From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 5:55 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 Thursday January 21, 2010
A service of Johnston Enterprises, P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind Energy and American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company!
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-- Oklahoma State FSA Committee Announced by Obama Administration
-- Climate Change, Weed Resistance and More with Bill Buckner of Bayer Crop Science North America
-- Congressman Lucas Delighted With Senator Brown Winning the Old Ted Kennedy Senate Seat- Says Stick a Fork in Climate Change- It's Done for the Year
-- National Corn Growers Finally Take a Stand on Climate Change Legislation
-- American Farm Bureau Supports Efforts by Senator Lisa Murkowaki to Stop EPA's Desire to Regulate Carbon Dioxide
-- Do NOT Drastically Cut the Federal Crop Insurance Program.
-- The Noble Challenge Has Been Met Again in 2009 by Alums of the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program
-- 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 pleased 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!

It is also great to have as an annual sponsor on our daily email Johnston Enterprises- proud to be serving agriculture across Oklahoma and around the world since 1893. For more on Johnston Enterprises- click here for their website!

And we are proud to have P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind Energy as one of our regular sponsors of our daily email update. P & K is the premiere John Deere dealer in Oklahoma, with nine locations to serve you, and the P & K team are excited about their new Wind Power program, as they offer Endurance Wind Power wind turbines. Click here for more from the P&K website.

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Oklahoma State FSA Committee Announced by Obama Administration
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The Obama Administration today announced those individuals who will serve on the Oklahoma Farm Service Agency State Committee. State committee members oversee the activities of the agency, including carrying out the state agricultural conservation programs, resolving appeals from the agriculture community and keeping producers informed about FSA programs.
Here are the five named to make up the Oklahoma State Committee:

Cletus Carter (Chairperson)
Carter, from Beaver County, Okla., owns a farming and ranching operation and farm consulting business. He has served on the Beaver County and Northwest Oklahoma Community Development Council and also held a position on the Deans Advisory Council in Oklahoma State University's Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

Steve Nunley
Nunley, from Marlow, Okla., has served as a board member on the Stephens County Farm Bureau and the American Farm Bureau Federation. He has been awarded the Oklahoma Young Farm Family of the Year Award and National Western Region Dairy and Crop Production Proficiency Award.
Brenda Neufeld
Neufeld, from Fairview, Okla., is an integral part of her family farm where she is involved in the production of dairy quality alfalfa hay, wheat and cattle. She also serves as a tax accountant for Curtis D. Karber & Associates. In addition, Neufeld is active in her local community serving as Major County Progressive Farmer Safety Day coordinator, Ag in the Classroom presenter, teacher tour host and an active member of the Major County Farm Bureau Women's Committee.

Steve Butler
Butler, from Wagoner, Okla., served on the Wagoner County FSA Committee for more than two decades before his appointment to the Oklahoma FSA State Committee. Butler previously served on the USDA State Committee from 1993 to 2000. In addition to his public service, Butler has owned and operated a dairy farm since 1971. After attending Texas Tech University and Northeastern State University, Butler joined the U.S. National Guard.
Jack Sherry
Sherry, from Holdenville, Okla., is part owner of a 2,000 acre farm and ranch. He also is the current president of Holdenville's Chamber of Commerce and president of the Holdenville Public School Board. Sherry's extensive leadership experience includes a stint as president of both the Hughes County Young Farmers and Hughes County Cattlemen's Association. He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business from Oklahoma State University.

In an email announcing the USDA appointments- Oklahoma FSA Director Francie Tolle told us that "This is an incredible group that will do an outstanding job representing Oklahoma agriculture."


Climate Change, Weed Resistance and More with Bill Buckner of Bayer Crop Science North America
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We are winding down our coverage today and tomorrow from the first ever Pan America Weed Resistance Conference that has been underway the last couple of days. This morning- I have a conversation that I want to share with you from the CEO for Bayer Crop Science here in North America- Bill Buckner, who's official title is Head of Business Operations in North America for Bayer Crop Science.

Bill Buckner and I had the chance to talk about several issues- including his thoughts on the Climate Change debate and why it is vital that agriculture take an "in your face" kind of attitude and make sure they stay engaged when and if further negotiations happen- Buckner says that bad things can occur if you neglect to be part of the process.

We also talked about glyphosate and how Bayer wants to be part of the solution in discovering new chemistry that will follow this highly effective chemical that is gradually finding itself vulnerable to resistant weeds around the world. Click on the link below- and you can hear our special Ag Perspectives Podcast with Bill Buckner from this Weed Resistance Conference in Miami Beach.

Click here for our conversation with Bill Buckner of Bayer Crop Science North America.


Congressman Lucas Delighted With Senator Brown Winning the Old Ted Kennedy Senate Seat- Says Stick a Fork in Climate Change- It's Done for the Year
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After the political winds turned a full 180 degrees in Massachusetts earlier this week with the election of Republican Scott Brown to the US Senate, the top Republican on the House Ag Committee, Oklahoma lawmaker Frank Lucas, is feeling a little more confident in predicting the demise of the so called Cap and Trade legislation that passed the US House last July- and has been bogged down in the US Senate since that time. Lucas says that he believes both the Climate Change legislation as well as healthcare legislation that the Liberal arm of the Democratic Party has been pushing will stall out this election year.

Congressman Lucas adds that he is agreeable to cooperate with House Ag Committee Chairman Collin Peterson to start the process of hearings for the 2012 Farm Bill, but doesn't think radical changes to the farm safety net are warranted. Lucas says he knows that Peterson is a champion of the revenue based farm program concept- but he thinks there are still too many bugs in the equations to fully move the farm safety net that direction.

Click on the link below to hear comments from the Oklahoma lawmaker who is the top GOP member on the House Ag Committee.

Click here for our story with an audio overview from OKlahoma Congressman Frank Lucas


National Corn Growers Finally Take a Stand on Climate Change Legislation
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With the special election this week in Massachusetts that saw the Senate seat held for decades by Teddy Kennedy go to a conservative Republican, Scott Brown- we now have more and more people on the bandwagon that Climate Change legislation is more and more unlikely to move forward. WIth that as the backdrop- it was just yesterday that the National Corn Growers Association finally decided to take a stand on the House passed version of the bill. This is the version that passed just before the Fourth of July last summer.

National Corn Growers Association President Darrin Ihnen has released the following statement related to the decision announced today to oppose H.R. 2454, The American Clean Energy and Security Act.
"Since the passage of this bill by the U.S. House of Representatives in June 2009, the National Corn Growers Association has maintained a neutral position on the legislation pending further review. Although our neutrality has often put us at odds with the majority of other mainstream agricultural groups, we believe it was critical to remain engaged with lawmakers while the economic impacts were analyzed, and last year NCGA retained Informa Economics of Memphis, Tenn., to study the potential impacts on agriculture.

"Now, based on the recently completed economic analysis, NCGA has no choice but to oppose H.R. 2454. The results of the Informa study indicates that every corn grower in the country will experience increased costs of production resulting from H.R. 2454. In the early years of this legislation, these higher production costs will be relatively minor. However, over time these prices will significantly increase, placing an unnecessary burden on growers."

Click on the link below for the rest of the NCGA statement on their decision to pile on in opposition to the House passed Climate Change proposal.

Click here for more on the National Corn Growers and their statement on Climate Change efforts in Congress.


American Farm Bureau Supports Efforts by Senator Lisa Murkowaki to Stop EPA's Desire to Regulate Carbon Dioxide
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The American Farm Bureau Federation supports legislative efforts by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) to stop an Environmental Protection Agency proposal to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. In a letter to Murkowski that was sent to all senators, AFBF President Bob Stallman said the EPA proposal is ill-timed because climate discussions held in Copenhagen last month did not produce a "meaningful international agreement that puts all nations on a level playing field with respect to carbon emissions."

"In the absence of such an international agreement, it would be foolish for our country-from both an economic and an environmental standpoint-to undertake such regulatory action as contemplated by EPA. Administrator Lisa Jackson testified before the Senate last summer that the U.S. acting on its own cannot affect the global climate," Stallman wrote. "Yet, it is clear that a regulatory scheme such as that contemplated under the endangerment finding would have significant negative effects on the economy."

In the letter, Stallman noted a resolution passed unanimously by delegates to AFBF's 91st annual meeting last week that not only expressed opposition to cap-and-trade legislation but that "strongly supports any legislative action that would suspend EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act."

Click on the link below and check out our story on our website, www.OklahomaFarmReport.Com. Our story includes a link to the full letter from American Farm Bureau to all members of the US Senate.

Click here for more on the Farm Bureau call to stop the EPA from moving forward on regulating carbon dioxide as a danger to the environment and to mankind.


Do NOT Drastically Cut the Federal Crop Insurance Program.
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Twenty six U.S. Senators, on both sides of the aisle, have signed a letter urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency to refrain from making deep cuts to the federal crop insurance program. In a letter to RMA Administrator William Murphy, the Senators said a competitive, thriving crop insurance industry is vital to the agricultural economy.

The Senators said - we are concerned the proposed cuts to the crop insurance industry, in addition to cuts made as part of the 2008 Farm Bill, could force some companies out of business. They added, - our rural economies can't stand to lose the jobs and necessary incomes that would occur as a result of these cuts.

They also voiced a concern for a reduction in the quality of the service provided to farmers, and in some parts of the country could mean farmers might be required to drive for hours to sit down with their agents to discuss coverage decisions. They concluded, - this program is highly valued by our farmers and their bankers, especially in such a volatile economic environment.

Click here to jump to our story on the website- which is where you can go and click and read the full letter sent by lawmakers to USDA.


The Noble Challenge Has Been Met Again in 2009 by Alums of the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program
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It is always a tribute to the worth of a school or other educational platform when the Alums from that entity step up and are willing to give money to keep that program up and running years after they had received a benefit.

That was the case again in 2009 for those who have completed the two year program known as the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program. Alums from all thirteen classes that have graduated participated in the annual challenge laid down by the Noble Foundation of Ardmore. In 2009, the Noble Challenge Grant was for $25,000. For every dollar that was given to OALP by an alum- the Noble folks would match it one for one, up to a maximum of $25,000.

The Grant was met and exceeded once again in 2009, even as many Alums were struggling in these challenging economic times. The Alums not only met the goal, but blew right past it, with contributions to the running of the statewide Ag Leadership Program offered by more than a hundred of the grads of the program. When all was said and done, the Alums of the OALP had contributed just over $32,000 in 2009, easily earning the all important match from the Noble Foundation.
By the way, the current class- the 14th group that has gathered under the OALP banner is getting ready to leave in a just a few weeks for their international travel experience. You can click on their website to learn more about the OALP- and I would personally invite you to give me a call if you have any interest in being considered for Class 15 of the program- we are looking for a few good folks for the next class- and your involvement in that process is very important.

Click here for more on the OALP program, as seen on their website.


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.

Click here to check out WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com


Let's Check the Markets!
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The OKC West Livestock Auction in El Reno had a good sized Wednesday run of 7,393 cattle on January 20- with yearling prices called steady to a $1 higher, while steer calves were $1 to $4 stronger than a week earlier. Demand was called good for all classes. Five to six hundred pound steer calves sold for $103.50 to $114.50, while seven to eight hundred pound steer yearlings cleared from $95 to $100. Click here for the complete OKC West report from yesterday- it should be updated with the January 20 data by around 8 AM on this Thursday morning. Current cash price for Canola is $7.10 per bushel, while the 2010 New Crop contracts for Canola are now available are $7.35 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:
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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