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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oklahoma's latest
farm and ranch news
Your Update from Ron
Hays of RON for Tuesday September 27, 2011 A
service of Johnston Enterprises, P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind
Energy and American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance
Company!
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-- Oklahoma Crop Weather Update - Fall Crop Planting Has Begun
-- Pasture and Range Conditions Continue to Be Classified as
Dreadful- or Worse.
-- Governor Fallin Amends Burn Ban Across Parts of Oklahoma
-- No-Till on the Plains Hosting Webinar on Soil and the Microbes in
the Soil
-- OSU's Dr. Derrell Peel says There are Two Stories in the Latest
Cattle on Feed Report
-- U.S. Meat Export Federation Releases Livestock ID Economic
Assessment
-- Oklahoma Department of Agriculture Creates Feral Swine
Directory
-- 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. Johnston is proud to be an
outlet for Trimble GPS Guidance and Precision Agriculture Solutions- Call
Derrick Bentz at 580-732-8080 for details. For more on Johnston
Enterprises- click
here for their 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. | |
Oklahoma Crop Weather Update - Fall Crop Planting Has Begun ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the latest
Crop Weather Update, the focus was on wheat and canola planting saying -
"It's official, the wheat and canola planting season has begun for the
2011 - 2012 season. The rains last week, ranging from 0.08 of an inch in
the South Central district to 0.99 of an inch in the Northeast district,
gave producers some moisture to start planting. Planting across much of
the state was triggered by the needed precipitation as Mesonet data over
the last two weeks totaled 0.75 of an inch in the Panhandle district to
2.23 inches received in the Northeast district. Wheat planting progress
was 20 points behind the five-year average and canola planting was 19
points behind last year. The rain has also helped livestock producers by
bringing needed relief to pastures and hay fields across the state. While
these rains were well received, livestock producers continued to cull
herds as shortages of hay and pasture continued."
For the fall-planted crops, the report says - "With the recent rains seedbed preparation made good progress for both wheat and canola, and planting had begun. Seedbed preparation for wheat ground was 71 percent complete by week's end, 14 points behind normal. Wheat planting reached 11 percent, 20 points behind normal. Canola seedbed preparation reached 77 percent complete by the end of the week, up two points from the previous week, while planting reached 13 percent, 19 points behind last year. Seedbed preparation for rye was 61 percent and planting reached nine percent by Sunday, 45 points behind normal. Seedbed preparation for oat ground was 52 percent complete. Peanuts continued to be the only crop rated mostly fair to good with all remaining crops rated poor to very poor. Ninety-five percent of corn had reached maturity and 70 percent had been harvested by week's end. Sorghum heading reached 96 percent complete and coloring was 67 percent complete, 14 points behind normal. Forty-two percent of sorghum was mature, and 22 percent was harvested by Sunday, 7 points ahead of the five-year average. Soybean blooming was 95 percent complete, 83 percent was setting pods, and 13 percent was mature by week's end, all behind the five-year average. Peanuts setting pods reached 93 percent complete, and 24 percent were mature by Sunday, 31 points behind normal. Cotton reached 95 percent setting bolls, and 41 percent of plants had bolls opening by week's end, 22 points behind normal." Hay production across the state continued to be very limited. Third cuttings of alfalfa were 50 percent complete, 50 points behind normal. A second cutting of other hay reached 50 percent complete by Sunday, 22 points behind the five-year average. Click here to see the complete Crop Weather Update as of Monday, September 26, 2011 | |
Pasture and Range Conditions Continue to Be Classified as Dreadful- or Worse. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Whatever word
you care to use- awful, dreadful, terrible- they can only begin to
describe the pasture and range conditions in the south central part of the
US. There has been virtually no change in these ratings since mid summer
as the exceptional drought has scorched Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, as
well as a good bit of western Kansas.
Pasture ratings show Texas at 96% in poor to very poor condition, with 80% of the rating in the very poor category. Oklahoma is not much better, with a 90% poor to very poor rating- in the case of both states- these ratings, coupled with the inability to grow very little hay this season accounts for the beef cattle liquidations that continue as fall arrives. When you factor in slim and none for potential winter wheat pasture this fall- you come into the "adding insult to injury" zone. Looking at the national crop progress numbers- no big surprises are
being seen- corn and soybean harvest has begun- with the soybean harvest
somewhat behind the five year average and corn almost right at that five
year average number (15% in the latest report versus a five year average
of 16%). | |
Governor Fallin Amends Burn Ban Across Parts of Oklahoma ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Due to recent
rainfall across Oklahoma, Governor Mary Fallin will amend the burn ban in
central Oklahoma. Effective Tuesday, September 27, at 1 p.m. the ban will
be modified to cover 28 counties: Atoka, Beaver, Beckham, Bryan, Carter,
Choctaw, Cimarron, Coal, Comanche, Cotton, Garvin, Greer, Harmon, Jackson,
Jefferson, Johnston, Kiowa, Love, Marshall, McCurtain, Murray, Pontotoc,
Pushmataha, Roger Mills, Stephens, Texas, Tillman, and
Washita.Statewide, most county commissioners meet Monday and will have a chance to assess local conditions and consider their own countywide burn bans at that time. "The drought continues to persist across Oklahoma, but the recent light rains have given some counties a temporary reprieve from extreme fire conditions," Fallin said. "Individual counties can utilize more localized data, conditions and fire occurrence to decide if burn bans are called for on a county level." The 28 counties that remain under the Governor's Burn Ban still have very high fire danger due to the wildland fuel conditions and fire behavior. Citizens in counties outside the Governor's Burn Ban should check with local officials or visit the Forestry Service website, which can be found by following the link below, to see if a county burn ban has been enacted. Click here for more on Gov. Fallin's changes to the burn ban | |
No-Till on the Plains Hosting Webinar on Soil and the Microbes in the Soil ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ No-till on the
Plains will be hosting a No-till University Webinar featuring Dr. Kris
Nichols, Soil Microbiologist, on Friday, September 30, from 11:00 a.m. to
12:00 p.m. The webinar topic will be "The Living Soils: Microbes
Description and General Activities." Dr. Nichols will be discussing the
microbial interaction taking place in soils and the potential in these
soils. Dr. Nichols grew up on a primarily corn-soybean farm in southwestern Minnesota. She joined the research group at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory in Mandan, North Dakota in June, 2003 as a Soil Microbiologist. Nichols received her Bachelor of Science degrees in Plant Biology and in Genetics and Cell Biology from the University of Minnesota in 1995, a Masters degree in Environmental Microbiology from West Virginia University in 1999, and a Ph.D. in Soil Science from the University of Maryland in 2003. Since 1993, Nichols has studied arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi - a plant-root symbiont. Her most recent work involves the investigation of glomalin - a glycoproteinaceous substance produced by AM fungi. Glomalin contributes to nutrient cycling by protecting AM hyphae that are transporting nutrients from the soil to the plant in exchange for carbon from the plant and to soil structure and plant health by helping to form and stabilize soil aggregates. Nichols has found glomalin is a major component of soil organic matter (ca. 15-20%) in undisturbed soils and may be agriculturally managed soil carbon sink. Dr. Nichols has been examining the impacts of crop rotations, tillage practices, livestock grazing management on soil aggregation, water relationships, and glomalin at Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory. Click here for more on this webinar and the link to register to watch the webinar live. | |
OSU's Dr. Derrell Peel says There are Two Stories in the Latest Cattle on Feed Report ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The September
Cattle on Feed report was a bit of a surprise; at least in some respects.
Placements were well below the range of pre-report estimates at 99 percent
of a year ago and that, combined with marketings at 107 percent of last
year, which was on the upper end of the estimates, put the September 1,
cattle on feed inventory at 105 percent of last year, noticeably less than
the expected level of 108 percent.According to Dr. Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Livestock Marketing Specialist, the expectations for this report reflected a focus on one market factor but failed to anticipate the other story in this report. Widespread expectations that the drought was continuing to force cattle into the feedlot early were borne out dramatically by the sharp increase in placements in Texas, up 15 over year ago levels for the month, and by the placement weights, in which all of the increase was in the under 600 pound category. In total, placements of cattle weighing less than 600 pounds was up 44 percent, led by Texas, which was up 70 percent. In Nebraska, total placements were down, at 93 percent of last year, but placements of under 600 pound animals was up 63 percent year over year for the month. This likely reflects movement of lightweight feeder cattle out of the drought areas. There are indications that numerous cows have been placed in feedlots as well but it is unclear if the cows are accounted for in the cattle on feed total. The weight distribution would not suggest very many cows in the on-feed total but the COF questionnaire does not clarify cows versus steers and heifers on feed. Nevertheless, the drought impacts were much as anticipated and were very dramatic. What was not well anticipated was the fact that, in absence of the drought, feeder supplies are extraordinarily tight and that led to significantly lower placements in some other parts of the country. Placements were down 15 percent in Kansas and 10 percent in Iowa and 7 percent in Nebraska. Click here for more on the Cattle on Feed Report from Dr. Derrell Peel | |
U.S. Meat Export Federation Releases Livestock ID Economic Assessment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A study
assessing the impact of traceability and animal identification programs on
the international market for red meat has been released by the U.S. Meat
Export Federation (USMEF). Conducted by researchers at Kansas State University, Colorado State University and Montana State University, the study assesses the potential impact on U.S. producers and processors of evolving thinking about animal ID and traceability in leading export markets and traceability systems that have already been put in place by other major beef and pork exporting countries. The study - "Economic Assessment of Evolving Red Meat Export Market Access Requirements for Traceability of Livestock and Meat" - points out that the United States and India are the only two major beef exporters that do not already have mandatory traceability systems. Argentina, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Uruguay all have animal identification/traceability programs in place. In addition to the traceability systems of exporting nations, the report, which was commissioned by USMEF on a contract awarded based on a request for proposal, provides an analysis of the domestic cattle traceability systems employed by selected major importers of U.S. beef. Of special note, Japan and Korea, among the highest value markets for U.S. red meat exports, have adopted mandatory traceability programs which could eventually lead to similar requirements being applied to imports. Click here for more on this study and the links to the full study report | |
Oklahoma Department of Agriculture Creates Feral Swine Directory ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Oklahoma
Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry (ODAFF) is creating the
Oklahoma Feral Swine Directory to help hunters and trappers locate
landowners who want help in controlling feral swine. Feral swine can be found in all 77 counties in Oklahoma. The animals are omnivorous and will eat anything from grain to meat. Cultivated crops make up a large part of their diet but they also prey on ground-nesting birds, like quail and turkey. Feral swine will kill and consume lambs and kid goats. Crops commonly damaged by feral swine include wheat, sorghum, soybeans, corn, peanuts, hay, watermelons, pecans and vegetable gardens. The swine don't just eat crops, they also trample them into the ground. Feral swine were once domestic hogs, but are now wild. They typically travel in groups consisting of sows and young, while boars are generally solitary. Feral swine can be aggressive and violent in addition to carrying diseases. It is speculated that feral swine double their population every four months. "Feral swine have become a serious problem for our agriculture
producers in the state" said Secretary of Agriculture Jim Reese. "It is
imperative that we do all we can to help control the spread of these
animals." Click here for links to applications for the directory and more information | |
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. | |
Let's Check the Markets! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 $12.03
per bushel- as of the close of trade Wednesday, while the 2012 New Crop
contracts for Canola are now available are $12.06 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: | |
God Bless! You can reach us at the following: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email: ron@oklahomafarmreport.com
phone: 405-473-6144
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