Oklahoma's Latest Farm
And Ranch News
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Your Update from Ron Hays of RON
Monday, October 25, 2021
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Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update.
- OSU Agriculture Honors Distinguished Group During Ceremony
- Labor Shortages are the Root Cause of Stagnant Cattle Prices Says Justin Benavidez
- Latest Road to Rural Prosperity Features Jed Green, the Founder of Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Action
- OSU College of Veterinary Medicine to Host Fall Conference
- Cultivating Cattlewomen Event a Success at the Stockyards
- Cole, Kind Introduce Fairness for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries Act
- USDA to Make Up to $1.15 Billion Available to Help People Living in Rural Communities Access High-Speed Internet
- New 'Giving Back' Scholarship Fund Aims to Help Needy Oklahoma Students
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OSU Agriculture Honors Distinguished Group During Ceremony |
Oklahoma State University honored a distinguished group of individuals who have brought distinctive credit to the university’s Ferguson College of Agriculture and who have demonstrated a continuing commitment to agricultural sciences and natural resources.
During the OSU Agriculture Honors ceremony on Oct. 18, the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, comprised of the Ferguson College of Agriculture and two state agencies - OSU Extension and OSU Ag Research - recognized honorees of the 2020 and 2021 Distinguished Alumni and Champion for OSU Agriculture awards.
“The awards celebrated during OSU Ag Honors are the most prestigious honors the division can bestow on an individual,” Thomas G. Coon, vice president for OSU agricultural programs, said. “Each and every one of our honorees demonstrate how much we depend upon collaborations and the work of others to fulfill our land-grant mission. They make us more successful in inspiring students, making new discoveries and serving our fellow Oklahomans.”
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Union Mutual was chartered in 1938 to write property and casualty insurance in the state of Oklahoma. Over the years, Union Mutual has maintained the attitude that started the company and continue to be that company that understands Oklahomans’ insurance needs when they contact any member of the UMIC team.
In poor economic times, in times when national insurance companies either stopped writing or completely left the state, Union Mutual has been there for Oklahomans. Today, Union Mutual writes insurance in all 77 counties of Oklahoma through almost 300 agency locations. These agents provide prompt and reliable quotes for most lines of insurance. Just recently, UMIC launched a new product in the preferred market space that has seen unprecedented growth with our rural customer base and falls in line with our Company mantra of “Protection not Politics”, when meeting the needs of our consumers and agents.
Monica Collison took over as CEO of Union Mutual in May of 2019. Under her leadership and through the hard work of her Union team, the company has continued to see positive results and productive growth with profit throughout the state of Oklahoma. Union Mutual offers a wide variety of coverage options for Oklahomans. For 82 years, Union Mutual has led the way to protect all of Oklahoma.
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Labor Shortages are the Root Cause of Stagnant Cattle Prices Says Justin Benavidez |
There are many different ideas as to why cattle prices have not improved. For the second day, we sat down with Justin Benavidez, an assistant professor and extension economist at Texas A&M University. He told us it boils down to the number of cattle vs. processor capacity.
“If you look at the data, I truly think the issue we face more than anything is the shackle space compared to the number of animals,” Benavidez said. “I do not mean to say that market power is not something to be looked at, but if we looked at the historic dynamics the real problem comes down to how many live animals do we have and what (capacity) is available.”
He said he agrees that giving producers more negotiating power can have immediate-term impacts. The real problem is the imbalance of supply and demand, he added.
“I know I will probably get some flak for saying that, but that is the reality,” Benavidez said. “We see other problems come and go but if we do not have enough (capacity) we see depressed prices if we have (overcapacity) we see higher prices.”
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Latest Road to Rural Prosperity Features Jed Green, the Founder of Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Action |
KC Sheperd talks with Jed Green, the founder of Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Action. They discuss the problems that have developed in rural Oklahoma because of the explosive growth of medical marijuana production in the state- and of the need for better regulation of the industry- as well as recognition of the economic benefits Green believes are a part of the arrival of this industry.
Green advocates in his comments on today's podcast for a freestanding state agency dedicated to Cannabis, Hemp and Marijuana in Oklahoma, clear cut funding for enforcement and auxiliary educational and research efforts of medical marijuana, support of industrial hemp infrastructure development, transparency in the statutory and regulatory process.
Click on the blue button below to hear the audio conversation.
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For our farmers who have either- always have had cotton on their farms- or those who have more recently have added the fiber crop to their operations- we have a new daily report starting to be heard on several of our Radio Stations- It's Called Cotton Talk- and we appreciate the Oklahoma Cotton Council for their support in making this a reality.
Click on the Button below to listen to our most recent report
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OSU College of Veterinary Medicine to Host Fall Conference |
Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine’s Annual Fall Veterinary Continuing Education Conference is set to take place Saturday, Nov. 6 and Sunday, Nov. 7.
Fall Conference offers two attendance options - a traditional in-person option and a new virtual option. Those attending virtually will attend via Zoom. Those attending in person will meet at the Wes Watkins Center on the OSU-Stillwater campus. Attendees select their mode of attendance at time of registration, which is now open.
Attendees will be able to earn up to 14 hours of continuing education for the two-day conference.
Each day, attendees will sit in on sessions from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. covering a wide range of veterinary topics. The conference will include four tracks: companion animal, food animal, equine and general where participants can choose their preference. The exhibit hall will be open on Saturday allowing attendees a walk-thru experience and chance to meet with various veterinary industry related companies.
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We invite you to listen to us on great radio stations across the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network weekdays-
if you missed this morning's Farm News - or you are in an area where you can't hear it- click below for this morning's Farm news from Ron Hays and KC Sheperd on RON.
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Sponsor Spotlight
Midwest Farm Shows is proud to produce the two best Farm Shows in the State of Oklahoma annually- the Tulsa Farm Show each December and the Oklahoma City Farm Show each April.
The Tulsa Farm Show is Oklahoma’s premier agricultural and ranching event- and returns to the SageNet Center (Expo Square) December, 9-10-11, 2021.
Now is the ideal time to contact the Midwest Farm Show Office at 507-437-7969 and book space at the 2021 Tulsa Farm Show. To learn more about the Tulsa Farm Show, click here.
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Cultivating Cattlewomen Event a Success at the Stockyards |
The First-Ever Cultivating Cattlewomen Event kicked off this past Saturday at the Stockyards in Oklahoma City with a fantastic array of events and speakers.
The event covered Trailer Handling, Vaccine handling, Storage and Use, and wrapped up with lunch in the Stockyards and a tour of the stockyards. Associate Farm Director KC Sheperd caught up with Oklahoma Cattlewomen President Cheyenne Sparks at the event, and she said it has been something she has been planning for the past two years, "To see it come to fruition, and to see it go so smoothly, and to have so many engaging participants attend. I am just overjoyed."
OSU's Dr. Rosslyn Biggs and Tammy Didlot led the demonstrations for trailer backing, and Sparks said it was important for women to feel more confident about their skills, "These might be things that we have done for years, but we might need a refresher. Or something we were never truly taught how to do it without getting yelled at while we were learning. So now we are having the ability come together, and it's a nice place to gain that confidence."
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Cole, Kind Introduce Fairness for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries Act |
Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) and Congressman Ron Kind (WI-03) today introduced the Fairness for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries Act. This bipartisan legislation would change an existing policy that requires Medicare beneficiaries at rural critical access hospitals (CAHs) to pay more in coinsurance than patients who receive the same care at larger acute care hospitals.
“I am proud to join my colleague Congressman Ron Kind in introducing bipartisan legislation that improves access and affordability of hospitals for older Americans living in rural communities. Specifically, our commonsense bill, the Fairness for Rural Beneficiaries Act, brings needed parity for Medicare beneficiaries to the costs associated with receiving care, whether that is in a rural or urban facility,” Congressman Tom Cole, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, said.
“The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) applauds Representatives Cole and Kind for introducing the Fairness for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries Act. Under current law, when a patient goes to a critical access hospital (CAH) they are billed 20 percent of the cost of charges submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In other hospital settings, because they’re reimbursed through a different fee schedule, patients are billed 20 percent of the reasonable costs determined by CMS for that procedure. Unfortunately, what this looks like on the ground is rural patients being charged more for coinsurance because of where they obtain care geographically. This is wrong. NRHA applauds Representatives Cole and Kind for introducing this important legislation to eliminate what is essentially a tax on patients seeking care in rural communities,” Alan Morgan, Chief Executive Officer of the National Rural Health Association, said.
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USDA to Make Up to $1.15 Billion Available to Help People Living in Rural Communities Access High-Speed Internet |
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced a significant expansion of access to high-speed internet, health care and educational services for millions of rural Americans nationwide. Today’s announcement continues to move forward President Biden’s Build Back Better Agenda by prioritizing economic growth in rural America and investing in the backbone of our country - the middle class.
“For too long, the ‘digital divide’ has left too many people living in rural communities behind: unable to compete in the global economy and unable to access the services and resources that all Americans need,” Vilsack said. “As we build back better than we were before, the actions I am announcing today will go a long way toward ensuring that people who live or work in rural areas are able to tap into the benefits of broadband, including access to specialized health care, educational opportunities and the global marketplace. Rural people, businesses and communities must have affordable, reliable, high-speed internet so they can fully participate in modern society and the modern economy.”
Vilsack announced that on November 24 USDA will begin accepting applications for up to $1.15 billion in loans and grants to expand the availability of broadband in rural areas. USDA is making the funding available through the
ReConnect Program.
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New 'Giving Back' Scholarship Fund Aims to Help Needy Oklahoma Students |
Donors looking to help deserving but financially stressed Oklahoma high school seniors offset some of the cost of attending four-year colleges or universities in the state should consider participating in the new Do Unto Others Scholarship Endowment Fund.
“All too often cost is a determining factor in whether some of our state’s most promising young people pursue their dreams of a college education, and by extension what they wish to do as a career,” Gary Sherrer, whose family is starting the scholarship fund in coordination with the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, said.
The goal is to raise a $50,000 endowment, on which the interest earned will provide annual funding to support a $2,500 one-time award to a selected student, he said.
Payment will be made directly to the recipient’s college or university after proof of enrollment has been provided to the foundation. Scholarship dollars may be used for tuition, fees, books, equipment or supplies.
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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.
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Today's First Look:
Ron on RON Markets as heard on K101
mornings with cash and futures reviewed- includes where the Cash Cattle market stands, the latest Feeder Cattle Markets Etc.
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Wholesale Boxed Beef Prices were higher on Friday, October 22nd. Choice Beef was up $1.16 and Select Beef was up 39 cents.
Click on the Button below for the latest report from USDA Market News
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Oklahoma National Stockyards had 7,000 head in early Sunday evening- and ONSY President Kelli Payne told us that she expects 8,000 head to start this morning's auction-final numbers likely to be around 8,500 to 9,000 on the day. They will begin at 6:30 AM..
Compared to the previous sale, the October 18th sale- Feeder steers and heifers 1.00 - 3.00 higher. Steer calves 2.00 - 4.00 higher. Heifer calves unevenly steady. Demand moderate to good. Quality average to attractive. Cooler temperatures and precipitation entered the area last week with cooler temperatures remaining in the forecast for the remainder of the week.
Click below for the complete closing report.
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Each afternoon we are posting a recap of that day's markets as analyzed by Justin Lewis of KIS futures - click below for the latest update on the Livestock and Grain Futures Trade..
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Okla Cash Grain:
Daily Oklahoma Cash Grain Prices- as reported by the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture- The report available after the close of the Futures Trade for that day.
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Our Oklahoma Farm Report Team!!!!
Ron Hays, Senior Farm Director and Editor
KC Sheperd, Associate Farm Director and Editor
Dave Lanning, Markets and Production
Pam Arterburn, Calendar and Template Manager
Chelsea Stanfield, Farm News and Email Editor
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Rural Oklahoma is full of some of the greatest success stories throughout the entire state and is the main reason Oklahoma is on track to become a top 10 state.
The Road to Rural Prosperity dives into these stories regularly, bringing you insight into the great things happening in and to rural Oklahoma. We will bring you stories covering rural life, agriculture, energy, healthcare, tourism, and politics affecting rural America.
The Road to Rural Prosperity is here to tell stories about rural America, for rural America.
As we continue along the Road to Rural Prosperity- In our latest Ag Perspective Podcast, KC Sheperd talks with Jed Green, the founder of the group ORCA- Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Action. They discuss the problems that have developed in rural Oklahoma because of the explosive growth of medical marijuana production in the state- and of the need for better regulation of the industry- as well as recognition of the economic benefits Green believes are a part of the arrival of this industry.
To find out more about our full series of Podcasts on The Road to Rural Prosperity- click or tap here.
To hear this podcast, you can click here or tap below:
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Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K Equipment, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Oklahoma Ag Mediation Program, Great Plains Kubota, Stillwater Milling Company, Oklahoma Cotton Council, National Livestock Credit Corporation, Oklahoma Beef Council, Oklahoma AgCredit, Union Mutual Insurance, 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 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.
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God Bless!
Reach Out To Us:
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Tim West
President/General Manager
Radio Oklahoma Ag Network
2401 Exchange Avenue,
Suite F
Oklahoma City, OK 73108
405.317.6361
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Ron Hays
Director of Farm Programming
Radio Oklahoma Ag Network
405.473.6144
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