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 have American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company as a regular sponsor of our daily update- click here to go to their AFR web site to learn more about their efforts to serve rural America!

We are also pleased to have as a regular sponsor on our daily email Johnston Enterprises- proud to have served agriculture across Oklahoma and around the world since 1893. For more on Johnston Enterprises- click here for their website!
And we are proud to have KIS Futures as a regular sponsor of our daily email update. KIS Futures provides Oklahoma Farmers & Ranchers with futures & options hedging services in the livestock and grain markets- Click here for the free market quote page they provide us for our website or call them at 1-800-256-2555.

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.

The 2009 Winter Wheat Crop is called generally good condition, at 55% good, 11% excellent and 31% fair. Only three percent of the wheat crop now in the ground is called in poor condition. 96% of the crop is now planted- with 87% emerged and up to stand

Pasture conditions are in fair to good shape, with 88% of the pasture and range conditions in those two categories.
To review the full report, click on the link below.

Click here for this week's Oklahoma Crop Weather Update.

Francl says crude oil prices will continue to be a critical factor that impacts corn and soybean prices. As a result - he says the post-harvest seasonal rally may be somewhat moderate this year. But - as the new year approaches - Francl says more competitive bidding for 2009 acreage should boost prices. Then he sees corn prices trading in the $5 to $6 per bushel range and soybean prices in the $11 to $13 per bushel range.

For cotton - Francl notes the November WASDE pegs the average farm price for cotton at 45-cents to 55-cents per pound - a decline from 51 to 62-cents per pound in October. Due to declining worldwide demand - Francl sees only limited upward potential for cotton prices. But cotton export estimates are maintained at 13-million bales. If that export momentum is maintained into early 2009 - Francl says we could see a resurgence in cotton prices back to the 60 to 70-cent range.

To read more about Terry Francl's comments- click here.

State Secretary of Agriculture, Terry Peach said in addition to improving students' diets, Farm to School helps connect them with local farmers. "This is a great way to help teach kids about agriculture, where their food comes from and how it gets from the farm to their plates," he said. "We also believe that by substituting fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables for some of the more processed foods we are teaching them about improved nutrition and fighting childhood obesity."

You can learn more about the Farm to School efforts in the state of Oklahoma- we have a link to our story on our website- www.OklahomaFarmReport.Com below. Check it out.

Click here to learn more about the Farm to School efforts in our state.

Sesame harvest continues in northcentral and northwestern Oklahoma, according to an email sent to me by Danny Peeper, who was with Wheeler Brothers and has moved over to work fulltime for Sesaco- the company that contracts with growers to buy the Sesame they produce. Danny writes "Sesame harvest is winding down in Oklahoma now. We have had excellent weather the last 2 weeks to get the crop out, and have enjoyed excellent quality as well. Yields have been similar to predicted with fields ranging from 400 to 1000 pounds per acre. Across the board average is going to be close to 500-550 pounds per acre. Producers are happy with the performance of the crop and over 15,000 acres have already been contracted for next year.

Finally, the spring planted row crop that everybody seemed to be jumping into here in 2008 was soybeans, as we have doubled our expected harvested acres of soybeans from just 180,000 acres last year to 360,000 acres this fall. The November Crop Production report shows that Oklahoma will harvest 9 million bushels this year- versus 4.68 million bushels in 2007. It's a nice bump up for soybean production out here on the fringe of the corn and bean belt.

Willie Nelson writes "I started Farm Aid in 1985 when family farmers were being forced off their land as a result of federal policy that paved the way for industrial agriculture. This shift replaced independent family farmers with factory farms that have wreaked havoc on our communities, our environment and our public health."

Nelson goes on to offer Obama the solution to farm policy issues in this country- "the good food movement." Nelson adds that this is an alternative to the industrial food complex in this country and that "The Good Food Movement has grown and thrived almost entirely without the support of the federal government. However, now is the right moment for the leadership of our country to take a role in this important movement. In fact the future of our economy, our environment and our health demand it."

You can read all of Willie Nelson's advice to Barack Obama by clicking on this link.

Apache, Oklahoma farmer Alan Mindemann is optimistic about future of winter canola; optimistic enough to have committed 820 acres to the crop. Mindemann, certified by the American Society of Agonomists as a crop advisor, says there are several advantages to growing canola in this state and other states on the southern end of the Great Plains. "Winter canola gives us another cool season grain crop to grow, just like wheat," Mindemann said. "You plant it in the same months and harvest it about the same time as winter wheat. You can use the same equipment to plant it and to harvest it. We plant it with no-till grain drills and harvest it with combines." Another agronomic advantage to growing canola, Mindemann said, is planting the crop in rotation with winter wheat enables farmers to clean up weeds that have become a serious problem with longterm wheat production.
Mindemann said there are approximately 3,000 acres of winter canola planted in the immediate area.

Farther south, a cousin of Mindemann, Jimmy Kinder, Walters, Ok., has planted 1,000 acres to winter canola. Kinder and his brother, Kevin, farm in Cotton County, close to the Red River. One incentive to get farmers to get on board growing winter canola is particularly attractive to Kinder, a longtime supporter of the Future Farmers of America. "Buyers of Monsanto-Dekalb canola seed are offering farmers incentives to help their local FFA chapters," Kinder said. "When harvest comes in the spring, farmers with top canola yields will receive prize monies that will be presented to local FFA chapters."
Producing winter canola fits in with the no-till management practices followed by both Mndemann and Kinder. Mindemann has been a no-till farmer for 13 years.
"All of our cropland is farmed no-till," Kinder said. "My brother and I are starting our 10th year of no-till farming. Not only does it give a crop a seedbed that is resistant to wind and water erosion, retains more moisture at the surface and subsurface, but it helps us by reducing these erosion and moisture management problems for us. That way, we can concentrate on other management needs while growing the crop."

To read Vic's full story with a lot of production info from Alan on raising canola- click here.

Here on the 11th we will be selling 500 head which will include 3 in1's, spring bred cows, spring bred heifers, fall open heifer, spring open heifers, and 20 breeding age bulls. All of the animals selling will be Express Ranches genetics. On the 13th 500 head of feeder calves will be selling- sired by Express Ranches bulls. Many of the calves will be age source verified.

These two sales are great opportunities to add some outstanding genetics to your cattle herd as 2008 winds down. For more information, contact Express Ranches at 1-800-664-3977 or Stockman's Livestock in Apache at 1-888-926-9696.

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.