Subject: Oklahoma's Farm News Update
From: Ron Hays <ronphays@cox.net>
Date: 8/9/2017 6:11 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 Carson Horn on RON.
 

  
Let's Check the Markets! 
 
MarketLinks 
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.
 
 
   
   
FedCattleExchange.com has a total of 1,659 cattle on their showlist for the Wednesday, August 8th sale of finished cattle- details will be available after noon today by clicking here.
 
 
Steer and heifer calves traded firm to 4.00 higher at OKC West Tuesday, - click or tap here for a look at the August 8th sale results. 
 
 
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 futuresclick or tap here for the report posted yesterday afternoon around 3:30 PM.
 
  
Okla Cash Grain:  
Daily Oklahoma Cash Grain Prices- as reported by the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture on Tuesday, August 8th.
  
  
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

Carson Horn, Associate Farm Director and 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, August 9, 2017


Howdy Neighbors! 

Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update. 
 
Featured Story:
BUZZSevere Drought Conditions in the North Starting to Cause Nation's Mama Cow Herd to Dry Up into 2018

It's possible the severely dry weather we are experiencing this year, especially up North in the Dakotas and surrounding areas, could potentially impact the size of our mama cow herd as we head towards the new year. Jim Robb of the Livestock Marketing Information Center, recently took a road trip around some of the droughtier areas of the country, for a first-hand look at conditions on the ground.


"We're really on the cusp of this becoming a nationwide issue," he said. "The drought really covers central and eastern Montana, most all of North and South Dakota, and it's drifting down into Nebraska, especially the Northern Sandhills and eastern Wyoming."


Robb reports the land he covered looked even more droughtier than what is indicated on the Drought Monitor. Some of these areas have been in drought conditions going on two years now, mostly in low rainfall regions, making it a struggle for the land to recover. He notes that 15 percent of all US cattle are currently residing in the drought zone. He says this is beginning to impact marketing patterns - with cull cow numbers picking up, lighter weight calves arriving at markets, and increased movement. To what extent, though, is still up for speculation.


"We've seen cow/calf pairs move out of those states in recent months, but really to the point now where there's a lot of early weaning going on," Robb stated. "Quite a few more hay trucks heading North out of Wyoming, Colorado and the irrigated parts of Nebraska into those drought areas than I've seen in many years."


Listen to Robb share his observations from a recent tour of the drought affected areas in the North and how he believes these conditions could impact the size of the nation's mama cow herd, with me, on yesterday's Beef Buzz - click here.

Sponsor Spotlight
 

It's great to have the Livestock Exchange at the Oklahoma National Stockyards as a sponsor for our daily email.  The eight Commission firms at the Stockyards make up the exchange- and they are committed to work hard to get you top dollar when you consign your cattle with them.  They will present your cattle to the buyers gathered each Monday or Tuesday at one of the largest stocker and feeder cattle auctions in the world.
 
Click here for a complete list of the Commission firms that make up the Livestock Exchange at the Oklahoma National Stockyards- still the best place to sell your cattle- and at the heart of Stockyards City, where you can go around the corner enjoy a great steak and shop for the very best in western wear. 

PotatoesNational Potato Council Fires Back at Mexican Court's Decision to Uphold Ban on US Potatoes, Accuses Court of Ignoring Science 


The National Potato Council is claiming that a ruling made by a district court in Mexico this week to uphold a ban on US potatoes, ignores science and undermines Mexico's plant health regulatory authority, known as SAGARPA.
 
 
The court backs its decision on the fear that fresh potatoes from the US being imported into Mexico could potentially expose Mexico to foreign pests, despite the work of scientific studies that have suggested such risks could be mitigated.
 
 
Experts say this decision will obviously affect US potato exports to Mexico, but he says it also has the potential to bleed over into other plant and animal products.
 
 
It is very likely that those industries that will most certainly be affected by this decision will move to appeal the ruling. The Potato Council says it is confident Mexico's judicial system will produce a more favorable outcome once the case is heard again and the scientific evidence is once again reviewed during the appeals process.
 
 
Read the NPC's statement on the court ruling, released yesterday, by clicking here.

This past growing season was full of surprises, said Dr. Bob Hunger, extension plant pathologist at OSU during  his presentation at the Oklahoma Wheat Growers Convention last week in El Reno. Our Associate Farm Director Carson Horn had the chance to speak with him about some of the disease pressures growers in the state faced this past year. In addition, Dr. Hunger offered a few tips as well to help producers minimize their crop's risk of disease infection.


In his review of 2017, Hunger listed diseases such as stripe rust, powdery mildew and surprisingly Barley Yellow Dwarf as culprits found in wheat fields this year. But, he says leaf rust and Wheat Streak Mosaic were the most damaging to crops throughout Northwestern to Central Oklahoma.


"Leaf rust is the one that came the hardest on the foliar disease side of it," he said. "But then, the biggest impact of disease, was Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus. It was fairly widespread and quite severe across a lot of Northwestern Oklahoma and the Panhandle."


Typically, Wheat Streak Mosaic is confined to the very Western, or Panhandle areas of the state, but for whatever reason, Hunger reports the virus stretched much further East than it's ever been seen to do before.
Hunger attributes the virus' prolific nature this year to the right combination of environmental conditions and unattended volunteer wheat.


"It's important to be a good neighbor," he remarked, pointing out the simple solution that could have perhaps prevented the spread of disease this year. "Breaking that green bridge, that volunteer wheat and grassy weeds that harbor those mites and the virus. Killing those for a period of at least two weeks before commercial wheat emerges is key to limiting losses from Wheat Streak Mosaic."
 
 

All in all, though, Hunger says one can never predict what will happen during the course of a growing season. He advises producers to scout their fields often and if disease symptoms are discovered, consider all the tools in your toolbox.

For all of Dr. Hunger's advice on reducing your crop's risk of infection, click here to read more or listen to Carson's complete conversation with him.

The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture has put together new learning resource materials that teaches people about their food and how modern day farming practices provide that food to them and their families.


AFB provides the opportunity to learn about agriculture in the form of a book, a map and a pocket guide - all released this week for purchase through the Foundation.


According to a release from Farm Bureau announcing the new products, these materials will help answer the questions "Where does our food come from and who grows it?" by exploring topics about agriculture in the U.S.


The 32-page, full-color book features updated facts and easy-to-read infographics that can be used in a variety of ways to help increase agricultural literacy. The book would be a valuable resource in the classroom, at fairs and events, for student leadership organizations and on social media, it says in the release.


Related Food and Farm Facts products created by the Foundation, including classroom activity cards, will be available in the fall.
 
 
To find out more about these new resource materials, including how to purchase your own copies, click over to our website.

Sponsor Spotlight

 
We are pleased to have American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company as a regular sponsor of our daily update. On both the state and national levels, full-time staff members serve as a "watchdog" for family agriculture producers, mutual insurance company members and life company members.

Click here to go to their AFR website to learn more about their efforts to serve rural America!


Gant Mourer, Oklahoma State University Beef Value Enhancement Specialist, contributed to this week's Cow/Calf Corner newsletter. In his article, Mourer explains how preconditioning cattle can increase the value of cattle prior to marketing them during the fall sale season. He highlights that the schedule for upcoming OQBN Sanctioned Sales for this fall have been set and encourages those with cattle that qualify - to consign their stock and get involved.


In addition, he encourages those looking to buy, to consider purchasing cattle from one of the sanctioned sales this fall.


"At this point many producers are deciding how to market calves this fall. With moderating cattle prices, the decision to precondition calves prior to shipping will be much harder for some, but with the ability to add pounds with lower cost hay and wheat pasture may be an indicator to retain calves a short time longer. Many management options exist and even with decreased prices, those management options are still valuable to producers and may have more value than many think," Mourer writes.


In Mouer's words, "the Oklahoma Quality Beef Network is available to aid producers in making preconditioning decisions and capturing value of preconditioned calves when it becomes time to market."


He describes the many benefits producers enjoy from managing their cattle under OQBN programs, which he says  reduces shrink, improves cattle's immune system, and promotes weight gain during the weaning period.
Mourer writes that in addition to healthier, heavier calves when sold, sellers may earn higher prices per/cwt. In 2016, OQBN participants realized almost $11.00/cwt premium over cattle that had no weaning or health history.
 
 
Learn more about how you can take advantage of this opportunity to get involved with an OQBN program, and see the complete schedule for this fall's sale line up, by clicking here.
Want to Have the Latest Energy News Delivered to Your Inbox Daily?
 

Award winning broadcast journalist Jerry Bohnen has spent years learning and understanding how to cover the energy business here in the southern plains- Click here to subscribe to his daily update of top Energy News.

 


During the National Cattlemen's Beef Association Summer Conference in Denver a few weeks ago, I had the chance to speak with and get to know a little bit NCBA's President-elect Kevin Kester, a cattle producer from Monterrey County California.


"I'm a fifth-generation rancher from the Central Coast of California," he said. "My family has been ranching in our area of the state since 1867 and we're a commercial cow/calf and stocker operation. We also have some wine grape vineyards."


Kester has been preparing for his new role making the rounds with NCBA's officer team traveling round the country speaking with industry and legislative leaders advocating for those policy issues important to the American cattle producer. He says going into his term, he will be focused primarily on reforming the US tax code, protecting certain conservation titles in the upcoming Farm Bill and promoting the establishment of a Foot and Mouth Disease vaccine bank. Hailing from the West Coast, Kester says he knows all too well, the importance of managing the public's perception as well.


"Coming from California, we've had to deal with public perception issues, all the way from animal welfare to environmental issues for years now," he said, pointing out the old adage that the customer is always right. "We have stiff competition from other proteins in the country and across the world and if we want to stay at the top and be successful, for our own future generations of ranchers and farmers in this country - we have to adapt and be flexible to what the consumer wants."


Click or tap here to listen in as I get acquainted with NCBA's President-elect Kevin Kester.
CornCropA Smaller Corn Crop in 2017 Versus 2017- Yep!
 
On Thursday morning, the USDA will release a pair of reports that are much anticipated- especially the August 2017 Crop Production Report.

There will be lots of numbers to chew on in that report- and in the WASDE report that will also come out tomorrow morning at 11 AM Central.

BUT- the number that a lot of folks are focusing on is how big will USDA say the 2017 US Corn Crop is- and what yield per acre are they predicting.

Average Pre Report Guesses have the crop at 13.8 billion bushels with a yield of 166.2 bushels per acre. That compares to 15.1 billion bushels and 174 bushels per acre in 2016.

There are a lot of people who expect the corn crop yield number to be closer to 160 bushels per acre- and one of the reasons for the lower guesses are the weekly Crop Progress reports released Mondays by USDA- the Good to Excellent ratings throughout the season have been under that of a year ago- and by a significant margin.

Courtesy of Chad Colby from a Tweet he posted- here is evidence of the shortfall in the condition of the crop in the major corn states versus 2016-



USDA offers their first field survey based guess tomorrow morning at 11 AM Central.

Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K EquipmentAmerican Farmers & Ranchers, Livestock Exchange at the Oklahoma National StockyardsOklahoma Farm BureauStillwater Milling Company, AlltechOklahoma AgCreditthe 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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