 |
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!
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 219 cattle on their showlist for the Wednesday,
December 5th sale of finished cattle- details will be available after noon today by clicking here.OKC West sold calves yesterday- and prices were sharply lower than a week ago- Compared to last Tuesday, steer calves under 500 lbs mostly 8.00-10.00 lower, 500-600 lbs weak to 3.00 lower. Click or tap here for the complete report from USDA.
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 futures- click or tap here for the report posted yesterday afternoon around 3:30 PM.
Okla Cash Grain:
Futures Wrap:
Feeder Cattle Recap:
Slaughter Cattle Recap:
TCFA Feedlot Recap:
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, December 5, 2018
World Soil Day
and
A Day of Remembrance for Former President George H W Bush
|
Howdy Neighbors!
Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update.
|
|
Featured Story:
News broke recently that the four principle negotiators had come to an agreement on a final version of the Farm Bill. The White House Office of Management and Budget has been scoring the bill this week, with anticipations that the bill could be quickly moved on to chambers for a vote. However, with the death and memorial services being held this week for former President George H. W. Bush, the bill is likely not to be officially filed until the first of next week. Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee Congressman Collin Peterson (D-Minnesota), is the first of the conferees to make himself available to reporters for questions about what this new Farm Bill will entail.
What is known so far is the bill's lack of House GOP food stamp work requirements backed by conservatives, or key farm manager payment limits. Included is a robust crop insurance title, an expected 27-million acres for CRP and continued strong EQIP conservation funding. There's also an expected annual selection for ARC or PLC subsidies, according to Peterson.
"I think almost all the Democrats in the House are going to vote for this bill," he said. "If people would have listened to Pat Roberts and I six months ago, this bill would have been done six months ago," he remarked. "Because, this stuff that was brought in are things that he and I told people not to do and they did it anyway and it held us up all this time. Frankly, it's a damn miracle we got it all done."
Hear Congressman Peterson's remarks on the Farm Bill proceedings, by clicking over to the original story on our website.
BY the way- we say thanks to fellow farm broadcast colleague Carah Hart of the Red River Farm Network for sharing the audio of soon to be Chairman of the House Ag Committee Peterson- she was one of several ag reporters who sat with him for almost an hour discussing the Farm Bill Conference Report.
|
|
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.
|
OK Beef Producers Turn Out for Oklahoma Cattlemen's Foundation Steer Carcass Challenge Contest
This year, the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Foundation invited producers to support the charitable organization and compete in a little friendly competition by participating in the OCF Steer Carcass Challenge, which is based on performance and carcass merit of cattle. Last Friday, 30 steers were delivered in Watonga where they will be fed out at Xcel Feeders.
Once the steers were delivered, the donors received a receipt for their donation to the OCF, a 501c3. The OCF pays all expenses associated with caring for and feeding the steers and then reaps the profit at the time they are sold. According to Taylor Shackelford, OCF Coordinator, the group of 30 steers is, by some margin the largest feedout in the history of the program.
"Approximately two thirds of the steers donated were from OCA members in unified counties. Meaning, the OCF will happily send half the profit off those cattle from unified counties back to the local level in support of active county cattlemen's associations," Shackelford said. "We started the Unified County partnership a couple years ago and it has been mutually beneficial. The Foundation grows while helping local cattlemen's groups accomplish their goals."
Read more about this program and those producers who participated this year, by clicking or tapping here.
|
Cameron Bruett is head of corporate affairs and sustainability at JBS-USA. One of the things the cattle industry has got to get figured out, according to Bruett, is the issue of cattle traceability and animal ID. He remarked on this subject during a recent interview.
"Animal ID... I just have full faith and confidence it's going to sort itself out. I think there is economic opportunity there and I think as more and more consumers demand to know where the product comes from and we have the technology and capabilities to do it - then the question is not so much should we do - it is just when is it going to happen," Bruett said. "Because, I think it is really going to unleash opportunity in the countryside, particularly in foreign markets and it's going to give consumers confidence."
Bruett says that as the industry has worked to define what sustainability means in regard to beef production, people have become more aware and have developed a better understanding of its practices, how they are done and why they are done. He says consumers are starting to realize that farmers and ranchers actually do strive to protect the environment, raise and handle animals with care and contribute back to their local communities. By implementing a system that will enhance the industry's control and management of disease, is just another way of demonstrating to the public its commitment to producing a safe product. However, he admits there is a lot that must first be worked out before actually implementing it to ensure that it is done right and that all stakeholders can agree on it.
"If you can trace that beef back to the community of origin, that's a good thing," he said." But, it's not something to just flip the switch on and do it tomorrow. But, I think it's something everyone in the industry should be seriously thinking about, because I think it's going to empower that next generation of producers to really leverage our opportunity in the future."
Listen to Bruett and I discuss the issue of cattle traceability further, on yesterday's Beef Buzz - click here.
|
|
The American Statistical Association (ASA) Board of Directors issued a rare statement of concern this week regarding the US Department of Agriculture's plans for the Economic Research Service (ERS), a federal statistical agency. ASA President Lisa LaVange says moving the ERS outside of the nation's capital and having it in the secretary's office undermines evidence-based policymaking and could also jeopardize ERS's ability to provide policy-neutral reports, information and statistics. ASA Executive Director Ron Wasserstein says, "It is paramount that federal statistical agencies and recognized statistical units produce data that are impartial, clear and complete and are readily perceived as such by the public."
The ASA Board has issued few such statements of concern over the past two decades, this one being the only one to relate to an entire federal statistical agency. In deliberating the issuing of such a statement, the board considered USDA's budget request for the current fiscal year released in February of 2018 in which it proposed to cut the ERS programs and activities by 60%, a clear sign of the department's low regard for ERS and its intent to dismantle its wide-ranging work.
The ASA Board's statement is the latest in a long line of broad opposition to USDA's plans by USDA stakeholders. Continue reading about the ASA's concerns regarding the USDA Administration's decision to relocate the ERS office, by clicking here to jump to the full article online.
|
|
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.
|
There are those who believe that cutting back on the amount of beef we eat or taking meat off the dinner plate altogether, will go a long way toward stopping global climate change or solving worldwide environmental problems. Those people believe animal agriculture is unsustainable and wasteful and would prefer to see smaller farms and ranches, more labor and fewer inputs.
Their intentions may be good, but the facts on which they base their assertions seem to be shaky. Beef provides humans with nutrients our bodies need in a form our bodies can readily digest. The business of U.S. beef production supports the worldwide food supply with the smallest carbon footprint compared to the footprint of other fundamental services humans need to survive.
As ranchers, we know how to change our operation to adapt to the variables Mother Nature gives us - drought, abundance, flood or blizzard. We know how to adapt to the changes man causes - market swings, expanding cities and changing consumer preferences.
We know how to be sustainable because we know how to adapt to keep our resources healthy and to produce a food that meets a fundamental nutritional need.
The fact that there are still ranchers in the U.S. proves my point. The same cannot be said of the once-giant Pan Am, Kodak and Blockbuster. Remington typewriters used to be found in every office. Now they are found in nearly every antique store in rural Texas. Either these businesses would not or could not adapt.
U.S. ranchers are the bedrock of a sustainable industry. Science supports our sustainability. We have good stories to share with our consumers and supporters and with our detractors, many of whom simply do not understand our work processes or management ethic.
Click here to continue reading the full article by James Palmer, TSCRA Director and Agriculture Research and Education Committee Chair, entitled "Sustainability Means Ranching Done Well and Right."
|
Latest Purdue University/CME Group Ag Barometer Showcases Farmer Worries About the New Year
The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer November reading was 134, a decline of just over 1 percent from a month earlier when the barometer stood at 136. The November reading leaves the barometer 6 percent below its most recent peak, which was reached back in June before the impact of trade disruptions were felt throughout much of U.S. agriculture. Although November's ag sentiment index was below the level attained last spring, it was still 6 points higher than a year earlier when the index of agricultural producer sentiment was 128.
Few farmers-only 13 percent- said they expect farm profitability to improve in the year ahead. "There remains an undercurrent of concern about the farm economy among producers," said the Purdue economists who oversee the monthly gauge of farmer confidence.
Overwhelmingly, crop and livestock producers said they expect higher interest rates in 2019. Some 22 percent said they expect farmland prices to fall in 2019, a 5-point increase from the previous survey. Agriculture is a capital-intensive business so changes in interest rates can affect profitability as well as the value of assets such as farmland. For the sector, land is 80 percent of farm assets.
Although they are still a minority, more farmers said they will reduce their plantings of soybeans in 2019. Soybean prices have fallen as a result of the trade war. Thirty percent of farmers said they will plant less land to soybeans next year, compared to 19 percent in the previous survey. A lopsided 69 percent said they would cut acreage by more than 10 percent, a quarter said they would pare back planting by 5 to 10 percent, and 5 percent planned a cutback of no more than 5 percent. The soybean land predominantly would go into corn.
To view the complete report, click or tap 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.
|
Oklahoma's Ag Youth Leaders Excel at 2018 American Farmers and Ranchers State Speech Contest
Some of Oklahoma's top students competed for more than $10,000 in scholarships and awards in the 74th annual AFR state speech contest, Saturday, Dec. 1 at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater.
Each of the state contestants previously participated in their district contests, where they must have placed first or second in their respective category and division in order to advance to state. In total, more than 120 students ranging in grades 4-12, advanced to the state contest from the five districts across Oklahoma, speaking in one of four categories - American Farmers & Ranchers/Oklahoma Farmers Union, Science & Natural Resources, Agribusiness and Ag Advocacy & Policy.
"We are proud to host a contest that highlights outstanding youth across Oklahoma," said Micaela Danker, AFR Youth Development Coordinator. "The fall speech contest proves to be a successful event every year. It gives students the opportunity to gain knowledge about current issues and topics facing the agricultural industry as well as improve public speaking skills."
A complete list and photos of this year's winners can be found on our website's Blue-Green Gazette page - check it out.
|
|
Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K Equipment, Livestock Exchange at the Oklahoma National Stockyards, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Stillwater Milling Company, National Livestock Credit Corporation, Oklahoma Beef Council, Oklahoma AgCredit, Oklahoma Pork Council, 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.
God Bless! You can reach us at the following:
phone: 405-473-6144
|
|
|
