Howdy Neighbors!

Here's your morning farm news headlines from the Director of Farm Programming for the Radio Oklahoma Network, Ron Hays. We are excited to have as one of our new 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 about rotating some of your winter wheat acres into winter canola this year- and check out the full story on PCOM on their website by clicking here.

It's also great to have the Farm Credit Associations of Oklahoma with us regularly as an Email Sponsor- Financing Oklahoma is their business! Check out their website which shows their locations statewide by clicking here!
And our email this morning is also a service of Midwest Farm Shows, producer of the annual Tulsa Farm Show held each December, as well as the springtime Southern Plains Farm Show in Oklahoma City. 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.

"Row crop harvest was in full swing for those parts of the State that received adequate sunshine and warm temperatures. Just over one-third of the State's corn had been harvested by week's end, up five points from the previous week but 24 points behind normal. Sorghum headed increased two points from the previous week to reach 91 percent but was six points behind normal. Nearly two-thirds of the sorghum was coloring by the end of the week, an increase of five points from the previous week but 13 points behind normal. Fourteen percent of the State's sorghum had been harvested. Soybeans setting pods increased six points from the previous week to reach 94 percent, two points ahead of the five-year average. Twenty-one percent of soybeans were mature, up five points from the previous week but 21 points behind the five-year average. Peanuts mature reached 35 percent, up seven points from the previous week but 26 points behind normal. Cotton bolls were opening on 55 percent of the State's cotton by week's end, up 14 points from the previous week but three points behind the five-year average."

We have the full report- including the latest crop condition ratings and details of our hay harvest efforts and pasture conditions- click on the link below to review.

Click here for the latest Oklahoma Crop Weather Update from NASS of USDA.

The percentage of soybean plants dropping leaves also shows a slow developing soybean crop as well- with the national number showing we are 20 percentage points behind the five year norm- and our neighbors in Iowa are 43% at this stage of development versus the five year average of 73% by this date.

The Texas cotton crop remains slow in maturing- and that's the big reason that the national cotton "bolls opening" figure is ten percentage points behind normal. The largest cotton producing state, Texas, is 15 percentage points behind normal which is worrisome to our neighbors to the south.
The grain sorghum crop is nine percentage points behind normal maturity this week nationally, with the sorghum crop in Missouri about the least mature versus normal in the country- grain sorghum maturity in Missouri is now at 30% while the five year average sits at 62%.

Click here for the Crop Progress Report Issued Monday Afternoon by USDA

The McCain for President website now has a a laundry list of things in their rural "agenda" with details on Senator McCain's position- ranging from energy to taxation to trade to farm safety nets. This information was posted for the first time over the weekend.

We have this story on our website- with the link straight to the point by point rundown of the McCain view of policy that would impact rural America if he and Sarah Palin are elected in November. Follow the link below to WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com for the details.

Click here for the McCain plan for Rural America

At the top of the list of competitors from the state are finalists in the Star Farmer of America and Star Agribusinessman of America. The National FFA Organization has named Travis Schnaithman of the Garber FFA a 2008 American Star Farmer finalist, while they have also named Anthony Adams of the Hooker FFA a finalist in the American Star in Agribusiness competition.

Travis Schnaithman began his FFA career in 2000 while he was an eighth-grader. He started planning for his farm and soon realized the potential. He soon added more equipment to his operation and diversified his livestock. He began to custom swath and bale hay and also raised natural club lamb prospects. Soon he was also implementing artificial insemination (AI) in his cow herds. In 2004, he decided to enhance his AI skills and attend the Reproduction Enterprises A.I. School. As a result, he's had success with his conception rates. After graduation from Oklahoma State University, where he's majoring in agribusiness, Schnaithman plans to return to the farm as a full-time production agriculturist. He also hopes to serve as a voice for American agriculture in the political arena.

Anthony Adams' business consists of a two-combine harvest crew and support equipment. He operates within a 65-mile radius of his home, harvesting wheat, milo, sunflowers and corn. After his initial harvest, he was able to gain a solid base of prospective customers based on reputation and word-of-mouth marketing. The following year, he doubled his sales. Since that first year, his customer base has quadrupled and his acres harvested have tripled. Within the next few years, Adams hopes to attend John Deere University, where he'll gain skills and knowledge to repair his equipment himself, saving time and the high costs of outsourcing repairs. He would also like to someday offer his custom harvesting service throughout the country.

We have a full list of the Oklahoma participants in the national competition that is a part of the 2008 National FFA Convention- Click to View.

Leases in Beaver County will be auctioned at the Beaver County Fairground at 2 p.m. October 20th. Cimarron County leases will be offered at 9 a.m. October 21st at the Cimarron County Fairground, and bidding for Texas County leases begins at 2 p.m. at the Texas County Fairgrounds in Guymon on October 21st. Leases in Harper, Ellis, Woodward, Major, Dewey and Woods Counties will be offered on October 22nd at 10:00 a.m. at the High Plains Vo-Tech in Woodward. Kiowa, Greer, Caddo, Roger Mills & Washita leases will be auctioned at 10:00 a.m. at the Western Technology Center in Burns Flat on October 27th.

On October 28th, leases in Comanche, Harmon, Stephens, Cotton, Jefferson and Grady Counties will be auctioned at the Great Plains Tech Center in Lawton beginning at 10:00 a.m. Kay, Garfield, Kingfisher, Alfalfa, Grant and Blaine Counties will be held on Wednesday, October 29th at the Garfield Co. Fairgrounds in the Pavilion Meeting room, Chisholm Trail Pavilion, in Enid. This is the second year for this new auction location. Signs will be posted. Pawnee, Payne, Logan and Noble Counties will be auctioned at the Payne Co. Fairgrounds at the Community Bldg. in Stillwater on November 3rd at 10:00 a.m. and auctions will conclude at the Gordon Cooper Tech Center on November 4th at 10:00 with Lincoln, Pottawatomie, Canadian and Oklahoma Counties.

Click here for the School Land Commission website for more details on the Lease Auction Process

To that tenth question- Senator McCain says "As president, I will work to develop all of America's domestic energy resources, reduce taxes and government regulation, preserve property rights, provide a sustainable, market-driven risk management system for farmers and ranchers, improve incentives to invest in technology and rural infrastructure, reduce trade barriers, secure our borders while providing a fair and practical temporary labor program and strengthen the American economy by eliminating wasteful government spending."

To that same question, Senator Obama told AFBF "This election is our chance to bring about the change our farms and rural areas so desperately need. We cannot afford four more years of the Bush rural agenda, and that's what Sen. McCain is offering. Like President Bush, he opposed a farm bill that is helping many family farmers. And he has a long history of opposing renewable fuels. It's time to make the rural agenda America's agenda. That's the kind of leadership you deserve-and if you stand with me in November, that's the kind of leadership I will offer as president."

Here's the link to the latest Farm Bureau Newsletter- which contains the agricultural responses of the two applicants for President of the United States

Featured at this sale on October sixth will be 200 plus Angus bulls including 40 select Fall Yearling bulls
65 Limousin and Lim-Flex Bulls
40 Fall calving registered Angus pairs.
and 300 Commercial spring calving bred heifers bred by Express Ranches Bulls

We have the Express Ranches website linked below- on the right hand side of the page you will see the link that will take you to the sale catalog right on your computer- review the offering and then make plans to be at the Express Ranches Fall Bull Sale and Commercial Female Sale Monday October 6- twelve noon is the start time of the auction.

Click here for more information on the Express Ranches Fall Bull Sale October 6 in Yukon.

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

Here are some links we will leave in place on an ongoing basis- Click on the name of the report to go to that link:
Our Daily Market Wrapup from the Radio Oklahoma Network with Ed Richards and Tom Leffler- analyzing the Futures Markets from the previous Day-
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.
Previous Day's Wheat Market Recap- One Pager From Country Hedging- looks at all three US Wheat Futures Exchanges and the why of that day's market.
Daily Oklahoma Cash Grain Prices- As Reported by the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture. <
The National Daily Feeder & Stocker Cattle Summary- as prepared by USDA.
The National Daily Slaughter Cattle Summary- as prepared by USDA.
Finally, Here is the Daily Volume and Price Summary from the Texas Cattle Feeders Association.