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American Farm Bureau's long time lobbyist Mary Kay Thatcher spent time in Norman over this past weekend at the 72nd Oklahoma Farm Bureau annual meeting- and we sat down and discussed primarily two issues with her- reaction to the EPA decision to roll back the RFS Volume standard to 2012 levels and the 2013 Farm Bill Conference.


Thatcher told us that the reaction has been mixed over the EPA announcement on the RFS- and that the reaction probably was muted somewhat by the leak of the proposal a couple of weeks before this past Friday's announcement. She says it's important to remember that the EPA plan is only now in a public comment period- and she believes that if the EPA moves forward with the lower volume levels after all public comments are considered- that litigation may well follow.


Thatcher is encouraged with the progress that seems to be happening with the 2013 Farm Bill negotiations- adding that there have been few public comments offered by the four principle negotiators- House Ag Chairman Frank Lucas and his ranking member Colin Peterson, Senate Ag Chair Debbie Stabenow and her ranking member Thad Cochran. She believes that is one sign that progress is happening- the negotiations are not happening through the media.


Thatcher says that the nutrition cuts are a source of concern for all who are outside looking in- and she finds it hard to believe that there can be larger than ten billion dollars in cuts over a ten year period- Democrats simply won't accept more and Republicans will be hard pressed to accept anything smaller than that level of reductions. 

Click here to read more- or to listen to the complete conversation we had with Mary Kay Thatcher.

Canola and Winter Wheat Both Looking Good as Winter Weather Nears 

The next to last Oklahoma Crop Weather Update is out from USDA-and it shows we are clearly in much better shape headed for winter compared to the adverse conditions of one year ago.

Small grains and canola continued to be rated in mostly good condition with canola rated 74% good to excellent and winter wheat checking in at 73% good to excellent. Almost all of the small grains planted this fall have emerged, and operators were beginning to graze cattle on wheat pasture.

Row Crops: Harvest of remaining row crops made significant progress. The sorghum harvest was 84 percent complete by Sunday, six points ahead of the five-year average. Ninety-five percent of soybeans were mature by week's end, and 75 percent had been harvested. Ninety-seven percent of the peanut crop had been dug by the end of the week and 93 percent was harvested, five points ahead of normal. The cotton harvest was 57 percent completed by week's end.

Beef Exports Continue Upward Trend While Pork Exports Remain Down Slightly 

Paced by sustained strong performances by the Japan and Hong Kong markets and a rebound in Mexico, U.S. beef exports in September remained ahead of 2012 levels. U.S. pork exports continue to face a number of challenges including access restrictions in Russia and a lingering downturn in the Japan market, according to statistics released by the USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).


Powered by a 37 percent jump in the volume of beef exports to Japan, 65 percent to Mexico and 102 percent to Hong Kong, U.S. beef exports rose nearly 5 percent in September and are up 1 percent for the year. The value of those exports - up nearly 16 percent to Japan, 56 percent to Mexico, 182 percent to Hong Kong and more than 41 percent to South Korea - drove the value of U.S. beef exports up 14 percent for the month and they remain 10 percent ahead of the 2012 pace that set a record of $5.51 billion.


U.S. pork exports received a boost from sales to the China/Hong Kong region - up 14 percent in volume and 24 percent in value for the month - as well as strong sales to the ASEAN region (up 45 percent in volume and nearly 47 percent in value), but continued access restrictions to Russia and a very competitive market in Japan continued to keep pork exports down 5 percent in value and more than 9 percent in volume for the month and 5 percent in both categories for the year.

You can drill down into either the beef or pork export figures by clicking here for our full report which details our best markets for meat exports as we head for the home stretch of the 2013 calendar year.

Tyson Achieves Record Sales and Record Earnings Per Share for Fiscal Year 2013

On Monday, Tyson Foods, Inc. reported fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of $261 million, or 70 cents a share, compared with earnings of $181 million, or 51 cents a share, a year ago. Revenue came in at $8.9 billion, from $8.3 billion a year earlier.


Excluding items, the beef, pork, and poultry producer reported adjusted earnings of 70 cents a share, from 55 cents a year earlier. Wall Street had expected Tyson Foods to post earnings of 70 cents on revenue of $8.89 billion, according to analysts polled by Reuters.


"We had a great fourth quarter, and 2013 was the best year in company history in terms of record sales and earnings per share," said Donnie Smith, Tyson's president and chief executive officer. "The company achieved these results while buying back $550 million in stock, paying more than $100 million in dividends, continuing to build out operations in China and growing our prepared foods business through acquisitions and by entering new product categories.

Click here for more details and a link to a detailed species by species update of the Tyson report.

OSU Market Watcher Derrell Peel- Current Cattle Markets Foretell 2014 Market Expectations 

The counter-seasonal behavior of cattle markets this fall indicates the transition that is occurring in beef and cattle markets. According to OSU Extension Livestock Market Economist Dr. Derrell Peel, the fourth quarter of 2013 provides insight into the general expectations for markets in 2014. Cattle slaughter for the year to date is down 1.7 percent but is down an average of 3.6 percent in the last four weeks. Though beef production is down only 1.1 percent for the year to date, it is down an average of 2.9 percent the last four weeks. Both cattle slaughter and beef production are expected to decline for the remainder of the year bringing fourth quarter cattle slaughter down over 5.5 percent, year over year, and beef production down over 5 percent. For 2014, cattle slaughter is expected to decrease roughly 7 percent year over year leading to decreased beef production of over 6.5 percent for the year.



Choice boxed beef prices have averaged above $200/cwt for the last four weeks and fed cattle prices have averaged above $130/cwt for the same period. Both of these prices could average at or above these levels for the entire year of 2014, with spring peaks of $215/cwt or higher for Choice boxed beef and fed cattle prices approaching $140/cwt for a spring top. All eyes will be on the demand side as the supply side of these markets will certainly support even higher prices than these if demand is sufficient. 

Peel also details his thoughts for the stocker cattle and calf markets- and the market situation with cull cows and replacements- click here to read all of his analysis which is a part of this week's Cow- Calf Corner that Peel and Glenn Selk conspire on.

Bridging the Gap Symposium Examined Complex World of Antibiotic Use and Resistance

The sharing of science-based antibiotic use and resistance information continued among experts and leaders from the animal, human and public health communities during the "Bridging the Gap Between Animal Health and Human Health" symposium sponsored by the National Institute for Animal Agriculture and conducted earlier this month in Kansas City, Mo. Adding to the symposium's insightful, transparent discussions were presentations by media and consumer advocacy group representatives as well as questions generated by symposium attendees.


"Antibiotic resistance has been called the single most complex problem in public health, and this symposium provided respective health communities and disciplines a platform where they shared their latest research findings," states Dr. Nevil Speer, co-chair of the symposium and a professor at Western Kentucky University.   


"This year's antibiotic use and resistance symposium not only shed additional light on this often polarized topic but we identified common ground so a collective path forward that serves the best interests of all parties can be forged." 

Eleven points emerged from the Symposium regarding the use of antibiotics in animal agriculture- we have them in our full story on our website- click here to jump over there and see if you agree or disagree with the key points that surfaced.

Commodity Classic Registration Opens THIS Morning at 9 AM 

Commodity Classic registration and housing reservations open online at 9 a.m. CST on THIS MORNING, Nov. 19, 2013. Rooms are expected to book quickly, so those interested should register as soon as possible.

 

The 19th annual farmer focused-farmer led event is scheduled for Feb. 27-March 1, 2014, along the banks of the famous River Walk at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Tex. The convention center will house the registration desk and all Commodity Classic specific events, including the Opening Reception, General Session, Evening of Entertainment, Trade Show, Learning Center Sessions and What's New Sessions.

 

"We're excited to be gearing up for this one-of-a-kind, world-class trade show presented by growers, for growers, in this beautiful, historic city," said ASA Commodity Classic Co-Chair Wyatt Whitford, "Guests can expect a big show with a variety of opportunities for education and up-close experience with new innovative technology."

Presented annually by the National Corn Growers Association, American Soybean Association, National Association of Wheat Growers and National Sorghum Producers, Commodity Classic is America's largest farmer-led, farmer-focused convention, and trade show.  

Click here for the Commodity Classic website- there is supposed to be a registration button appear at 9 AM this morning which will allow registration to begin.