Howdy Neighbors!

Here's your morning farm news headlines from the Director of Farm Programming for the Radio Oklahoma Network, Ron Hays. It is wonderful to have as a regular sponsor on our daily email Johnston Enterprises- proud to be serving agriculture across Oklahoma and around the world since 1893. For more on Johnston Enterprises- click here for their website!

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!
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The ag markets and the equity markets all take Thursday off- and they will trade on a normal schedule on Friday the 26th- although we suspect that it will be a extremely light trading day when much of the country is still in the Christmas mode. Uncle Sam is taking both Thursday and Friday off- making it one of those unusual four day weekends for the Federal government.

Of course very few are screaming the need for separation of church and state as our government and about everything else in our society will stop and celebrate Christmas. They may call it a secular holiday- but you and I know the truth is that Christmas is truly a day when everyone that celebrates it is acknowledging the importance of that little Baby in Bethleham some 2000 years ago.

Our calendar is based on that event- and as we exchange gifts with those we care about- friends and family- we mirror what God did at that point in history- gave the world the ultimate gift of his Son.

Instead- I wanted to share a thought or two about that event two thousand years ago. One of my favorite books about this most special of holidays is a little work called "Cosmic Christmas" written by Max Lucado- he says that while we have the accounts of Matthew and Luke in the Bible that gives us the pictures that we have developed into a "Cozy" Christmas- with a baby, farm animals and several groups coming to acknowledge what God did that day on earth.

Lucado takes a bigger view and shows that this event- God coming to earth as a man through the manger was really a part of a bloody war in the heavens. We don't know all the details- but through the book of Revelation we do know the outcome. God wins. Satan loses. Lucado writes "John tells us about who matters. You do. lmagine, if God will fight such a fight to save you- He must really think you are worth the effort. Though we may wonder about the war that occurred, there is no need to wonder about His Love- He really cares for His Children."

I have used a little book called "The Farmer Gives Thanks" written by a gentlemen that is now in Heaven by the name of Samuel Guard. Guard was a Director of Information for the American Farm Bureau way back in the early 1920s- and he helped establish farm radio for the Sears Roebuck Agricultural Foundation- and that led to putting on the air in 1924 WLS radio in Chicago.

One of the programs that Samuel Guard helped establish was a Sunday night show called the "Little Brown Church of the Air." Later in his career, Guard bought a magazine to publish called the "Breeders Gazette" and during that time, this book was written- 56 prayers that take you through the calendar year. Guard, in his Preface, calls the farmer a natural "believer" and also a "partner with God" in the growing of food for this world.

"We tenants who presently have this earth of thine and every living thing that moveth in our keeping are profoundly blessed that thou didst choose as the birthplace of thy Son a stable, bedded sweetly with bright straw and warmed by the fresh breath of honest farm animals, with sore shoulders, distended udders and gentle voices.

"Make us ever better herdsmen so that all thy children may have meat with their bread.

"As we follow the Star, may we scatter seeds of good will so that peace may sprout all over the place."

"Amen."

My gift to you and yours this morning is simple- Consider the Gift. It is the Reason. In one of his other Christmas season prayers- Samuel Guard writes of the message that the angels gave to the Shepherds over 2,000 years ago- "I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." Guard responds to that statement by saying "All people? That's good. That's us."

John wrote many years ago that the gift that God offers is to all people- he calls us the "whosoevers" and my prayer this Christmas 2008 is that you and your family have accepted that incredible gift that Samuel guard refers to- as well as Max Lucado and others.

May you have a Happy and Holy Holiday- Merry Christmas!

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- Two Pager From The Kansas City Board of Trade looks at all three US Wheat Futures Exchanges with extra info on Hard Red Winter Wheat 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.