statewide. Corn was at the denting stage, reaching 37 percent last week. That's 17 points higher than this time last year. Sorghum progressed well and reached the coloring stage in areas of South Texas. Across the state, it was 60 percent headed, which is right on par for the five-year average. Soybeans were 45 percent bloomed, and cotton was at the squaring stage, reaching 45 percent.


Click here for the full Texas report.


Kansas winter wheat harvest is still underway at 79 percent complete, ahead of 70 last year and near the five-year average of 76. Winter wheat condition rated 16 excellent, 48 good, 28 fair, 7 poor and 1 percent very poor. Corn condition rated 9 percent excellent, 58 good, 25 fair and 8 poor to very poor. Corn silking was 34 percent, ahead of 24 both last year and average. Soybean condition rated 4 percent excellent, 56 good, 32 fair, 6 poor and 2 very poor. Soybeans emerged was 92 percent, ahead of 80 last year, and near 91 average. Blooming was 8 percent, near 4 last year and 9 average. Sorghum condition rated 5 percent excellent, 70 good, 23 fair and 2 poor. Sorghum planted was 97 percent, near 96 last year, and equal to average. Headed was 10 percent, ahead of 0 last year and 1 average


Click here for the Kansas report. 

State FSA Director Terry Peach- Submit Your Common Acreage Information Just Once

The following op-ed is written by the new Executive Director of the Oklahoma Farm Service Agency of the USDA, Terry Peach. Peach is back as the top FSA employee in Oklahoma for the second time, after serving in that role during the Clinton Presidency. Peach has also served in the past as the State Secretary of Agriculture for Oklahoma. 


"The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) requires farmers and ranchers participating in our programs to submit an annual report on all cropland use on their farms. Crop insurance agents for providers approved by the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) also require these reports to ensure accuracy with your premiums and when you file claims.


"Yet for years, farmers and ranchers have entered the same basic common information from their acreage reports at these two different places. 


"No longer. Now, farmers and ranchers can provide the common information from their acreage reports just once - - either to FSA or to their crop insurance agent - - and that common information will be securely and electronically shared with the other.   
This new process is part of USDA's Acreage Crop Reporting Streamlining Initiative (ACRSI), an interagency collaboration to streamline the collection of common information to better serve our customers. 


"Over the past seven years, USDA implemented new ways to help farmers and ranchers conduct business with us more efficiently and effectively. Instead of farmers and ranchers juggling 54 acreage reporting dates for RMA that covered 122 crops, or 17 acreage reporting dates for FSA covering 273 crops, USDA established 15 common acreage reporting dates. These improvements, coupled with filing your common acreage report information in just one place, will not only save you time, but increase the accuracy in your crop reporting data.   

Read Peach's full article here.

Survey Shows Vermont GMO Labeling Mandate Misleads Consumers

 
A recent online survey of 1,665 online primary shoppers examined consumer understanding of five common on-pack food labels, and found that on-pack labeling of genetically modified ingredients (GMOs) strongly misleads consumers. The American Soybean Association (ASA) points to the data as evidence of the potential impact of the approach in Vermont, which is now five days in to the implementation of its labeling law.

When consumers were asked about the GMO label statements mandated by the Vermont law, the survey showed that on-pack labeling misled substantial percentages of consumers to wrongly perceive the labeled product as less safe, less healthful, less nutritious, and worse for the environment. The Vermont label requirements are so disparaging to consumer perceptions of products that approximately 73% of consumers indicated they would be less likely to buy foods bearing one of the required on-pack GMO label disclosures.

The Vermont on-pack GMO disclosure requirements are powerfully disparaging. The Vermont mandated GMO label statement caused approximately --
- 36% of consumers to incorrectly perceive the food to be "less safe."
- 28% of consumers to incorrectly perceive the food to be "less healthful."
- 22% of consumers to incorrectly perceive the food to be "less nutritious."
- 20% of consumers to incorrectly perceive the food to be "worse for the environment."
- 73% of consumers to be less likely to buy the food.

Click or tap here to read more of the conclusions from this survey- and in our story- we have a link to the complete research that was done in June of this year.

As the GMOs Turn- Cloture Vote This Afternoon in the Senate- and Vermont Consumers Lose Their Cherry Pepsi

We are just hours away from the Senate Cloture vote scheduled for 2:00 PM central time vote- which will determine whether the Senate can vote on the Roberts-Stabenow GMO Labeling Bill Compromise. If the sixty vote threshold is achieved- it is expected that a vote for final passage of the proposal will follow quickly.

AFBF President Zippy Duvall Commends House Republicans on Tax Reform Blueprint

Zippy Duvall, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation, released the following statement Tuesday in reference to the House Republican Tax Reform Blueprint.

"Farmers and ranchers need a tax code that recognizes the unique financial challenges we face. Running a farm or ranch business is challenging under the best of circumstances as we meet with whatever the markets and Mother Nature send our way. But the tax code shouldn't be as unpredictable as the weather.


"Speaker Ryan, Chairman Brady and House Republicans are to be commended for developing a blueprint for rewriting of our nation's cumbersome, convoluted and complex tax code. Their plan is a strong and much-needed start to what will surely be an extensive tax reform discussion. Farm Bureau is very pleased to see the plan includes several very important features for farmers and ranchers including full expensing, exclusions for capital gains and repeal of the estate tax. We look forward to continuing the conversation about meaningful tax reform that benefits the whole economy.


"Agriculture operates in a world of uncertainty, and we appreciate the focus on simplifying and streamlining the tax code. Still, the plan runs deep and wide with bold proposals that will require careful analysis. The American Farm Bureau Federation will take a serious look at the proposal and thanks House Republicans for this dedicated effort."

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Don't Stop Now - OSU's Dave Lalman Calls for Continued Industry Shifts for the Herd of Tomorrow

Extension beef cattle specialist Dr. David Lalman of Oklahoma State University recently spoke at the Beef Improvement Federation's annual symposium hosted by Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan. in June. 


During his lecture, Lalman considered shifts in the beef industry that have occurred over the last 20 years and argued that efforts for improvement by producers should continue during the next 20 years.


"The commercial cow/calf segment has basically responded to requests for improved performance and carcass quality over the past 20 years and that's really where our primary focus has been," Lalman said. 


"I think over the next 20 years it needs to shift, not completely, and not shift away, from improving cattle that excel in the finishing phase of the carcass. However, there comes a point when with increase in costs and perhaps no change in productivity at the cow/calf segment, that this shift has got to come to focus on that," Lalman said.


With the industry's commitment to increase weaning weights in recent years, Lalman addressed questions that have arisen regarding increasing milk intake.


"It does not look like weaning weights are increasing over the last 24 years which is a shocker because most definitely there has been aggressive selection emphasis on growth it may have something to do with the environment of a commercial cow calf operation that generally speaking has lower inputs," Lalman said.


"We've shown time and again, other scientists have shown the efficiency of the conversion of forage or feed to milk and then from milk to calf weight gain," he said. "So, I don't think the answer is to create more weaning weight with more milk."


Click or Tap Here to hear Lalman talk more about beef cattle improvement efforts on today's Beef Buzz.

Dr. Darrell Peel Talks Complexities of the U.S. Beef Market 

Each week Dr. Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, offers his economic analysis of the beef cattle industry. This analysis is a part of the weekly series known as the "Cow Calf Corner" published electronically by Dr. Peel and Dr. Glenn Selk. This week Dr. Peel discusses the complexities of the ever evolving U.S.cattle and beef market.


"In the midst of a constantly changing set of short term market forces, it is easy to overlook the enormous market challenges that are inherently part of cattle and beef markets. Many factors make the cattle and beef industry arguably the most complex set of markets known.


"The cattle industry has a single primary objective: to produce cattle ready for slaughter. This production takes place in multiple production sectors by different producers across many regions. Coordination across cow-calf, stocker and feedlot sectors is primarily accomplished by independent and unrelated producers through market transactions. Cow-calf, stocker and feedlot production occur in diverse production environments ranging from sub-tropical to sub-alpine which affect how, where and when production is completed. Both supply and demand in cattle and beef industries are subject to strong seasonality that add challenges to cattle and beef markets. The forage based production of cow-calf and most stocker production is characterized by seasonal forage production which results in calf production bunched at certain times of the year. These animals are ultimately spread out into a relatively constant flow of animals to slaughter throughout the year. The dairy industry influence on total beef production is significant and is sometimes complementary to beef markets and sometimes counter to beef market adjustments.


"The ruminant nature of cattle biology provides both advantages and disadvantages. Cattle are able to use diverse feed resources and adjust production systems in ways not possible for monogastric animals. These adjustments in production can be used to change the timing of beef production by moving cattle more quickly or more slowly to market. Cattle have slow reproductive processes including long gestation periods and one offspring per gestation. These biological realities contribute, along with other factors, to slow herd size adjustments over time and the tendency for the cattle industry to exhibit cycles of production and prices that cover multiple years.

Click here to read Dr. Peel's complete analysis.

Today's Forecast- Hot- The Extended Outlook- Hot

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