Subject: Oklahoma's Farm News Update
From: Ron Hays <ronphays@cox.net>
Date: 8/17/2017 6:05 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.
 
 
   
Finished cattle prices 
were untested Wednesday compared to last week on FedCattleExchange.com - 1,184 cattle were offered but zero head sold. Click here to see their complete market results.
 
 
OKC West reported yearlings sold 2.00 to 4.00 higher Wednesday, compared to a week ago - click or tap here for a look at the August 16th 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 Wednesday, August 16th.
  
  
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
   Thursday, August 17, 2017

Howdy Neighbors! 

Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update. 
 







Featured Story:
NAFTALetterFarm Bureau President Zippy Duvall and Counterparts from Canada and Mexico Pen Joint Letter to Governments Supporting NAFTA Modernization

As NAFTA renegotiation meetings kicked off yesterday, Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation and his counterparts from Canada and Mexico, Ron Bonnett, president of The Canadian Federation of Agriculture and Bosco de la Vega of Mexico's Consejo Nacional Agropecuario - penned a joint letter to their respective governments, urging that trade leaders do no harm to agriculture in their endeavor reworking the 23-year-old trade deal.

While all three are in support of modernizing NAFTA, they fear however that talks could potentially break down now that the door has been opened. Their letter warns negotiators to be cautious and proceed in their task without causing disruption in trade flow or dismantling the agreement altogether.

All three authors of the letter agree that their country's ag sector has significantly benefitted from NAFTA.

"When it comes to overall positive results for North America's farmers and ranchers, NAFTA has proved itself as a solid foundation for trade. Just as farmers have new tools and technology for food and fiber production, we believe that an updated NAFTA agreement can help the three nations become even stronger trading partners," Duvall said.

Bonnett concurred with Duvall, saying that, "NAFTA has boosted the incomes of millions of farmers and has facilitated the development of profitable export markets."

The three ag leaders offered some points in which they believe talks should focus, including the increase and improvement of regulatory alignment, and improving the flow of goods at border crossings, among others listed.

Still the AFBF, CFA and CNA stated they are committed to working with their respective administrations to ensure that a modernized NAFTA continues to be a success story for all farmers.

Read more about yesterday's joint press conference featuring top ag association leaders from the US, Canada and Mexico including their letter to their governments - or listen to remarks made by Duvall and Bonnett during that conference, by clicking here.


Sponsor Spotlight
 
 
It's great to have one of the premiere businesses in the cattle business partner with us in helping bring you our daily Farm and Ranch News Email- National Livestock Credit Corporation.  National Livestock has been around since 1932- and they have worked with livestock producers to help them secure credit and to buy or sell cattle through the National Livestock Commission Company.  They also own and operate the Southern Oklahoma Livestock Market in Ada, Superior Livestock, which continues to operate independently and have a major stake in OKC West in El Reno. To learn more about how these folks can help you succeed in the cattle business, click here for their website or call the Oklahoma City office at 1-800-310-0220.

BUZZWith NAFTA Renegotiations Underway - NCBA's Kent Bacus Hopeful for a Positive Outcome 

Yesterday, the first round of renegotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement got underway. Trade Specialist for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association Kent Bacus, says this first round of meetings would focused on setting the ground rules for the negotiations going forward. He spoke with me about what expectations the cattle industry has for these meetings intended to modernize the 23-year-old treaty.


"Really, this first round is going to be about testing the waters and trying to set the parameters," Bacus said. "We'll have people covering all areas of the economy. It'll be rooms full of lawyers and really they're going to focus on each individual segment at a time."


Bacus explains the process will likely begin with checking low priority items off the list that can be easily agreed to. NCBA hopes agricultural trade falls into this category, wanting nothing more from these negotiations than agriculture to primarily just be left alone. While at the same time, the more sensitive issues that will be discussed later in the negotiations will also be identified throughout the process. Bacus says most everyone involved is hopeful the renegotiation will be swift and uncomplicated, with an initial goal to have things wrapped up by the end of the year. However, he says the likelihood of that happening is really quite slim.


"That's certainly what the world would like to see - But, just given the overall size of NAFTA, the fact that you have industries today that didn't exist when NAFTA was first negotiated...," he said. "There's a lot of ground they've got to cover. Realistically, we're probably looking at several months here."


Listen to Bacus and I discuss NCBA's hopes for the NAFTA renegotiations, as the first round of several meetings begin this week, on yesterday's Beef Buzz - click here.

I had the chance to catch up with State Senator Eddie Fields of Osage County, earlier this week at one of Oklahoma Farm Bureau's area meetings. Since making the announcement to run for Lt. Governor, Fields has been visiting with voters as often as possible. This time, out and about with members of the state's farm and ranch community to  hear about issues that concern them.


He spoke to me about his decision to run for the office of Lt. Governor and what he hopes to accomplish if he should be chosen to serve.


"This will be my tenth session. Due to term limits, I would be on the ballot in '18 anyway and only be able to serve two years of a four-year term in the Senate," Fields said. "If I do that, it would cause a special election that the taxpayers would have to pay. I think the timing is right for me to make that jump from the Senate to the Lt. Governor's office."


A rancher himself from an ag-centric county, Fields would bring with him to the post a deep working knowledge and understanding of rural Oklahoma - should he be elected. Not to mention his stint serving on the Senate Ag Committee, even as chairman at one time.


Fields tells me he is running on a platform that is practical, timely and important to all Oklahomans, both rural and urban. His priorities to focus on include increasing jobs, enhancing economic development, improving healthcare, making government more efficient, promoting Oklahoma's growing tourism industry and working with legislators, parents and teachers to improve the public school system.
You can read more about my visit with Senator Fields, or listen in on our full conversation to hear his thoughts on fixing the state budget crisis, by clicking over to our website.




Members of animal rights groups like the Farm Animal Rights Movement an Compassion Over Killing, Mercy for Animals, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), The Humane League, and others - met during their annual Animal Rights National Conference in Alexandria, Va. earlier this month.


The Animal Agriculture Alliance was there to observe and just this week published a report detailing what the activists were up to this year. According to conference organizers, nearly 2,000 individuals were present at the event, described as "dedicated to the vision that animals have the right to be free from all forms of human exploitation."


"The speakers at this year's Animal Rights National Conference made their goals clear - ending all forms of animal agriculture, regardless of how well animals are cared for," said Kay Johnson Smith, Alliance president and CEO. "Their persistent focus on pressure campaigns targeting restaurant, retail and foodservice brands is of great concern to the Alliance and our members."


The report describes how activists in attendance were encouraged to be as extreme as necessary to advance their goals. Speakers suggest using a variety of pressure tactics that they have found recent success with, cornering businesses stuck in the middle of an image war.


 In one session on "Engaging Institutions," a speaker from The Humane League said the group had "basically harassed" one national sandwich chain with a campaign.


The 2017 Animal Rights National Conference Report, which includes personal accounts of speaker presentations and general observations, is available to Alliance members in the Resource Library on the Alliance website. I highly encourage you to check out the original article up on our website, here, to read some highlights of those accounts described from this year's conference.



Sponsor Spotlight

 
For nearly a century, Stillwater Milling Company has been providing ranchers with the highest quality feeds made from the highest quality ingredients.  Their full line of A&M Feeds can be delivered to your farm, found at their agri-center stores in Stillwater, Davis, Claremore and Perry or at more than 100 dealers in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Texas.  We appreciate Stillwater Milling's long time support of the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and we encourage you to click here to learn more about their products and services.


With kids headed back to school this month, the folks at the Oklahoma State University's Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center, took the liberty of sharing some good food safety tips for parents to keep in mind, if they plan to pack lunches or serve leftover dinners throughout the school week.


"According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service, the most common foodborne illness is salmonella infections. Approximately 50 percent of the 42,000 annual infections occur in infants and school-age children," FAPC stated.


Infectious bacteria like salmonella, can spawn in four hours or less if food is not properly stores, says Ravi Jadeja, food safety specialist for FAPC. 


To curb the risk of your children contracting such an infection, FAPC offers a few suggestions to maintain and improve your food health habits at home.


When packing kids' lunches, FAPC suggests you start by washing hands thoroughly and ensuring contact surfaces, utensils and dishes are clean to prevent contamination. In addition, include at least two cold sources to keep perishable foods at a safe temperature.


Also, include disposable wipes to clean hands before and after eating, to cut down on germs being spread.
Click here for more tips like these, from OSU's FAPC team on keeping kids healthy this school year.

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.

 


The National Sorghum Producers board of directors elected officers and re-appointed three individuals to the board last week during its annual August board meeting.


NSP board member Don Bloss of Pawnee City, Nebraska, was re-elected chairman and board member Dan Atkisson of Stockton, Kansas, was re-elected vice chairman. Kendall Hodgson of Little River, Kansas, was elected treasurer.


Additionally, Atkisson, Larry Dahlsten of Lindsborg, Kansas, and Tom Willis of Liberal, Kansas, were all re-elected to three-year terms on the board.   


"These three gentlemen have been a huge asset to the NSP board of directors, each bringing in a wealth of leadership and knowledge," Bloss said. "We look forward to their continued leadership in moving the sorghum industry forward."
These changes to the NSP Board of Directors will officially go into effect October 1 of this year. For more information on these gentlemen, click here to jump over to the original story to continue reading.
ConservationConservation Leaders Gather Tomorrow for the Oklahoma Conservation Summit
 

The Oklahoma Conservation Task Force is hosting a gathering of conservation thought leaders and doers in applying cutting edge conservation practices to the land- all to reflect on where conservation is in Oklahoma at this point in time- and where conservation efforts need to be headed to protect natural resources for years to come.

The task force is comprised of eight organizations, each dedicated to natural resource stewardship: The Noble Research Institute, Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Oklahoma State University Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry , Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation , and Oklahoma Tribal Conservation Advisory Council.

Kicking off the Summit tomorrow morning at the Moore-Norman Career Tech in Oklahoma City is Congressman Frank Lucas who will offer a look at federal conservation policy and what conservation stakeholders can expect in the 2018 Farm Bill.

Later in the day- a variety of sessions will consider the work of the various groups and individuals to maintain and improve the soil and water resources. This statewide effort will focus on three collaborative objectives: enhance the development of conservation in Oklahoma, coordination of research, and communication. In addition, the task force will identify and address major state conservation goals, develop models of success for specific topics, and develop informational resources and messaging to provide critical information to the general public, those involved in conservation, and the next generation.

Earlier, we talked with Bill Buckner of the Noble Research Institute about their work in conservation and soil health- you can read more and listen to our visit with the CEO of the newly created Ag Research Organization by clicking or tapping here.

To check out the agenda or to register- here's the link from the Noble website.


BigEventThe Big Event Arrives at Express Ranches in Yukon on Friday and Saturday
 

Over 600 cattle will be offered on Friday and Saturday at the 2017 edition of The Big Event XIV at Express Ranches in Yukon.

Jarold Callahan, President of Express Ranches, writes about the 2017 Big event- "As in the past, we are excited about the Angus business and believe this is the best offering of Angus genetics we have ever had. Friday, August 19 we will be selling 231 fall-calving females, including 2-year-olds, as well as donors and mature cows. They are lotted in the sale catalog as Lots 501 through 731, and many of these females will already have a calf at side. Saturday, August 19 we will have the traditional Big Event offering that is comprised of nearly 350 head which includes cows with heifer calves, donor cows, fall-calving 2-year-olds, fall and spring open heifer calves, as well as 49 show-heifer prospects that are eligible for the Express Scholarship Program, that has paid out more than $4.2 million in scholarship to youth in the United States and Canada.

"Express Ranches has been a believer and supporter of genomically enhanced EPDs, and all of the females that are 3 years of age and younger have genomically enhanced EPDs, as we believe this technology provides you with additional confidence when making your purchases."

You can attend the sale in person at the ranch, 2202 North 11th, Yukon, Oklahoma or you can see the sale live with Superior Livestock on DISH Network Channel 232 and on Superior Click to Bid. Com.

More details are available at ExpressRanches.Com- there you can view or download the sale catalog, view the videos of the animals being offered and also check out the supplement to the Catalog and review the sale order.
 
Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K EquipmentAmerican Farmers & Ranchers, Livestock Exchange at the Oklahoma National StockyardsOklahoma Farm BureauStillwater Milling Company, Oklahoma 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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