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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.
Let's Check the
Markets!
Today's
First Look:
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.
Okla
Cash Grain:
Daily
Oklahoma Cash Grain Prices- as reported
by the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture.
Canola
Prices:
Current
cash price for Canola is $12.47 per bushel-
2012
New Crop contracts for Canola are now available at
$12.64 per bushel- delivered to local
participating elevators that are working with PCOM.
Futures
Wrap:
Our
Daily Market Wrapup from the Radio
Oklahoma Network with Ed Richards and Tom Leffler-
analyzing the Futures Markets from the previous Day.
KCBT
Recap:
Previous Day's Wheat Market Recap-Two
Pager from the Kansas City Board of Trade looks at all
three U.S. Wheat Futures Exchanges with extra info on
Hard Red Winter Wheat and the why of that day's
market.
Feeder
Cattle Recap:
The
National Daily Feeder & Stocker
Cattle Summary- as prepared by USDA.
Slaughter
Cattle Recap:
The
National Daily Slaughter Cattle
Summary- as prepared by the USDA.
TCFA
Feedlot Recap:
Finally,
here is the Daily Volume and Price Summary from
the Texas Cattle Feeders Association.
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Oklahoma's
Latest Farm and Ranch News
Your
Update from Ron Hays of RON
Wednesday,
March 14,
2012 |
Howdy
Neighbors!
Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch
news update.
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Featured
Story:
Pork
Exports Maintain Hot Pace; Beef Ahead Slightly in
January
U.S.
red meat exports have a tough act to follow after
a record-setting year in 2011, but the early
indications for 2012 are good. January pork
exports jumped 28 percent in volume and 43 percent
in value while beef exports were even in volume
but rose 14 percent in value, according to
statistics released by the USDA and compiled by
the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).
"There is a challenge to follow a very
successful year like 2011 and sustain the
momentum," said Philip Seng,
USMEF president and CEO. "The good news is that
there are opportunities to expand the presence of
U.S. red meat by exploring new market niches as
well as increasing access with several key trading
partners."
Several key measurements also
showed continued growth: export value per head and
percentage of total production exported. For pork,
January's export value equated to $59.44 per head
of commercial slaughter compared to $43.59 a year
ago, and 29.6 percent of total production
(including variety meat) was exported in January
versus 24.2 percent last year. For just muscle
cuts, 25 percent of production was exported this
January compared to 20 percent last year.
Beef exports equated to $197.95 per head
of fed slaughter in value compared to $170.10 last
year. The percentage of production exported - 12.3
percent for beef and variety meats and 9 percent
for just muscle cuts- remained the same.
There is much more detail in this
report which can be found by clicking
here.
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Sponsor
Spotlight
We
are also excited to have as one of our sponsors
for the daily email Producers Cooperative
Oil Mill, with 64 years of progress
through producer ownership. Call Brandon Winters
at 405-232-7555 for more information on the
oilseed crops they handle, including sunflowers
and canola- and remember they post closing market
prices for canola and sunflowers on
the PCOM website- go there by clicking
here.
We
are proud to have KIS
Futures as
a regular sponsor of our daily email update. KIS
Futures provides Oklahoma Farmers & Ranchers
with futures & options hedging services in the
livestock and grain markets- Click here for the free market quote
page they
provide us for our website or call them at
1-800-256-2555- and their iPhone App, which
provides all electronic futures quotes is
available at the App Store- click here for the KIS
Futures App for your iPhone.
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Angus
Heifer Shown by Kolby Sheppard of Perkins Tryon is
Supreme Champ at OYE- Our Full OYE Recap from
Tuesday
There
was quite a variety of size and quality in the
Supreme Beef Heifer drive on Tuesday afternoon at
the 2012 Oklahoma Youth Expo- and the judges,
Dave Duello and Jimmy
Williams, commented on that fact as they
summarized their two day's work in the final
coming together each breed champion and reserve
female. Both judges confirmed that they felt
that while each of the animals were tops in their
breed- four stood out and they considered them the
cream of the crop- not sure about the second pair-
but the top two were identified by the judges as
the Supreme Champion and Reserve Supreme Champion
Beef Heifer of the 2012 show.
Kolby
Sheppard of Perkins-Tryon 4-H had the top
Angus heifer- and she was slapped by Deullo as the
Supreme Champion- Williams walked over and
congratulated Cole Moore of the
Madill FFA Chapter for showing the Reserve Supreme
Champion- which was the Chianina Breed
Champ. We will have all of the Beef Heifer
Breed Champions and Reserves up a little later
this morning on our Blue Green Gazette pages- click here
to jump there- and we have the pictures of all
of the breed champs and reserves on our Flickr
page this morning- click here for the Flickr page where
we have almost 500 photos we have snapped
since Sunday of the entire OYR to date.
Also
on Tuesday- we covered the Commercial gilt show,
where 875 gilts were paraded in front of the
judges- Champion Commercial gilt- best of those
875 was shown and owned by Lexi
Beier of the Perry 4-H. Reserve
Commercial gilt was shown by Paden
Day of the Mulhall Orlando 4-H. Click here for the complete rundown
of the purebred and commercial gilt class
winners- and a great interview with the
Commercial Gilt judge- Kevin Wendt from Ohio.
(Pictures from both the Purebred and Commercial
Gilt shows are also on Flickr.)
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Salt
Tolerance in New Wheat Variety Increases Durum
Yields 25 Percent
Crop
scientists in Australia have bred salt tolerance
into a new variety of durum wheat, increasing
yields by 25 percent in salty soils.
The
scientists from the University of Adelaide used
non-GM crop breeding techniques to introduce the
gene into commercial durum wheat. The results,
researchers say, has been nothing short of
spectacular.
"This work is significant as
salinity already affects over 20% of the world's
agricultural soils, and salinity poses an
increasing threat to food production due to
climate change," Dr. Rana Munns says.
The
results were published March 11 in the journal
Nature Biotechnology.
You can read much more about this new
variety of salt-tolerant wheat by clicking
here.
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Trade
Implications of Changes in the Mexican Cattle and
Beef Industry
The
drought that is affecting the Southern Plains
extends into central Mexico. Oklahoma State
University Extension Livestock Marketing
Specialist Derrell Peel says dry
conditions are significantly impacting their
cattle industry and may support growth in beef
imports. Here is his analysis:
Drought
conditions in northern Mexico remain very severe
and the region has shared little of the moisture
that has been received this winter in some parts
of Texas and Oklahoma. Though no comprehensive
data is available, indications from producers in
northern Mexico indicate that significant herd
liquidation is taking place across the region.
There is little doubt that the 1.42 million head
of Mexican cattle imports in 2011, the largest
annual import total since 1995, was significantly
enhanced by the drought. This
level of imports is not sustainable and will be
offset by sharply reduced imports in the future.
However, without better data, is uncertain how
much additional liquidation might occur in 2012 if
the drought persists and thus what level of
imports might be possible this year. I suspect
that imports may drop some from 2011 levels but
weekly data so far this year indicates that
Mexican cattle imports are currently up 27 percent
year to date from last year. Certainly strong U.S.
cattle prices will attract Mexican feeder cattle
if there are cattle available for export.
You can read more of Derrell Peel's
analysis of what the continuing drought in Mexico
means for U.S. ranchers by clicking
here.
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CropLife
America President Discusses Modern Agriculture in
Light of 'Silent Spring'
CropLife
America (CLA) president and CEO Jay
Vroom spoke about the history of
advancements in the crop protection industry with
attendees of the University of Utah's Wallace
Stegner Center's 17th Annual Symposium, "Silent
Spring at 50: The Legacy of Rachel Carson," in
Salt Lake City, Utah. Vroom's presentation
discussed the influence of Carson's seminal book,
and its impact on the regulatory framework,
environmental awareness, and development of crop
protection products. Vroom emphasized that whether
it's through improved chemical formulas, more
precise applications or integrated pest management
programs, the crop protection industry continues
to advance and help growers safely and responsibly
produce food, fiber and renewable
fuel.
"Silent Spring launched the modern
environmental movement, and it is important to
reflect on the impacts made on U.S. agricultural
policy and the regulation of crop protection
products," said Vroom. "By looking back at the
societal changes ignited by Ms. Carson's writing,
we can also look forward to future research and
development opportunities and the creation of
better modern agricultural tools. CropLife America
is excited to engage in an open dialogue about
this important book, discuss the improvements the
crop protection industry has made in its wake, the
advancements still happening every day, and how
modern agriculture better interfaces with today's
environmental concerns."
In his
presentation, Vroom highlighted specific changes
spurred by the 1962 publication of Silent
Spring.
You can see a video of Jay Vroom in
an interview with the president of the
Environmental Working Group as well as read more
of this story here.
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Newest
Products and Services Exhibited at TSCRA Trade
Show
More
than 200 exhibitors will showcase the newest
products and services to cattle producers across
the state at the Texas and Southwestern Cattle
Raisers Association (TSCRA) 37th Annual Trade Show
during the TSCRA Convention Weekend March 30 -
April 1, 2012 in Fort Worth.
Registration
is open now and attendees who register on or
before Friday, March 16, will receive a $50 per
person discount.
As the largest cattle
industry exhibition in Texas, the TSCRA Convention
is a must-attend for anyone involved in livestock
production. Whether you own cattle, horses or
simply own land the TSCRA Trade Show has something
for everyone.
To ready more about the trade show
and access the link to their agenda and
registration page, click here.
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Watonga
Teacher Named Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom Teacher
of The Year
A
31-year veteran of the classroom has been named
Oklahoma's latest Ag in the Classroom State
Teacher of the Year. Shirley
Lettkeman, a fourth grade and gifted
education teacher in Watonga was honored at a
school assembly.
Lettkeman has a master's
degree in education, is reading specialist
certified and has achieved National Board
Certification. Though she grew up in Clinton,
Lettkeman has taught in Watonga for 31
years.
Lettkeman says, "I always try to
make learning a fun and enjoyable experience. I do
not want to make the students read for the sake of
reading, I want them to fall in love with reading.
I want it to be a lifetime experience. The same is
with agriculture, community and our love for our
country; I want them to fall in love with it
too."
Click here to read more about
Oklahoma's newest Ag in the Classroom Teacher of
the Year.
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Late
Word From the Senate Ag Committee in Washington-
Stabenow Delays Important Farm Bill Hearing One
Day- Now Set for Tomorrow to start at 8 AM
Central
The
fourth of four Senate Ag Committee hearings in
Washington on the key elements of the 2012 Farm
Bill was set to happen this morning- this hearing
to focus on the Commodity Title and Crop
Insurance. However, an email from the
Committee indicates that a series of Senate votes
are expected today- so they have decided to push
back the hearing on this vital part of the 2012
Farm Bill puzzle to tomorrow- Thursday March
15. Start time is 8 AM central- and you can
view the full list of those testifying tomorrow as
well as get the link to be able to watch the
proceedings tomorrow by clicking here.
The usual
suspects will be in the chairs facing the
Senators- the Presidents of AFBF and NFU-
Commodity Group Presidents, Agribusiness and Crop
Insurance representatives and Michael Scuse-
Acting Undersecretary for Farm and Foreign
Agricultural services who will give the Obama
Administration version of farm bill needs to the
lawmakers.
To me- the final witness listed
is perhaps the most interesting- the President of
the "Future Farmers of America," Ryan
Best of Portales, New Mexico. If
the lawmakers and their staff are so far out of
touch with rural America that they can't get the
updated name of the largest specifically ag youth
organization correct- you wonder what else they
may have gotten wrong to this point. I know-
I am nitpicking- but the young people who wear the
Blue and Gold jackets these days have never been
in a group with that name- it's always been called
the National FFA organization in their high school
careers. Best will offer his thoughts on
farm policy from the perspective of how it will
affect the ability of his generation to take over
the farming and ranching duties in the years to
come. I am sure he will also point out that
his group is preparing young people for careers
throughout agriculture- not just to return to the
farm or ranch.
Expectations are that
after this hearing- we could see the Senate Ag
Committee mark up a 2012 Farm Bill proposal in a
matter of days- maybe even ahead of the
Congressional Easter break that comes around the
first of April. The House Ag Committee is
busy doing "field" hearings on farm policy- and
the last of those is not until April 20 in Dodge
City, Kansas (the closest one to most of us in
Oklahoma) so probably not much will be coming from
Frank Lucas and his Committee
until those hearings are concluded.
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God Bless!
You can reach us at the following:
phone: 405-473-6144
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