Subject: Oklahoma's Farm News Update
From: Ron Hays <ronphays@cox.net>
Date: 12/17/2018, 5:37 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 Ron Hays on RON.
 

 
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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 Friday, December 14th.
 
  
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
   Monday, December 17, 2018

Howdy Neighbors! 

Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update. 
 
One Featured Story:

 
With relatively little changes adopted to replace provisions in the previous Farm Bill, the 2018 Farm Bill effectively reauthorizes the continuation of its preceding legislation. According to a review of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 by University of Illinois platform, farmdoc daily, this reflects a general sense of satisfaction among stakeholders for the existing policies.


Some minor tweeks here and there were made in the new Farm Bill, passed through both the House and Senate last week. Again, although small, the most notable changes made in the Commodity Title adjusted the ARC and PLC programs to allow farmers a bit more flexibility in their elections.


Consensus was also made around the CSP which some factions had hoped to do away with. Instead, the program was merged with the popular EQIP program, which you'll find in the next story down, that cattle producers are very pleased with this action. 


Collin Peterson, though, the House Ag Committee's Ranking Member and soon to be Chair, contends that it is in fact the Dairy portion of the bill that is most impressive. Peterson himself, worked on this section.


What was most contentious about the bill, which inevitably caused delays in passing the legislation was of course Chairman Conaway's hard stance on SNAP reform. Eventually, Conaway gave in to political pressure which facilitated a speedy passage through both chambers immediately following his retraction.


President Trump is expected to sign the bill with no objection, although it is likely he is disappointed to have been unable to achieve greater SNAP reforms, despite the small concessions that were made.


To check out the complete review of the provisions written into the new 2018 Farm Bill, click here.



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The 2018 Farm Bill is now at its final destination, the White House, as we wait on President Donald Trump to sign the measure. In the meantime, Colin Woodall, chief lobbyist for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, says he is just relieved that the process is almost done.


"We do feel very good about this. There was a lot of concern with the Conference Committee bogged down in the fall. A lot of concerns over the SNAP work requirements...But once that was removed, then we saw two extremely strong votes - 87 on the Senate side and well over 300 on the House side," Woodall said. "Those are both great indications it's a good bill and people were happy to support it and all indications are that the President will sign it. So, we are going to claim victory and say this a good bill for cattle producers."


This bill came with several priorities for the beef industry, many of which making it through to the final product. Of those, securing funding for the establishment of a Foot & Mouth Disease vaccine bank was of the utmost highest priority for NCBA and its livestock industry partners. Woodall says adequate mandatory funding was provided for in this bill, enough to get the bank up and running. One provision, though, that he says is probably what NCBA feels the best about is the increased funding for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).


"EQIP is probably the program that is used most by cattle producers across the country. So, we will have more money there, which means more EQIP contracts available," he said. "That is also another win for the cattle industry in the Farm Bill."


Listen to NCBA's Colin Woodall and I speak about the new Farm Bill and the impact it will have on the cattle industry, on last Friday's Beef Buzz - click here.



Late last week, American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall remarked on the USDA's new ReConnect initiative, a program designed to boost broadband services in rural America.


Duvall insists that this program could not come at a better time, stating that access to broadband internet is essential to modern agriculture. According to the release, USDA has committed $600 million in grant and loan programs to connect farmers, ranchers and other rural Americans. Duvall commented that this funding will usher prosperity into rural communities across the nation.


"When Congress wrote the 1996 Telecommunications Act, it promised rural America it would one day have broadband Internet service equal to the rest of the country. We're not quite there, but 25-megabit downloads and 3 megabits up is the sort of speed we've been waiting for," Duvall said. "We thank Secretary Perdue for implementing this program. We also want to thank our Senate and House Appropriations subcommittee chairmen John Hoeven and Robert Aderholt for funding the program. Their leadership is bringing rural Americans one step closer to high-speed communications equality with the rest of the nation."
 

Click here to read the original announcement from AFBF.

Four Wheat Quality Council EVP Dave Green Offers His Perspective of Wheat Industry's Focus on Quality


We recently had the chance to speak with the Executive Vice President of the Wheat Quality Council Dave Green, who visited Oklahoma during a Plains Grains event. Green and I discussed the work that the Council does on behalf of wheat growers as well as the end users- both millers and bakers.


The group was established back in the 1950s to essentially liaise the needs and wants that millers and bakers had of the flour they purchased back to wheat breeders and producers. Their work continues to this day and has had a tremendous influence on the varieties we see coming out of programs like Dr. Brett Carver's at OSU and others.


If the name sounds familiar- you most likely know the organization for the annual wheat tour it hosts. Green says this tour has evolved over the years and has become a highly anticipated event for the industry each year.


Learn more about the Wheat Quality Council and it what does, by clicking here to continue reading or to listen to our complete conversation with Dave Green.



Sponsor Spotlight

 
The Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association is the trusted voice of the Oklahoma Cattle Industry. With headquarters in Oklahoma City, the OCA has a regular presence at the State Capitol to protect and defend the interests of cattlemen and cattlewomen.
 
Their Vision Statement explains the highest priority of the organization- "Leadership that serves, strengthens and advocates for the Oklahoma cattle industry."
 
To learn more about the OCA and how you can be a part of this forward-looking group of cattle producers, click here for their website. For more information- call 405-235-4391.
 
Five Ellen Coblentz of Chouteau, Okla. Recognized by ODAFF as a Significant Woman in Agriculture

Ellen Coblentz of Chouteau, Okla. was recognized this past week as a Significant Woman in Agriculture by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture. Coblentz was not raised in agriculture, though you would never know that, given her knowledge of the industry and passion for farming. She was raised in the small Oklahoma town of Pryor. Her grandparents had a farm, where Coblentz said she spent as much time as she could.


She married Charles Coblentz in 1975, just two weeks after graduating high school and the two began their farm with 120 acres leased from Charles' mother and his 28 milk cows. Like any successful business, they did not grow into the operation they are today overnight. It took years of hard work and innovative thinking. Today, they are milking over 400 cows on a total of 10,000 acres owned and leased. For the first 21 years of their marriage, she was in the milking parlor. After they built the new parlor in 2011, Coblentz transitioned to feeding and caring for the calves, morning and night. In addition to caring for the calves, Coblentz stays extremely busy with bookkeeping for their operation's cattle, crops and side business, Coblentz Fertilizer.


Their oldest son got married and moved back to the farm in 2000, a year later he had convinced them to introduce beef cattle to the operation. They began their beef herd with about 80 "mama cows," which has now grown to over 1,000 "mama cows."


Learn more about Coblentz and what makes her a Significant Woman in Agriculture, by clicking here to read more about her story in agriculture.


Six Noble's Dr. Myriah Johnson Defines What Antimicrobial Stewardship Means for Cow-Calf Producers

Myriah Johnson, economics program leader and agricultural economics consultant for the Noble Research Institute, published an article this past week that addressed antimicrobial stewardship and how that relates back to cattle producers. Basically, Johnson defines that term as simply the judicious use of antibiotics.

While most producers already practice this inherently, Johnson says it is always a good idea to reevaluate what you do on your operation to identify where improvements can be made and thereby ensure that the drugs currently being used remain effective. Johnson says that antimicrobial stewardship compliments several outcomes, including:

- Improving patient outcomes.
- Reducing or slowing the spread of antimicrobial-resistant organisms (because some level of resistance will occur).
- Decreasing environmental contamination and exposure to antimicrobial waste in the environment.
- Decreasing environmental contamination and exposure is important because resistance genes can pass from one infectious organism to another. For instance, a resistant respiratory organism can potentially contribute to resistant salmonella or E. coli, which has a much greater threat to human health.

"Management practices determine the use of antibiotics later in production. Everything we do as cow-calf producers is critical and matters," she writes. "That's why it is critical to have a management plan in place and to follow best management practices. It's our responsibility to do all we can to reduce our animals' need for antibiotics on our ranches and beyond. However, even when best management practices are applied, animals still get sick, begging the question, 'Why?' As producers we need to understand what we can tweak and how we can continue to improve our management."

Click here to jump to Johnson's original article to learn more about antimicrobial stewardship and what you can do to enhance it in your operation.

Seven Wrapping Up 2018: 8th Annual Beef Battalion, Forage and Feeding Efficiency Field Day, Climate Hub's Prescribed Burning School
 
As we bring this year to a close, a quick glance at our calendar tells us there are a few events left to wrap up before we shut the books on 2018. Below, we've included a brief list of those items for your convenience. Check them out and if any should interest you, follow the corresponding link to jump to our website where you'll find more details on how to participate.


First up, a special event happening TODAY! that I hope you all will have the chance to participate in and encourage you to do so-


National Livestock's Calf Auction Benefiting the All American Beef Battalion, will take place TODAY! Monday, December 17, 2018 at 11:00 am in the Oklahoma National Stockyards Sale Arena here in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Come bid on the calf and support this worthy cause benefiting our service men and women. Click here for details.


Tomorrow, Tuesday, December 18th - make plans to attend the Increasing Efficiencies in Forage and Feeding Field Day
at the Range Cow Research Center, being hosted by the Payne County Extension Office. For agenda details and registration information, click here.


Finally, skipping ahead a bit to next year- on Saturday, January 5, 2019 - be sure to sign up for the Fire Suppression Through Prescribed Fire Training School, hosted by the Southern Plains Climate Hub. This event, taking place in Concho, OK, will focus on the use of prescribed fire to reduce wildfire danger. Click over to the calendar page on our website for details.


Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K EquipmentLivestock Exchange at the Oklahoma National StockyardsOklahoma Farm Bureau, Stillwater Milling Company, National Livestock Credit Corporation, Oklahoma Beef CouncilOklahoma AgCreditOklahoma 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 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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