From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2008 3:53 AM
To: ron@oklahomafarmreport.com
Subject: Oklahoma's Farm News Update
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Oklahoma's latest farm and ranch news
Your Update from Ron Hays of RON for Wednesday December 24, 2008!
A service of Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, Farm Credit Associations of Oklahoma and Johnston Enterprises!
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-- Holiday Mode Has Arrived
-- We Decide to Focus on the Lamb
-- God Set the Scene Out in the Country.
-- So- we offer this Prayer- Courtesy of Samuel Guard
-- From My Household to Yours- Merry Christmas!
-- After the Celebration of the Birthday of a King
-- Let's Check the Holiday Markets!

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!

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Holiday Mode Has Arrived
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The ag futures are trading this morning electronically as we write this Christmas Eve edition of our email- and they have a half day of open outcry trade planned for this 24th of December. But, there is little driving trade at the moment- so the electronic trade this morning suggests that we will have a limited trading range and not much will result when the markets go "ho ho ho" and close for the Christmas holiday at midday today.

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.


We Decide to Focus on the Lamb
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So, we don't bother with much in the way of hard news information- we will have more of that next Monday as we wind down the old year- for better or for worse.

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."


God Set the Scene Out in the Country.
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For those of us that are a part of agriculture- farming and or ranching- it is so interesting to consider that God brought His Son into this world in a small rural setting- complete with a barn, animals and those who care for them.

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.


So- we offer this Prayer- Courtesy of Samuel Guard
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Here's one of the prayers in back of the book that celebrate this Christmas season- and point us to the Glory of this season.


"Lord of all, though born to earth a mere man-child, swaddled in the fodder of a manger and first heralded by angels to us keepers of sheep, we thank thee for another birthday of God right down here among us.

"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."


From My Household to Yours- Merry Christmas!
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Thank you for your interest in this daily report- and your support of our sponsors. I am blessed by knowing and enjoying the friendship of so many of you that read this daily, listen to us on the radio or even see us on TV.

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.


After the Celebration of the Birthday of a King
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Our email will return on Monday- but we will have our regular radio reports on the Radio Oklahoma Network on Friday- and we will have a report Saturday morning on KWTV News9 as well- featuring comments with Colin Woodall of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

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


Our thanks to Farm Credit Associations of Oklahoma, Producers Cooperative Oil Mill and Johnston Enterprises for their support of our daily Farm News Update. For your convenience, we have our sponsors' websites linked at the top of the email- check them out and let these folks know you appreciate the support of this daily email, as their sponsorship helps us keep this arriving in your inbox on a regular basis!

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


Let's Check the Holiday Markets!
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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.



God Bless! You can reach us at the following:
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phone: 405-473-6144
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