From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2009 6:18 AM
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 January 23, 2009!
A service of Johnston Enterprises, American Farmers & Ranchers and Midwest Farm Shows!
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-- Ag Groups Tell President Obama- Allow Travel and Trade with Cuba
-- NCBA Tries to Head Off Dairy Buy Out At the Pass
-- Phosporus Load in Key Stream Dumping into Lake Spavinaw Down 66%
-- Dry Weather in Southern Plains Getting the Attention of Wheat Traders
-- Congressman Lucas Announces Subcommittee Minority Leadership for House Ag Committee
-- AFBF President Stallman Offers Wish List to Congress
-- Roger Mills County Cattlemen Getting Ready for Their Annual All Breed Bull Sale
-- Looking at our Agricultural 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 AFR web site to learn more about their efforts to serve rural America!

We are also pleased to have as a regular sponsor on our daily email Johnston Enterprises- proud to have served agriculture across Oklahoma and around the world since 1893. For more on Johnston Enterprises- click here for their website!
And we salute our longest running email sponsor- Midwest Farm Shows, producer of the just concluded Tulsa Farm Show, as well as the April 2009 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.


Ag Groups Tell President Obama- Allow Travel and Trade with Cuba
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Twenty one agricultural groups came together on a letter to our new President this week- called on the Obama Administration to immediately issue orders that will effectively end the decades old barriers that we have with Fidel Castro's Cuba. The Ag groups write that this move is long overdue:

"Trade with Cuba is important to the United States for economic, diplomatic, and geopolitical reasons. We respectively urge you to use your executive authority to open up U.S. - Cuba trade and travel by eliminating regulatory restrictions on personal and commercial travel to Cuba and allowing normal commercial transactions and direct payment terms. It is our understanding that such direct payment terms are currently allowed for payment of services provided by travel companies and telecommunications companies. U.S. payment and travel restrictions have been the two principal impediments to normalized trade flows with Cuba. Removing these unjustified obstacles at once after you have taken office will effect meaningful, meritorious change that is long overdue.

"Our organizations' members represent a wide cross section of U.S. agricultural producers, food processors, and exporters who have strongly supported unobstructed trade with Cuba for many years. Unimpeded U.S. - Cuba trade and travel will immediately benefit U.S. agricultural, humanitarian, commercial/industrial, financial, and transportation, sectors. Now is the time to change U.S. relations with Cuba to an unrestricted, unobstructed status that facilitates normal trade flows and open travel."

We have the text of the full letter on our website- click on the link below to read it and review the names of the organizations that were included in signing it.

Click here for our story on the Ag Groups Call to Open trade and travel with Cuba.


NCBA Tries to Head Off Dairy Buy Out At the Pass
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The National Cattlemen's Beef Association sent a letter this week to members of the U.S. Senate opposing an effort to include a dairy buyout in the stimulus package. It has been called a "preemptive strike" in an effort to keep such a proposal out of the stimulus package language as Congress labors to draft the mammoth piece of legislation.

The proposal would use taxpayer dollars to raise dairy prices by buying older dairy cows from farmers, taking approximately 6.5 billion gallons of milk off the market. This would result in nearly 320,000 additional head of cattle entering the beef market, which NCBA contends could drastically reduce the price of beef cattle.

We have more on this story on our website- including a brief interview that we conducted with cattle industry lobbyist Colin Woodall on the subject- click on the link below to jump to that story.

Click here for more on the NCBA fears of another whole herd dairy buyout


Phosporus Load in Key Stream Dumping into Lake Spavinaw Down 66%
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The Oklahoma Conservation Commission (OCC) has announced monitoring results that show continual improvement in water quality in the Spavinaw Creek watershed. The improvements result from programs offered through the Delaware County Conservation District and in cooperation with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to help landowners install land management practices to keep nutrients, sediment and bacteria out of runoff into streams.

Recent analysis of water quality monitoring data shows a 66 percent reduction in phosphorus loading into Beaty Creek in Delaware County compared to a nearby stream, according to the Oklahoma Conservation Commission. Beaty Creek is a subwatershed within the larger Spavinaw Creek watershed that supplies drinking water for much of the Tulsa area. "The longer these land management practices are in place, the more improvement we see in the water quality in the watershed," said Mike Thralls, executive director of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission.

The difference seems to be the Best Management Practices that have been employed by landowners- with assistance from conversation professionals from the USDA's NRCS and the Oklahoma Conservation Commission. "We expect that similar results will be obtained in the larger Spavinaw Creek watershed, and eventually Lakes Eucha and Spavinaw, after the recently installed BMPs have been in place for at least a couple of years, and with continued efforts in the watershed" said Shanon Phillips, acting director of OCC's Water Quality division.

For more on this story- click here to jump to our website www.oklahomafarmreport.com


Dry Weather in Southern Plains Getting the Attention of Wheat Traders
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OSU Grain Marketing Economist Dr. Kim Anderson continues this week as one of the mainstays on the weekly ag information program seen Saturday mornings called SUNUP- as produced by OSU Ag Communications. The show is seen Saturday mornings at 7:30 AM.

Dr. Anderson says that we need moisture pretty soon- or we could see damage to the potential of the 2009 wheat crop if we don't get some rain or even some frozen precipitation. He believes that the grain trade will be following the moisture story in the weeks ahead as we approach the critical time when wheat comes out of winter dormancy and then needs water to grow and develop a grain head for harvest in June.

We have Clinton Griffiths talking with Dr. Anderson- the audio available on our website as well as a listing of the other guests and topics besides Dr. Anderson who will be a part of this weekend's show. Click on our link below to check Dr. Anderson's pulse on this wheat market.

Click here to go hear Kim Anderson talk wheat market issues- as well as review SUNUP topics for this weekend.


Congressman Lucas Announces Subcommittee Minority Leadership for House Ag Committee
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As expected, Congressman Frank Lucas announced that the former Chairman and ranking member of the House Ag Committee, Bob Goodlatte of Virginia will take the subcommitte ranking position that Lucas has held the last couple of years- and that two other key subcommittee ranking positions will be retained by the veteran members of the House Ag Committee.

"I am pleased to announce these new leadership posts for the Committee. All of the Subcommittee Ranking Republicans are seasoned members and strong advocates for American agriculture. They understand the value of our farmers and ranchers and how important rural communities are to our nation's economy," said Ranking Republican Frank Lucas. Lucas also announced that Rep. Bill Cassidy from Louisiana will be joining the Agriculture Committee. Rep. Cassidy represents the 6th Congressional District. Cassidy is a medical doctor from Baton Rouge. He also served a stint as a senator in the Louisiana State Legislature. Rice is the leading crop in his district, followed by dairy and timber.

The subcommittee ranking members will include:
Rep. Bob Goodlatte, Virginia, will be the Ranking Republican on the Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research Subcommittee.
Rep. Jerry Moran, Kansas, will be the Ranking Republican on the General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Subcommittee.
Rep. Randy Neugebauer, Texas, will be the Ranking Republican on the Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Subcommittee.
Rep. K. Michael Conaway, Texas, will be the Ranking Republican on the Specialty Crops, Rural Development, and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee.
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, Nebraska, will be the Ranking Republican on the Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry Subcommittee.
Rep. Jean Schmidt, Ohio, will be the Ranking Republican on the Horticulture and Organic Agriculture Subcommittee.


AFBF President Stallman Offers Wish List to Congress
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An economic stimulus bill up for consideration by lawmakers must include investment in programs that will strengthen American agriculture and rural life, the American Farm Bureau Federation said on Thursday.

Among the items that Stallman highlighted was money to build out broadband to rural areas, money for rural roads and bridges as well as dollars to update our locks and dams that carry farm goods to the export terminals.

You can read more of the details of what Bob Stallman says needs to be a part of an Economic Stimulus for rural America by clicking on the link below.

Click here for our story on Bob Stallman's "to do" list for a rural economic stimulus


Roger Mills County Cattlemen Getting Ready for Their Annual All Breed Bull Sale
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This 31st annual All Breed Bull Sale will be held at the Roger Mills County Ag Pavilion, which is located on the west side of Cheyenne, Oklahoma. It is being hosted by the Roger Mills County Cattlemen's Association.

The sale will include 68 high quality Angus, Maine-Angus, Hereford-Maine, Simmental-Angus, Maine-Anjou, Limousin, Horned Hereford and Composite bulls from well- known Western Oklahoma producers.

Sale time on February 7 is twelve noon. For information- Call Lynda Lucas at 580-497-7366 or Earl Bottom at 580-821-0633.


Our thanks to Midwest Farm Shows, American Farmers & Ranchers and Johnston Enterprises 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


Looking at our Agricultural Markets...
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Cash cattle prices in our southern plains feedlots dropped more than $2 on Thursday- with large numbers of cattle selling for $82. The Texas Cattle Feeders report that almost 30,000 head in their member yards sold for that price- compared to $84.50 a week ago. Closeouts on these pens of cattle will be overflowing with red ink- as market watchers say current breakeven prices are more like $95- way above the current market for those cattle ready to be hauled to the plants.

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- Two Pager From The Kansas City Board of Trade looks at all three US Wheat Futures Exchanges with extra info on Hard Red Winter Wheat and the why of that day's market

Daily Oklahoma Cash Grain Prices- As Reported by the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture.
The National Daily Feeder & Stocker Cattle Summary- as prepared by USDA.
The National Daily Slaughter Cattle Summary- as prepared by USDA.
Finally, Here is the Daily Volume and Price Summary from the Texas Cattle Feeders Association.



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