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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oklahoma's latest farm and ranch news
Your Update from Ron Hays of RON for Monday May 12, 2008!
A
service of The Oklahoma Bioenergy Center, Midwest Farm Shows and American
Farmers & Ranchers.
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-- Farm Bill Votes To Occur This Week.
-- The 2008 Oklahoma Wheat Crop- A Billion Dollar Baby If We Can
Bring Her In!.
-- American Farmers & Ranchers Offers Support for "As Fair A Farm
Bill as Possible"
-- Oklahoma Ag Leadership Class 14 Applications Due!!!
-- With the Storms of Recent Days- A Reminder About Debris in Your
Fields and Your Cattle!
-- CSP Signup Extended to the End of May.
-- Oklahoma Farm Bureau Sending Letter Pushing for a Yes Vote on Farm
Bill.
-- 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 are 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! Our email this morning is also a service of Midwest Farm Shows,
producer of the Tulsa Farm Show that is held each December, as well as the
just concluded Southern Plains Farm Show in Oklahoma City. Check out
details of both of these exciting shows at the official website of Midwest
Farm Shows 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. | |
Farm Bill Votes To Occur This Week. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It is expected
that the details of the Conference Report may be known today- and that by
Wednesday, we could be seeing a vote in the House, followed by the Senate
on the 2008 Farm Bill. The House vote is seen as the critical vote with
the threat by USDA Secretary Ed Schafer that President Bush will veto the
measure- which means that about sixty Republicans would have to break
ranks with Bush and vote for the bill.
It is thought that there are enough votes in the Senate to override the potential veto- one of the Republicans that is arguing for the bill to be allowed to become law is Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia. "This is a very balanced farm bill. I think the president has a lot of reasons why he can sign it. Certainly, there are concerns on the part of the White House relative to the bill itself from a number of different perspectives, but what we have sought to do in a very bipartisan way is to move as close to the president's concerns and positions as we could without compromising the overall safety net, and at the end of the day I don't know what the president is going to do. He never directly told me that he's going to veto this bill." Meanwhile, the top Republican on the House Ag Committee is speaking
strongly in favor of the bill- Congressman Bob Goodlatte believes that
given the demands by Democratic Leadership- that Congress has done about
as much as is possible for farmers in this bill. | |
The 2008 Oklahoma Wheat Crop- A Billion Dollar Baby If We Can Bring Her In!. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We got word on
Friday that USDA believes that Oklahoma will produce 148.5 million bushels
of winter wheat in 2008. If Oklahoma wheat producers are able to achieve
that potential- it is very possible that we could end up with a billion
dollars of gross receipts for this year's crop- blowing away the previous
high of $849 million in wheat receipts for the 1979 crop.
I checked in with Dr. Kim Anderson of OSU regarding this possibility-
and he concurs that we have an excellent chance of hitting the Billion
Dollar mark. Kim offers the following math on how that could be
achieved- With prices at that level- it's likely to be the most profitable wheat crop on record as well. Out of pocket costs for this 2008 wheat crop will be coming in around $105 to $115 per acre, according to Dr. Anderson. Add in depreciation and land costs, and you are up closer to $140 to $150 per acre, which means with an average yield per acre of 31 bushels- you come in just under $5 per bushel in total costs. Selling wheat around seven dollars per bushel- or perhaps a little more- will pump a lot of money into our Oklahoma economy- NOW all we have to do is dodge the hail and get this crop safely out of the field and into the bin. The horror of 2007 is still fresh on the minds of our wheat producers- so that makes the 2008 harvest a nervous time for certain. | |
American Farmers & Ranchers Offers Support for "As Fair A Farm Bill as Possible" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AFR has
decided that the Conference Committee efforts are about as good as can be
hoped for- and has decided to offer their support for the resulting 2008
Farm Bill that faces its final votes in Congress later this week. AFR
President and CEO, Ray L. Wulf said after the conference report was made
public, "Given the Agriculture Committees had $58 Billion dollars less to
work with than in the 2002 Farm Bill and considering, among other things,
the $10 Billion in nutrition programs that were mandated for passage and
the $3.4-$4.0 Billion increase in conservation appropriations to conserve
and preserve natural resources in this country, they came with as fair a
bill as possible and we urge final passage by the House and Senate and
urge the President to sign it into law."
Wulf further stated "Our winter wheat farmers are approaching harvest of a crop planted without a decisive farm policy. Even now, their next wheat crop will be planted before this new Farm Bill can be implemented." The Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, commonly referred to as the $300 Billion Farm Bill, is about 73 % nutrition programs, such as Food Stamps, School lunches and programs to care for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and others and only about 12 % Commodity Support as a Safety Net for farmers with the balance going for such programs as Rural Development, Research, Trade, Credit, Livestock, and Energy. Gigantic reforms are incorporated all the way through this bill in an effort to cut unnecessary spending and address the President's and the public's concerns over abuses to previous programs. Some figures may change slightly after the Congressional Budget Office finishes scoring but any change should be minor. AFR feels it has been a bi-partisan effort with global food security in mind and the results of the committee's efforts will benefit the consumers in every section of this country and around the world. | |
Oklahoma Ag Leadership Class 14 Applications Due!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We got an
update from Dr. Joe Williams, Director of the Oklahoma Ag Leadership
Program on Friday that applications and references are coming into
Stillwater for folks interested in being a part of Class 14 of the OALP.
The deadline for applications is this coming Friday, May 16. A good number of applicants have gotten some or all of the needed paperwork in- and while it is not too late for those that have been thinking about being a part of the upcoming class- time is wasting- go to the link we have provided below and click on the flashing link for the application and info for Class 14. The Oklahoma Ag Leadership program is designed to stretch those who participate when it comes to leadership and their understanding of agriculture in Oklahoma in the context of the Big Picture of the American and global society. With the graduation of Class 13 last month in Stillwater, over 350 men and women have successfully gone through the program- and a lot of them are making a difference on local school boards, rural electric boards, farm and commodity groups and even as elected or appointed officials. If you are willing to invest in yourself through this program- it will equip you to be a better member and leader of the organizations that you are part of- or will be in the future. Give me a call if you have questions about the program- or click on the link provided below. Click here for more information on the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program and Class 14 Signup! | |
With the Storms of Recent Days- A Reminder About Debris in Your Fields and Your Cattle! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Insulation and
building debris present in pastures after high winds can cause problems
for cattle producers, difficulties that potentially may have a significant
effect on animal health and time management costs. Cattle will eat just
about anything that looks interesting in the pasture, cautions Dr. Dave
Sparks, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service veterinarian and area food
animal quality and health specialist. "Insulation debris is more
problematic, because of the small size," Sparks said. "Producers are
unlikely to rid their pastures of every bit of insulation. If animals
exhibit symptoms of insulation-related problems, producers should contact
their local veterinarians immediately." Treatment of cattle suffering from
insulation problems is symptomatic. "Your local veterinarian will treat on
a case-by-case basis," Sparks said. "This might mean employing a treatment
with laxatives, mineral oil, fluid therapy or, in appropriate cases,
surgery." Nails and other sharp metal objects of various sizes also create
a significant hazard to the feet and legs of animals. "It's very common
for these objects to cause puncture wounds and cuts in the feet and legs
of livestock," Sparks said. Often these metal objects have been carried by
wind or washed into water holes, ponds or other areas accessible to
livestock and a potential source of injury. "It's prudent for livestock
owners to keep this in mind when they have animals showing lameness,"
Sparks said. "If an animal is lame for more than one or two days and the
lameness continues to worsen, it should be examined by a veterinarian."
"Producers are going to have to pick up as much debris from their pastures as possible," he said. "This can be a painstaking, labor-intensive process given the potential amount of small debris." Insulation can cause bloat, impaction and gastro- intestinal problems when consumed, including possible hemorrhaging of the rumen. Nails and other small pieces of metal can cause "hardware" disease, health problems associated with the consumption of metal. Sparks said a single piece of wire consumed by a bull, cow, heifer or calf can drop down into the reticulum, the first stomach, where it potentially can pierce the heart. "Insulation debris is more problematic, because of the small size,"
Sparks said. "Producers are unlikely to rid their pastures of every bit of
insulation. If animals exhibit symptoms of insulation-related problems,
producers should contact their local veterinarians immediately." Treatment
of cattle suffering from insulation problems is symptomatic. "Your local
veterinarian will treat on a case-by-case basis," Sparks said. "This might
mean employing a treatment with laxatives, mineral oil, fluid therapy or,
in appropriate cases, surgery." | |
CSP Signup Extended to the End of May. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Registration
for the Conservation Security Program has been extended to May 30, U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief
Arlen Lancaster said. Originally, the sign-up was scheduled to run through
this coming Friday.
In Oklahoma, the only watershed that is eligible for this 2008 signup is the Upper Washita. This watershed includes land in some eight Oklahoma counties, and has over 1.745 million acres of farmland included- making Oklahoma the second largest state behind South Dakota in terms of the number of acres that have potential CSP funds that could be allocated here in 2008. Large areas of land in Caddo, Grady, Kiowa, Washita and Custer counties are a part of the Upper Washita watershed- very small amounts of land in Dewey and Comanche also are in this watershed. Lancaster said the Natural Resources Conservation Service recognized
that this year's sign-up came at a time when many farmers are planting.
"We want to give them as much time as possible," he said. "We are
extending the sign-up ... to allow producers adequate time to gather
natural resource information and complete the required self- assessment
and applicant interview. This two-week extension represents the fullest
accommodation we can make, and deliver a program this year." Click here for more information on the CSP Program from the USDA website | |
Oklahoma Farm Bureau Sending Letter Pushing for a Yes Vote on Farm Bill. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mike
Spradling, President of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, is faxing a letter to
all five House members and both US Senators that make up the Oklahoma
Congressional delegation this morning that calls on the Oklahoma lawmakers
to come out and support the 2008 Farm Bill Conference Report.
The OFB letter reads "On behalf of the state's largest agriculture
organization, with more than 166,000 member families, we strongly urge you
to vote in favor of the 2008 Farm Bill Conference Report. This is by no means a perfect piece of legislation. It is however, a
carefully balanced compromise of policy priorities that has broad support
among organizations representing the nation's agriculture, conservation,
and nutrition interests. | |
Our thanks to American Farmers & Ranchers, the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center and Midwest Farm Shows 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. | |
Checking the Markets... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We sold
feedlot cattle on Friday for mostly $94 in the southern plains- fully two
dollars above the previous week. Meanwhile, another big run this past Friday at the Woodward Livestock Market with more than 7200 cattle at that northwest Oklahoma market- Yearling Steers were one to three dollars per hundred higher than a week ago, with seven to eight hundred pound steers commanding $106 to $113.75. The eight weight steers brought from $101.75 to $107.50. 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: | |
God Bless! You can reach us at the following: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email: ron@oklahomafarmreport.com
phone: 405-473-6144
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