~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oklahoma's latest farm and ranch news
Your Update from Ron Hays of RON for Tuesday May 26, 2009
A
service of Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, Midwest Farm Shows and KIS
Futures!
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-- Organizers Against NAIS Feeling Their Oats at Listening
Sessions
-- No Stress- Once You Learn the Ropes of Livestock Handling the Bud
Williams Way
-- Goobers Can be A Good Crop on Some of Those Failed Wheat Acres in
Southern Oklahoma
-- What's Under Monte's Hat???
-- Section 18 Crisis Emergency Exemption Allows Sesame Growers to Use
Herbicide
-- Cattle on Feed Numbers Pretty Much As Expected Last Friday
-- What Folks are Saying About Animal ID
-- Let's Check 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 KIS Futures as a regular sponsor of our daily email update. KIS Futures provides Oklahoma Farmers & Ranchers with futures & options hedging services in the livestock and grain markets- Click here for the free market quote page they provide us for our website or call them at 1-800-256-2555. We are also excited to have as one of our sponsors for the daily email
Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, with 64 years of progress through
producer ownership. Call Brandon Winters at 405-232-7555 for more
information on the oilseed crops they handle, including sunflowers and
canola- and remember they post closing market prices for canola and
sunflowers on the PCOM
website- go there 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. | |
Organizers Against NAIS Feeling Their Oats at Listening Sessions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There is a
coordinated effort to take out the NAIS program that would offer traceback
within 48 hours in the case of a contagious livestock disease is
discovered in the United States. This effort is taking full advantage of
the Listening Sessions that are being held around the country by the USDA.
One of the key groups that is making sure they have multiple calls for the
end of NAIS, voluntary or mandatory, at each of the Listening Sessions is
the Texas based Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance.
In talking with our colleague Stewart Doan of Agri-Pulse who covered the Louisville, Ky. USDA Listening Session regarding the NAIS this past Friday, it is evident that there is national coordination by groups opposed to NAIS, voluntary or mandatory. Some of these groups would be in favor of mandatory traceback for large animal operations- with an exemption for anyone holding a limited number of livestock. Other groups simply want NAIS to be abolished. One of the groups in that second category is the group we are spotlighting today on our Beef Buzz as heard on radio stations across the state of Oklahoma- as well as being heard on our website. According to their website, "The National Animal Identification System ("NAIS") poses a serious threat to all farmers, ranchers, livestock owners, and companion-animal owners, whether they are organic or conventional, small or large, involved with animals for business or for pleasure. If it is made mandatory, every person with even one horse, cow, chicken, pig, goat, sheep, or virtually any other livestock animal on their premises will be required to register their homes and property into a database and subject their property and animals to government surveillance." We have a special internet length Beef Buzz linked below for you that includes the full testimony offered by the Executive Director of FARFA, Judith McGeary, who lives on a small farm outside of Austin, Texas and is an attorney. | |
No Stress- Once You Learn the Ropes of Livestock Handling the Bud Williams Way ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bud Williams
has been working at getting along with livestock for more than half a
century. He was the lead off speaker on Friday at the Seeds for Success
Grazing Conference, sponsored by East Central Oklahoma State College in
Wilburton. About 75 were in attendance with several states represented.
Williams told the audience that it is his experience that animals want to cooperate with you- that if you handle them correctly, no canes or hotshots or anything else except your presence is needed to get them from point A to point B with a minimum of stress on both the animals as well as on you. One of the keys is to not to walk straight at the animals- but rather work your way closer to them gradually at an angle. Once you get close, you can move the livestock by simply using your position and giving the animals time to respond to where you are. We talked with this legend in the livestock handling business. A lot of folks swear by his methods- and our story at www.OklahomaFarmReport.Com features an interview that we did with him on Friday after his morning presentation. Click on the link below to check that out. | |
Goobers Can be A Good Crop on Some of Those Failed Wheat Acres in Southern Oklahoma ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Executive
Director of the Oklahoma Peanut Commission, Mike Kubicek, says that
Spanish Peanuts are a good choice for farmers in southern Oklahoma that
want a crop to come in behind some of the frozen out acres of wheat that
have failed to produce a crop here in 2009. The window for planting
Spanish varieties of peanuts in the state is now open and extends to
around June 15.
Dr. Chad Godsey of OSU had said earlier this month that one crop to consider for planting on frozen out wheat acres are peanuts. Godsey says that for those in southern areas of Oklahoma with a sandy loam type soil- peanuts present an opportunity to grow a valuable crop on some of those failed acres- especially for those who still farm peanuts or have in the past. We talked with Mike Kubicek about this and a lot more as it pertains to peanuts here in Oklahoma at the end of this past week- and we have that conversation linked below as a story on our website- click and check it out. | |
What's Under Monte's Hat??? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One of the
hardest things for folks that don't live on the farm to understand is the
24/7 nature of agriculture. When one of your critters is in trouble, you
deal with it- night time, weekend or holiday. Our friend Monte Tucker has
a great blog that offers a little perspective about life on the farm and
ranch- and he has written a dandy blog entry about caring for a calf as he
is reminded there are those who think animal agriculture is all about
"factory farms."
Monte writes on May 25 in his blog called "What's Under My Hat": Monte goes on to tell the story of doctoring the calf- and as he fights to save her life- he hears anti meat Carrie Underwood singing on the radio and he says "It's close to ten o'clock at night, I'm bent over hand milking a new cow while trying to keep her heifer calf alert and going and my local radio station is playing a song from a bunny hugging, Humane Society of the United States contributing, air head! I apologized to the cow and the calf for submitting them to the torture of her singing and I quit what I was doing and un-plugged that stinking radio!" He offers this thoughts about the HSUS and more in the rest of this story- we have it linked for you below- and you may want to check back on Monte's blog from time to time- his comments are often a lot of fun and usually very insightful about life out in the country. (and Monte- you can turn the RADIO back on- we'll have a farm report in a few minutes!) Click here for the full story of Dr. Monte and His Brand of Calf Care | |
Section 18 Crisis Emergency Exemption Allows Sesame Growers to Use Herbicide ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oklahoma
Secretary of Agriculture, Terry Peach, received permission for state
sesame growers to apply a restricted use herbicide, Dual Magnum®, as a
pre-emergent. The chemical is an important tool for weed control but must
be applied before the sesame plants emerge.
"Sesame production is increasing in Oklahoma with about 50,000 acres expected to be planted this year," he said. "Our growers have asked for this herbicide and we were pleased we were successful in receiving this exemption." Growers have only 15 days to apply and may begin using the chemical immediately. It is not effective against weeds that have already emerged. One of the major problems in growing this drought tolerant crop has been the lack of weed control options in recent growing seasons. This crisis exemption is a good first step to helping Sesame become a reasonable spring crop choice for many producers in western parts of the state. | |
Cattle on Feed Numbers Pretty Much As Expected Last Friday ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OSU Livestock
Market Economist Dr. Derrell Peel says that reduced feedlot marketings and
increased placements so far this year have brought cattle on feed
inventories closer but still below year ago levels. That trend continued
with the May Cattle on Feed report with April marketings 93 percent of
last year and placements 104 of year ago levels. The May 1 on-feed total
was 97 percent of this time last year.
Dr. Peel says that more important for the cattle trade is what happened over the last three or four days- the Memorial Day weekend, traditionally one of the largest outdoor grilling weekends of the year. In his weekly column he writes "Beef markets are waiting to see if the Memorial Day weekend lives up to expectations and hopes for seasonal beef demand. The boxed beef market has struggled to hold on the seasonal gains in boxed beef prices the past two weeks. Going into the holiday weekend, Choice boxed beef was just under $146/cwt, down from the high over $152/cwt in late April, but significantly higher than the $132/cwt low in late February. The Choice-Select Spread has widened somewhat seasonally, following last year's pattern and still less than has been typical historically. The current Choice-Select Spread is about $5/cwt. "Total beef production is down 4.5 percent so far in 2009 compared to
last year. The reasons for decreased production have changed in recent
weeks. In the first quarter of the year, reduced cattle slaughter pulled
beef production down despite sharply higher carcass weights. In recent
weeks, slaughter has increased, as is typical of this time of year, but
carcass weights have dropped to levels only slightly higher than a year
ago. | |
What Folks are Saying About Animal ID ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was
suggested to me by one of you folks that you wanted to hear what others in
our Email family are thinking in relationship to Animal ID. I put that
call out this past Friday before the weekend- and I have a couple of
responses for you to share this morning. AND- I am interested in what you
have to say on this subject as well- please email me and I will share your
thoughts on this subject as well in the days ahead.
Roy Lee Lindsey of the Oklahoma Pork Council was one that offered his view on Animal ID: "There are many people who believe any animal ID program should be voluntary. There are also those who believe that the cost of an ID system keeps people from supporting a system. Premise Registration has been available for several years. It has been voluntary and it is FREE. The only information collected is very similar to what you could find in a phone book - name, address, phone number, and what types of livestock you have. It does NOT ask how many specific animals you have but only what species. Despite the fact that this FREE and VOLUNTARY program has been around for years, at present only 14% of Oklahoma's livestock producers have elected to participate. While there are a number of people who simply don't want any kind of system at all, the vast majority of opponents cite either the cost or that it should be voluntary. And yet our current free and voluntary system can't even get to 50% participation. With the limited participation in this voluntary program, it is very difficult to sell the idea that any type of voluntary program will ever work." Beth objects to the current plan that is in place as she writes "My
daughter keeps goats, both meat & dairy, for her 4H project. We are
already subject to scrapies tags for identification. Why do we have to be
a part of NAIS? | |
Our thanks to Midwest Farm Shows, Producers Cooperative Oil Mill 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. | |
Let's Check the Markets! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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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