Subject: Oklahoma's Farm News Update
From: Ron Hays <ronphays@cox.net>
Date: 2/14/2018 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.

 
   
FedCattleExchange.com has a total of 255 cattle on their showlist for the Wednesday, February 14th sale of finished cattle- details will be available after noon today byclicking here.
 
 
Steer and heifer calves sold 3.00 to 8.00 higher Tuesday at OKC West - click or tap here for a look at the February 13th 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, February 13th.
  
  
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, February 14, 2018
Valentines Day!!!!

Congrats to New Oklahoma State Senator Casey Murdock of Felt- who won the Special Senate Election on Tuesday!

Howdy Neighbors! 

Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update. 
 







-- Check Our MarketLinks- Cash Grain, OKC West Calf Trade and Lots More

Featured Story:
NCBASenate Introduces Bill to Prevent Farms, Ranches from Regulation Meant for Toxic Superfund Sites 

The U.S. Senate introduced bipartisan legislation, yesterday, that would prevent farms, ranches and other agricultural operations from having to report livestock manure data under CERCLA, the law that governs toxic Superfund sites. The bipartisan bill was introduced with the support of 10 Republican co-sponsors and 10 Democratic cosponsors.


To make this clear, in 2008, the EPA finalized a rule to clarify that farms were exempt from CERCLA reporting and small farms, in particular, were exempt from EPCRA reporting, given that low-level livestock emissions are not the kind of "releases" that Congress intended to manage with these laws.


Unfortunately, though, in April 2017, the D.C. Circuit Court vacated the EPA's 2008 exemption due to a lawsuit filed in 2009 by environmental advocacy groups, putting nearly 200,000 farms and ranches under the regulatory reporting authorities enshrined in CERCLA and EPCRA. The new reporting requirements could have gone into effect on Jan. 22, but the Court delayed implementation of the requirements until May 1, 2018, which gives Congress time to act.


The National Cattlemen's Beef Association broke the news Tuesday of this legislation that had been introduced.


"There's not a lot of truly bipartisan legislation in Washington these days, but one thing that pretty much everybody can agree on is that a responsibly-run cattle ranch isn't a toxic Superfund site," said fifth-generation California rancher and NCBA President Kevin Kester. "On behalf of cattle producers across America, I want to sincerely thank the Senators from both parties who worked together to introduce this bipartisan bill. I also want to encourage other Senators to join the effort and pass this bill as quickly as possible."


Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association Executive Vice President Michael Kelsey also commented that, "OCA is very thankful to the bi-partisan group of twenty senators, including Oklahoma Senator Inhofe, introducing this important legislation. This important legislation recognizes (cattlemen's) continued stewardship efforts without unwarranted government burdens."


"Emissions from animals raised on farms and ranches were never intended to be swept into these reporting requirements," AFBF President Zippy Duvall said. "We urge Congress to act swiftly to pass this legislation before the reporting requirement overwhelms our first responders and burdens farmers and ranchers with needless reporting obligations and the risk of activist lawsuits."


Click here to read Duvall's full remarks from the statement released by AFBF.


The National Pork Producers Council also weighed in echoing statements made by AFBF and others. Click here to read NPPC's complete statement.


"NPPC calls on Congress to pass the commonsense, bipartisan Fischer-Donnelly bill, FARM Act and we thank all the senators who have joined this effort," said NPPC President Ken Maschhoff. "The pork industry was prepared to comply with the reporting mandate, but EPA, the Coast Guard and state and local emergency response authorities said they didn't want or need the information, which could have interfered with their legitimate emergency functions."


Our State Secretary of Agriculture, Jim Reese, also is delighted with the news of this legislation being dropped into the hopper- he forwarded a statement from the National Association of State Departments of Ag who have been pushing for a legislative fix on this Judicial attack on farmers and ranchers- "It was never the intent of Congress to regulate animal agriculture operations under the Superfund law. We applaud this commonsense, bipartisan effort by these Senators to restore certainty for farmers under CERCLA. The farms and ranches producing our food and fiber should not be regulated as toxic Superfund sites. We urge the Senate to swiftly act on this bill before new reporting requirements begin on May 1."


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.


Jimmy Kinder, a no-till farmer from Walters, Okla. spoke recently at a No-Till Conference in Shawnee, Okla. offering his perspective on how his operation has benefited agronomically over the years just from the implementation of conservationist practices on his farm. He sat down with me to discuss how no-till has changed his operation and many others he knows of for the better.


"Living in southwest Oklahoma - Oklahoma at all with the drought we're looking at now - we need to do anything we can to save moisture," he said. "One of the benefits of no-till is if you can raise the water holding capacity of your soil, long-term, you can go longer between rains before it affects your crops."


Kinder says the biggest challenge he sees right now for the no-till movement is getting people to truly grasp the ideas behind what is collectively referred to now as "soil health."


"There's quite a bit of conversation about soil health and people struggle with that," he said. "Basically, it's making sure that soil is productive - I think that's the key here and we're just trying to find ways that we can help Mother Nature."


Kinder is proud to serve as an example of what can be accomplished through no-till farming. He insists the farm he was passed on is in better shape than when he first received it and hopes it will be even better when he, too, passes it on to the next generation.
 
 
Hear Kinder share more of his experiences with me about making the switch to no-till farming and what it has done for his operation, by clicking or tapping here.

USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Affairs, Ted McKinney, addressed the delegates and members of the U.S. Grains Council at the organization's 58th annual meeting going on in Houston, Texas this week. He gave them updates on ongoing trade negotiations that will affect global grains market access.
 
 
McKinney also announced a $1.3 million-dollar grant for Council feed industry training programs in North Africa and the Middle East.
 
 
The U.S. Grains Council's  McKinney leads the development and implementation of the Department's policy. He also oversees and facilitates foreign market access and promotes opportunities for U.S. agriculture through various trade programs and high-level government negotiations.
 
 
Some of the topics he touched on in Houston included the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations, the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, potential bilateral trade deals, and ethanol exports.
 
 
"USDA is in it for all of you," he said to the members. "We have not missed an opportunity to promote your products at the highest levels."
 
 
Deb Keller is USGC chair and an Iowa farmer, who says "McKinney's role and efforts are evidence of the USDA's sharp focus on trade, which is shared by the Council's members, delegates, and staff in attendance."
Click here to read more about McKinney's visit at the USGC meeting this week and his remarks to members attending in Houston.
BUZZMerck Animal Health Introduces First and Only FDA Approved Drug for Controlling Pain in Cattle

Last month, Merck Animal Health launched a new pharmaceutical product, on the trade show floor of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and Cattle Industry Convention in Phoenix. I caught up with Merck's National Lead on Animal Welfare Dr. Angela Baysinger, to talk about this first-of-its-kind product for the cattle industry.


"As everyone knows, the cattle industry has never had a product specifically labeled for pain," said Baysinger. "Well, Merck has come out with a transdermal Banamine that gets absorbed through the skin. It's labeled for pain due to foot-rot and fever for bovine respiratory disease. 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. Within several minutes of application, Baysinger says the medicine will enter the animal's bloodstream and begin actively working to relieve pain. For producers with an animal that may be lame and discouraged from foraging or seeking water, she says this product could help to keep that animal going, remain productive and hopefully assist in the animal's recovery. Not only does this product, which can be used from the cow/calf level to the feedyard, lend a positive outward appearance to consumers concerned with animal welfare - Baysinger says producers agree it is the right thing to do to manage livestock's pain when necessary.


"There are times when animals feel pain - no doubt," she said. "You're able to apply this down the back of the animal and it gives them pain relief. So, you've got an animal that might be lame... may not want to get up and eat or drink. This may be able to help them get up and still be productive."
 
 
Click here to learn more about this new product from Merck by listening to my full conversation with Dr. Baysinger from yesterday's Beef Buzz show.

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!



Farmers, ranchers and agribusinessmen are invited to attend an educational meeting on how to stay compliant with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's electronic logging device mandate and hours of service requirements for agriculture scheduled for Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the Okmulgee County Fairgrounds.


Most farmers and ranchers should be exempt from the ELD mandate because they can claim covered farm vehicle status, but drivers who haul livestock, live fish and insects are likely to fall under the requirements.


Drivers who have to use ELDs would be limited to only 14 "on duty" hours, with no more than 11 active driving hours -after which a driver must stop and rest for 10 consecutive hours, which presents an obvious problem in the case of transporting livestock.
 
 
Representatives from the FMCSA and the Oklahoma Troopers Commercial Motor Vehicle Enforcement will lead the meeting and answer questions.


For more on this event, click over to our website to see a complete list of details.
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 Izaak Walton League has been promoting what it calls a "good farmer discount" as part of its 2018 Farm Bill agenda and yesterday - the group was excited to share the news and applaud the work of Minnesota Congressman Rick Nolan - who introduced legislation titled the Crop Insurance Modernization Act, that would establish a pilot program to reduce the crop insurance premiums paid by farmers who agree to reduce or eliminate tillage, plant cover crops, or use resource-conserving crop rotations for at least five years.
 
 
The League claims that as more farmers work to rebuild soil health, the risks of catastrophic crop losses will drop, which will in effect reduce the cost of the crop insurance system overall - a cost that is covered by taxpayers at a rate of $8 billion per year today. Taxpayers cover 62% of the cost of federal crop insurance, so measures that reduce the cost of the system will also save taxpayer dollars. The League calls this solution a win-win for both farmers and American taxpayers.
 
 
Scientific research and on-farm trials have shown increased organic matter developed by environmentally conscious farmers, helps soil hold more water, making fields more resilient to drought and reducing the likelihood of a major crop loss in an extremely dry or wet year.


Polluted runoff from farms is one of the greatest threats to water quality in America today. By holding more water, healthier soil reduces runoff from farm fields, keeping soil, fertilizers, and pesticides out of America's streams and wetlands.
 
 
Click here to read more about how this pilot project will help to promote conservation, soil health and environmental improvement through rural America.
BitsPiecesBits and Pieces- Soy Growers Dislike Trump Budget, HSUS Under Fire and Congrats to Will and Tammi!

The American Soybean Association offered a statement yesterday on the Trump Administration Budget that called for cuts in Crop Insurance and more- ""The proposed cuts in crop insurance and farm programs make this budget a non-starter. We've opposed cuts to crop insurance from Republican and Democratic administrations alike. This budget revisits those cuts to an even greater degree, cutting crop insurance by approximately 30 percent. It would also eliminate the MAP and FMD export promotion programs, which we rely on to expand our reach into new and existing export markets around the world."

Click or tap here to read their full statement .

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The Center for Consumer Freedom continues to keep the problems of Wayne Pacelle front and center as they are reminding consumers of the problems that the Humane Society of the US continues to struggle with because of their former top officials- and the leadership on their board of Directors. 

The group announced on Tuesday a new full-page ad that will run in USA Today, which calls out Eric Bernthal, chairman of the board of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), for defending a recent board decision to retain Wayne Pacelle as CEO despite credible reports of sexual harassment against Pacelle. The ad also reminds people that HSUS isn't affiliated with local groups and that donations are better served going to a local shelter.

Pacelle did resign under pressure a day after the Board voted to keep him.

You can read more about the Center's campaign against HSUS by clicking or tapping here- and we have a link to the ful page ad there as well. 

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Finally- from the recent Phoenix Cattle Industry Convention- there are two people that we have not had the chance to see Congrats to- and this morning we wanted to salute Tammi Didlot and Will Shelby.

Tammi was recognized as the American National Cattlewomen's "CattleWoman of the Year."  Tammi is a past President of both the ANCW as well as the Oklahoma Cattlewomen- and has been active in helping both groups be strong advocates for the beef cattle industry.

In prowling thru the Facebook page of the ANCW- we also discovered that the ANCW honored three University Students- naming them their 2018 Collegiate beef Advocates- one of the three is Will Shelby of Madill, Oklahoma- we have interviewed Will for years at the Oklahoma Beef Ambassador Contest- and are mighty proud he was so recognized in Phoenix!!!

Speaking of Phoenix- we do want to say thanks again to Farm Data Services of Stillwater for sponsoring our coverage this year from the Cattle Industry Convention- click here to learn more about how they can help you be successful in your agricultural endeavors. 

Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K Equipment, American Farmers & RanchersLivestock 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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