From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 6:55 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 February 18, 2010
A service of Johnston Enterprises, P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind Energy and American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company!
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-- Class XIV of the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program Arrives in Spain
-- It's Time for the "Staggering" Marketing Plan for Left Over Old Crop Wheat
-- Worth Checking Out- HumaneWatch.Org
-- USDA Proposes Changes in Crop Insurance Program
-- February First Cattle on Feed Projected to be Smallest in Seven Years
-- OSU's Don Murray Named Top Weed Scientist in the Southern US
-- Express Ranches Set for Two Sale Days March 4th and 5th for Annual Spring Bull Sale and More
-- 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!

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Class XIV of the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program Arrives in Spain
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Class 14 of the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program has landed in Spain for the first leg of its international experience. The group of 28 young agricultural professionals is traveling through Southern Spain and Morocco over the next two weeks learning about agriculture and meeting producers in that part of the world. The group will also have the chance to consider opportunities of selling products into Europe and North Africa in the future from Oklahoma.

On Wednesday February 17th, the class landed in Madrid Spain and then hopped aboard another airplane for a short flight to Malaga, a city on the Southern Mediterranean coast.

Annette Riherd is an organic farmer near Oologah, Oklahoma. Her eye was immediately drawn to the fresh produce waiting for customers at the small markets along the street. She noticed some familiar vegetables, but also several items that she says that she has never seen before, adding the bell peppers that were at the streetside markets were huge and that she had never seen any that big before.

Click on the link below for more from the OALP travels as our colleague Clinton Griffiths has made the trip to help chronicle the journey for us as well as for the weekly TV show that he hosts, SUNUP.

Click here for more from the Day One Report on the OALP International Study Tour.


It's Time for the "Staggering" Marketing Plan for Left Over Old Crop Wheat
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If you still own any old crop wheat, it's probably time to "stagger" it into the market- so says OSU Grain Marketing Economist Dr. Kim Anderson of OSU. Dr. Anderson says that you need to be watching for even small rallies to move old stocks into the market that you may be sitting on.

For the 2010 crop that is in the ground and waiting to break dormancy, don't get in a big hurry sell in advance of harvest. Kim Anderson says that there is little evidence of anything on the horizon that could drive wheat prices higher between here and June when the combines are rolling.
Anderson says this may be the year to sell a little of the new crop at harvest to pay immediate bills- but then hold the bulk of the crop to see if prices can come off the bottom this fall. He believes the best chance to get a rally in wheat prices this year may come in the October, November and December time frame.

Click on the link below to read more and to listen to our full conversation with Dr. Anderson as we talk old crop and new crop marketing strategies- and why Kim thinks that there will likely be looking at going "up from the bottom" when it comes to wheat prices this harvest season.

Click here for more with Dr. Kim Anderson of OSU on current wheat market conditions.


Worth Checking Out- HumaneWatch.Org
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The Center for Consumer Freedom has launched a website to analyze the activities of the Humane Society of the United States. Director of Research David Martosko says the new revamped version of the site will be much more interactive and now includes a blog, and channels through which viewers can send documents, information or anecdotes about HSUS to CCF for inclusion on the site, even anonymously.

One of the Blog entries caught our eye as Martosko was refuting Wayne Pacelle's claim that they spend up to $27 million annually working with animal care. Martosko says the real figure is less than a half million dollars when you are talking about dealing with pets, the animals that HSUS constantly shows in their promotional materials. He writes in his blog "Hands-on care for dogs and cats is a very different thing from the more generic "hands-on animal care." Yes, HSUS runs a couple of wildlife sanctuaries and a horse ranch. There are five facilities in all. But none of them accepts dogs or cats. (You know—the pets in all of those weepy HSUS ads? Remember them?)
"Just so there's no mistaking what I'm saying, HSUS doesn't run any "hands-on" dog or cat shelters. It isn't affiliated with any "hands-on" dog or cat shelters. And in 2008, it only gave out $450,000 to "hands-on" dog and cat shelters. Out of a $99+ million budget."

Click on the link below- we have an audio report with David Martosko on the website update- and a link to the site itself as well.

Click here for more on HumaneWatch.Org- as the CCF Magnifies Your View of HSUS.


USDA Proposes Changes in Crop Insurance Program
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Changes have been proposed that will improve producer access to crop insurance. USDA's Risk Management Agency has released a second draft of a proposed new Standard Reinsurance Agreement, which establishes the terms, roles, and responsibilities for both USDA and insurance companies that participate in the Federal Crop Insurance Program. The new draft includes a series of significant changes, including many discussed during negotiations between the RMA and the participating crop insurance companies.

Due to significant increases in commodity prices in recent years, annual insurance industry payments more than doubled from 1.8-billion dollars in 2006 to an estimated 3.8 billion in 2009. At the same time, the number of policies decreased. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says the proposal represents a significant step toward an agreement that will give us a stronger Federal crop insurance program that helps producers manage risk, reduces volatility for crop insurance companies and serve farmers in every region of the country.

RMA Administrator William Murphy says - as with the first draft of the SRA, the second draft provides companies with relatively stable Administrative and Operating subsidies per policy for seven major commodities and will facilitate insurance company planning.

Click here for more from USDA on their "second draft" of their reinsurance proposal for Crop Insurance.


February First Cattle on Feed Projected to be Smallest in Seven Years
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The monthly Cattle on Feed numbers will be released by USDA on Friday afternoon of this week, after the futures markets are done for the week. Joe Victor with Allendale has dropped us a note with the Allendale projections for the report that will be issued by USDA at 2 PM central time.

Victor tells us that "January Placements are expected to be 7.4% smaller than last year. A lower supply of available calves and feeders and poor weather conditions were the prime reasons for this lower number. This was made despite the 17 cent decline in corn prices in January compared with December. This represents three months of straight placement declines. Cattle placed in January will be marketed from June through September."

Joe Victor adds that "Allendale anticipates a Marketing total 0.3% larger than January of 2009. This number comes after an adjustment for one less weekday in January 2010 vs. 2009. Feedlots are working off those higher placements made from July through October. Due to those placements, Marketings will remain over last year through March.

"Total Cattle on Feed as of February 1 will be 3.2% smaller than last year. Our estimate is the lowest February 1 Cattle on Feed in seven years."
We will have the USDA numbers up on our website on Friday afternoon, along with our regular commentary on reports like this one from Tom Leffler of Leffler Commodities.


OSU's Don Murray Named Top Weed Scientist in the Southern US
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Oklahoma State University's Don S. Murray has been named 2009 Weed Scientist of the Year by the Southern Weed Science Society. Murray is a Regents professor in the department of plant and soil sciences, part of OSU's Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Murray's honor was announced during the recent SWSS meeting at Little Rock, Arkansas.

The holder of OSU's P.E. Harrill Distinguished Professorship of Crop Science since 1991, Murray designs and conducts fundamental and applied weed science research with an emphasis on challenges associated with cultivated row crops, including experiments with reduced- and no-till production systems. Additional research projects with which he is involved include field experiments on pastures, forages and rangelands. Murray received the SWSS Outstanding Educator Award in 2006, and the SWSS Distinguished Service Award in 2004. He served as the organization's president from 1999-2000. Murray was named a Fellow of the society in 1999, the most prestigious honor a member can attain in the organization.

“Don's historical perspective has been instrumental in providing newer faculty with an understanding of the important role that the department has played in strengthening the state's agricultural industry throughout the years,” said Daren Redfearn, associate professor of forages with the OSU department of plant and soil sciences. “His insights help give us a continuity of vision that is beneficial to producers, agribusiness operators and researchers in terms of focusing on issues of importance to Oklahoma.”

A Cowboy alumnus, Murray earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in agronomy from OSU in 1966 and 1968, respectively. He earned his doctoral degree in crop science from OSU in 1974.
Prior to joining the OSU faculty, Murray served on the faculty of Auburn University from 1975 to 1978. He was a Ciba-Geigy Corp. field research representative for North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana in 1974.


Express Ranches Set for Two Sale Days March 4th and 5th for Annual Spring Bull Sale and More
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Express Ranches invites you to their 2010 Spring Bull Sale and Commercial Heifer Sale. On Thursday March 4 at 12 noon- 60 Limousin and Lim-Flex Bulls will be offered, along with 225 females. The female offering will include Angus Pairs, Open Angus Heifers and Commercial Angus Pairs.

On Friday, March 5th, the Angus Bull sale will get underway at 11:00 AM. Five hundred Angus Bulls will be up for sale, highlighted by the Express Ranches National Western Carload and Pen Bulls.

For more details, call 1-800-664-3977. You can also click on the link below for more information from our calendar listing on our website- and a link to the Express Ranches Website, where you can either download a PDF version of the catalog that can be printed- or you can browse through the interactive version of the catalog that is also available on the Express Ranches website.

Click here for more on the March 4th and 5th sales of Express Ranches in Yukon.


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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After several weeks of light receipts because of the weather- it was a big auction day at OKC West in El Reno, where they had 11,033 cattle for the Wednesday sale. According to our market reporters Tina Colby and John Stacy, "Steer and heifer calves 4.00-7.00 higher. Feeder steers steady to 2.00 higher. Feeder heifers steady. Demand very good for calves and stockers as local farmers begin to put together light cattle to turn out on graze-out wheat fields. Feeder cattle demand moderate." Five to six hundred pound steers sold from $111 to $122, while the seven to eight hundred pound steer yearlings commanded $97.50 to $107. Click here for the complete report from the OKC West Market in El Reno.

Current cash price for Canola is $7.55 per bushel, while the 2010 New Crop contracts for Canola are now available are $7.65 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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