From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2011 7:42 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 May 13, 2011
A service of Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, Midwest Farm Shows and Oklahoma Mineral Buyers.
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-- House Ag Committee Chairman Frank Lucas Talks Free Trade Deals With Ambassador Ron Kirk
-- Ag Groups Line Up to Tell the Administration- Get Moving on Implementation Legislation
-- 12th National Watershed Conference Gets Underway Sunday in Downtown Oklahoma City
-- Pork Industry Celebrates Setback Bill- Signed into Law by Governor Mary Fallin
-- Eminent Domain Not An Option for Wind Turbine Promoters
-- Wheat Seed Almost Certain to be Very Tight This Fall
-- Implanting Nursing Calves- One of the Best Investments in the Cattle Business!
-- 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.
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House Ag Committee Chairman Frank Lucas Talks Free Trade Deals With Ambassador Ron Kirk
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The House Agriculture Committee held a full Committee hearing on the issue of trade and how it impacts US agriculture. The leadoff and star witnesses of the hearing were US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and US Trade Ambassador Ron Kirk.

The Chairman of the House Ag Committee, Frank Lucas of Oklahoma, lamented the slowness of the Obama Administration in bringing three pending FTAs to Congress for an up or down vote- "As we know, there are three pending free trade agreements with Korea, Colombia and Panama. Unfortunately it has been nearly four years since these agreements were signed and the administration is just now close to bringing the agreements before Congress. It is difficult to overstate the importance of these agreements to America's farmers and ranchers and to our economy as a whole. "

Congressman Lucas adds "The agreements were finalized nearly four years ago. Yet they are still awaiting implementation. Each year that we delay action costs us billions of dollars in unrealized benefits."

However, there seems to be an agenda that the Obama Administration is pursuing that they hope to force down the throat of Republicans in exchange for a vote for ratification. U.S. Trade Ambassador Ron Kirk suggested the White House may be setting pre-conditions - like help for U.S. workers displaced by trade. They want re-authorization of trade adjustment assistance (which is special jobless benefits for people who believe they have lost their job to companies moving factories overseas) and seem to be wanting to make that a part of the vote on the three FTAs.

Click on the LINK below to hear Congressman Lucas quiz Ambassador Kirk about some of the nuts and bolts of what the Obama Administration is doing to get these trade deals to the point where implementing legislation can be forwarded to Congress- which is when the clock starts ticking for Congress to act on the the agreements.

Click here for our webstory which features comments from Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas with USTR Ambassador Ron Kirk


Ag Groups Line Up to Tell the Administration- Get Moving on Implementation Legislation
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One of those testifying on Thursday once the Obama officials were finished was Bob Stallman of the American Farm Bureau. American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman. Stallman said - inaction has proven to result in loss of market share and forfeiture of economic growth. The U.S. government's inability to move these agreements benefits our foreign competitors while harming U.S. producers and American workers. Stallman added, - these trade agreements are not only important to the bottom line of America's farmers and ranchers but the economic health of our rural communities and the overall U.S. economy.

National Corn Growers Association CEO Rick Tolman told the hearing that - increased production and a consistent product make the United States a reliable supplier of corn in the world market. NCGA strongly supports passage of the three-pending Free Trade Agreements with Korea, Colombia and Panama. Passing these FTAs also benefits our customers in the livestock and poultry industries. Developing new markets for our country's agricultural products will help our sector lead the nation in economic growth and international competitiveness.

National Cattlemen's Beef Association President Bill Donald told the Committee - now is the time to begin the implementation process in order to secure critical market share. He said time is of the essence "because as a cattle producer, I'm competing with other cattlemen in the European Union, Australia, Canada, Argentina and Brazil and we're all courting the same consumer base."

Click on the LINK below for today's BEEF BUZZ with Bill Donald about what he told the House Ag Committee on these three trade deals.

Click here for our Beef Buzz with Bill Donald- talking about the need for trade deals be completed now.


12th National Watershed Conference Gets Underway Sunday in Downtown Oklahoma City
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The 12th National Watershed Conference will be held at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, May 15-18, 2011. Local, state, tribal, regional, and federal watershed, floodplain, and natural resources program managers and project sponsors from 30 states are expected to attend the conference.

Speakers for the conference include Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas who authored the Rehabilitation Amendments to the PL-83-566 Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Program. These amendments authorized the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to provide technical and 65% cost share assistance to rehabilitate high hazard flood control dams. Dave White, NRCS Chief and Dr. Ed Knipling, USDA Agriculture Research Service Administrator will also speak at the conference.

We talked with the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Mike Thralls about the Conference- and you can hear his preview by clicking on the LINK below.

In addition, Mike Thralls is our guest on our In the Field TV segment that will be seen on Saturday morning on KWTV News9 around 6:40 AM. Catch it on the morning news on KWTV Saturday morning.

Click here for our story with Mike Thralls and details on the National Watershed Conference that starts on Sunday.


Pork Industry Celebrates Setback Bill- Signed into Law by Governor Mary Fallin
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Capping what may be the best legislative session from an Oklahoma pork industry perspective in the last 20 years, Governor Fallin has signed HB1957 which will eliminate setbacks on water permits for all swine facilities. Passage and signing of the bill culminates 10 years of work on the part of the Oklahoma Pork Council.

There are a number of changes to our current law in the legislation. Here are the key changes:

Completely eliminates setback provisions for swine facilities from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) statutes
Creates a 3-mile setback from recreation sites with annual registered attendance of more than 2,000 people
Creates a 1-mile setback from recreation sites with annual registered attendance of 2,000 people or less
Requires all swine facilities with more than 250 head of mature hogs to obtain a license from the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture.

At the beginning of this legislative session, representatives of OPC sat down with representatives of the United Methodist Church and the church's camping programs and agreed to work together to develop language that would continue to protect the church's camp sites and still allow hog producers greater access to water permits. OPC also worked with Secretary of Agriculture Jim Reese to craft language Governor Fallin could support and ultimately sign if it passed both the House and the Senate.

The bill enjoyed broad, bi-partisan support as it worked through the legislature. It passed the House Ag Committee 19-1. It passed the full House 90-5. It passed the Senate Ag Committee 10-1. It passed the full Senate 33-11. On Wednesday, May 4, the full House vote 78-3 to accept Senate amendments. Governor Mary Fallin signed the bill on Wednesday of this week.


Eminent Domain Not An Option for Wind Turbine Promoters
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Governor Mary Fallin signed a measure into law this week that will protect landowners from the threat of eminent domain when companies are looking for locations to build wind turbines. Sen. Ron Justice, the author of Senate Bill 124, said the new law is important given the growing interest and success of the wind industry in the state.
"Oklahoma has an abundance of natural resources which help provide a tremendous boost to our state's economy so it's important that we protect and utilize those resources. However, it's also important to protect the rights of landowners," said Justice, R-Chickasha.

SB 124 prohibits the power of eminent domain to be used for the siting or erection of wind turbines on private property.

"The wind industry is exploding in our state and across the nation, which is great for our economy but we need to make sure that we don't put the interests of the industry above our state's landowners," said Justice, Chair of the Republican Rural Caucus. "This bill simply clarifies that landowners have the right to decide whether they want wind turbines on their property or not."

The bill was requested by concerned landowners who were approached by representatives of the wind industry who wanted to put wind turbines on their land and mentioned the possible use of eminent domain.

Click here for a word document version of the language of the bill as passed by the legislature this year.


Wheat Seed Almost Certain to be Very Tight This Fall
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In an email from Roger Osborn with Oklahoma Pedigreed Seed Services at Oklahoma State University, we get some details of one of the big worries for the hard red winter wheat industry this coming fall- will there be enough quality seed available? Osborn tells that earlier this spring that "the Oklahoma Crop Improvement Association board of directors discussed at length the possibility of recertifying Certified classes of wheat seed for sale this fall. Many factors were considered (limited availability of seed this fall, potential yields, number of acres applied for inspection, recertification requirements outlined in the Federal Seed Act, etc.). Ultimately, the board voted unanimously NOT to pursue recertification this year."

We asked Roger what this really means for farmers- and he tells us that "For the producer, it means that there will be limited amounts of certified seed available for planting this fall (2011). A producer may have to be willing to travel further from home to find seed and should be proactive in his approach to procuring the seed he needs for planting purposes. Waiting until September or October to find seed would not be recommended."

He adds that "We certainly hope this limited availability of seed will only affect the 2011 planting season and we'll have a bumper crop in 2012. Growers should also be reminded that most varieties of wheat in production are protected under state and federal seed laws. Owners of those protected varieties have the right to take legal action against anyone caught violating those varieties. Even though seed may be in limited supply this year, that fact does not give anyone the right to violate the laws with the buying and selling of non-certified protected varieties."

Click here to learn more about the Oklahoma Crop Improvement Association


Implanting Nursing Calves- One of the Best Investments in the Cattle Business!
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Many new technologies have been made available to the beef industry over the last 75 years. According to Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University Emeritus Extension Animal Scientist, few have the potential return on investment as do growth promoting implants for nursing calves.

The term implant is used to refer to a group of products used in the cattle industry that increase rate of growth. Each type or brand of implant has its own specific applicator, which is used to properly administer the implant. Implants contain natural or synthetic anabolic compounds that produce physiological responses similar to hormones that are already produced in varying quantities in the body. Selk offers one caveat- Calves intended for "natural" or "organic" markets should not be implanted.

Implants cleared for use in nursing calves contain a lower dose of the active ingredient compared to products cleared for use with older cattle. These "calf" implants are typically administered when calves are between 2 and 4 months of age. Research summaries have shown than implants given during the suckling phase will increase average daily gain of steer calves by 0.1 pound per day. The response in heifer calves is slightly higher at 0.12 to 0.14 pound per day. Over 150 days of the remaining nursing period, this additional gain can amount to 15 pounds in improved weaning weights in steers and 18 to 21 pounds in weaned heifer calves.

Click here to read more about this investment that offers a big payback- especially with calf prices where they are here in 2011


Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, PCOM, P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind Energy, Johnston Enterprises, American Farmers & Ranchers, KIS Futures and Oklahoma Mineral Buyers 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 $11.09 per bushel, while the 2011 New Crop contracts for Canola are now available are $11.09 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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