From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2011 7:57 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 Thursday April 14, 2011
A service of Johnston Enterprises, P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind Energy and American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company!
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-- Wayne Krehbiel of Hydro Becomes 14th Member of Oklahoma Agriculture Hall of Fame
-- The Future of Ethanol Debated by USDA's Tom Vilsack and Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe
-- Pork and Beef Exports Sizzle in February Versus Year Ago Levels
-- Meanwhile- Pork a Leading Export from the State of Oklahoma in 2010
-- CanolaTV- Talking with Mark Boyles About the Evolution of Canola Production in Oklahoma
-- Last Call to Enroll Land in General Signup for the Conservation Reserve Program
-- McAlester Stockyards Plans Special Stock Cow Sale This Saturday
-- 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. One of the great success stories of the Johnston brand is Wrangler Bermudagrass- the most widely planted true cold-tolerant seeded forage bermudagrass in the United States. For more on Johnston Enterprises- click here for their brand new website!

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.

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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Wayne Krehbiel of Hydro Becomes 14th Member of Oklahoma Agriculture Hall of Fame
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During a special ceremony at the state capitol on Wednesday, Gov. Mary Fallin announced Wayne Krehbiel as the recipient of the Governor's Outstanding Achievement Award in Agriculture. The Caddo County farmer became the 14th member of the state of Oklahoma's Agriculture Hall of Fame.

Wayne is perhaps best known for the innovations and inventions he contributed to agriculture. In 1956, Krehbiel bought anhydrous ammonia in El Reno and developed a plowshare to apply the ammonia below the surface. He is believed to be the first farmer in Oklahoma to use anhydrous ammonia in that way.

His inventions and agricultural expertise took him overseas, first to Saudi Arabi to set up a model farm and then to the Canadian Arctic to test his flexible-shaft shearing machine on musk oxen. He developed a machine to produce compacted straw logs, which took him to Kazakhstan and Siberia where people needed the logs to cook and heat their homes. Rather than patent the machine, Krehbiel simply showed the people how to make the machines themselves.

Click on the LINK below to read more- and to hear our exclusive conversation with Wayne after the awards ceremony- You can see us talking with Wayne by clicking here- and you can review the full list of Oklahoma Ag Hall of Fame Members by clicking here.

Click here for our story and a chance to hear our conversation with Wayne Krehbiel- newest member of the Oklahoma Ag Hall of Fame.


The Future of Ethanol Debated by USDA's Tom Vilsack and Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe
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Oklahoma Senior Senator Jim Inhofe argued with US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack about the Renewable Fuel Standard as the top Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee decried the production of corn based ethanol in the United States. US Secretary Vilsack pointed out to the EPW Committee as he testified that the current mandate for the production and use of ethanol in the US calls for 36 billion gallons of ethanol to be eventually produced in the United States, but only 15 billion gallons are to come from grain based production. US Production is already very close to that level as we are using five billion bushels of corn to make ethanol this marketing year.

Senator Inhofe promoted a bill duringt he hearing that he plans on introducing that would allow states to "opt out" of using ethanol in their gas supplies. Vilsack never responded directly to the Senator's questions about a state being allowed to do that, but did speak of the need to figure out cellulosic or other forms of non grain based ethanol to move the amount of ethanol produced in this country to the level that Congress has envisioned.

You can click on the LINK below to hear the give and take that Seantor Inhofe had with Secretary Vilsack- and we have a link on that webstory that goes to an audio report from our colleague Stewart Doan of Agri-Pulse that suggest that several lawmakers might need to bone up on what the Renewable Fuel Standard actually says.

Click here for our coverage of the Environment and Public Works Committee Hearing from Wednesday in Washington


Pork and Beef Exports Sizzle in February Versus Year Ago Levels
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The positive trend for U.S. beef and pork exports continued in February, with an increasingly large portion of total U.S. production going to international customers while returning more revenue to America's red meat industry, according to statistics compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

For the month of February, 27 percent of U.S. pork production was sold outside of the United States with the incremental value of exports reaching $51.48 per head - versus 25.2 percent and $43.81 last year. Total pork exports jumped 15 percent in value and 8 percent in volume versus February 2010 totals.

At the same time, U.S. beef exports in February accounted for 12.9 percent of total production versus 10.6 percent last year at this time, and the incremental value of beef exports per head of fed slaughter reached $182.12, compared to $126.50 last year. For the month, total beef exports were up 47.2 percent in value and 25 percent in volume over year-ago levels.

These are incredible numbers- and the exports of both pork and beef continue to help place a strong floor under livestock prices here in the United States. You can click on the LINK below to review more details on both the beef and pork exports from February, the most recent month where we have details.

Click here for more on the robust beef and pork export picture here in the USA


Meanwhile- Pork a Leading Export from the State of Oklahoma in 2010
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Oklahoma is a major cattle producing state- but we do not have a major beef processor and that means few exports of beef are actually credited to Oklahoma. However, with Seaboard running at full speed at their processing plant in the Oklahoma Panhandle, that means we do get credit for a lot of pork from Oklahoma going into the global marketplace. Now, the Department of Commerce has recognized that fact in a report they have just released. Pork is the third highest value export product that left the state this past calendar year.

In 2010, $218.6 million worth of Oklahoma pork shipped around the world. "This report demonstrates how Oklahoma's pork industry is effectively adding value to a commodity," said Jim Reese, Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture. "They produce a product that meets the need of their global customers which brings new money to Oklahoma's economy."

"As an Oklahoma company, our goal from the beginning has been to develop export markets where we can add value to our existing pork products," said Rod Brenneman, president and CEO of Seaboard Foods. "We have been successful in adding value to our pork products through our willingness to listen, respond and interact with our international customers and to focus on long-term relationships mutually beneficial to both Seaboard Foods and our customers in Japan, Mexico and other foreign markets. We are proud to be a major exporter of pork products throughout the world."

Read more about this high ranking the pork industry receives when you start looking at international exports and Oklahoma- Click here.


CanolaTV- Talking with Mark Boyles About the Evolution of Canola Production in Oklahoma
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As the Canola Field Tours across Oklahoma wrap up, you can watch a conversation that we had this week with Mark Boyles of Oklahoma State University on winter canola production here in the southern plains. Over the last few years, there has been tremendous strides being made as winter canola acreage has grown to over 100,000 acres for the 2011 growing season.

Boyles talks with us about the advantages of winter canola in handling dry weather compared to wheat- he attributes that to the tap root that the canola plant has, which allows the plant to reach down and search for moisture three or four feet down into the soil. Boyles believes that gives canola the ability withstand a drought better than winter wheat. But, he points out that you should not abandon wheat in favor of canola- it needs to be rotated to help your wheat reach its maximum value, and to avoid disease problems that would likely show up in canola was planted back to the same ground several years in a row.

Click on the LINK below to jump to our website and a chance to see the YouTube video that we have posted on our site- and on the WinterCanolaTV channel on YouTube. Our CanolaTV project is a service of PCOM.

Click here to watch Mark Boyles on the latest edition of CanolaTV


Last Call to Enroll Land in General Signup for the Conservation Reserve Program
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Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack reminds landowners, farmers and ranchers that the opportunity to enroll in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up 41 ends on Friday, April 15. Producers who want to offer eligible land for CRP's competitive general sign-up may enroll at the Farm Service Agency (FSA) county office where their farm records are maintained.

"CRP enjoys strong backing from farmers, ranchers, conservationists, hunters, fishermen and other outdoor sports enthusiasts," said Vilsack. "For 25 years CRP has improved water and air quality, preserved habitat for wildlife, and prevented soil erosion. I urge any eligible landowner to visit their county office to learn more about this program."

Read more on this story by clicking on the story below- we have a link to the national Farm Service Agency website and the pages that focus on the CRP- some of your questions may be answered there- but if you have considered a bid- you need to hurry as it must be in by close of business on Friday.

Click here for more on the End of General Signup 41 for the CRP


McAlester Stockyards Plans Special Stock Cow Sale This Saturday
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The spring stock cow sale of the McAlester Stockyards is coming up this Saturday at 12 noon at the McAlester Union Stockyards.

They have consigned some pretty good numbers:
700 Cow/Calf pairs
150 Bred Heifers
75 Open Heifers
50 Bulls

You can call the folks at 918-423-2834 or click here for more details about the special sale set for this coming Saturday, April 16.


Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, PCOM, P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind Energy, Johnston Enterprises, American Farmers & Ranchers 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- 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 $10.85 per bushel- as of the close of trade Wednesday, while the 2011 New Crop contracts for Canola are now available are $11.15 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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