Subject: Oklahoma's Farm News Update
From: Ron Hays <ronphays@cox.net>
Date: 2/1/2018 6:20 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 
remained untested Wednesday compared to the last sale on FedCattleExchange.com - 717 cattle were offered, but none were actually sold. Click here to see their complete market results.
 
 
OKC West saw feeder steers sell 1.00-3.00 lower and feeder heifers 3.00-5.00 lower from the previous week yesterday- full details from this week are available here.


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, January 31st.
  
  
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,  February 1, 2018

Live and Direct from the 2018 Cattle Industry Convention in Phoenix- Thanks to Farm Data Services for Being Our Event Sponsor!

Howdy Neighbors! 

Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update. 
 









Featured Story:
PeelNo Surprises in USDA Cattle Inventory Report - Derrell Peel Says Numbers Reflective of Expectations 

The USDA released its Cattle Inventory report based on January 1, 2018 numbers. Extension Livestock Market Economist Dr. Derrell Peel offered us his analysis of the report, which he says was well-anticipated as the report was reflective of the industry's expectations.


Nationally, the total cattle inventory was up 7/10 of a percent at 100.7 percent above a year ago, thanks in part to a 1.6 percent increase in the beef cow herd over the past year. At a total 31.72 million head, the beef cow herd size came in just under the general expectation of 32 million.
 
Peel says of the big picture - this report shows that there was indeed herd expansion in 2017, but at a much slower pace than the previous two years.
 
Oklahoma remained among the top three states with the largest mama cow herd, led by Texas and Missouri. Last year, Oklahoma was ahead of Missouri, but surrendered its position to Missouri by a slight gap in the numbers. Both states had small year-over-year increases in their beef cow herd size.
 
 
For a closer look at the numbers talked about in this report, or to hear Dr. Peel's complete rundown on it, click 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.

WOTUSEPA and Army Corps Issue Rule to Delay Start of 2015 WOTUS by 2 Years- Giving Them Time to Kill It

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of the Army (Army) on Wednesday finalized a rule adding an applicability date to the 2015 Clean Water Rule (the 2015 Rule). This rule provides clarity and certainty about which definition of "waters of the United States" is applicable nationwide in response to judicial actions that could result in confusion. The new applicability date will be two years after today's action is published in the Federal Register, during which time both agencies will continue the process of reconsidering the 2015 Rule.


"Today, EPA is taking action to reduce confusion and provide certainty to America's farmers and ranchers," said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. "The 2015 WOTUS rule developed by the Obama administration will not be applicable for the next two years, while we work through the process of providing long-term regulatory certainty across all 50 states about what waters are subject to federal regulation."

Click or tap here for the complete release that came from the EPA on Wednesday afternoon.

WE ACTUALLY got a heads up on this midday Wednesday here in Phoenix at the Cattle Industry Convention when we sat down and talked with Scott Yager- Chief Environmental Counsel of the NCBA- Yager was clearly excited that EPA made this move to ensure that the 2015 Obama era WOTUS rule would never have the chance to be implemented.

Yager told us that this two year delay is essential because of the 9-0 Supreme Court Ruling that the industry is delighted with that dictates which lower court has jurisdiction when appeals are made on a lower court judge ruling. 

With that Supreme Court ruling, the sixth circuit court in Cincinnati would be likely lifting its nationwide stay on the 2015 WOTUS rule- making the two year pushback by Scott Pruitt a must to keep environmentalists from going out and pointing fingers at individuals who they say are violating the old WOTUS rule.

You can read a brief statement from NCBA on their thumbs up on the latest move by EPA- and you can hear Scott Yager's comments to me- all by clicking or tapping here. 




Oklahoma beef producer, Brett Morris, has served on the Cattlemen's Beef Board for several years now, currently presiding as Board Chairman. However, his time in this capacity is soon coming to an end and will eventually retire from an active role on the board's leadership team. He and I reflected on his time serving producers in Phoenix, yesterday, at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and Cattle Industry Convention.


"I love being with the Beef Board. It is an experience. Every year you come back and learn a little more," Morris remarked about the end of his tenure as an officer. "But it's kind of bitter sweet. I've travelled a lot this year representing the Beef Checkoff. I'm going to miss it, but I'm going to get to be home a little bit more so I'll enjoy that part of it."


In his various roles over the last several years on the board, Morris has had the chance to participate in the decision-making process for many important issues that the board has been faced with - most notably in recent months, the search for a new CEO and defending the Beef Checkoff against detractors and critics.
 
 
You can hear Morris and I talk about these issues and others and how he and the board have handled them, by clicking over to our website. Be sure to stay tuned this week as we continue our coverage here in Phoenix. We appreciate Farm Data Services of Stillwater for supporting our efforts this week. Find out how they can serve you and your operation, here.

Nebraska cattle feeder and producer, Craig Uden, will give up the mantle of president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and pass it on to NCBA's President-elect Kevin Kester of California this week, during the NCBA and Cattle Industry Convention in Phoenix. He took a moment to speak with me, yesterday, to offer a few final thoughts on the state of the beef industry, before he retires from his position at the helm of NCBA.


Uden has had the unique opportunity to serve in this capacity and work with two, very different administrations in the White House. From this perspective, he offered some insight into how the Trump White House has impacted the industry in its first year.


"I would have to give it fairly high marks as far as rolling back on the regulations. It's been really beneficial," Uden said. "On trade, we're still not sure where that's going. We're hearing something different every day. As we talk about renegotiating NAFTA and KORUS - it puts a lot of angst out there in the country and truthfully, the way the herd has built up and the quality of the product... we must have access if we're going to maintain those numbers and be successful."
 
 
Despite the collective anxiety over the ongoing trade negotiations, Uden says that in general, the mood of producers nationwide is quite positive. However, he insists there are still many issues to tackle in the months ahead. He listed several off the cuff including things like CERCLA, the ELD mandate and certainly the crafting of the next Farm Bill. Uden did mention tax reform, however, as a significant achievement for the Trump Administration.

 

 

Click here to listen to more of Uden's thoughts on the state of the beef industry.
 
 
Coverage of this event has been made possible with the help of our friends at Farm Data Services of Stillwater - click here - to learn more about how they can help your farm or ranch operation's bottom line in a variety of ways.

 


No-Till farmers and conservationists have gathered in Wichita this week, for the 22nd Annual No-Till on the Plains Winter Conference. Things kicked off on Monday with a beginners conference and will wrap up today with the Advanced 
Innovative Mind (AIM) Symposium. Our Associate Farm Director Carson Horn was there on Tuesday for the general portion of the meeting, and had the chance to interact with the event's keynote speaker, Allan Savory, renowned Zimbabwean ecologist, livestock farmer, environmentalist, and president and co-founder of the Savory Institute.


After his presentation on the subject, Savory talked with Carson and other ag journalists about the concept of "holistic management," a systems thinking approach to managing resources which he originated nearly fifty years ago and has continued to further develop over the decades.


"That really means just having as the reason for all your management actions - the reason or context - not be reduced in the complexity we're dealing with, to meeting our needs, our desires and solving problems, which is what 99 percent of management does today," Savory explained. "That has led us to terrible desertification and climate change. I'm proposing that you can turn all of that around if you make two basic changes."
 
 
Those two necessary changes: one, embracing the complexity of the problems we face by thinking within what he calls a "holistic context" and, two, discarding our learned way of thinking and opening our minds to this concept and its related principles.
 
 
Savory's ideas have been considered quite radical to conventional practitioners, but he insists his theories are the only way in which we can stop the damaging affects of modern agricultural practices to our environment.
 
 
Click or tap here to jump to our original article for further reading, or to hear Savory explain his theories to Carson and other reporters during a press conference held earlier this week at the No-Till conference.

Sponsor Spotlight
 
 
Dating back to 1891, Stillwater Milling Company has been supplying ranchers with the highest quality feeds made from the highest quality ingredients.  Their full line of A & M Feeds can be delivered direct to your farm, found at their Agri-Center stores in Stillwater, Davis, Claremore and Perry or at more than 125 dealers in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Texas.  We appreciate Stillwater Milling Company'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.


Yesterday, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt spoke at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Winter Policy Conference and signed a Memorandum of Agreement establishing an interagency Working Group to evaluate and improve the Endangered Species Act consultation process for pesticide registration.


"The current Endangered Species Act pesticide consultation process is broken," said Pruitt. "Today, the Trump Administration is taking action to improve and accelerate this process, harmonize interagency efforts, and create regulatory certainty for America's farmers and ranchers."


Oklahoma Commissioner of Agriculture Jim Reese commented that, "Once again, EPA has acted on the calls for regulatory reform from rural communities across the country. I'm glad to see Administrator Pruitt carrying out President Trump's pro-growth agenda benefiting Oklahoma farmers and ranchers."


The interagency Working Group includes the Department of the Interior and Department of Commerce and comes at a critical time as EPA has 700 pesticide registrations to complete by 2022.
 
Click here to read more on this MOA signed by Pruitt at this year's NASDA meeting.
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.

 

MERCKMerck's Angela Baysinger Talks About the Launch of New First-of-Its-Kind Pain Product for Beef Cattle

Merck Animal Health, introduced Banamine® Transdermal this week - the first and FDA approved product for pain control in a food producing animal, labeled for the control of pain associated with foot rot and fever associated with BRD. Applied as a pour-on, Banamine® Transdermal is easy to administer for pain and fever management.


Merck Animal Health launched the new first-of-its-kind pharmacuetical product, on the trade show floor of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and Cattle Industry Convention, this week in Phoenix. I caught up with Merck's National Lead on Animal Welfare Dr. Angela Baysinger, to talk about the product.
 
 
"As everyone knows, we've never had a product specifically labelled for pain," she said. "It is the first pain product for a food producing animal. So, we're really excited about it."


The pour-on application eliminates the time-consuming and stressful treatment process associated with intravenous administration, which is the administration route of previous NSAIDs.


Banamine® Transdermal is a prescription product that meets the best management practices outlined in the industry's Beef Quality Assurance program. The pour-on application eliminates injection-site lesions within the carcass at marketing and reduces risk of residues, resulting in a higher-value end product.


To learn more about Banamine® Transdermal, continue reading or listen to mine and Dr. Baysingers full conversation, by clicking here.



Over the past year, Vinita FFA has catered more than 4,500 dinners, including about 20 weddings. Members operate a successful farm-to-fork food truck, farmers market and catering business that has served at weddings, professional meetings and private events.
 
 
Led by the chapter's advisor, Carolyn Piguet , Vinita FFA purchased the
food truck in 2017, and since then, from March to September Piguet and her students set up each week at the student-run farmers market.


The food truck and farmers market are built around her chapter members' individual projects. They bring their products to the market and receive payment for their efforts. In addition to agricultural concepts, they learn planning, production, catering, marketing and communication.


Through the farmers market and the
catering business, students learn money management, record keeping, licensing and customer service. They take health department food-safety classes as well as chapter instruction to learn how to prepare, present and market their food products, all the while tying it back to agricultural education.


The FFA members aren't the only ones learning through the farm-to-fork program. The Vinita community also benefits, according to Piguet, through increased availability of clean products and awareness of healthy foods. The farmers market also provides a community event the whole town can enjoy.


Click here to read more about Vinita FFA's unique, hands-on business ventures and find out how they might help you with your catering needs at your next event.
Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K EquipmentAmerican Farmers & Ranchers Oklahoma Beef Council, Livestock Exchange at the Oklahoma National Stockyards, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Stillwater Milling Company, National Livestock Credit Corporation, 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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