Bailey Ballou of Elgin, Oklahoma Claims World Livestock Auctioneer Championship

 

Bailey Ballou of Elgin, Okla. proved his world-class status as a livestock auctioneer at the Livestock Marketing Association's (LMA) World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC) held in Turlock, Calif., on Saturday, June 16.

Raised in southwest Oklahoma on a dairy farm, Bailey attended livestock auctions with his grandpa. Like many children, he was enamored with the auction chant and would try to emulate it while at play. When he realized, as an adult, that he would like to make a career of the art of bid calling, he set out for auctioneering school in Missouri. That was in 2003.

Nine years later, he assumes the title of 2012 World Livestock Auctioneer Champion on his fourth attempt, having competed previously in 2006, 2008 and 2010. He talked with the agricultural livestock media on Monday afternoon- and we have an audio report of his comments.

In his acceptance speech, Bailey spoke of the auctioneers that took him under their wing and taught him the business. One of those early influences was 1974 world champion Ralph Wade, who let Bailey stay with him and worked with him as he developed his abilities and world-class chant.

Click here to read more about Bailey Ballou or to listen to our audio interview.

 

Beef Industry to See Latest National Beef Quality Audit Results in July

The checkoff-funded National Beef Quality Audit, conducted every five years since 1991, assesses progress the industry makes on a variety of production issues that ultimately affect consumer demand for beef. Keith Belk, Colorado State University, has been involved in the development of the latest audit and says some changes have been made in the way in which data is collected and what kind of data is included in the study.

Dr. Belk says that "We attempted to change Phase One around this year, and Phase Two actually, to collect a bit more data that was maybe more modern using some of the technologies that are now available to us. In Phase One, we designed a survey where we used a software that allowed us to dynamically route questions based on the answers that respondents gave to various questions. And in Phase Two for the first time, have been able to collect a ton of data that resulted from the use of instruments and instrument grading systems."

Belk, our guest on today's Beef Buzz, has been a part of the National Beef Quality Audit process ever since that first report was compiled back in 1991. He tells us that this research continues to evolve and change, but the effort has never deviated from its original intent of improving producer profitability.

Catch Dr. Belk and the Beef Buzz by clicking here.

Stocker and Feedlot Margins a Study in Contrasts 

In his latest column for the Cow-Calf Newsletter, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist Derrell Peel examines the economics facing stocker producers and feedlot operators.

The stocker and feedlot sectors provide a dramatic contrast in the economics of two beef industry sectors. While the stocker sector sees opportunities with strong values for forage-based gains, the feedlot sector is under increasing pressure as limited feeder cattle supplies, high feed prices and excess capacity combine to result in severe feedlot losses. Cattle feeders are in a fight to the death to see who survives the next couple of years.

Stocker production and cattle feeding are margin operations where the principal determinant of economic potential is the gross margin between the value of purchased cattle versus the value of cattle sold. Within that gross margin, all other production costs have to be paid including feed, veterinary and medicine cost, death loss, labor and interest. The gross margin can be calculated as a value of gain for both stockers and feedlots. The value of gain is a useful way to compare various stocker and feedlot systems using different beginning and ending weights.   

Click here for more of Derrell Peel's assessment of the current economics of stocker and feeder margins.

Wheat Harvest Nearly Over in Oklahoma; Texas and Kansas Sprint Toward Finish

 

The early wheat harvest has allowed farmers to get a jump on double cropping this year. The USDA's Oklahoma Crop Weather report shows wheat harvest completed in 96 percent of the state(versus the five year average of just 56% normally done by this date!) and planting for peanuts, soybeans, sorghum and cotton 85 percent done.

You can read the full report for Oklahoma by clicking here.

Kansas farmers have harvested 80 percent of their winter wheat crop,  with the wheat still to be cut mostly in western Kansas. Producers are two weeks ahead of last year and again far ahead of the average pace of just 7 percent complete by mid June.

The Kansas Crop Progress and Condition Report is available here.

A Big Win for Chairlady Debbie Stabenow as She Gets Pathway to Final Senate Farm Bill Vote 

A massive 73 amendment deal was struck by the Chairlady of the Senate Ag Committee, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Kansas Republican Senator Pat Roberts  yesterday- it was not a "great deal" according to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid- but rather a "good deal" and one that appears to have surprised the Democratic leader of the Senate.   

Crop insurance and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - or SNAP - are each the subject of several of the amendments. Senator Tom Coburn's amendment to reduce MAP funding and Senator Jim DeMint's amendment to make checkoff programs voluntary are also on the list. There are some amendments dealing with the issue of payment limits as well.

However, Senator Coburn's amendment that called for a limit to Crop Insurance subsidies at $40,000 is not included in the package of 73 amendments to see the Senate Floor- and neither is the HSUS-UEP Hen Amendment, which would have codified the deal between these two groups and put into federal law how big the size of a cage for a egg laying hen must be.   

Our friend and colleague Keith Good in this morning's blog on FarmPolicy.Com summarizes from a Roll Call article on the deal-  "The Senate will begin voting on the amendments Tuesday afternoon, with the measures that are relevant to the bill receiving a simple majority approval and nonrelevant provisions subject to a 60-vote bar.

"Sources were cautiously optimistic that the Senate will approve a bill that received a bipartisan 16-5 vote out of committee. But it is also clear that certain regional disputes will be tougher to bridge and that even if the Senate does pass the bill, the road to the president's desk likely will be difficult, if not impossible, with a Republican-controlled House."

Click here for the Tuesday morning blog as written by Keith who pulls together multiple sources on this fast moving (for the Senate) set of developments. 

It appears that staffers say it will be non stop Farm Bill amendment debate later today and into Wednesday- and they spoke of the possibility that we could see a vote on the actual bill yet this week.     

Timely Rains, Moderate Temperatures Cooperate to Assist Young Cotton Crop

Oklahoma's cotton crop, as well as those in surrounding states like Texas and Kansas, continue to grow well due to timely rains and moderate temperatures. In his June 14, 2012, issue of Cotton Comments, Dr. Randy Boman presents several items of interest to cotton producers and those who are interested in what occurs out where "the blacktop stops."   Here are some of his comments on the state of the crop and use of plant growth regulators on cotton that is growing well:

We continue to obtain timely rainfall events to keep much of the Oklahoma cotton crop moving in the right direction. The Mesonet 10-day precipitation map indicates about 2.33 inches of rainfall has accumulated at Hollis, 3.61 at Altus, 2.17 at Tipton but only 1.45 at Grandfield. Other areas farther to the north have acquired about two inches. This is good news from the dryland perspective and has allowed many producers to get a crop established. The bad news is, in spite of many days of somewhat seasonal temperatures, every now and then we are hit with a "haymaker day" such as June 10 with 109 degrees at Altus.

A considerable amount of early to mid-May planted cotton is beginning to square. Cotton in Caddo County planted in strip tilled land looks excellent, apart from some high wind events that slightly "ragged up" an otherwise picturesque crop. 

You can read more of Dr. Boman's analysis of the cotton crop and his recommendations for growth regulators by clicking here.

CropLife America Recognizes Importance of Healthy Pollinators

CropLife America (CLA) and the crop protection industry join in kicking off the 6th Annual National Pollinator Week, June 18 - 24, a celebration of the vital role of pollinators. CLA and its members, the manufacturers, formulators and distributors of crop protection products, recognize that bee health is vital to agricultural production. Bees, birds, butterflies and other pollinators pollinate more than 75 percent of the country's flowering plants. Approximately one third of all foods and beverages are dependent of pollinators, representing nearly $20 billion on crop value annually in the U.S. The health of pollinators and honeybees, in particular, is of serious concern for the agricultural industry and demands ongoing scientific research in both the public and private sectors.

"Every day in agricultural fields and communities, growers, beekeepers, and companies are working together to find solutions that keep crops and bee colonies healthy," said Jay Vroom, president and CEO of CLA. "This starts with CLA member companies, who are complying with the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) testing requirements, including laboratory and field tests for new crop protection products to determine any potential impact on pollinators. In addition, stakeholders can be found working together on the local level to address bee health issues. With support and collaboration among all parties, the agriculture industry will be able to better understand and address bee health concerns."

Click here for more on this story.