Presented by

 

Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update. 
 

Featured Story:

The House Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management held a hearing April 14, on the growing financial pressures faced by U.S. farmers and ranchers. 

He told the Committee "The results for feedgrain and oilseed farms, as well as, wheat and cotton farms are the worst (in terms of the highest percentage of farms in the poor  category) since the late 1990s."

Outlaw offers several observations and conclusions, including a impassioned plea for the members of the House Ag Committee to defend and protect Crop Insurance and the Farm Safety Net tools from the 2014 Farm Law. You can listen to his full testimony and his response to the first question of the day from Subcommittee Chair Rick Crawford by clicking here.

There's a lot of meat there- and well worth your eight minutes to hear from Dr. Outlaw has to say.

You can also read more about the growing financial stress in farm country- Click here for the House Ag Committee's News Release- including a link to their YouTube of the Hearing.

Scott Daily Horse Training Sessions a Familiar Part of the Oklahoma City Farm Show 

 
Day two of the Oklahoma City Farm Show begins at 9:00 AM THIS morning- and there will be two opportunities to observe the horse training talents of Scott Daily, who calls Ark City, Kansas home- at 1 AM and again at 2 PM . Daily will also offer two clinics on Saturday on the final day of the Farm Show.


For the last half dozen years, Farm Show attendees have had the chance to watch Scott each April- and he emphasizes to those who watch his efforts that working with a horse varies from animal to animal, as they all have different temperament. He told me that it is important that you gain the confidence of the horse and that "a horse demands respect just as much as a person demand respect." He adds that you "need to pay attention to where you are with the horse and where you are around and on the horse" in order to avoid getting into trouble with a animal that weighs a lot more than you do.

Click here to listen to our complete visit that we had with him just before the Thursday afternoon session.

AND- come out and say howdy to us either today or tomorrow- we are in the COX building and you can register to win the Priefert Round Pen that Scott Daily is using- we will draw the winner shortly after the Saturday afternoon horse training session- you don't have to be present to win!

A Portion of Northwest Oklahoma Slips Into Severe Drought, but Rain May be Riding to the Rescue 

Oklahoma's drought conditions did not expand in area this past week - but the area in drought saw some worsening. The state has now added some severe drought pockets to its map as of Thursday morning. According to Gary McManus, State Climatologist.

"We now have two areas of D2 in the state, and that's the first time we've seen "Severe" drought indicated on the OK Drought Monitor map since Oct. 27, 2015," McManus said. "It's still only five percent of the state, but 'tis enough. And we have 26 percent of the state in D1 and 36 percent in D0 or "Abnormally Dry" conditions." 

A week ago, 31.3 percent of the state was in moderate drought (D1), while the latest drought number for Oklahoma is 31.9 percent. However, a portion of that has gone downhill and includes five percent of the statewide land mass in the second tier of drought- Severe Drought (D2). 


Read more about the state's weather outlook and view a graphic of the latest Drought Monitor.

In our bottom story- we have the outlook for this weekend in graphic form- rainy days are ahead!

OSU's Kim Anderson Says 2016 Wheat Crop Needs Both Quality and Quantity

OSU Grain Marketing Economist Dr. Kim Anderson has been on the road in southwest Oklahoma this week and says most of the producers in that area are relatively satisfied with their 2016 wheat crop so far.


Anderson tells SUNUP host Dave Deken that while farmers are mainly looking for quantity this harvest, elevators are hoping for both quantity - and quality - wheat. He says strong test weights and increased protein levels would allow elevators to blend with the lower test weight wheat from the last few years and get it out into the food market.

Beef Moves Away from TV Ads and Increases Online Promotion

Checkoff-funded consumer market research shows us that the key generation for beef marketing - millennials - practically live on their computer devices. They tell us that they get virtually all of their information online, then use that information to draw conclusions and make important decisions about agriculture and the food they eat.


They use social-media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram to get beef recipes and information about beef and the beef industry, the research shows. In addition, they share their thoughts about beef and beef production through these platforms. And they look online for what their fellow consumers are saying about beef, then look online elsewhere to see if the information is scientifically sound. Perhaps, most important for beef producers, they look to social media for quick and convenient recipe ideas to feed their families and help them thrive.


While challenging, all of these interests translate to tremendous opportunities for the Beef Checkoff Program, because millennials are a growing influence with growing families, who will make beef-buying decisions for the next 40-plus years. In short, the checkoff is constantly adjusting its beef promotion and education programs to fit the millennial bill.

Learn more about the beef industry's efforts to reach target markets.

Want to Have the Latest Energy News Delivered to Your Inbox Daily?

U.S. Trade Representative Froman Says TPP is Crucial to Beef's Global Market Access

As National Cattlemen's Beef Association members wrap up their annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. this week, ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership remains a high priority for the beef industry. 


While in the nation's capital, cattlemen heard from Ambassador Michael Froman, U.S. Trade Representative, who says the 12-country trade agreement could increase annual net farm income in the United States by $4.4 billion.


Froman encouraged NCBA members to continue pushing for a vote this Congressional session, although if it happens, it will most likely be during the lame-duck session following the November general election.

Listen to Froman's comments regarding the benefits of TPP during this edition of the Beef Buzz. 

This N That- In the Field Reminder and Rain Coming and Coming

Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K Equipment,  American Farmers & Ranchers, Stillwater Milling Company, Oklahoma AgCredit,  the Oklahoma Cattlemens Association, Pioneer Cellular 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 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  

God Bless! You can reach us at the following:  

Oklahoma Farm Bureau is Proud to be the Presenting Sponsor of the Ron Hays Daily Farm and Ranch News Email