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Winter Storm Cleon continues to bring an early dose of winter to much of Oklahoma. That includes a swath of southwest Oklahoma up to the edge of the Oklahoma City metro that has already received four to six inches of snow- and as we write- it is still snowing lightly.


The northwestern- most counties of Oklahoma are not facing the travel challenges we are seeing downstate-  the Oklahoma Highway patrol says the three Oklahoma Panhandle counties have "received some snowfall, roadways are reported to be mostly clear. Roadways could be considered to be slick in spots. Be sure to pay attention to bridges."


According to the daily blog put out by Alan Crone of the News on 6 in Tulsa- the opposite corner from the Panhandle is getting iced- badly. "Far southeastern OK, west Ark, and NE Texas are experiencing a major ice storm. Damage to the power grid with loss of power is expected across extreme southeastern OK." 

Getting from point a to point b today will be a challenge in a lot of the state.  Click here to read more- and check out latest snowfall and outlook maps in this story on our OklahomaFarmReport.Com website.

WEATHER RELATED- we talked yesterday afternoon with Eddie Sims of National Cattle Services- he says that the Herefords in Native America sale scheduled for tomorrow in Marietta will be held- adding that folks interested in attending should be safe as they make a decision to come be there in person or not.  He adds that the sale is on DVAuction. Com and you can follow the sale and bid online at that site. Click here for sale details of this offering. 

Ken and Shari Holloway are watching weather conditions in the Bryan County area- and as of yesterday- are planning for the Oklahoma Select Sale (and Super Bull Competition) to be held as planned.  Click here for more details- and be watching for updates on our website, Twitter and Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Facebook pages for any changes of their plans.    

Ag Groups Offer Divergent Views On Proposed RFS Change 

Agriculture groups offered differing perspectives yesterday on the EPA's proposal to reduce the volume of ethanol mandated to be blended into the nation's gasoline supplies.  In testimony before the agency, representatives of the National Chicken Council, Growth Energy, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and the American Soybean Association outlined what the change would mean to their members.

NCC President Mike Brown said, "Congress created this mess, and ultimately, Congress must fix it."  He said the ethanol mandate keeps food prices artificially high and costs families more than $2,000 each year.  (Click here to read more from Mike Brown.)

Furthermore, he discusses the direct impact the RFS has had on farming, "This proposal would also jeopardize the tremendous success our nation's farmers have seen as a result of the certainty of the RFS with net farm income increasing by 51 percent while federal farm payments have decreased 57 percent."

Growth Energy favors the higher mandate.  Director of Regulatory Affairs Chris Bliley said cutting the volume "jeopardize the tremendous success our nation's farmers have seen as a result of the certainty of the RFS with net farm income increasing by 51 percent while federal farm payments have decreased 57 percent."  (You can read more from Growth Energy by clicking here.)

Corn farmer, cattle rancher and NCBA Past President Steve Foglesong argued , "We're not opposed to corn ethanol, but it's time to look at reforming the RFS and let the market pick winners and losers instead of the government."  (Click here for more comments from Steve Foglesong.)

A record number of voluntary conservation practices adopted by Chesapeake Bay farmers since 2006 have significantly reduced the amount of nitrogen, sediment and phosphorus leaving cultivated croplands, according to a new report released today.

The report, part of USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) estimates that since 2006, conservation practices applied by farmers and landowners are reducing nitrogen leaving fields by 48.6 million pounds each year, or 26 percent, and reducing phosphorus by 7.1 million pounds, or 46 percent.

The report notes that these practices have also lowered the estimated average edge-of-field losses of sediment, or eroded soil, by about 15.1 million tons a year, or 60 percent - enough soil to fill 150,000 railcars stretching more than 1,700 miles. The majority of the conservation practices in the Chesapeake Bay were made possible through Farm Bill conservation programs, which are now expired.

You can read more of this story by clicking here. 

Beef Producers Seeing Solid Results from Beef Checkoff Dollar International Investments

With the value of checkoff dollars being eroded by inflation with each passing year, Heather Buckmaster of the Oklahoma Beef Council said their board began looking for ways to increase the value of the dollars spent on behalf of Oklahoma cattle producers.

"Recognizing that the Oklahoma population represented less than two percent of the U.S. population, we really wanted to find a way to stretch those dollars and leverage those dollars.  So, we made the conscious decision to invest with the U.S. Meat Export Federation knowing that our dollars would be matched up to three and four times through government and industry resources. And we felt like that was the best investment to insure that our farmers and ranchers from Oklahoma were getting the best bang for their buck."

Buckmaster said they are now seeing solid results for those investments.

"When the Japanese market to beef from cattle under 30 months of age opened, we made a significant investment in the Japanese market through U.S. Meat Export Federation. Some examples of the success of those promotions: USMEF was able to leverage Oklahoma Beef Council checkoff dollars and other funding in a highly-visible promotion with 9,500 retail stores. With the focus on beef short plate which is an undervalued item here in the U.S. but loved in Japan, it generated a 64-percent increase in beef short plate sales. That was a great success for us." 

Heather joins me on Saturday's "In the Field" segment on News 9 about 6:40 a.m.  Click here to listen to our conversation or to read more of this story.

Windbreaks Reduce Cattle Energy Demands

Livestock Consultant Deke Alkire writes in the latest newsletter of the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation:

Cattle will naturally seek windbreaks in the winter. In cold weather, cattle require additional energy to maintain body temperature, and wind chill further increases energy demands. Typically, producers provide additional feed during cold weather, which means a higher feed bill.

For cattle with a dry winter hair coat, their lower critical temperature (LCT) is 32 degrees F. Temperatures or wind chill below this LCT will increase their energy requirements. If the same cattle have a wet winter hair coat, energy requirements start increasing for wind chill values less than 60 degrees F. It is easy to see that protecting cattle from winter wind can quickly add up in feed savings.

Many pastures have some kind of natural wind protection with varying degrees of effectiveness. It is obvious that trees and draws provide protection, but cattle will also shelter behind brush piles, below pond dams and terraces, and in low places. However, some natural windbreaks are not ideal, especially if cattle would be lying in mud. Mud can increase their energy requirements as much as 30 percent. Taking advantage of a good natural windbreak might be as easy as moving cattle from one pasture to another during winter. However, if natural options are limited, consider a man-made windbreak.

You can read more about windbreaks by clicking here. 

Grain Markets In Holding Pattern Through December, Anderson Says

In his preview to this weekend's SUNUP program, Oklahoma State University Extension Grain Marketing Specialist Kim Anderson says markets are somewhat in a holding pattern right now.

"All the commodities, two things are going to move prices during the month of December-it's going to be changes in fund positions and export sales. So, we'll have to watch that."

 Anderson says the Kansas City Board of Trade March contract is trading between $6.94 and $7.20. He says if it breaks the $6.94 mark on the way down, the support is 30 cents below that. If it goes higher than $7.20, the next target is $7.40. So far, the basis is holding strong.

"That's good news and I think it will continue to do so. 

"The wheat's in dormancy and we're probably not going to have much happen in the wheat market during the December time period. What really counts is after we get to January 2nd."

You can catch more of Kim Anderson's latest analysis and the lineup for this weekend's SUNUP program by clicking here.

No Farm Bill Deal- Conferees Wait on Budget Scores Coming Monday

Another week has come and gone- and still there is no agreement among the "Big Four" on a farm bill framework- at least nothing announced publicly.  It is possible that a deal could come together if the Congressional Budget Office reports back on Monday a number that Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas and the other three can all live with.   The need for CBO scoring is one of the reasons that no other talks are being held this week.

Because of no deal yet- House Speaker John Boehner suggested to reporters that perhaps a One Month Extension might be needed.  However, Frank Lucas told Eric Wasson of the TheHill.Com that he is not at the point of even suggesting even a one month extension.

Lucas does not think if a deal is in the works that USDA will allow consumers to be shocked with a doubling of milk prices because of no finalized deal and no extension.  He contends that it will take USDA a while to build new dairy program rules based on the 1949 law- so that allows negotiators time to finish the deal this month- tidy up everything across all the titles and then get final Conference Committee blessings- and then have a vote in the House and the Senate- and then finally have President Obama sign it into law.

Speaking of the Obama Administration- they issued an odd statement on Thursday afternoon- that may have been to rebuke Speaker Boehner for even suggesting a short term extension.  The two sentence statement said ""Negotiations on Capitol Hill about the Farm Bill should continue until House and Senate leaders reach agreement on a comprehensive bill. Numerous members of both sides have indicated progress, and the country deserves continued work on this critical legislation."

In all of this- Chairman Lucas indicated to Eric Wasson he was heading home to Oklahoma Thursday afternoon- not sure if the Congressman was able to get home because of the storms or not. That seems to mean the waiting game for the CBO is underway.