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Let's
Check the Markets!
Today's
First Look:
mornings
with cash and futures reviewed- includes where the Cash
Cattle market stands, the latest Feeder Cattle Markets
Etc.
Each afternoon we are posting a recap of that day's
markets as analyzed by Justin Lewis of KIS
futures- click here for the report
posted yesterday afternoon around 3:30 PM.
Okla
Cash Grain:
Daily
Oklahoma Cash Grain Prices-
as reported by the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture.
(including Canola prices in central and
western Oklahoma)
Futures
Wrap:
Feeder
Cattle Recap:
Slaughter
Cattle Recap:
TCFA
Feedlot Recap:
Our Oklahoma Farm Report
Team!!!!
Ron Hays, Senior Editor and
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Dave Lanning, Markets and
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Leslie Smith, Editor and
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Oklahoma's
Latest Farm and Ranch News
Presented
by
Your
Update from Ron Hays of RON
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Merry
Christmas to You and
Yours!!! |
Howdy
Neighbors!
Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch
news update.
| |
 Featured
Story:Happy
Christmas Eve 2015!
If you
are looking for hard news on this December 24th-
sorry, you will not find it in today's Email
report. We will get back to that on Monday,
December 28th. Today- we want to smile,
reflect on the Joy of the Season, Remember Who He
is that sent His Son that we celebrate each
Christmas, enjoy the wonder of tiny reindeer
making their annual trek to the house of every
good boy and girl and more. A bit
of housekeeping- Ag Futures markets close
at midday today for Christmas Eve and will not
reopen until Monday morning, December
28th. We will have radio reports on the
Radio Oklahoma Ag Network today- none tomorrow and
back as usual on Monday. There will be no
email tomorrow- we return on Monday morning as
well. We do have an In the Field feature
planned for Saturday morning- Dr. Jeff Edwards of
OSU will be with us talking about the 2016 Hard
Red Winter Wheat Crop. Be weather aware
this weekend- it looks like a real mess for parts
of our state may be ahead- HEAVY rains east of
I-35 and winter BIG TIME west of I-35. Click here for the
News9 Weather page if you are in Central or
Western Oklahoma and click here for the
News on 6 weather page for those of you in Eastern
Oklahoma. They will help you stay
safe. You can see right now in the forecast
graphics the key difference in the two areas- the
Tulsa forecast does not show temperatures going
below freezing- Oklahoma City does Sunday into
Monday. Pay Attention to
Weather This Weekend.
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Oklahoma
State Veterinarian Rod Hall Approves Health Papers
for Santa and His Reindeer for Their Christmas
Flight Across Oklahoma
Christmas
is upon us all- and Oklahoma's State Veterinarian,
Dr. Rod Hall, has been working
with his counterpart in Alaska to make sure that
the livestock industry in Oklahoma is protected
from any animals that might be coming into the
state from the north later Thursday night the 24th
or early morning December 25th. Dr. Hall has told
me that the paperwork is all in order.
Here are the Health Papers that Dr. Hall
obtained from North Pole, Alaska:  In a special Facebook
message, Dr. Hall reports "I have worked
diligently with Dr. Robert Gerlach, State
Veterinarian of Alaska, to ensure that Santa's
reindeer have been inspected, have met Oklahoma's
entry requirements, and are properly documented on
a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection in
anticipation of their trip across Oklahoma on
Christmas Eve." In his conversation
with me, which you can hear by clicking or tapping
here, Dr. Hall reports that it appears that
all of the Reindeer are happy and healthy and
ready to perform their duties Thursday into
Friday.
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Speaking
of Reindeer- Glenn Selk in 2011 Explained How They
Do What They Do Each Christmas
A
couple of Christmas seasons back, our friend
Glenn Selk of the OSU Animal
Science Department offered an explanation about
how those tiny reindeer do what they do- and do it
so very well. Here's some of the
highlights of his Christmas 2011
message: "Have you ever wondered how
Santa's reindeer can make that monumental journey
on Christmas Eve? Let's look into some key facts
about reindeer that may help us understand how
they get Ole St. Nick on his appointed rounds over
the world. "First of all,
historians report that reindeer have been
domesticated by humans for over 5000 years. Since
Santa himself is no spring chicken, we can assume
that they have worked together for quite awhile.
They should not have any trouble finding their way
around. There is no need to worry about them
getting lost. "We do know
that reindeer are ruminants. They are like cattle
in this regard. They have four compartments to
their stomach. Of course Santa gets them filled up
with hay and moss before he leaves the North Pole,
so they should have plenty of feed stored in the
four compartments to make it all around the globe.
Also, cattle nutritionists have known for years
that hay digests more slowly than grain, therefore
the big meal that the reindeer eat before the
journey should last even longer. Or just like your
mom says "It'll stick to their ribs!" Glenn
has lots more on how Santa's Reindeer do what they
do- click here and find
out "the rest of the
story!" |
In
Case You Missed Them- The Last Three of the Top
Ten Food Safety Tips for Christmas, Courtesy of
the FAPC
Earlier
this week- we posted the story courtesy of the
Food and Ag Products Center at OSU about being
safe with your food this Christmas season- several
of the tips are things you have hopefully already
done- and you can read about them by
clicking here- but today through the weekend-
the last three suggestions given may help keep you
and yours safe- so without further ado, here they
are! 8. Keep guests out of the
kitchen. Holidays occur during cold and
flu season, and preventing guests from sampling
the food while it is being prepared limits the
amount of germs getting on the food. Serve
appetizers to give guests something to nibble on
until the meal is ready.
9. Refrigerate
leftovers. Leftovers should be divided
into smaller portions, stored in several shallow
containers and refrigerated within two hours after
cooking. Leftovers should be eaten within three to
four days. If large amounts are left, consider
freezing leftovers for later use.
10. Eating leftovers.
Reheat leftovers to 165 degrees Fahrenheit
throughout or until steaming hot. Soups, sauces
and gravies should be brought to a rolling boil
for at least one minute. Never taste leftover food
that looks or smells strange. When in doubt, throw
it out. |
|
Sponsor
Spotlight
We are proud to have KIS
Futures as a regular sponsor of our
daily email update. KIS Futures provides Oklahoma
farmers & ranchers with futures & options
hedging services in the livestock and grain
markets- click here here for the free market
quote page they provide us for our website or call
them at 1-800-256-2555- and their iPhone App,
which provides all electronic futures quotes is
available at the App Store- click here for
the KIS Futures App for your iPhone.
|
A
Christmas with a John Deere "B"
It
has been a lot of fun for me to read previous
emails that we have sent out on or about Christmas
Eve during the years I have been here at Griffin
Communications and have produced this daily report
of agricultural news to you.
Today, I have
some current items from here in 2015- but also
have sharing a few gems from years gone by- One
that is a personal reflection of my Christmas
season in 2010 is all about who I am as the son of
an Ag Teacher and Farmer- and offers some of the
"WHY" of who I am. I reference two Aunts who have
now passed- as have my Mom and Dad- so the
memories are bittersweet but remind us all that
life goes on.
Read at your own risk my
Christmas with a John Deere B:
"This past
weekend, I was able to get back to my hometown in
Central Kentucky and see a whole host of
relatives. I saw and hugged on my two remaining
living Aunts, cousins and their kids, my brother
and some of his family as well as my Mom and Dad,
who are now 87. Two of my daughters (and one son
in law) made the trek with me- and it was a lot of
fun to see them interact with all of their
Kentucky Kinfolk.
"My Dad has just turned 87 this past week- so
we celebrated his birthday as well as Christmas
with he and my Mom. One of the traditional gifts
that we give my Dad is a Tractor Calendar, and his
face lit up when he saw the 2011 edition that I
had gotten him from my friend John Harvey, who
worked for years at DuPont before retiring and
starting a new career as a Tractor Calendar
maker.
"Earlier this year, our Farm Broadcast
professional organization had issued the final in
a series of toy tractors made by Joe Ertl to
benefit our Educational Foundation. This was the
final tractor in a series that had been agreed to
by Ertl- and the 2010 masterpiece was a John Deere
B. When we moved to the farm- I was getting ready
to start the fifth grade- the used tractor that we
bought and used for quite a few years was a John
Deere B. So, I bought one earlier in the fall-
first to keep for myself- but later realizing that
I needed to share it with my Dad. We had it in a
gift bag- and he opened it up- and got a big smile
on his face as I confirmed it was a "B." Well, he
looked it over carefully and then got to talking
about the tractors we had used on our farm that I
grew up on- and he enjoyed the detail of the model
crafted by Mr. Ertl.
"What was especially
neat was the conversations that the John Deere B
started over the weekend into Monday morning as we
prepared to leave. We talked about that farm our
family bought- and the man my dad bought it from-
a gentleman farmer in that County who decided he
liked my Mom and Dad- and helped finance the land
as he left vo-ag and became a 7th Grade Science
Teacher- and farmer all of the hours around that
in town job.
"Along the way, we grew
tobacco, raised hogs and some sheep and I grew up
watching my dad be a role model worth following.
He was honest in his dealings, was not afraid of
hard work, loved my Mom and was a Sunday School
teacher. As I watched him around the "in town"
house where they now live- he and my Mom are still
in pretty good health- but I know they are in the
home stretch of this life. They know it, too- but
their faith and the gift that God gave us all on
that first Christmas gives them a peace that
sustains them to this very day.
"My John
Deere B 2010 Christmas in Kentucky is one I will
remember for a long time- and my prayer for you
and yours is that you will enjoy your holiday with
your family as much as I have to this point-
knowing we have more family time here in Oklahoma
this weekend still to
come."
|
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From
2013, Burns Hargis Reads a Revised Christmas
Classic
A
couple of years back, Christmas greetings were
offered on the weekly SUNUP TV show from the
Division of Agriculture at Oklahoma State
University- and they were delivered in a poem
voiced by the President of OSU, Burns
Hargis. The segment was entitled "Cowboy
Christmas." Here's that video President
Hargis, which has now been viewed over 17,000
times over the last couple of years.
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What
If Joseph Told His Version of the Christmas Story?
A couple of years ago- I offered a story
penned by Max Lucado that looked
at the birth of a King through the eyes of a
carpenter named Joe, who would be his earthly dad-
. It's a tad long- but awfully good- so we
conclude today's email with it as a reminder to
one and all about the miracle of this holiday
season-
Max Lucado has a way of taking the
truths of the season and allowing us to see them
in a different way. What if we were able to go
back some 2,000 years ago- and be a fly on the
wall where Joseph of Nazareth was standing-
looking up into the night sky? Here's what Max
Lucado says that he might be muttering as he waits
on the birth of a child by his wife, Mary.
(From He Still Moves Stones)
"This
isn't the way I planned it, God. Not at all. My
child being born in a stable? This isn't the way I
thought it would be. A cave with sheep and
donkeys, hay and straw? My wife giving birth with
only the stars to hear her pain?
"This
isn't at all what I imagined. No, I imagined
family. I imagined grandmothers. I imagined
neighbors clustered outside the door and friends
standing at my side. I imagined the house erupting
with the first cry of the infant. Slaps on the
back. Loud laughter. Jubilation.
"That's
how I thought it would be.
But now. Now look. Nazareth is five days'
journey away. And here we are in a- in a sheep
pasture. Who will celebrate with us? The sheep?
The shepherds? The stars?
"This doesn't
seem right. What kind of husband am I? I provide
no midwife to aid my wife. No bed to rest her
back. Her pillow is a blanket from my donkey. My
house for her is a shed of hay and
straw.
"The smell is bad, the animals are
loud. Why, I even smell like a shepherd
myself.
"Did I miss something? Did I,
God?
"When you sent the angel and spoke of
the son being born--this isn't what I pictured. I
envisioned Jerusalem, the temple, the priests, and
the people gathered to watch. A pageant perhaps. A
parade. A banquet at least. I mean, this is the
Messiah!
"Or, if not born in Jerusalem, how
about Nazareth? Wouldn't Nazareth have been
better? At least there I have my house and my
business. Out here, what do I have? A weary mule,
a stack of firewood, and a pot of warm water. This
is not the way I wanted it to be! This is not the
way I wanted my son.
"Oh my, I did it
again. I did it again didn't I, Father? I don't
mean to do that; it's just that I forget. He's not
my son. He's yours.
The child is yours. The plan is yours. The
idea is yours. And forgive me for asking but, is
this how God enters the world? The coming of the
angel, I've accepted. The questions people asked
about the pregnancy, I can tolerate. The trip to
Bethlehem, fine. But why a birth in a stable,
God?
"Any minute now Mary will give birth.
Not to a child, but to the Messiah. Not to an
infant, but to God. That's what the angel said.
That's what Mary believes. And, God, my God,
that's what I want to believe. But surely you can
understand; it's not easy. It seems so-
bizarre.
"I'm unaccustomed to such
strangeness, God. I'm a carpenter. I make things
fit. I square off the edges. I follow the plumb
line. I measure twice before I cut once. Surprises
are not the friend of a builder. I like to see the
plan before I begin.
"But this time I'm not
the builder, am I? This time I'm a tool. A hammer
in your grip. A nail between your fingers. A
chisel in your hands. This project is yours, not
mine.
"I guess it's foolish of me to
question you. Forgive my struggling. Trust doesn't
come easy to me, God. But you never said it would
be easy, did you?
"One final thing, Father.
The angel you sent? Any chance you could send
another? If not an angel, maybe a person? I don't
know anyone around here and some company would be
nice. Maybe the innkeeper or a traveler? Even a
shepherd would do.
Max Lucado goes on to say "I wonder. Did
Joseph ever pray such a prayer? Perhaps he did.
Perhaps he didn't.
"But you probably
have.
You've stood where Joseph stood. Caught
between what God says and what makes sense. You've
stared into a sky blackened with doubt. And you've
asked what Joseph asked.
"You've asked if
you're still on the right road. You've asked if
you were supposed to turn left when you turned
right. And you've asked if there is a plan behind
this scheme. Things haven't turned out like you
thought they would.
"Each of us knows what
it's like to search the night for light. Not
outside a stable, but perhaps outside an emergency
room. On the gravel of a roadside. On the
manicured grass of a cemetery. We've asked our
questions. We questioned God's plan. And we've
wondered why God does what he does.
"No,
the Bethlehem sky is not the first to hear the
pleadings of an honest heart, nor the last. And
perhaps God didn't answer every question for
Joseph. But he answered the most important one.
"Are you still with me, God?" And through the
first cries of the God-child the answer came.
"Yes. Yes, Joseph. I'm with you."
"There
are many questions that we won't be able to
answer. Many times we will muse, "I
wonder"
"But in our wonderings, there is
one question we never need to ask. Does God care?
Do we matter to God? Does he still love his
children?
"Through the small face of the
stable-born baby, he says yes.
"Yes, your
sins can be forgiven.
"Yes, your name can be written in
heaven.
"Yes, death has been
defeated.
"Because God has entered the
world.
"Immanuel. God is with
us."
From the Hays Family to yours- Merry
Christmas!!!!!!!!!
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