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 KIS Futures as a regular sponsor of our daily E-Mail. KIS Futures provides Oklahoma Farmers & Ranchers with futures & options hedging services in the livestock and grain markets- Click here for their "new look" website or call them at 1-800-256-2555.

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

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.

Hodges has traveled around to several locations across the state in the last couple of weeks- on Wednesday, he got out and checked wheat fields from central Oklahoma near Oklahoma City all the way to the Kansas line- and he believes there is some very good wheat in a good portion of that area- especially where people where able to get wheat planted with some moisture available to it last fall.

He remains very concerned about disease and possibly insect pressures that are lurking out across the state. He's also concerned about the amount of nitrogen fertilizer we were able to get applied last fall or early here in 2008- saying we need that nutrition both to produce more bushels, but also to get a higher protein level on the wheat we produce in 2008.
You can hear our conversation with Mark about current conditions and where we may be headed in the weeks between now and when the combines roll across the Red River and pull into southern Oklahoma wheat fields. Click below and take a listen.

Click here to listen to Ron and Mark talk Wheat Crop Prospects for 2008.

This is a big win for U.S. cattle producers and in particular those in the seedstock community, says Gregg Doud, chief economist for the National Cattlemens Beef Association. Mexico is currently working to expand their herds, so this decision comes at a critical time. Traditionally, the United States has shipped approximately $125 million annually in live cattle breeding stock to Mexico.

When the United States implemented the second Minimal Risk Regions Rule on November 19, 2007, it was widely believed that Mexico would lift the restriction on breeding stock, but the situation between the United States and Mexico on breeding stock remained unresolved until today. Mexico continues to ban the import of beef and beef products from animals over 30 months of age. The issue of over-30-month beef to Mexico has always been extremely sensitive politically, says Doud. However, NCBA's expectation is that once Mexico receives their controlled risk status from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), which is expected in May, then this issue should be resolved as well.

While food prices overall are on the rise - the lower prices for pork chops may continue due to abundant supplies. Livestock analysts are estimating U.S. hog supplies at a record high as of March 1st because of Canadian imports - an effective Circovirus vaccine - and strong 2007 profits boosting production. According to University of Missouri Livestock Economist Ron Plain - forecasting ahead of the quarterly Hogs and Pigs report - this will be the largest March inventory ever. Plain also expects consumers will see cheap pork all year. He notes slaughter last year was a record 109-million head. He expects another record this year of about 115-million.

Meanwhile, everybody has a guess as to how many fewer acres we will plant to corn in this country versus 2007, when we planted a huge 93.6 million acres. The average pre-report guess is for US producers to plant about six million fewer acres this spring than ended up in the ground a year ago. Those same experts think we will jump soybean acres by as many as eight million acres versus 2007, increase total wheat acres by some two million and drop cotton acreage by more than one point six million acres.
While the report is a survey based estimate from conversations with farmers, it's still only an educated guess constructed over the past few weeks- and the dynamics of the marketplace could still push one crop against another in the competition for acres that are committed to each crop.

According to the letter - the four-point proposal would bring negotiators closer to a politically acceptable compromise by reducing payment limits and income limits only when prices are above target price - softening the impact of reduced limits on cotton, rice and peanuts - incorporating the Administration proposal to lower AGI limits, but with a feature to increase the savings by reducing payments on cash rented land owned by high income landlords - and incorporating the primary control and actively engaged in farming provisions of the first Dorgan-Grassley proposal.

The two Senators have demanded much tougher Payment Limits than what any of their other farm country lawmakers have been willing to accept. Similar proposals in the House Ag Committee failed badly during their mark up process back in 2007. As a result, the fate of Dorgan-Grassley II remains uncertain at best.

Click here for the Grassley News Release and Text of the Letter Sent Detailing Dorgan-Grassley II

Two broadcast talents that have impacted a lot of folks out in the western portion of our state were among those that were honored as new inductees- and both pointed back to loving what they do- and loving the chance to serve folks in our rural communities across the state. One of those was a radio colleague from Radio Oklahoma Network affiliate KWEY Radio in Weatherford, Sportscaster Chuck Edwards. He has been doing play by play since the 1970s in the Weatherford area- and I know that many of you have heard his play by play of football, basketball, baseball, Rodeo and more. Congrats Chuck!!!

Jan Stratton has been the News Director and principal anchor at KSWO TV 7 in Lawton since 1981. Over the past 26 years, Jan's leadership has earned KSWO TV numerous journalistic awards and during her tenure the news department has grown from under ten persons to over 35. Jan's commitment to excellence is also evidenced by the vast number of journalists she has taught and trained who now lead TV news departments throughout the United States.
What impressed me about Jan as she accepted her award was the humility and how she pointed to the joys of service to folks out in the communities she served from the TV anchor desk. It was delightful to hear how she was touched by how decisions she made as a news journalist had made a difference in the lives of many people across southwest Oklahoma.

Experts will share proven strategies for raising beef and goat meat on pasture and marketing these "natural" meats. Rancher Jon Taggart, of Burgundy Pasture Beef near Fort Worth, will describe his operation's cattle handling and on-farm butcher shop. He sells both to local restaurants and to individual customers nationwide. Dr. Ann Wells will tell the story of Ozark Pasture Beef, another successful natural meat enterprise developed by a group of Arkansas ranchers.

The original deadline was a few days back to register- but we understand they have extended the registration period through today. You can go to the Kerr Center website and learn more- we have it linked for you below.

Click here for details on the Natural Meat Workshop Happening Saturday March 29 in Warner at Connors State College.

On Sunday at 4:00 PM, Chet has lined up a select set of bred fall calving females including a great set of first calf heifers, AI'd to popular calving ease sires and proven cows, bred to today's hottest AI sires. This sale will feature a group of fall born show heifer prospects. Several Mainetainer, Sim-influence and Chiangus females, including daughters of Sweetness, Goliath, Hannibal, Golden Child & more.

For more information, give Chet a call on his Cellphone at 580-623-3693. We also have their Sale Flyer on our website's Calendar page linked- and we have that link for you below- or you can jump straight to their website at WWW.purvinefarms.com.

Click here for our calendar page- and scroll down to March 29 to get the link for the Purvine Farms Sale Bill!

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