Oklahoma's Latest Farm
And Ranch News
|
|
Your Update from Ron Hays of RON
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
|
|
|
|
Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update.
- Time is Short to Apply for Help Under CFAP2- FSA's Scott Biggs Reminds Farmers and Ranchers to Apply for CFAP2
- Strong Corn, Grain Sorghum Exports Highlight a Good Year Says Ryan LeGrand, U.S. Grains Council
- US Wheat Report Details Value of Trade Promotion Authority, Free Trade Agreements
- Fall Harvest Wraps Up And Winter Wheat Crop Condition Improves as USDA Issues Last Crop Progress Report For 2020
- LMA's Chelsea Good Talks About How Auction Markets Have Handled This Challenging Year
- Dr. Derrell Peel with Feedlot Facts
- OSU Veterinary Hospital Gets Innovative Software
- USDA Reminds Producers to Check Service Center Status Before Visiting
- EPA Releases Draft Biological Evaluation for Glyphosate
- GivingTuesday is Here- One Group to Check Out- the Animal Ag Alliance
|
Time is Short to Apply for Help Under CFAP2- FSA's Scott Biggs Reminds Farmers and Ranchers to Apply for CFAP2 |
Oklahoma farmers and ranchers have collected just over a quarter of a billion dollars of assistance in the second round of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program- but State FSA Director Scott Biggs is concerned that several thousand producers in the state may leave millions of dollars on the table unless they act quickly. He talked with yours truly about the CFAP2 program and you can hear our conversation by clicking on the button below.
With the deadline to sign up for CFAP2 currently set for December 11th, Biggs estimates that as many 8,000 Oklahoma farmers and ranchers have not yet applied for the assistance to offset the losses that have hit the agricultural community during the pandemic of 2020. "we're missing about 8,000 producers here in Oklahoma- you know, we're anticipating about $350 million across the board and are sitting at $270 million right now- so there\s still a significant chunk of funding available if producers would like some assistance."
Biggs tells Hays that producers should not wait until the last day to apply for help- he urges them to contact their local Farm Service Agency office right away and get started.
Hear my visit with Biggs and learn more about CFAP2 by clicking on the button.
|
The Oklahoma Cotton Council is proud to serve the cotton producers and those who are a part of the cotton industry in Oklahoma- promoting and protecting their interests. In Recent Years- cotton acreage has grown in Oklahoma- and today we are the third largest Cotton State in the US- based on Acres Planted.
The Oklahoma Cotton Council works for the cotton farmer in the areas of research, advocacy and education. Follow the Oklahoma Cotton Council on Facebook or check out out the Oklahoma Cotton Council website- okiecotton.org
|
Strong Corn, Grain Sorghum Exports Highlight a Good Year Says Ryan LeGrand, U.S. Grains Council |
A surprisingly large amount of corn and grain sorghum exports has been a highlight of 2020 for the U.S. Grains Council says Ryan LeGrand, president and CEO.
LeGrand was interviewed at the recent NAFB virtual event by Radio Oklahoma Agriculture Network Associate Farm Director and Editor KC Sheperd.
The U.S. Grains Council is a non-profit organization that promotes the global use of U.S. barley, corn, grain sorghum and related products including ethanol and distiller’s dried grains with soluble.
The biggest change this year has been the exports of corn and grain sorghum really taking off, LeGrand said.
We have about 35 million tons of corn exports on the books today compared to 12.5 million tons a year ago, he said.
Grain sorghum exports are 3.8 million metric tons compared to 820,000 tons a year ago.
You can hear KC and Ryan talk about feed grain export efforts in 2020 and read more by clicking on the button.
|
USW Report Details Value of Trade Promotion Authority, Free Trade Agreements |
Shelbi Knisley, USW Director of Trade Policy writes in the latest USwheat.org Newsletter on the value of trade promotion authority. She writes:
Last week, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) submitted comments to the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) on the importance of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation to U.S. wheat producers.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) describes TPA this way: “Since 1974, Congress has enacted TPA legislation that defines U.S. negotiating objectives and priorities for trade agreements and establishes consultation and notification requirements for the President to follow throughout the negotiation process. At the end of the negotiation and consultation process, Congress gives the agreement an up or down vote, without amendment. TPA reaffirms Congress’s overall constitutional role in the development and oversight of U.S. trade policy.”
TPA is important in securing free trade agreements (FTAs) by establishing a known, reliable process for securing congressional approval of agreements negotiated by the executive branch. TPA has been vital for the growth of U.S. agriculture and future trade agreements, by maintaining competitiveness for U.S. wheat producers in the global market.
|
|
For our farmers who have either- always have had cotton on their farms- or those who have more recently have added the fiber crop to their operations- we have a new daily report starting to be heard on several of our Radio Stations- It's Called Cotton Talk- and we appreciate the Oklahoma Cotton Council for their support in making this a reality.
Click on the Button below to listen to our most recent report
|
|
Fall Harvest Wraps Up And Winter Wheat Crop Condition Improves as USDA Issues Last Crop Progress Report For 2020 |
As the 2020 growing season ends so does the weekly USDA Crop Progress reports. According to the USDA this week’s update will be the last one issued for 2020. The crop progress reports will resume April 5, 2021.
The only three major national crops remaining to be harvested are cotton, peanuts and sunflowers.
Cotton harvest is pegged at 84 percent, which is 5 points ahead of normal.
Virginia, at 62 percent complete, has the most cotton harvest yet to complete.
In the 8 major peanut producing states, harvest is 96 percent complete, right on the average mark for this time of year.
Sunflower harvest, at 97 percent complete is 10 points ahead of the average.
The biggest story is the condition of the nation’s winter wheat crop which is rated at 46 percent in the good to excellent category, a 3-point improvement from last week. The remainder is rated 36 percent fair and 18 percent poor to very poor.
|
|
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.
|
Sponsor Spotlight
National Livestock was founded in 1932 in Oklahoma City. National’s Marketing Division offers cattle for sale weekly at the Oklahoma National Stockyards in Oklahoma City. The Finance Division lends money to ranchers across several states for cattle production. The Grazing Division works with producers to place cattle for grazing on wheat or grass pastures.
National also owns and operates other livestock marketing subsidiaries including Southern Oklahoma Livestock Auction in Ada, Oklahoma, OKC West Livestock Market in El Reno, Oklahoma, and the nation’s premier livestock video sale, Superior Livestock Auction. National offers customers many services custom made for today’s producer. To learn more, click here for the website or call the Oklahoma City office at 1-800-310-0220.
|
|
|
LMA's Chelsea Good Talks About How Auction Markets Have Handled This Challenging Year |
This has been a challenging year for many people including the nation’s livestock auction markets, said Chelsea Good, vice president of government and industry affairs for the Livestock Marketing Association.
Looking back on that March timeframe when it seemed the world was coming apart, Good said a priority for the auction markets was worker safety.
We were working to get the markets exempt as a critical part of the food supply and we wanted to make sure our member markets had all the tools necessary to minimize risk, she said.
Good noted concern about safety of auction workers, livestock producers and other livestock handlers required extra effort.
A big part of that was reducing the number of people in the auction barns, she said, trying to make sure it was just the necessary staff and buyers at the auction.
More online and phone bidding was seen at many of the markets, she said.
|
Dr. Derrell Peel with Feedlot Facts |
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 talks about Feedlot facts.
The feedlot industry displays amazing dynamics over the course of a typical year…and of course, 2020 has been anything but a typical year. The November 1 cattle on feed inventory was 11.97 million head of cattle, up 1.3 percent from one year ago. Exactly what to expect in fed cattle markets in the coming months depends on numerous factors including: the demographics of the feedlot population (both size and gender), feed costs, the time of the year, weather conditions and regional impacts.
Feedlot placements the past five to six months account for the current inventory and consisted of 22 percent feeders under 600 pounds; nearly 18 percent feeder cattle from 600-700 pounds; 22 percent feeders from 700-800 pounds; 23 percent feeders weighing 800-900 pounds; and 15 percent feeder cattle over 900 pounds. The latest quarterly inventory report showed that feedlot inventories currently include 62.4 percent steers and 37.6 percent heifers. This compares to one year ago when feedlots inventories included 60.8 percent steers and 39.2 percent heifers. Feedlot placement weight is related to finished weight of fed cattle. However, the relationship is not one to one. For both steers and heifers in the typical range of placement weights, a one pound increase in placement weight results in 0.5 pounds of additional finished weight.
|
OSU Veterinary Hospital Gets Innovative Software |
Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital recently implemented a new Veterinary Practice Management Software system called ezyVet to enhance and improve the client experience.
“As we train tomorrow’s veterinarians, we strive to provide unparalleled veterinary care to our patients,” Dr. Jeff Studer, director of the veterinary hospital, said. “An important piece of that care is communicating with our clients, our referring veterinarians, and among ourselves. EzyVet, a cloud-based Practice Management solution, favors automation and integration to achieve better clinical and financial outcomes. EzyVet will be used by more than 250 clinicians, staff and veterinary students throughout 14 clinical services in our hospital, bringing the latest technologies to our clients and veterinary professionals.”
Oklahoma State is the third teaching hospital in the nation to utilize ezyVet joining Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. EzyVet is a global front-runner in the cloud-based veterinary software market, with offices in Dallas, London and Auckland. It is designed to help veterinarians and their customers make better business decisions.
|
USDA Reminds Producers to Check Service Center Status Before Visiting
|
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is reminding customers to check on Service Center status before planning an in-person visit. USDA continues to evaluate the status of coronavirus transmission in the local communities and may limit or restrict access to specific offices to protect the health of employees and its customers. The current operational status of every Service Center status at https://www.farmers.gov/coronavirus
USDA is using a phased, data-driven approach to determine which Service Centers are open for in-person appointments. Field work, including conservation planning assistance, will continue in the states with appropriate social distancing.
All USDA Service Centers are open for business, and Service Center staff members from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will continue to work with producers by phone, email, and other digital tools like Microsoft Teams, Box, and OneSpan. Producers can learn more about how to leverage these digital offerings by visiting https://www.farmers.gov/mydocs
|
EPA Releases Draft Biological Evaluation for Glyphosate |
The Environmental Protection Agency recently released a draft biological evaluation for glyphosate. EPA's draft biological evaluation for glyphosate includes an effects determination for listed species and designated critical habitats and finds that glyphosate is likely to adversely affect a significant percent of endangered species and critical habitats.
If EPA determines glyphosate may affect a listed species or its critical habitat, the agency will consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service as appropriate. Of more than 1,700 species considered, EPA claims roughly 93 percent were likely to be adversely affected by glyphosate, with more than half the species being plans.
EPA followed its March 2020 Revised Method for National Level Listed Species Biological Evaluations of Conventional Pesticides to conduct this biological evaluation. The assessment could mean further restrictions and controls on glyphosate. Glyphosate is used on about 298 million acres of agricultural cropland annually.
|
Giving Tuesday Has Arrived- Animal Ag Alliance is Worthy of Your Support |
The President and the CEO of the Animal Ag Alliance, Kay Johnson Smith, has issued a call to action on Giving Tuesday- here is her note that we received via email early Tuesday morning.
This year has been an unprecedented challenge for all of us. The agriculture community has rallied together to keep supply chains flowing and grocery store shelves stocked over the past several months. At the same time, animal rights groups are piling on more challenges and are all too eager to take advantage of a difficult and ever-changing situation. They have gone as far as blaming pandemics on animal agriculture in an attempt to further their vegan, animal rights agenda and attempt to distract people from all the work the food chain has done to provide safe, nutritious food to families. At the Animal Agriculture Alliance, our goal is to protect agriculture from damaging misinformation by working to bridge the communication gap between farm and fork.
We’re all in this together and your support is essential. Please donate today to help us arm farmers, ranchers, processors and industry stakeholders with resources to engage with their customers and protect against misinformation.
Your personal tax-deductible gift of $100 will support our continuous work to protect animal agriculture through the monitoring of anti-animal agriculture activist organizations and allow us to alert the industry of their latest tactics and activities. Remember, threats to livestock and poultry producers impact the entire supply chain.
Click here to go to their Giving Tuesday webpage- which is where you can donate.
You can go back to our Monday email- available here- and check out our Oklahoma groups that we believe are also worthy of your support- including the OALP, the OYE Onward Campaign, Oklahoma FFA Foundation and the Oklahoma 4-H Foundation. |
|
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.
|
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.
|
Wholesale Boxed Beef Prices continue to go higher- Choice Beef was up 83 cents and Select Beef was up $1.75 on Monday 11/30/2020.
Click on the Button below for the latest report from USDA Market News
|
Oklahoma National Stockyards had 10,500 head on Monday with good action much of the day.
Compared to last week: Feeder cattle sold steady, steer and heifer calves trad 3.00-6.00 higher. Demand moderate to good. Quality mostly average, few attractive. Slaughter cattle prices moved higher on shorter numbers last week this as beef prices continue to improve.
Click below for the complete closing report.
|
Joplin Regional Stockyards had an excellent run of 9,399 on the last day of November.
Compared to last week, steer calves under 650 lbs 2.00 to 5.00 higher, steers over 650 lbs 1.00 to 3.00 lower, heifers under 550 lbs and over 800 lbs steady, heifers 550 to 800 lbs 2.00 to 4.00 lower. Demand moderate to good, supply heavy. The offering consisted of mostly wean/vac calves with a few unweaned calves in the mix and yearlings. Demand best of light calves suitable for winter grazing.
Click on the button below for the report from USDA on the Joplin Market trade.
|
Each afternoon we are posting a recap of that day's markets as analyzed by Justin Lewis of KIS futures - click below for the latest update on the Livestock and Grain Futures Trade..
|
Okla Cash Grain:
Daily Oklahoma Cash Grain Prices- as reported by the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture- The report available after the close of the Futures Trade for that day.
|
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
|
|
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.
Host Ron Hays travels the Road to Rural Prosperity with mixed feelings as he talks with Roy Lee Lindsey of OkPork- who has just announced his resignation as Executive Director as the head of the group representing hog farmers in Oklahoma- as he prepares to take a similar position with the North Carolina Pork Council- North Carolina the second largest pork state in the US.
Today's Road to Rural Prosperity is being sponsored in part by the Oklahoma Rural Water Association.
To find out more about our full series of Podcasts on The Road to Rural Prosperity- click or tap here.
To hear this Podcast you can click here or tap below:
|
|
Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K Equipment, AFR/OFU, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Oklahoma Ag Mediation Program, Great Plains Kubota, Stillwater Milling Company, Oklahoma Cotton Council, National Livestock Credit Corporation, Oklahoma Beef Council, Oklahoma AgCredit, the Oklahoma Cattlemens Association, 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 invite you to check out our website at the link below too that includes an archive of these daily emails, audio reports and top farm news story links from around the globe.
|
|
God Bless!
Reach Out To Us:
|
|
Tim West
President/General Manager
Radio Oklahoma Ag Network
2401 Exchange Avenue,
Suite F
Oklahoma City, OK 73108
405.317.6361
|
|
Ron Hays
Director of Farm Programming
Radio Oklahoma Ag Network
405.473.6144
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
