Howdy Neighbors!

Here's your morning farm news headlines from the Director of Farm Programming for the Radio Oklahoma Network, Ron Hays. We are proud to welcome Farm Credit of East Central Oklahoma as a regular sponsor of our daily email update. Farm Credit of East Central Oklahoma has ten branch offices to serve your farm financing needs and is dedicated to being your first choice for farm credit. Check out their website for more information by clicking here!

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Thanks for your interest in this daily email- and while it will be shorter between now and September first- we will be covering the important stories that matter to Oklahoma agriculture.

"In addition to wheat fieldwork, both sorghum and corn acreage are up in Oklahoma and many producers have more summer crop harvest issues to contend with as well. Dryland corn harvest in Oklahoma is just beginning, with prospects for yields well above Oklahoma averages. The result of all of this is that producers do not appear to be particularly aggressive about stocker cattle prospects yet. After having the 2007 wheat crop jerked out from under their feet, most producers are focused on getting summer crops harvested and a winter wheat crop established before they think about stocker cattle and grazing. The next month will be critical, but assuming we get decent wheat pasture established this fall, I expect there will be considerable interest in stocker grazing but also some continued caution. Producers will likely be pretty conservative with grazing programs to minimize any potential negative impact on wheat yields.

"Much of the same attitude may apply to cow-calf producers as well with respect to hay and forage production. My sense is that although considerable hay has been produced recently, producers are rightfully cautious about total hay supplies and overall cow-calf production conditions. I do think the second half of the year will show some cow herd expansion in Oklahoma, but the pace is modest and perhaps localized in specific regions. Depending on what the winter brings there could be significantly more interest in herd expansion next spring. For now, both crop and livestock producers would just like to get production back to something like business as usual."

Based on a map available to be examined on the NFU website, Oklahoma would qualify for anywhere from .2 to .6 tons of carbon offsets annually under the no-till portion of the program. There is also a Credit that can be earned on seeded pasture land, as well as for livestock manure management facilities from confinement operations- primarily for those operations designed to capture methane.

We have provided a link below to the NFU website for their carbon credits program. They have frequently asked questions, a video you can link on and a lot more. It may be worth your while to check this program out.

Click here for details on the NFU Carbon Credits Program

Keys says he does not understand how a small minority of producers can convince lawmakers that there is any real need for a Competition Title in the Farm Law. He's pleased that the House rejected arguments for things like a ban on packer ownership, but acknowledges that there will likely be a battle on this front in the Senate Ag Committee, which is more inclined to pay attention to those arguments.

You can hear our conversation with Chandler on today's mid week edition of the Beef Buzz, heard on stations across the Radio Oklahoma Network. We also have it linked below for your convenience to hear on demand 24/7. Check it out!

Click here for today's Beef Buzz with Ron and Chandler talking Competition Title Ideas for the 2007 Farm Bill.

Currently there are 39 Angus, nine Hereford and two Simmental bulls consigned for the sale. The bulls will be auctioned first, then the replacement heifers. Each bull sold through OBI undergoes a breeding soundness examination and is tested for brucellosis and tuberculosis or is from a certified-free herd. All bulls must index in the top 70 percent of their test group. "OBI has been having bull sales since 1973," said Tim Stidham, OBI Test Station director. "With 30-plus years of feeding bulls, the dependability of our performance records is unmatched. OBI customers depend on the reliability of these bulls."

Bulls to be sold will be available for preview beginning at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 17, at the test station. The station also will host a morning social beginning at 7 a.m. on Oct. 18. Performance test results for bulls include: average daily gain; weight per day of age; adjusted 365-day weight; scrotal circumference; ultrasonic data for rib eye area, fat thickness and marbling; hip height; computation of performance ratios; and Expected Progeny Differences as provided by breed associations. All OBI bulls are tested according to procedures recommended by the Beef Improvement Federation. Each bull developed at OBI is housed and fed in its respective breed barn. One ration is fed to all bulls throughout the 112-day test. Bulls of some breeds are fed using self feeders; other breeds are fed using fence-line bunks.
Anyone seeking additional information should contact the OBI office at 405-744-9287.

.Applications are being accepted for the 2008 Beef Industry Scholarship Program, sponsored by the National Cattlemen's Foundation and the CME Group. All entries must be postmarked by October 5, 2007. Ten scholarships of $1,500 each will be awarded to young people pursuing careers in the beef industry. The program encourages talented and thoughtful students who have demonstrated a commitment to a career in the beef industry, either through classes, internships or life experience. Graduating high school seniors or full-time undergraduate students enrolled at a two-year or four-year college for the 2008-2009 academic year are encouraged to apply.

Applications must include a 750-word essay that identifies a key issue confronting the beef industry and suggests a solution. Applicants must also submit a letter expressing future career goals and two letters of recommendation. A full description the scholarship program and application requirements can be found at the National Cattlemen's Foundation website that we have linked below or obtained by calling 303-850- 3345.

Click here for the details on the Cattle Industry scholarships

Former Secretary of Agriculture John Block, who was recognized for the pressure he put on President Ronald Reagan to end the Russian Grain Embargo and the policies he established to help agriculture recover from the early 1980's recession.
Leon Corzine, past president of the National Corn Growers Association and former chairman of NCGA's Biotechnology Working Group, was recognized for his national involvement to promote and adopt biotechnology in agriculture.
Jim Evans who established the Agricultural Communications Department at the University of Illinois in 1962, which has graduated over 1,000 students into governmental, corporate, and mass media communications careers.

U.S. Congressman Dennis Hastert was cited for his efforts to open both international and regional trade opportunities to farmers.
And John Huston, formerly the president of the National Livestock and Meat Board, was called instrumental in convincing cattlemen to adopt a national check-off referendum for beef.

The Abraham Lincoln National Awards will be awarded again at the 2009 Farm Progress Show in Decatur to honor Lincoln's bicentennial birthday.

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