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We invite you to listen to us on great radio stations across the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network weekdays- if you missed this morning's Farm News - or you are in an area where you can't hear it- click here for this morning's Farm news from Ron Hays on RON.
Let's Check the Markets!
OKC West is our Market Links Sponsor- they sell cattle three days a week- Cows on Mondays, Stockers on Tuesday and Feeders on Wednesday- Call 405-262-8800 to learn more.
Today's First Look:
mornings with cash and futures reviewed- includes where the Cash Cattle market stands, the latest Feeder Cattle Markets Etc.
At OKC West in El Reno feeder steers traded fully steady while feeder heifers sold 4.00-7.00 lower - click here to review the complete sale report from the USDA.
Each afternoon we are posting a recap of that day's markets as analyzed by Justin Lewis of KIS futures- Click or tap here for the report posted yesterday afternoon around 3:30 PM.
Okla Cash Grain:
Futures Wrap:
Feeder Cattle Recap:
Slaughter Cattle Recap:
TCFA Feedlot Recap:
Our Oklahoma Farm Report Team!!!!
Ron Hays, Senior Farm Director and Editor
KC Sheperd, Associate Farm Director and Editor Pam Arterburn, Calendar and Template Manager Dave Lanning, Markets and Production Kane Kinion, Web and Email Editorial Assistant
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Oklahoma's Latest Farm and Ranch News
Your Update from Ron Hays of RON
Thursday, January 30, 2020
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Howdy Neighbors!
Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update.
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 Featured Story:
President Donald Trump Wednesday signed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. During a White House ceremony, Trump stated USCMA is, "the largest, most significant, modern and balanced trade agreement in history." USMCA replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement, a trade deal Trump considered "outdated" and "terrible." Mexico approved and signed the agreement last year. Legislation to approve the agreement in Canada was announced this week. Canada seems likely to approve the agreement within the next month, following its legislative process. Canada and Mexico are top trading partners for United States agriculture.
President Trump says USMCA is "a monumental win for American farmers and ranchers, improving access to Canadian and Mexican markets." The agreement protects current market conditions between the U.S., Mexico and Canada, and includes an estimated $2.2 billion increase in U.S. agricultural exports. The agreement is expected to grow annual dairy exports by nearly $315 million. Trump promised dairy farmers improved trade with Canada when announcing his intention to upgrade NAFTA.
Click here to listen to all of President Trump's comments on the signing of USMCA.
We also spotlight some of the reactions from our two Oklahoma Senators who have both been advocates for the passage of USMCA over this past year.
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Sponsor Spotlight
Dating back to 1891, Stillwater Milling Company has been supplying ranchers with the highest quality feeds made from the highest quality ingredients. Their full line of A & M Feeds can be delivered direct to your farm, found at their Agri-Center stores in Stillwater, Davis, Claremore and Perry or at more than 125 dealers in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Texas.
We appreciate Stillwater Milling Company's long time support of the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and we encourage you to click here to learn more about their products and services.
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National Cattlemen's Beef Association President Jennifer Houston, who attended yesterday's White House signing ceremony for the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), yesterday released the following statement:
"This is a great day for America's cattle producers and we were once again honored to participate in another great victory for our industry. Of course, the ratification of USMCA comes on the heels of a game-changing new trade deal with China, a new bilateral agreement with our largest export partners in Japan, and much-improved access to the European Union.
"Add that to the new waters rule that was finalized last week, new proposed grazing regulations, and new proposed rules that would provide much-needed relief the National Environmental Policy Act, and it's easy to see that 2020 is off to a truly historic start for U.S. beef producers. I want to thank the President and his entire team for listening to our producers' concerns and for working with us to find real common-sense solutions."
Here are the reactions from other agricultural groups:
National Corn Growers Association - click here.
Food & Water Action - click here.
National Pork Producers Council - click here.
National Association of Wheat Growers and U.S. Wheat Associates - click here.
National Cotton Council - click here.
American Farmers and Ranchers Federation - click here.
Agricultural Retailers Association - click here.
Congressman Frank Lucas - click here.
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A HUGE win for the beef industry came yesterday as a magistrate judge in Montana has granted summary judgment to USDA and the 15 qualified state beef councils that have been targeted by R-Calf in a beef checkoff lawsuit.
Colin Woodall, CEO of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, NCBA, says he is pleased with today's opinion, "Well, this is a great decision coming out of the magistrate who has been looking at the merits of the case. And what he came out with is that oversight that we currently have in state beef councils is adequate, is enough to protect the integrity of the dollars being paid into the checkoff. This is not the final decision, there's still more to come with a district judge, but this is a critical first step and one that is exciting to see go our way."
Woodall says this was a crucial step in making sure the State Beef Councils are protected, "The lawsuit that was filed by R-Calf against USDA and NCBA came in as intervener on behalf of USDA trying to show that we support, everything that has been done in order to protect the way that checkoff is spent, to ensure that it is producer-driven, that their audits in place, and there's the appropriate oversight to ensure those dollars are being spent according to the act in the order. And the magistrate today did hold that up. Now he has to refer that to the District judge, who will ultimately make the final decision, but this was a key step in making sure that we can protect the State Beef Councils in their ability to implement the programs they work so hard on."
Initially, the litigation that R-Calf brought forward was against the Montana Beef Council, and they were successful in getting the injunction against the Montana Beef Council, regarding their half of the dollar/head beef checkoff. Woodall says this was a terrible precedent, "What it basically did was paralyze the Montana Beef Council. So all of the money producers were paying into the checkoff for state programs were basically sitting in limbo. The last thing we wanted was for this to be applied to state beef councils across the country."
While Montana was initially targeted, R-Calf was successful to get 14 other state Beef Councils named in the challenge- including the Kansas Beef Council, Texas Beef Council and the Nebraska Beef Council. The Oklahoma Beef Council was not one of the states targeted by R-Calf, apparently because OBC has had a MOU in place for several years.
Read more- and listen to our conversation with Woodall from last night about this court ruling by clicking or tapping here.
Also- in our story- we have a PDF link to the 21 page ruling from Judge John Johnston that you can read as well.
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Steve Thompson, with Oklahoma Farm Bureau, just got back from Austin for the 2020 AFBF convention policy session.
Thompson says his big takeaway was how hard things are for Ag producers right now, " I think the takeaway that I took was just how tough things are around the country for ag producers and Farm Bureau members. Whether you be a dairy producer, of course, in the upper Midwest, but also if you are a dairy producer in the southeastern states. We know here more about grain and livestock and how difficult some of the commodity markets have been. Nobody seems to be much immune from that, and how fortunate we are to have some of the MFP payments we've had to try to keep going another year. Another crop in the ground, but also, despite that, the trouble is, is how excited they are about some of the trade deals and working on policy to support you know, the President and administration in those strong stances he's taken with other countries and how we want to, you know, keep trying to hold China and other countries feet to the fire on some of these deals - so talking about the struggles in raw commodities and food production. How tough things are in all 50 states but how optimistic they are and how that impacts, what we do, whether we're talking about synthetic foods and competition in the marketplace, or whether we talk about labeling laws and trade both in North America and all over the world.
On the topic of industrial Hemp, it seems farmers are interested in trying to figure out next steps, "The journey with the legalization and development of the hemp industry is ongoing, and seems like every week, every month, we learn something new about that. The states have worked with AFBF to prepare some comments that will actually be going to USDA later on this week. There's still a few kinks, USDA is doing the best they can, as is the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, but haven't quite hit the mark yet with those guidelines. We're working together with them to provide feedback from a producer level on that.
You can listen to the whole conversation between Thompson and I regarding OKFB policy and the upcoming Legislative session, by jumping over to our website.
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Sponsor Spotlight
The Oklahoma Farm Bureau - a grassroots organization that has for its Mission Statement- "Improving the Lives of Rural Oklahomans." Farm Bureau, as the state's largest general farm organization, is active at the State Capitol fighting for the best interests of its members and working with other groups to make certain that the interests of rural Oklahoma are protected.
Click here for their website to learn more about the organization and how it can benefit you to be a part of Farm Bureau.
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On January 12, 1980, wheat farmer leaders with Great Plains Wheat and Western Wheat Associates officially merged to become one organization, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW), to focus on building overseas demand for U.S. wheat. To mark its 40-year anniversary in 2020, USW has launched an outreach effort to recognize and celebrate the people who produce the wheat and their enduring partnerships with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, wheat buyers and wheat food processors around the world.
"This anniversary is a platform for us to reinforce our authentic story-that behind the world's most reliable supply of wheat are the world's most dependable people," said Steve Mercer, USW Vice President of Communications. "In online media, new marketing materials and face to face with overseas wheat buyers, we are going to talk about the legacy of commitment from farmers and the important partnerships that are a unique and differential part of importing U.S. wheat."
The primary component of the USW campaign is a new landing page on www.uswheat.org titled "Our Story." The page includes historical background and profiles of U.S. wheat farm families and overseas customers. The campaign also features a new video that defines the value created by farmers, the U.S. wheat export supply system and the service the USW organization offers to flour millers and wheat food processors around the world.
You can read more about the 40th Anniversary Celebration for U.S. Wheat Associates, by clicking or tapping here.
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Congress needs to pass the DAIRY PRIDE Act soon to ensure FDA does its job to ensure consumers have accurate information for informed decisions about what to feed themselves and their families, National Milk Producers Federation Executive Vice President Tom Balmer told a congressional subcommittee today.
Allowing non-dairy products to use dairy terms to promote goods with wildly different nutritional values has undermined public health and directly flouts the FDA's own rules, Balmer said in testimony at a hearing on Improving Safety and Transparancy in America's Food and Drugs before the House Energy & Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health. Proper labeling benefits consumers by drawing clear distinctions among products, encouraging better-informed choices, he said.
"Plant-based industrial food processors typically go to great lengths to try to replicate real milk by grinding seeds, nuts or grains into a powder, adding water, whiteners, sweeteners, stabilizers and emulsifiers, possibly blending in some vitamins and minerals, and then marketing the resulting concoction using dairy terms," Balmer said. "By calling these products "milk" they are clearly seeking to trade on the health halo of real milk. Yet these imitators engage in misleading marketing because their products don't have the same consistent nutritional offerings as real milk."
Click here to read more from Balmer regarding the need for DAIRY PRIDE.
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With the start of the new year, the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, located in Poteau, Oklahoma, welcomes a new Education/Horticulture Program Manager, Karlee Pruitt.
Pruitt comes to Poteau fresh from a master's in horticulture from the University of Arkansas. Her thesis research looked at the effects of combinations of different biological pesticides for strawberry production in high tunnels.
There's some agriculture in Pruitt's background - her father had a hobby cattle ranch, and her grandfather had a mid-sized production garden and managed the farmer's market in Branson, Missouri. Still, she says, she didn't set out to build a career in agriculture.
You can read more about the new hire at the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, by jumping over to our website.
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AND- Take a Listen to Our Newest Road to Rural Prosperity- Our Guest, Matt Waits of Proagrica (A Precision Ag Must Listen!)
Our travels on the Road to Rural Prosperity continue- In our latest conversation- featured as Episode 18, I talk with Matt Waits, the President of the Ag Solutions Division for Proagrica.
Matt is based in Stillwater and worked with his Dad, David Waits, as he founded SST Software back in the 1990s. SST was a pioneer in Precision Ag and today, Proagrica continues down that road as a major player in the Precision Ag space.
Our visit with Matt talks about how SST got started- how it developed into a cutting edge player in Precision Ag- and how that continues today with European ownership and his role with Proagrica.
For anyone that wants a great perspective on today's Precision Ag scene- this is a thirty minute conversation you will want to check out.
Today's Road to Rural Prosperity is sponsored by BancFirst, Loyal to Oklahoma and to You.
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Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K Equipment, AFR Insurance, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Great Plains Kubota, Stillwater Milling Company, National Livestock Credit Corporation, Oklahoma Beef Council, Oklahoma AgCredit, Oklahoma Ag Mediation Program, Inc., the Oklahoma Cattlemens Association 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- at NO Charge!
We also appreciate our Market Links Sponsor - OKC West Livestock!
We invite you to check out our website at the link below too that includes an archive of these daily emails, audio reports and top farm news story links from around the globe.
God Bless! You can reach us at the following:
phone: 405-473-6144
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