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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oklahoma's latest farm and ranch news
Your Update from Ron Hays of RON for Tuesday October 6, 2009
A
service of Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, Midwest Farm Shows and KIS
Futures!
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-- Just Pass the Half Way Mark on 2010 Wheat Crop Planting
-- The American Meat Institute Urges Baltimore City Public Schools to
Drop 'Meatless Mondays'
-- Consumers Seem to Be Warming Up to US Beef in South Korea
-- Fourth Consecutive Quarter of Retail Food Price Decline
-- Dealing with the Enemy- Michigan Settles with HSUS
-- Meanwhile, Over in Ohio- Livestock Interests Are Promoting Their
Own "Proposition Two"
-- BIO Contributes $15,000 to FFA to Support Youth Science
Education
-- 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. | |
Just Pass the Half Way Mark on 2010 Wheat Crop Planting ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The latest
Oklahoma Crop Weather Update shows that we have moved just past the half
way mark on the planting of the 2010 winter wheat crop here in Oklahoma,
with 56% now planted as of Monday- versus 33% at this point one week ago
and 58% as the five year average. Emergence of the Oklahoma crop is also
in line with the five year average- at 28% emerged versus 29% the average.
Kansas has also jumped significantly in planting progress- up to 53% done,
a thirty point gain in a single week- and that almost catches the
Sunflower state up to their five year average of 57% planted by these
first couple of days of October. Texas has also moved to the 53% planting
threshold- pretty much in line with the 54% level which is their five year
average.
For our spring planted crops in Oklahoma- "Harvest was underway for most of the State's row crops. Conditions for all row crops continue to rate mostly in the good to fair range. Ninety two percent of corn was mature by week's end, an increase of nine points from the previous week, but five points behind normal. Corn harvest was in full swing last week, increasing 17 points from the previous week to reach 54 percent, but was still 23 points behind the five-year average. Ninety three percent of sorghum was coloring by the end of the week, an increase of three points from the last week and ahead of normal. Thirty nine percent of sorghum was mature, six points ahead of last week's but 13 points behind the five-year average. Fourteen percent of the State's sorghum was harvested but still 14 points behind normal. Soybeans mature reached 40 percent, an increase of 11 points from the previous week, but 13 points behind the five-year average. Thirteen percent of the crop was harvested by week's end, but still 14 points behind normal. Sixty percent of peanuts were mature, up three points from last week but twelve points behind the five-year average. Seventeen percent of peanuts were dug, one point behind normal while a small portion was combined. Cotton bolls were opening on 84 percent of the crop, 27 points ahead of the previous week and three points ahead of normal. In addition, a small portion of cotton was harvested- 3% is the figure in the USDA Crop Progress report." You can read more details on our crop conditions across the state by clicking on the link below and checking out the full Oklahoma Crop Weather Update- row crops, specialty crops, pasture, hay and cattle conditions are among the things covered. Click here for more on this week's Oklahoma Crop Weather Update from NASS of USDA | |
The American Meat Institute Urges Baltimore City Public Schools to Drop 'Meatless Mondays' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AMI is urging
Baltimore Public Schools to reconsider its decision to hold "Meatless
Mondays," noting that meat and poultry products are an essential part of a
balanced diet. "Meatless Mondays" an initiative sponsored by the Grace
Spira Project at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The
name Spira refers to animal rights activist Henry Spira, founder of Animal
Rights International. Baltimore's school system is the first to adopt the
initiative, and the move means 80,000 students will have no meat option on
Mondays. Three out of four students in the Baltimore Public Schools system
are eligible for free and reduced meals and school meals may be the only
significant source of meat and poultry in their diets.
"Surely you have always offered a vegetarian option on your menu," AMI President and CEO J. Patrick Boyle wrote in a letter to Andrés A. Alonso, chief executive officer, Baltimore City Schools. "Now you are removing a meat or poultry entrée on Mondays and depriving children and their parents of the ability to determine what is appropriate for their diets and their own personal circumstances." "I am confident that you are concerned not just about the education of
your students, but also about their health and nutrition status. I urge
you to reconsider this decision and allow children every day that they
attend school to access the most nutrient dense food available: meat and
poultry products. Your children, in particular, deserve this choice,"
Boyle concluded. Click here for the AMI appeal to Baltimore Schools- Dump 'Meatless Mondays' | |
Consumers Seem to Be Warming Up to US Beef in South Korea ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ USMEF Vice
Chairman Keith Miller has just returned from Asia, where he examined
market conditions for U.S. beef and pork in China, South Korea and Japan.
Miller, a farmer-stockman from Great Bend, Kansas, said consumer attitudes
toward U.S. beef seem to be improving in Korea. This is in contrast to the
business climate he saw earlier this year, when U.S. beef was still
saddled with negative publicity from protests that marked the reopening of
the market, leading consumers to show a strong preference for Australian
beef.
We visit with Keith on our latest Beef Buzz about the current situation in South Korea- and the hope that we may see a combination of a weaker US dollar along with these apparently better consumer attitudes add up to a strong finish in 2009 for US beef into this important Pacific Rim market. Click on the link below- and check out this look at efforts to move more US Beef into South Korea. And we remind you that we have an archive of previous Beef Buzz shows on our website that you can check out at your convenience- 24/7. Whenever you are on our website- WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com- just go to the left hand side of the page- and select the Beef Buzz button to go and check out recent programs. | |
Fourth Consecutive Quarter of Retail Food Price Decline ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Retail food
prices have dropped slightly at the grocery store for the fourth
consecutive quarter. That's according to the American Farm Bureau
Federation's latest Marketbasket Survey - which shows a small 26-cent
decline in prices from the second quarter of 2009. The informal survey
shows a total cost of $46.03 for 16 basic grocery items that can be used
to prepare a meal. Over a year's time - the average price for the
marketbasket of foods has declined by about 10-percent.
Nine of the items decreased in price - while seven increased compared to the second quarter. Consumers saw the biggest price declines in shredded cheddar cheese - down 23-cents per pound; ground chuck - down 17-cents per pound; and whole milk - 14-cents less for gallon. Prices for vegetable oil are down 13-cents; and a five-pound bag of Russet potatoes costs 11-cents less. Compared to a year ago - milk decreased 27-percent - cheddar cheese is down 23-percent and the decline for potatoes is 22-percent. Sliced deli ham, boneless chicken breasts, white bread and sirloin tip roast round out the items that decreased in price. As for those products increasing in price - bacon will cost 18-cents
more per pound bag; orange juice is up 11-cents for a half-gallon; eggs
will cost 10-cents extra per dozen; and a box of toasted oat cereal will
cost nine-cents more. The cost of flour, apples and bagged salad are up
six, five and two-cents respectively. Compared to a year ago - the bagged
salad increased the most in price among the items in the basked - up
16-percent. Click here for more details of the latest Retail Survey conducted by AFBF | |
Dealing with the Enemy- Michigan Settles with HSUS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Michigan
State Legislature has passed proactive legislation, negotiated between the
Humane Society of the United States and the state's egg, pork and veal
production industries, to address certain production practices in their
businesses. The legislation will ban the use of so-called battery cages in
egg production and gestation stalls in the pork industry in a little more
than 10 years, and the use of crates for veal production in three years.
Jim Byrum, president of the Michigan Agri-Business Association, was involved in negotiations. Byrum says - no one likes change and no one likes to spend money to make those changes. The fact of the matter is, he says, - agriculture recognizes we must be more responsive to consumer demand and perceptions. This legislation is a manifestation of that realization. The HSUS had threatened to collect signatures for a ballot initiative
in Michigan that, according to Byrum, - would have caused essentially
these same outcomes, but in a much shorter time-frame and with much more
onerous penalties against Michigan farmers. Byrum believes - this is the
best resolution to a difficult situation, and producers now have
certainty, and can spend their resources to comply with the new
guidelines. Click here for more on the Animal Welfare bill that has advanced in Michigan | |
Meanwhile, Over in Ohio- Livestock Interests Are Promoting Their Own "Proposition Two" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It's actually
called Issue Two in Ohio. And in a little over a month, Ohioans will vote
on whether or not to amend the state constitution to create an Ohio
Livestock Care Standards Board. If passed, it would require a state
bipartisan board to set the standards for animal care.
This measure would establish the Ohio Livestock Standards Board, which would set standards on animal care and "takes into account issues of food safety, local availability and affordability of food and the best farm management practices for animal well-being. Issue 2 supporters include the Ohio Farm Bureau, the Ohio
Manufacturers' Association, the Ohio Grocers Association, the Ohio Chamber
of Commerce, the Ohio State Grange and their Governor, Ted
Strickland. | |
BIO Contributes $15,000 to FFA to Support Youth Science Education ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In a show of
support for expanding innovative science projects for high school
students, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) has presented the
National FFA Organization with a contribution of $15,000. BIO's
contribution will go largely to support a new pilot contest within FFA
through which students will produce videos creatively explaining the
benefits and sustainability of modern agricultural methods.
"BIO recognizes the importance of providing America's high school students with the resources needed to further their science education, specifically a science-based understanding of how to feed today's growing global population," said Sharon Bomer Lauritsen, Executive Vice President, Food and Agriculture at BIO. "Biotechnology is one answer to the challenge of how to feed, fuel and heal the world in the 21st century." She added, "Today's FFA student members will likely be tomorrow's agricultural leaders, so helping them understand today's real-world challenges and cutting edge solutions is a high priority." The FFA "Sustainability through Biotechnology" pilot project will offer students the chance to win new equipment for their chapter by producing winning videos that creatively highlight the benefits of modern agricultural methods such as seed technologies that produce more yields per acre and farming practices that are more environmentally friendly. The prizes will be presented by biotechnology industry leaders on-site at the winning chapters' schools in early 2010. | |
Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, PCOM, P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind Energy, Johnston Enterprises, AFR and KIS Futures for their support of our daily Farm News Update. For your convenience, we have our sponsors' websites linked here- just click on their name to jump to their website- check their sites 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! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A total 10,400
cattle was the estimate for the Monday run at the Oklahoma National
Stockyards- USDA's reporters tell us "Feeder steers and steer calves
1.00-3.00 lower, except under 500 lbs steady. Feeder heifers and heifer
calves 2.00-5.00 lower. Demand moderate for all classes, with most action
on lighter weight steers that are suitable for early wheat." As
far as the actual prices go, click here to view the Monday Oklahoma City
feeder cattle market. We've had requests to include Canola prices for your convenience here- and we will be doing so on a regular basis. Current cash price for Canola is $6.65 per bushel, while the 2010 New Crop contracts for Canola are now available are $7.00 per bushel- delivered to local participating elevators that are working with PCOM. 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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