OSU's Jeff Edwards Analyzes This Year's Wheat Crop and the 2012 Variety Trials 

As the 2012 wheat harvest comes closer to completion far earlier than normal, Dr. Jeff Edwards, state wheat specialist with Oklahoma State University, has taken a closer look at this year's crop and the lessons to be learned.    He's also been poring over results from this year's variety tests. 

Edwards spoke at length with us about this year's crop, advice for next year, and results of the variety trials.

He said he was very pleased by yields this year, with the overall average being in the 40-bushel per acre range. While that's good, he said yields could have been much larger. The early heat wave in April knocked ten to 20 bushels per acre off the already good figures, he said. Test weights remained high throughout harvest with some drop due to shriveled kernels as a result of the heat.

He said there were three things producers could keep in mind going into the fall if they wanted to build on this year's high performance: 1) take care of weed problems early, in the fall, if at all possible, 2) match the variety to be planted with the management style to be used, and 3) provide for next year's fertility needs with testing and adequate nitrogen application.

Edwards also said he believes they collected very good data from this year's variety trials. Click here for our full interview and links to all the variety tests.

Customers Saving Boatloads on U.S. Wheat Compared to Last Year

With the new marketing year just getting underway, Casey Chumrau of U.S. Wheat Associates takes a look at what that means for wheat buyers. Her article appeared in the USWA Wheat Letter.

Retail outlets routinely institute sales at the end of the year to make way for the new year's items. In the U.S. wheat industry, June 1 marked the start of the new marketing year, reflecting the time when the new crop harvest is normally just getting started. While there cannot be a new year's sale on wheat, our overseas customers are now seeing excellent opportunities to purchase high-quality U.S. wheat at relatively bargain prices particularly when compared to prices at this stage last year.

That difference is largest with hard red spring (HRS) wheat. The price of 13.5 percent protein (12% moisture) HRS for August delivery, sold from both the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Northwest (PNW), is down about $85 per metric ton (MT), or more than 20 percent lower than last year.* As of June 1, August delivery HRS in the PNW was $320/MT and in the Gulf was $338/MT.

You can read more by clicking here.

Chicago Board of Trade  and Kansas City Continue to Mess with Trading Hours- This Time Extending Open Outcry Times  

The Chicago Board of Trade and the Kansas City Board of Trade are expanding trading hours for certain grain contracts once again.

CME Group announced it will extend open outcry trading hours for CBOT Grain and Oilseed futures and options to 2 p.m. CT, Monday to Friday. Daily settlements will move from 1:15 p.m. CT and will be based on market activity at or around 2 p.m. CT each day for the Grain and Oilseed futures and options as well as for Ethanol futures and options. The new open outcry trading hours will be effective beginning June 25, 2012, pending CFTC review.

Products included in the expanded hours are CBOT Corn, Mini-Sized Corn, Soybeans, Mini-Sized Soybeans, Wheat, Mini-Sized Wheat, Soybean Meal, Soybean Oil, Rough Rice and Oats futures and options, plus all related calendar spread options and inter-commodity spread options.

The Kansas City Board of Trade has filed a submission with the CFTC to extend open outcry trading hours for the KCBT's flagship hard red winter wheat futures and options contracts.

The Monday through Friday open outcry sessions will close at 2:00 p.m. CT., the same time that electronic trading closes. Daily settlements will be based on the 2:00 p.m. close. Currently the open outcry market closes at 1:15 p.m. The changes are effective with the June 25 business date.

Nine Winners Demonstrate Their Abilities as Beef Ambassadors

Nine young Oklahomans recently demonstrated their skills as outstanding representatives in the Oklahoma Beef Ambassador Program by taking top honors in statewide competition. The picture here is of the top three winners in each category.

In the Senior division, Levi Shelby, Katie Alexander and Ashley Thompson placed first, second and third, respectively.    In the Junior division, Sydney Gerken, Will Shelby and Cale Jahn took the top three spots. In the Novice division, Hattie Haynes, Madelyn Gerken and Victoria Gerken bested their competiton.

The competitors demonstrated their abilities to educate consumers about beef and beef production. Each contestant made a mock retail presentation about some aspect of beef or beef production and was the subject of a media interview. I was honored to be asked to conduct the interviews and the judges evaluated each contestant's ability to educate the public on key issues such as nutrition, beef preparation, and animal welfare.

Click here to read more about the Beef Ambassador Program and to hear Levi Shelby's winning interview. 

The Cattle Frame Pendulum Swings Back and Forth And Back Again

At the recent Alltech International Symposium on the Future of Agriculture held in Lexington, Kentucky, Dr. Dave Lalman, professor of animal science at Oklahoma State University, gave a presentation on the metamorphosis undergone by beef cattle in the United States over the last century. He covered the spectrum from cattle frame size to crossbred vigor to the right amount of muscle for optimum efficiency.

In his presentation, Lalman focused on the question, "Are our cattle more efficient now than they have been in the past?"

In the first part of a four-part Beef Buzz series, Dr. Lalman, talks about how the pendulum regarding frame size has swung back and forth a couple of times in the last century.

You can hear Dr. Lalman's remarks in the latest edition of the Beef Buzz by clicking here.

Beef Checkoff Dollars Leveraged for Grilling Season Ad Campaign, Export Marketing

The Beef Checkoff is kicking off the 2012 grilling season with a new crop of magazine ads, radio spots and online advertising. The checkoff's new magazine ads will feature popular lean cuts such as filet, flank steak and strip steak as well as featuring consumer-friendly dishes and even beef for breakfast.

"Our goal is to whet consumers' appetites and inspire them to choose beef," says Heather Buckmaster, executive director of the Oklahoma Beef Council. She recently spoke with us about the summer advertising campaign.

The checkoff ads began running last month in several national magazines including Food Network Magazine, Men's Health, Redbook and others. The ads will continue throughout the summer.

The online video commercials will be rotating on ABC.com throughout the top-10 programs that score high with adults 25-54. The spots began May 15 and are expected to generate ten million impressions.

You can catch the audio and video versions of our interview with Heather as well as read more about the Checkoff advertising campaign by clicking here. 

Agriculture and Science Groups Back Modern Technology to Meet Rapidly Growing Food Needs

A host of agricultural and scientific organizations have praised President Obama for his "aggressive support" for innovation in agriculture, including biotechnology, to help meet the "moral, economic, and security imperative" of producing enough food for a growing world population.

"A firm commitment by the U.S. government to aggressively support agricultural innovation, including modern biotechnology, will be necessary to ensure farmers have the tools they need to produce safe and nutritious food, in addition to feed, fuel and fiber, in an environmentally sound and sustainable manner," said a letter to the President signed by 38 national organizations representing major sectors of agriculture and science.

The groups applauded Obama's support for production agriculture's role in improving food security during recent conferences of global leaders. They also voiced support for the National Bioeconomy Blueprint released by the White House. 

Click here to read the full letter to the White House.