From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Friday, August 13, 2010 6:47 AM
To: Hays, Ron
Subject: Oklahoma's Farm News Update
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Oklahoma's latest farm and ranch news
Your Update from Ron Hays of RON for Friday August 13, 2010
A service of Johnston Enterprises, P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind Energy and American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company!
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-- Ken Cook Calls on the Obama Adminstration to Rethink Ag Disaster Promise to Senator Blanche Lincoln
-- R-Calf Analysis of GIPSA Rule Impact Called Incomplete and Inappropriate
-- USDA Says Global Wheat Stocks Are Being Sharply Reduced Due to Extreme Drought in Europe
-- The Oklahoma Crop Numbers- Mostly Up from 2009.
-- Oklahoma Conservation Commission Gets Grant from USDA to Work on Carbon Offset Program
-- Last Call for Southern Plains Beef Symposium
-- The Big Event Coming to Express Ranch August 27 and 28
-- Let's Check the Markets!

Howdy Neighbors!

Here's your morning farm news headlines from the Director of Farm Programming for the Radio Oklahoma Network, Ron Hays. We are pleased to have American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company as a regular sponsor of our daily update- click here to go to their AFR web site to learn more about their efforts to serve rural America!

It is also great to have as an annual sponsor on our daily email Johnston Enterprises- proud to be serving agriculture across Oklahoma and around the world since 1893. W.B. Johnston is welcoming all fall crops this harvest. They have space to store your grain, and they look forward to serving you!! For more on Johnston Enterprises- click here for their website that features their grain, ports and seed business!

And we are proud to have P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind Energy as one of our regular sponsors of our daily email update. P & K is the premiere John Deere dealer in Oklahoma, with ten locations to serve you, and the P & K team are excited about their new Wind Power program, as they offer Endurance Wind Power wind turbines. Click here for more from the P&K website.

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Ken Cook Calls on the Obama Adminstration to Rethink Ag Disaster Promise to Senator Blanche Lincoln
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Environmental Working Group (EWG) President Ken Cook on Thursday wrote to the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) challenging the rationale for the White House's promise to fund an agriculture disaster aid package sought by embattled Sen. Blanche Lincoln, chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Even as Cook was sending his letter, Lincoln was on the campaign trail in Arkansas- telling farmers that would stand to gain from the ag disaster package that she was pleased to be getting this done "in the nick of time."

The letter, addressed to OMB's Acting Deputy Director Robert Nabors, says the White House proposal violates key principles that make for effective and equitable farm disaster aid and threatens to repeat the mistakes of "ill-conceived and poorly administered farm disaster aid programs" of the past that "trample sound policy en route to ransacking the Treasury."

According to press accounts, Sen. Lincoln agreed to pull her controversial, $1.5 billion farm disaster aid package from legislation intended to help small businesses after receiving assurances from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel that the USDA would provide funding for the package administratively. Over $200 million would go to Arkansas farmers under the plan- and Oklahoma farmers would also see a huge payday of over $106 million if the deal is done- Click here to see our earlier coverage of this story that includes the letter from Nabors to Senator Lincoln.

At the start of this week- we had comments from Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas on the subject- click here for that audio conversation- as the top Republican on the House Ag Committee treaded lightly on the issue since his district stands to get much of the money destined for Oklahoma under the Lincoln plan.
Click on the LINK below for our story about the letter from Ken Cook crying foul over the White House intentions to shift money to fund this plan that they believe is politically motivated.

Click here to read more about the concerns of Ken Cook of the EWG regarding this $1.5 billion dollar Ag Disaster plan.


R-Calf Analysis of GIPSA Rule Impact Called Incomplete and Inappropriate
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In response to a News Release from R-Calf USA, US Premium Beef has released a statement that indicates they plan on commenting themselves on the impact of the GIPSA proposed Marketing Rules at a later date. We had a story in yesterday's email about the analysis that was trumpeted by Bill Bullard of the populist cattle organization.

The CEO of US Premium Beef, Steven Hunt, has sent a letter to USDA that explains their concerns of a group like R-Calf taking matters into their own hands and offering their opinion about how the proposed marketing rules would help or hurt US Premium Beef shareholders. In a statement released to the media- US Premium Beef says "Some special interest groups have provided opinions on how this Proposed Rule would impact U.S. Premium Beef, its unitholders and associates. There continues to be many unanswered questions regarding this rule that are concerning to us. We are thoroughly analyzing how the Proposed Rule would impact our company, its producers and consumer customers. We will reserve further comments until we have completed our analysis.

"In the meantime, we have communicated with the USDA (see letter by going to the LINK below) concerning the analysis by one special interest group that is incomplete and inappropriate given that it does not have all the facts and circumstances concerning our company, nor does it represent U.S. Premium Beef or its producers."

Click here for more on the US Premium Beef statement that R-Calf got it wrong in how they see the new marketing rules impacting this value added program.


USDA Says Global Wheat Stocks Are Being Sharply Reduced Due to Extreme Drought in Europe
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In the Supply Demand report that was released on Thursday morning, the biggest changes were in the wheat stocks- and much of that was in the global numbers. The USDA analysts lowered the expected size of the Russian wheat crop by a whopping eight million metric tons- and that drop, plus other drops in neighboring countries that were once the Soviet Union resulted in a higher expectation for US wheat prices. US wheat prices for the balance of this crop year are raised fifty cents per bushel on both ends of the range given by the report- $ 4.70 to $5.50 per bushel.

Normally, the driving force on a major crop report day would be the confirmation of record corn and soybean crops in this country. But that report ended up being trumped by the wheat stats, which renewed the volatile nature of the wheat market on Thursday and into this morning on the Kansas City Board of Trade- and of all of the grains traded in Chicago. The September KC Wheat Contract jumped 15 cents on Thursday- and in overnight electronic trade overnight- that contract is up another fourteen cents.

Click on the LINK below of our coverage from yesterday morning as those reports were being release.

Click here for more about the Crop Production and Supply Demand Reports from USDA


The Oklahoma Crop Numbers- Mostly Up from 2009.
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The first production forecast of the year for the State's summer-grown crops based on August 1 conditions, shows an increase from last year's production with the exception of sorghum according to the Oklahoma Field Office of USDA-NASS.
Wheat production is forecast at 128.7 million bushels, unchanged from last month but up 67 percent from last year's production. An average yield of 33 bushels per acre is expected from 3.9 million harvested acres.
Production of corn for grain is forecast at 43.2 million bushels, is up 29 percent from last year. An average yield of 135 bushels per acre is expected from 320,000 harvested acres.
Cotton production is forecast at 340,000 bales, up 7 percent from last year. An average yield of 816 pounds per acre, is expected from 200,000 harvested acres.

Production of grain sorghum is forecast at 11.4 million bushels, down 7 percent from 2009. An average yield of 52 bushels per acre is expected from 220,000 harvested acres.
Peanut production is forecast at 52.5 million pounds, up 22 percent from last year. An average yield of 3,500 pounds per acre is expected from 15,000 harvested acres.
Soybean production is forecast at 13.2 million bushels, up 9 percent from 2009. An average yield of 30 bushels per acre is expected from 440,000 harvested acres. If realized this will be the highest production of soybeans on record for Oklahoma.
Production of all hay is forecast at 5.92 million tons, up 12 percent from last year. Alfalfa production, at 1.06 million tons, is up 14 percent from 2009. Production of all other hay is forecast at 4.86 million tons, and is up 12 percent from last year.

Click on the LINK below for the Oklahoma crop numbers in greater detail- comparing 2010 to the 2009 harvest.

Click here for the Oklahoma spring planted crop production numbers from USDA and NASS.


Oklahoma Conservation Commission Gets Grant from USDA to Work on Carbon Offset Program
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The winning proposals for the 2010 Conservation Innovation Grants have been announced. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack made the announcement Thursday - saying the grants will produce far-reaching results on a wide range of issues - including conservation management and bio-energy production - by facilitating the development and adoption of new approaches and technologies. The Natural Resources Conservation Service received 230 proposals and is awarding nearly 18-million dollars in Conservation Innovation Grants for 61 projects in 43 states and U.S. territories in the Pacific.

There was one single state grant coming to Oklahoma- being provided to the Oklahoma Conservation Commission to "Developing high quality carbon offset verification protocols and quantifying water quality improvements of best management practices to ensure the environmental benefits of agricultural carbon offsets." Just over $303,000 was awarded for this project to the state agency.

Two of the multi- state grants include work in Oklahoma. One was awarded to the Environmental Defense Fund to work on the "Development of Protocols and Accounting Methods for Carbon Sequestration on US Rangelands." The other multi state award involving Oklahoma went to the Dairy Research Institute to establish a "Farm energy audit data collector training program."

Click here to read more about these grants and to view the full listing of these monies being handed out by USDA.


Last Call for Southern Plains Beef Symposium
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A very quick reminder of the 20th annual Southern Plains Beef Symposium in Ardmore- we will be emceeing some of the day's activities- and will look forward to seeing you at this year's event.

Click on the link below for the details- if you have not registered at this point- just plan on doing so at the door tomorrow morning.

Click here to check out the program and other details regarding the Southern Plains Beef Symposium


The Big Event Coming to Express Ranch August 27 and 28
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This year's Big Event Sale of the Express Ranches in Yukon, Oklahoma will be spread out over two days. On Friday, August 27, there will be a Dispersion of the Fall Calving mature Angus females (to make room for approximately 400 heifers). This is a young set of females with several donors and bred to what we feel are some of the best bulls in the breed.

The Saturday sale lineup on August 28 at Express Ranches will include
200 Spring Calving Pairs
25 Outstanding Spring Calving Bred Heifers
50 Elite Fall Yearling ET Heifers
70 Spring Born Show Heifers and Elite Donor Prospects
50 Donor, Pregnancy and Embyo Lots

Click on the LINK below to jump right to Express Ranches website, where you can check out the details of the animals to sell either Friday or Saturday.
in the sale catalog- Owner Bob Funk and General Manager Jarold Callahan state their belief that the future of the Angus business is bright "We realize that the past couple of years have been extremely challenging - the economy and genetic defects - but we believe more than ever that the future has never been brighter for the Angus business as Angus genetics are the backbone of the cattle industry in the United States not only because they are the most problem free but also because of our ability to utilize the most information and technology ever available in the beef business. Consequently, our commitment to the Angus business is as strong as ever and we look forward to visiting with you at the sale or in the future."

Click here to jump to the website of Express Ranches, Yukon, Oklahoma.


Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, PCOM, P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind Energy, Johnston Enterprises, American Farmers & Ranchers, KIS Futures and Big Iron Online Auctions 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- FREE!

We also invite you to check out our website at the link below to check out an archive of these daily emails, audio reports and top farm news story links from around the globe.

Click here to check out WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com


Let's Check the Markets!
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We've had requests to include Canola prices for your convenience here- and we will be doing so on a regular basis. Current cash price for Canola is $8.20 per bushel- as of the close of business yesterday, while the 2011 New Crop contracts for Canola are now available are $8.35 per bushel- delivered to local participating elevators that are working with PCOM.

Here are some links we will leave in place on an ongoing basis- Click on the name of the report to go to that link:
Our Daily Market Wrapup from the Radio Oklahoma Network with Ed Richards and Tom Leffler- analyzing the Futures Markets from the previous Day-
Ron on RON Markets as heard on K101 mornings with cash and futures reviewed- includes where the Cash Cattle market stands, the latest Feeder Cattle Markets Etc.
Previous Day's Wheat Market Recap- Two Pager From The Kansas City Board of Trade looks at all three US Wheat Futures Exchanges with extra info on Hard Red Winter Wheat and the why of that day's market.
Daily Oklahoma Cash Grain Prices- As Reported by the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture. <
The National Daily Feeder & Stocker Cattle Summary- as prepared by USDA.
The National Daily Slaughter Cattle Summary- as prepared by USDA.
Finally, Here is the Daily Volume and Price Summary from the Texas Cattle Feeders Association.



God Bless! You can reach us at the following:
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phone: 405-473-6144
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