Oklahoma Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers members will compete in three competitive events at the upcoming American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting Jan. 11-16 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The members set to compete include Washita County Farm Bureau members Nocona and Jordan Cook who will compete in the AFBF YF&R Achievement Award competitive event, which recognizes young farmers and ranchers who have excelled in their farm or ranch and have honed their leadership abilities.

In addition, Joshua Anderson, a Johnston County Farm Bureau member, will compete to be recognized as the AFBF YF&R Excellence in Agriculture Award winner. The award highlights young Farm Bureau members who are involved in agriculture but have not earned a majority of their income from an owned agricultural enterprise.

Also competing this year is Payne County Farm Bureau member Emma Jumper, who will participate in the AFBF YF&R Discussion Meet, which simulates a committee meeting where participants are evaluated on an exchange of ideas and information on a pre-determined topic.

The competitions will begin on Saturday, Jan. 11. Stay tuned for updates on the results of the competitions. Read more about the competitors by clicking here.

We remind you that our coverage of the 2019 AFBF convention is being powered by the Oklahoma Farm Bureau- whose mission is to Improve the Lives of Rural Oklahomans.

For the first time since June 14, 2016, Oklahoma is completely free of both drought and abnormally dry conditions. As you can see from the image below, this week's map shows a slate wiped completely clean - a stark contrast to what we saw last year around this time.

 

 

Despite current condition though, parts of southwestern, northwestern and the Panhandle remain in deficit mode and will need to be monitored closely for deterioration. More rain looks to be on the way though. A system moving through from the south should deliver and continue through Saturday morning with an inch or more possible across eastern Oklahoma.

Click here for a closer look at this week's Drought Monitor Map, or to review the latest report from State Climatologist Gary McManus.

This week on SUNUP! - Host Lyndall Stout is again joined by OSU Extension Grain Market Economist Dr. Kim Anderson to discuss the current status of the grain market. In this week's episode, Anderson will address how the closure of several USDA offices due to the ongoing partial government shutdown is affecting markets. He says explains how markets run on information and without access to USDA data, will be unable to perform as efficiently as they would with access to the latest information.

Using industry estimates, though, Anderson reports that all winter wheat seeded acres this year are projected at approximately 32.2 million acres. That number is down slightly from last year's 32.5 million acres. Estimated HRW acres are figured at 22.7 million acres, down from last year's 23.2 million acres. Finally, SRW acres are estimated at 6 million for the year, slightly higher compared to the previous year's total of 5.9 million acres.

Overall, this is positive news for wheat prices he says. However, recent developments from Russia and India that suggest both countries will have more wheat coming onto the marketplace over the next several months have dampened his outlook for the future which a couple weeks ago was quite optimistic that harvest wheat prices would rise.

The National Pork Board released this week the first report from its Insight to Action research program. The report, Dinner at Home in America, examines the contextual occasions in which Americans are eating dinner in the home. The research identifies areas of growth opportunity for pork. This information was compiled to help the pork industry in addressing one of its greatest challenges, which is to remain relevant in today's market and increase its appeal to the consumers of tomorrow.

 

"People live, shop and eat differently today. The pork industry has tremendous momentum with consumers, and that can be leveraged further through innovation in product development, bringing contemporary eating solutions to consumers," said Jarrod Sutton, vice president of Domestic Marketing for the National Pork Board. "This research helps us intimately understand the needs and constraints that influence consumer dining choices, and provides a clear path for industry innovation that is rooted in data."

 

Dinner at Home in America is the first of several reports the National Pork Board will publish in 2019 as part of the Insight to Action research program. The research approach, which combines 10,000 interviews with demographic and spending data to provide a comprehensive look at how U.S. consumers eat, is a first-ever for the meat industry.

 

Altogether, nine unique dining occasions were uncovered - these range from solo dining to celebrating with extended family. The research identifies opportunities to respond to changing consumer behaviors and drive category growth in three areas: Health; Simplicity and Ease; and Versatility. According to the National Pork Board, these insights have influenced a new marketing strategy for the Pork Checkoff designed to address key perceptions about pork products.

 

For more information on the National Pork Board's Insight to Action research, Dinner at Home in America research, or to download the full report, click here.