From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Friday, May 09, 2008 06:59
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 Friday May 9, 2008!
A service of KIS Futures, Farm Credit of East Central Oklahoma and American Farmers & Ranchers.
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-- Final Jeopardy Answer- "Veto!!!"
-- Congressional Lovefest As Harkin and Peterson Co-Host Conference Committee Farm Bill Announcement!
-- Oklahoma Farm Bureau's Woman's Committee Help Sponsor Mail Carrier Food Drive This Weekend!
-- May First Wheat Crop Estimate Out at 7:30 AM This Morning.
-- Humane Society of the US Claims- NOT OUR DUTY!
-- Oklahoma's Ag Department Planning Electronic Custom Harvester Directory!
-- J & J Cattle Set for Their Third Annual Production Sale.
-- Checking the Markets...

Howdy Neighbors!

Here's your morning farm news headlines from the Director of Farm Programming for the Radio Oklahoma Network, Ron Hays. We say thanks to Farm Credit of East Central Oklahoma for being 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!

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!
We are also 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.

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.


Final Jeopardy Answer- "Veto!!!"
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And the question that was answered by Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer in a statement issued on Thursday afternoon- when it comes to the proposed 2008 Farm Bill now close to completion, is President Bush ready to sign it or veto it?

Secretary Schafer says ""Today, the United States House and Senate announced the completion of a farm bill that unfortunately fails to include much needed reform and increases spending by nearly $20 billion. At a time of record farm income, Congress decided to further increase farm subsidy rates, qualify more people for taxpayer support, and move programs toward more government control. We should not remove farm commodities from market forces and make them dependent upon government support programs.
"In addition, Congress decided to include a new permanent disaster program. This program represents a return to outdated farm policy and questions the government's investment in crop insurance which was designed to protect farmers against low commodity prices and crop failures. This action will discredit farm programs and jeopardize public support for future farm bills.

"Americans appreciate our farmers and ranchers and understand the uncertainties and risks that farming presents. However, they do not understand why their taxes should be used to provide payments to individuals with adjusted gross incomes of $500,000 and higher, some of the wealthiest people in America. We are also concerned about a lengthy list of extraneous provisions that are not related to farm programs and have no place in this legislation.
"For a year and a half, the Administration has been consistently clear that Congress needs to move forward with a good farm bill that the President can sign. They have failed to do so. This legislation lacks meaningful farm program reform and expands the size and scope of government. I have visited face to face with our President and he was direct and plain. The President will veto this bill."


Congressional Lovefest As Harkin and Peterson Co-Host Conference Committee Farm Bill Announcement!
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Representatives and Senators, all farm bill conferees, stood side-by-side Thursday afternoon as they gave details of the final Farm Bill conference agreement and praised it as a great Farm Bill for America's farmers and consumers. North Dakota Representative Earl Pomeroy said - this bill makes an additional 10.3 billion dollar investment in nutrition programs to help feed the hungriest in our country and those struggling with higher grocery bills. And, he said, - this bill provides a strong safety net in the event of crop failure or price collapse

Tom Buis , President of the National Farmers Union, called the new farm bill - a good farm bill. Buis said - conferees were challenged to write a new farm bill under the pressure of competing demands and a reduced budget. He said - they produced a good, fully paid for, bill that will benefit all Americans. A permanent disaster assistance program, a top NFU farm bill priority will be included in the bill. The NFU President said - we know a disaster is going to happen, each year, in some area of the country. He said - it only makes sense to have a program in place to confront the challenges presented by Mother Nature. The NFU is organizing a "war room" that will organize efforts to attempt to obtain adequate Republican support to override the Presidential veto that appears to be on the horizon.

Three of the most important titles in the Farm Bill proposal for agriculture revolves around the Commodity Title, Crop Insurance and Conservation. In the Commodity Title- the Conference Report eliminates the "three entity rule" and implements reformed payment caps for commodity program benefits; provides producers of eligible commodities an option to participate in a revenue-based counter- cyclical program; and includes a newly created disaster assistance program.
The Conservation title provides 4-billion dollars in new funding for conservation programs, including investments in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, the Farmland Protection Program, and the new Conservation Stewardship Program; and reauthorizes the Conservation Reserve Program.

We have more reaction and updates as it flows in on our Farm Bill Webpage- go and check it out later in the day for the latest.


Oklahoma Farm Bureau's Woman's Committee Help Sponsor Mail Carrier Food Drive This Weekend!
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By now- you may received a plastic bag from your postal carrier for their sixth annual Letter Carriers Food Drive. In Oklahoma, for the first time, an Oklahoma farm group has signed on as one of the sponsors- the Oklahoma Farm Bureau's Women's Committee. Postal Carriers at many of our Post Offices in Oklahoma are participating- and the plan is to have people fill those plastic bags with goods and place them beside their mail box first thing on Saturday morning.

Last year, the food drive brought in 400,000 pounds of non perishable goods that were given to the Central Oklahoma Food Bank and the Eastern Oklahoma Food Bank- the two regional distributors of food to local pantries, churches and other groups that get food into the hands of those that need help.

We talked yesterday with Mike Spradling of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau about the OFB's involvement in the Food Collection for the first time- and you can hear our conversation about this part of their strategy to be involved in the battle against hunger in our state and nationally. Click on the link below and take a listen.
AND BY THE WAY- if you have one of the plastic bags- note that our TV broadcast partner- News9 in Oklahoma City- is one of the sponsors for the central and western part of the state!

Click here to listen to Ron and Mike on the 2008 Postal Carriers Food Drive.


May First Wheat Crop Estimate Out at 7:30 AM This Morning.
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The winter wheat estimate is the part of the report that we will be most interested in- but there will also be a lot of data on the spring planted crops and the stocks that we will be working with as we end the old crop year and begin a new crop year on those commodities in a few months.

Yesterday- the Wheat Quality Council Kansas Wheat Crop Tour guessed the size of the Kansas wheat crop at 379.1 million bushels, well up from the actual production figure of 283.8 million bushels. It shows that these reports are only guesses- and that Mother Nature holds most of the cards in the process at this point- as the Wheat Crop Tour in Kansas guessed a huge crop of 392 million bushels. They were only off 109 million bushels.

For Oklahoma- the number we will be comparing the USDA figures to is the 149 million bushels guessed by the Wheat Crop scouts that reported back to Oklahoma City on Wednesday of this week- and again that number is a lot better than the 98 million bushels that we ended up producing in 2007 in a harvest season most of our Oklahoma producers would like to forget. We have a preview audio report of the numbers linked below- and that same link will land you with a look at the numbers coming from USDA later today- we hope to have that audio REVIEW of the crop report online by around 9:00 AM central.

Click here for the May Crop Report Winter Wheat Crop Production Info


Humane Society of the US Claims- NOT OUR DUTY!
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On our Friday Beef Buzz, we have some interesting comments from the President of the Humane Society of the US, Wayne Pacelle, as he claims it is not the responsibility of his group to report to authorities poor handling of cattle or other animals when they see it- only when they decide the time is right and they can properly embarrass those involved.

He says that when one of their supporters or staffers go undercover and shoot video of what they consider to be an abusive situation- they don't try to notify anyone at that time. On their website, the HSUS claims that this whole situation they are highlighting in these latest videos is "commonplace" across the United States.

Meanwhile, the question keeps coming back- why wouldn't someone who cares about animals in a practical way- not abstractly- why wouldn't that person take his video, leave the premises and then call the auction or local authorities to report the "abuse?"
The Beef Buzz that we produce daily is heard on great radio stations around Oklahoma on the Radio Oklahoma Network- and we archive many of those shows on our website as well. AND- we have the link to today's show featuring the comments of Wayne Pacelle below- listen and check it out.

Click and Listen to the Beef Buzz with Ron and comments from the HSUS on their video exploits against animal agriculture.


Oklahoma's Ag Department Planning Electronic Custom Harvester Directory!
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The state agriculture department is asking custom grain harvesters planning or willing to cut wheat in Oklahoma to be included in an online directory. Wheat harvest is expected in about two weeks and the agency hopes to help farmers locate harvest crews.
"Several producers have expressed concerns that they are having trouble getting commitments from custom harvesters this year," said Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, Terry Peach. "This is due to a variety of factors including some harvesters leaving the business, high fuel prices and increasingly hard to find labor."

Custom harvesters are encouraged to contact Glen Schickedanz at the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry at 1-800-580-6543 or by email at glen.schickedanz@oda.state.ok.us. The mailing address is Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, attn. Glen Schickedanz, 2800 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105.

The directory will be available online as soon as the agency begins receiving information. We have linked the web address below. Producers who do not have online capability may call the toll free number for information business days 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information listed will include the custom harvesters' contact information and number of combines available. Harvesters will automatically be removed from the list after 60 days. They can also ask to be deleted from the list at any time.

Click here for the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture Website.


J & J Cattle Set for Their Third Annual Production Sale.
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J&J Angus Ranch has their third annual Production Sale planned for this Saturday- May 10 with the sale set to begin at 1:00 PM. Later today, May 9, the Johnson family will have the cattle available for viewing beginning this afternoon with refreshments and dinner available at the ranch. On Saturday, juice and pastries will be available first thing in the morning- with lunch offered at 10:45 am and the sale to begin at 1:00 PM.

Mark Johnson, who along with his wife Brenda, own J&J Angus Ranch- tells us about the offering- There will be a total of 75 Angus lots including
- Over 30 cow-calf pairs with spring calves sired by Raven, TC Total, Moneymaker, 263c, Franchise, 1I2, Prime Star and Double Take. Many featuring the service of EXAR Titleist T011.
- 20 spring yearlings and 13 fancy fall born heifer prospects, halter broke, with show and donor potential
- 8 powerful herd sire prospects sired by Raven, Future Direction, Benchmark, MC 2500 & Papa Equator
- Multiple embryo and pregnancy lots representing the most elite cow families in the breed.

J&J Ranch is located on the south side of State Highway 51, 1.5 miles west of Interstate 35 (exit 174), look for the red barn on top of the hill. If you want more information, you can call Mark or Brenda at 405-880- 5887. We have the sales catalog linked below- click and check it out.

Click here for Sales Information for the J&J Angus Ranch Production Sale Happening Tomorrow on May 10, 2008.


Our thanks to American Farmers & Ranchers, Farm Credit of East Central Oklahoma and KIS Futures 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


Checking the Markets...
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The Yearling Cattle Market continues to be fairly strong- with steady to two dollars higher this week reported at the Apache Livestock Market on Thursday- while the Pratt, Kansas market also was higher on cattle from 750 to 1000 pounds- one to five dollars higher.
On the feedlot scene- we continue to wait on cash cattle trade- with feedlot operators talking $93 or $94 as the number it will take to get cattle bought this week- that would be up from the mostly $92 seen a week ago.

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. Previous Day's Energy Market Recap- also from Country Hedging
The National Daily Feeder & Stocker Cattle Summary- as prepared by USDA.
The National Daily Slaughter Cattle Summary- as prepared by USDA.



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