Oklahoma's Latest Farm
And Ranch News
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Your Update from Ron Hays of RON
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
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Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update.
- COVID 19 Colors Most Topics These Days- Ethan Lane with NCBA Says Cattle Industry Survival Definitely Included
- Latest USDA Crop Progress Report Shows Crops Continue to Look Great And Are Ahead of Schedule
- Frank Lucas Says More Legislation May Be Needed to Help Ensure Market Access for Cattlemen
- Elanco's Dr. Sara Place Highlights Misconceptions in the Latest Burger King Commercial
- Beef Quality Assurance Program Earns Compliance With International Animal Welfare Standards
- Dr. Derrel Peel gives an Industry Snapshot: USDA Cattle Inventory and Cattle on Feed Reports
- CAST Releases New Commentary on Naturally Occurring and Supplemental Hormones in Food Animals"
- Check Our MarketLinks Further Down in the EMAIL- Monday Auction Reports, Cash Grain Bids and More
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COVID 19 Colors Most Topics These Days- Ethan Lane of NCBA Says Cattle Producer Survival Included
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As cattle producers gather at the 2020 Cattle Industry Business Meeting in Denver this week, many of the issues they are dealing with have been shaped by COVID19.
Ethan Lane
, Vice President of Government Affairs for NCBA in Washington, D.C, says that cattle producers are watching the Congress closely this week as they attempt to pull together another stimulus bill to address a wide range of problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
It does appear that agriculture is set to receive some additional financial help from Congress if they can come together in Washington- but Lane says that producers feel the first round of help thru the CFAP fell short for many producers.
The big issue for cattlemen that came out of the program crafted from earlier stimulus money- the CFAP or Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, is a date pulled out of the air by USDA- April 15th. Cattle producers who sold cattle this spring on or before April 15 were eligible for much higher levels of help(over a hundred dollars per head) versus the help came for those who sold cattle after April 15th ($33 per head). Lane says " Guys who sold cattle on the 16th took just as big of a beating as those who sold cattle on the 14th."
Lane says the other issue that has COVID fingerprints all over it is the issue of price discovery. The recent USDA Investigative report on the spread between boxed beef and live cattle prices was focused on both the Holcomb, Kansas fire aftermath as well as the spring of 2020 pandemic disaster for cattle producers. Lane says that the NCBA has been working on these issues since even before both incidents- but they have brought into focus the urgency of finding solutions.
Finding solutions seems to be boiled down to either making a fundamental change in the policy of NCBA and its predecessor organizations- call for government mandates on price discovery or continue to keep government at arm's length in telling the market how cattle can change hands. The price spread between boxed beef and live cattle was 67 dollars at the peak after the Holcomb fire in 2019 while the price spread as $323 during the pandemic this spring,
Lane says that the Live Cattle Market Task Force has been working for months on the issue of fair cattle markets and says "We have really focused on how we can make sure that our producers are getting what they deserve from that process and that comes down to leverage and price discovery."
This issue is coming to a head- and a vote on the direction of the policy on this for the cattle organization is expected on Wednesday.
We talk about these issues and more with Lane- click on the button to read more and to listen to our conversation with him.:
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Oklahoma AgCredit
is a member of the Farm Credit System that serves every part of agriculture from the smallest operations to the largest – and everything in between. Whether helping a young farm family begin, supporting our veterans as they return home and take up farming or financing U.S. agricultural exports around the globe, Farm Credit is committed to the success of American agriculture.
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Latest USDA Crop Progress Report Shows Crops Continue to Look Great And Are Ahead of Schedule
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With the growing season nearing its peak, all the nation’s major crops continue to be in good shape and are ahead of normal progress according to the latest USDA Crop Progress Report.
In the 18 major corn growing states, 82 percent of the crop is in the silking stage, 7 points ahead of the 5-year average for this time of year. Taking that a step further, 22 percent is in the dough stage, 5 points ahead of the 5-year average.
Overall, the U.S. corn crop is rated 72 percent in the good to excellent category (69 percent last week), 21 percent is fair and 7 percent poor to very poor.
Same story, second verse for the soybean crop as 76 percent of the crop is in the blooming stage, 4 points ahead of the 5-year average. The crop is also ahead of schedule on setting pods as 43 percent is in that stage compared to 36 percent for the 5-year average.
In the major soybean states, 72 percent of the crop is in the good to excellent category this week (69 percent last week), 22 percent is fair, and 6 percent is in poor to very poor condition.
The U.S. cotton crop is right on schedule and is rated 49 percent in the good to excellent category this week (47 percent last week), 35 percent is fair and 16 percent poor to very poor.
In the six major grain sorghum producing states, the crop continues to make good progress and 53 percent is rated good to excellent (51 percent last week), 36 percent is fair and 11 percent poor to very poor.
The winter wheat crop stands at 81 percent complete, right on schedule.
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Frank Lucas Says More Legislation May Be Needed to Help Ensure Market Access for Cattlemen
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On Today’s Beef Buzz
U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas
(R-OK) and I continue our conversation about the USDA report on boxed beef and fed cattle price spread investigation. Specifically, starting with the fire at the southwest Kansas packing plant last year and moving forward into the current pandemic issues.
It would appear to me in the Holcombe fire that we had five packers processing 84 percent of the meat and most of these were super large and efficient, Lucas said. When one goes down you had the inelasticity of the supply and demand market forcing large price spreads, he said.
The price spread peaked at $67 per hundredweight for a short time.
Step forward to the COVID-19 problem we saw the spread jump dramatically to $270.
The underlying issue when you have so much of the beef supply going through these mega plants, if there is a hiccup it sets off these sort of market gyrations, Lucas said.
That’s why in the recommendations we talk about how to expand processing and give producers more options, he said.
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Our Oklahoma Farm Report Team!!!!
Ron Hays, Senior Farm Director and Editor
KC Sheperd, Associate Farm Director and Editor
Dave Lanning, Markets and Production
Sam Knipp, Farm News Editor
Pam Arterburn, Calendar and Template Manager
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Elanco's Dr. Sara Place Highlights Misconceptions in the Latest Burger King Commercial
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The Oklahoma Cattlemen's convention wrapped up this past weekend in Tulsa with several incredible speakers. One of those included
Dr. Sara Place, the Chief Sustainability Officer at Elanco. Place spoke to producers on sustainability and some of the biggest misconceptions concerning sustainability. One of the hot topics was the latest Burger King Commercial, which shows farting cows.
Place says they got it all wrong, "Methane does come from cattle, but it comes out the front end of the animal, so thats one ding on the commercial. Methane is an odorless gas, it does contribute to climate change, but it's not the main driver of climate change, and beef cattle in the united states are about 2% greenhouse gas emissions."
Place also goes onto mention that none of the research referenced in the burger king ad is not peer-reviewed or published, but just early preliminary data. Place says we need more science driving these types of commercials, research and innovation, "I don't know how much an ad campaign like that costs, but we can think that there's a lot of good that those types of dollars can drive if we invest back into research, extension, and to keep improving what we are doing. I think that is where more bang for your buck is going to come from, rather than talking about that issue." Place does acknowledge that the commercial did draw a lot of attention, and allows agriculture to show what we currently ARE doing now that we are in the spotlight.
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We invite you to listen to us on great radio stations across the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network weekdays-
if you missed this morning's Farm News - or you are in an area where you can't hear it- click below for this morning's Farm news from
Ron Hays and KC Sheperd on RON.
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Sponsor Spotlight
The vision of the
Oklahoma Beef Council is to be a positive difference for Oklahoma's farming and ranching families and the greater beef community and its mission is to enhance beef demand by strengthening consumer trust and exceeding consumer expectations.
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Beef Quality Assurance Program Earns Compliance With International Animal Welfare Standards
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The Checkoff-funded National Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Program, managed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), is now recognized as an industry-leading animal welfare program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reviewed and certified that the BQA program complies with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Animal Welfare Management/General Requirements and Guidance for Organizations in the Food Supply Chain.
The ISO specification was developed in 2016 to provide a path for programs to show they are aligned with the principles of the World Organization of Animal Health (OIE) Terrestrial Animal Health Code and ensures the welfare of farm animals across the supply chain.
“USDA’s affirmation that the program complies with ISO specifications is an important recognition of U.S. cattle producers’ continued commitment to delivering a safe, high quality beef supply while maintaining the highest animal welfare standards,” said Dr. Julia Herman, Beef Cattle Specialist Veterinarian for NCBA. Developed more than 30 years ago, the BQA program has become the industry standard for delivering education and resources to cattle producers. More than 85 percent of the U.S. beef supply today is managed by BQA-certified farmers and ranchers, according to the National BQA Database. By partnering with state programs across the country, the program reaches cattle producers on operations of all sizes, in all corners of the nation, with digital and in-person training and certification.
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Dr. Derrel Peel gives an Industry Snapshot: USDA Cattle Inventory and Cattle on Feed Reports
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Mondays,
Dr. Derrell Peel,
Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, offers his economic analysis of the beef cattle industry. This analysis is a part of the weekly series known as the "Cow Calf Corner" published electronically by Dr. Peel and Dr. Glenn Selk. Today, Dr. Peel gives an Industry snap shot: USDA cattle inventory and cattle on feed reports
Last Friday USDA released the July Cattle on Feed report. Feedlot placements in June were 1.8 million head, 102.1 percent of last year. June marketings were 1.97 million head, up 1.3 percent year over year. Both placements and marketings were close to pre-report expectations and no major market reaction is expected. The July 1 on-feed inventory was 11.44 million head, very close to year ago levels. The report also provided quarterly information about steer and heifer inventories in feedlots on July 1. Steers were fractionally higher than last year while heifers on feed were down 1.5 percent year over year.
The industry is looking for a couple of pieces of information from this report. The first is an indication of the current status of feedlots relative to the backlog of fed cattle that developed in April and May. The calculated estimates of cattle on feed over 120 days is still very large compared to last year but the difference has decreased by some 160,000 head since May. It appears that the backlog is decreasing but a sizable number of cattle remain to be cleaned up before feedlots will be current. In the January – April period, feedlot placements were down just over million head year over year.
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CAST Releases New Commentary on "Impacts on Human Health and Safety of Naturally Occurring and Supplemental Hormones in Food Animals"
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The Council for Agricultural Sciences and Technology (CAST) has released a new paper, Impacts on Human Health and Safety of Naturally Occurring and Supplemental Hormones in Food Animals. It is now available for download.
Since World War II, the United States has pursued a national policy of an abundant and inexpensive food supply. The average share of disposable personal income spent on total food by consumers in the U.S. from 1960 to 2018 fell from 16.8% to 9.7%. Since then, there has been a focus on improving nutrition, reproduction, genetics, and health and management practices. Feed additives, hormonal treatments, and growth enhancing technologies have also been studied and implemented by some producers. These technologies have reduced the costs of food production and the impacts of animal production on the environment.
Robert Collier and task force members assessed the use of hormones in animal agriculture and found that use of endocrine regulators to improve efficiency of growth, lactation, and reproduction has contributed significantly to providing a safe and low-cost food supply to American consumers. The intense regulatory scrutiny required to approve these products for use in animal agriculture has also contributed to the safety of the world’s food supply. For naturally occurring hormones, the FDA has concluded that no physiological effect could be expected in consumers eating animal products containing additional amounts of the hormone that is less than or equal to 1% of the amount produced by the human daily. None of the approved naturally occurring hormones in use produce residues in animal products that surpass this target level. For synthetic compounds, the use of production enhancing technologies is heavily regulated in the United States and across the world by multiple agencies resulting in an extremely safe food supply.
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OKC West is our Market Links Sponsor- they sell cattle three days a week- Cows on Mondays, Stockers on Tuesday and Feeders on Wednesday-
Call 405-262-8800
to learn more.
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Today's First Look:
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.
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Wholesale Boxed Beef Prices were mixed on Monday- Choice higher and Select Lower- Click on the Button below for the latest report from USDA Market News
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Oklahoma National Stockyards
had 7,500 head on Monday-
Feeder Steers sold uneven however bulk of the offering was 1.00-4.00 lower. Feeder heifers traded 1.00-2.00 lower. Steer calves sold 1.00-3.00 lower and heifer calves were 2.00-4.00 higher
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Click b
elow
for the complete closing report.
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Joplin Regional Stockyards
had 4,649 head of cattle on Monday- Prices were mostly steady.
Click below
to check the full report.
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Each afternoon we are posting a recap of that day's markets as analyzed by
Justin Lewis of KIS futures
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click below
for the latest update on the Livestock and Grain Futures Trade..
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Okla Cash Grain:
Daily Oklahom
a
Cash Grain Prices- as reported by the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture
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The report available after the close of the Futures Trade for that day.
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Rural Oklahoma is full of some of the greatest success stories throughout the entire state and are a main reason Oklahoma is on track to become a top 10 state.
The
Road to Rural Prosperity
will dive into these stories each week bringing you insight into the great things happening in and to rural Oklahoma. We will bring you stories covering rural life, agriculture, energy, healthcare, tourism and politics all affecting rural America.
The
Road to Rural Prosperity
is here to tell stories about rural America, for rural America.
In Episode 42,
KC Sheperd
goes on ZOOM to talk with three Oklahoma Elementary Educators about their experiences with the Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom Program-
Johnnie Keel, Lori Newmark and Jocelyn Puckett.
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God Bless!
Reach Out To Us:
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Tim West
President/General Manager
Radio Oklahoma Ag Network
2401 Exchange Avenue,
Suite F
Oklahoma City, OK 73108
405.317.6361
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Ron Hays
Director of Farm Programming
Radio Oklahoma Ag Network
405.473.6144
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