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!

The newest sponsor on our daily email service is Cusack Meats, and Al Cusack wants everyone to know that he APPRECIATES Oklahoma's Farmers and Ranchers! You can go to the Cusack website and select some great gift packs of meat for giving- or for yourself! And, our email this morning is also a service of Midwest Farm Shows, producer of the Tulsa Farm Show coming up December 6-8, 2007, as well as the Southern Plains Farm Show in Oklahoma City next spring. Check out details of both of these exciting shows at the official website of Midwest Farm Shows by clicking here.

If you have received this by someone forwarding it to you, you are welcome to subscribe and get this weekday update sent to you directly by clicking here.

Information released by the Conservation Commission showed the need for over 8.8 million additional dollars to rehabilitate several high hazard dams. This figure was on top of the estimated $7.1 million for operation and maintenance of these and other flood control structures. The Commission also proposed that an additional $8 million should be made available to landowners on a cost-share basis to repair damaged conservation practices such as terraces, waterways, farm ponds and other erosion control measures with another $3 million needed to restore riparian systems in Caddo County. Additional funds are also required to address road-side erosion and to purchase equipment. While all of these numbers are subject to change as assessment of the damage continues, one thing according to the Conservation Commission is clear. A majority, if not all of these funds will have to come from the state.

Thralls, Clay Pope of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts and other Conservation leaders are expected to meet with Governor Brad Henry this afternoon to talk with the Governor about this need. Pope tells us that discussions are already underway with lawmakers like Dale DeWitt and others about possibly dipping into the state's rainy day fund to help address what these Conservation leaders are calling a pressing need for our Conservation infrastructure in the state. We had a conversation on the phone with Clay Pope about these estimates- and we have some of that conversation linked below.

Click here to listen to Ron talk with Clay Pope of the OACD about the $30 million in damage to Oklahoma Conservation from the rains of 2007.

We now have 68% of the wheat crop planted in the state- a jump of 18 percentage points from the week before- but still lagging the 78% five year average. Kansas and Texas wheat planting came in at 71% and 67% respectively- both states also trailing their five year average planting percentages.

Harvest of the spring planted crops are underway- corn harvest, in fact, is about done at 96% complete. Milo harvest is 43% done, soybeans are 21% combined, peanuts are 48% dug and 30% combined, while cotton harvest is just beginning- 8% is the number given in the national report while the state report does not list that number but says that 92% of the bolls have opened.

Click here for this week's Oklahoma Crop Weather Update

We talk about the upcoming COF report with Dr. Jim Mintert- Extension Livestock Marketing Economist at Kansas State as he is our guest on today's Beef Buzz fromt he Radio Oklahoma Network. You can hear the Beef Buzz on radio stations across the state as well as online on our web site on the Beef Buzz page at WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com.

We also have it linked below- click and take a listen to Mintert's opinion on what the report may mean to the cattle market.

Click here for the Tuesday Beef Buzz with Ron and Dr. Jim Mintert with a Cattle on Feed Preview

Meanwhile, the Senate Finance Committee unanimously approved implementation language for the Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA) by voice vote on just before the beginning of the Columbus Day Recess. This vote follows the committee's "mock markup" of the measure on September 21st, during which the panel gave broad, bipartisan support to the draft legislation and offered no amendments. This vote concludes the panel's consideration of the pact. PTPA will next be considered by the full Senate for an up-or-down vote, in accordance with the Trade Promotion Authority Act, or "fast track" procedures.

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association is really promoting what they see as a great deal for cattlemen- working with a coalition of ag industry groups in support of this agreement . Under the PTPA:
- U.S. Choice and Prime beef will have immediate duty-free access.
- All tariff rate quotas will be eliminated within 12 years.
- Peru has committed to recognize the U.S. meat inspection system as equivalent to its own, thereby allowing imports from facilities approved by USDA.
- Specific Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) terms were agreed to in writing.

Beef comprises less than 8 percent of Peru's total agricultural gross domestic product, making it an exceptional export growth opportunity for U.S. beef. In 2003, Peru was a $6 million export market for U.S. beef, beef variety meats and beef products. This improved access could amount to roughly $15 million a year, about half the value of Peru's current total beef imports.

The Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture is a nonprofit educational foundation based in Poteau. The Oklahoma Food Policy Council is a joint project of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF) and the Kerr Center. The twenty seven council members and ad hoc members represent a cross section of Oklahomans. Kerr Center president and council chairman Dr. Jim Horne and ODAFF secretary Terry Peach accepted the award from Oklahoma Commissioner and Secretary of Health Michael Crutcher, MD. Dr. Horne thanked the council's members and supporters for their work and pointed out the potential benefits of the program for Oklahoma farmers. Secretary Peach voiced the hope that the program can be established in every Oklahoma school. "We're just getting started," he said.

Nationally-back in May, the Oklahoma Food Policy Council was named a "Partner in Advancing Public Health" by the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The award recognizes "substantial contributions by a state or local partner" to the state's efforts to prevent obesity and other chronic diseases. The CDC cited the council's "dedication to public health" and its "creative energy" in developing the farm- to-school program.

Chris Kirby coordinates Oklahoma's farm-to-school program at ODAFF. She says that research shows that students choose significantly more servings of fruits and vegetables when given the choice of high quality, farm fresh produce. Research in Oklahoma has shown that children who participate in school gardens eat more vegetables and less junk food. School gardens and cooking classes are often included in comprehensive farm-to- school programs. Kirby travels the state promoting such activities as well as connecting farmers with schools.

Producers who incurred qualifying losses in 2005, 2006 or 2007 must choose only one year to receive benefits. Producers may apply for benefits for losses to multiple crops as long as the losses occurred in the same crop year. Also, only producers who obtained crop insurance coverage or coverage under the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program for the year of loss will be eligible for CDP benefits.

Producers must have suffered quantity losses in excess of 35 percent to be eligible for the Crop Disaster Program. The payment rate is set at 42 percent of the established price. Assistance, together with any crop insurance or NAP payment received for the same crop and including the value of the crop production not lost, must not exceed 95 percent of the total value of the crop absent the disaster.

Check with your local FSA office for further details about what help is available to your county from this program and other aspects of the Ag Disaster package passed earlier here in 2007.

Ann tells us that the real key is what you pay for the cattle you buy- that if you buy cattle for too much money- it's like hoping a lottery ticket will pay for your retirement. And she adds there are quite a number of things she will be teaching those in attendance on the 9th and 10th of November- some of the concepts covered at Bud Williams Marketing Schools include:
How to maximize cash flow while minimizing market risk. She contends that the cash flow from a livestock operation can be just as regular as any job and just as secure as any job "in town".
How to identify the best buys in today's market.
How to identify the classes of cattle that are the most overpriced and should be sold immediately.
Why grass in reserve is as good as money in the bank How to know if owning cattle through the feedlot will pay before you do it.

Ann says space is limited to 50 and a sell-out is expected, so call 1-8777994577 toll free or go their website for the Bud Williams Marketing School, which is linked below.

Click here for the Bud Williams Marketing School website- then click on the button in the upper right hand side of the page that says "Schools" for more information.

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