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 the 2010 wheat harvest, Johnston has opened up four million bushels of additional storage space. 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 ten 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.

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.

Meanwhile in southern Alfalfa County- harvest has ended for Hope Pjesky and her family. She calls it a pretty good year- and only wishes that the prices were better. We chatted for a few moments with her on Wednesday afternoon- and you can hear that conversation with her by clicking on the LINK below.

The picture you will see when you arrive at our web story is that of young Miss Katie Eisenhauer- ready to help combine her grandparents wheat crop. Click and take a look- and a listen.
AND- share your story with us about the 2010 harvest season- canola or wheat. email me at ron@oklahomafarmreport.com.

Click here for our latest update of harvest efforts in the 2010 hard red winter wheat grown in our state.

On that last subject- Congressman Lucas is very worried what might happen if the Democrats are badly beaten in November- he could see the current leadership and the Obama Administration making one last final attempt to get several controversial pieces of legislation completed before the new Congress is seated in early January.

Click on the LINK below to go and hear our full conversation with Third District Congressman Frank Lucas who serves as the top Republican of the US House Agriculture Committee. We have it as an Ag Perspectives Podcast- which is one of three Podcasts that we offer via Itunes as well as on our website.

Click here for our latest conversation with Congressman Frank Lucas on a variety of topics impacting Rural Oklahoma and America.

The Executive Committee-approved motion states: "The Federation should be a strong, independent, checkoff entity. The Federation should be separate from any policy organization, since all funds for the checkoff come from mandatory assessments of producers and importers. The checkoff is owned by, and responsible to, all producers and importers, and no specific organization. It is not the intent of the Executive Committee that this motion has any effect on the structure of state beef councils."

We have talked about this both yesterday and today on our regular Beef Buzz report- as heard on great radio stations across Oklahoma and adjacent states that are a part of the Radio Oklahoma Network. Click on the LINK below for today's Beef Buzz- it has a link to yesterday's Buzz that includes the hard copy of that memo that we have from the CBB Executive Committee.

Click here for more on the Separation Issue as the future of the Beef Checkoff Continues to be worked on.

A late-filed report can be submitted if a producer is unable to report the prevented planting acreage within the 15 calendar days following the final planting date. Late-filed reports can only be accepted if a farm visit can be made to assess the eligible disaster condition that prevented the crop from being planted. A measurement service fee will be charged.
Filing an accurate and timely report for all crops and land uses can prevent loss of benefits for a variety of FSA programs. All cropland on the farm must be reported to receive benefits from the Direct and Counter-cyclical Program (DCP), Marketing Assistance Loans and Loan Deficiency Payments (LDPs).

For more information on FSA crop reporting requirements, visit your local County FSA office.

On Feb. 5, USDA announced a new framework for animal disease traceability in the U.S. USDA will publish the rule which will open it for comment in December. The new framework replaces the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) that was strongly opposed by numerous livestock industries and associations, including TSCRA.

TSCRA supports an animal disease traceability program that adheres to the following criteria:
1. Additional costs to the beef and dairy industry must be minimized.
2. Any information relative to cattle identification information should be under the control of state animal health officials and kept confidential.
3. The system must operate at the speed of commerce.
4. The priority livestock for participation in the framework is the individual identification of adult cattle.
5. Producers must be protected from liability for acts of others after cattle have left their control.
6. The purpose of the animal disease traceability system should be solely animal disease surveillance, control and eradication. The only data required to be collected should be that necessary to accomplish this goal.
7. Support the flexibility of using currently established and evolving official identification methods.
8. Full compliance with the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and Codex Alimentarius Commission international standards for animal identification and traceability.
9. The animal data management system does not replace or impede existing TSCRA brand inspection activities.

Genetically modified crops are subject to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), which requires federal agencies to review the environmental impacts of proposed actions, such as USDA's proposed deregulation of a genetically modified seed. In their letter, the lawmakers assert that the draft USDA findings about genetically engineered alfalfa cannot be justified. They warn that GE alfalfa would contaminate the crops of both conventional and organic alfalfa farmers, resulting in significant economic harm to alfalfa seed producers and to the organic dairy industry.

This week (on June 21) the U.S. Supreme Court announced its 7 to 1 decision in a case related to the USDA's potential deregulation of GE alfalfa. In the Monsanto Co. v Geerston Seed Farms decision, the court ordered the lifting of a nationwide permanent injunction on GE alfalfa. The case is widely viewed as having broad implications beyond alfalfa crops, potentially affecting the hundreds of GE food applications that have been submitted to USDA to determine environmental threats and seeking approval for use.

If you want to see the full letter from Senator Leahy and Representative DeFazio- Click here.

Melissa writes "On Tuesday, June 22nd, we began our day at La Platina, the Central Regional Investigation (CRI) center of Chile, it is the Chilean leader in agricultural research, providing the best science and technology for the horticultural sector, taking care of the rural environment. The CRI is under the direction of the Agricultural Minister of Chile. Here, they look at new varieties, use of water and advanced technologies. They also consider and research handling, pre and post harvest quality and the effects of transportation on fruits and vegetables, as well as shelf life and measurement of quality. La Platina has established strong links with the public and private sector of the region through the development projects.

"Upon departure of La Platina, we made the very long (400 kms) trek northward to the northern Chilean town of Oevalle, located in the Valle de Limari (Limari Valley). This fertile valley is know for its grape production for "Pisco" and other fruits, vegetables and nuts. In the evening, we were treated to a one-of-a-kind trip to El Peralito Hill were the Cruz del Sur Astronomic Observatory is located. We observed the Austral Sky and saw many breathtaking and unforgettable sights of our universe."

One of the Wednesday highlights was the RECOLETA water resevoire. "This resevoire provides its 750 cooperative members with the vital water supply for crop irrigation. This facility is home to 100 million cubic meters of water which irrigates the region's crops. RECOLETA is one of three resevoires for this area, suppling over 250 million cubic meters of water."

The OALE is a leadership development program that is a part of the Oklahoma Youth Expo- and this international travel experience is the culmination of a year long set of experiences.

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

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.