Presented by

 

Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update. 
 

Featured Story:

USDA Sees Much Smaller Kansas and Oklahoma Wheat Crops Than Were Measured by Wheat Scouts One Week Ago

There is a significant gap between what the crop scouts saw last week- and what USDA reported Tuesday morning, based on May first data, regarding the potential size of the 2016 winter wheat crops in both Oklahoma and Kansas.

The discrepancy is about ten percent in the Kansas number- USDA calling the Sunflower State's wheat crop a 352.6 million bushel crop- versus the 382 million bushel crop predicted by the Wheat Quality Council's estimate made last Thursday. 

But- the difference between the Scouts and the USDA on the Oklahoma wheat crop size is more like twenty percent- USDA calling it a 105.6 million bushel crop and the Scouts offering expectations for a 130 million bushel crop.

USDA predicts a smaller yield for Oklahoma- and a lot fewer harvested acres than the predictions of last week- and that's how they get to the bottom line of 105 million.

We break down the numbers and offer links back to last week and to yesterday's USDA number- which also includes the USDA thinking on Texas and more. Click here for our report- which is our Top Ag Story this morning.

BONUS- we also have coverage of the WASDE numbers from Tuesday- which really charged up the Soybean futures as they were forty cents higher after the report was released- tighter stocks based on increased exports and less competition from South America gave soybeans the leadership in the ag futures complex on Tuesday.

New Poll: Americans Overwhelmingly Support Farmers, Farm Policy, Crop Insurance  

 

Nearly 90 percent of Americans have a favorable view of farmers, and 92 percent said it was important to provide them with federal funding, according to a new national poll released today. Furthermore, positive marks cut across party lines, showing that a strong farm policy is a bipartisan issue.

"Americans overwhelmingly like farmers and support the programs that protect them," explained Jon McHenry, vice president of North Star Opinion Research, the polling firm that explored the general public's views on farmers, farm policy and crop insurance. "This response is not surprising when you consider that eight in 10 voters believe a vibrant agricultural industry was critical to the country's national security."

More than 70 percent of voters also said they believed that farmers should help fund part of their own safety net. This cost-sharing structure is at the heart of America's crop insurance policy, with farmers paying a portion of their insurance premiums and shouldering, on average, 25 percent of crop losses through deductibles.


Read more of the results from the poll by clicking here.

From a Business Point of View- Angus Breed is Killing It in First of Half of Their Current Fiscal Year

 
The American Angus Association's more than 25,000 members continue to set the pace for the beef cattle industry, bolstered by a growing demand for registered Angus genetics nationwide.


According to reports released by the Association, breeders have registered 7 percent more Angus animals during the first half of the fiscal year compared to the same time period a year ago. Association reports for March alone showed an 18 percent boost in registrations compared to the same month in 2015.


"The Angus business is performing really well halfway through the year," said Allen Moczygemba, association CEO. "We're on pace again for an outstanding year in registrations following one of the breed's best years on record. If we continue this growth, we could see our fifteenth-largest registration level in the history of our 133-year-old organization. That's significant from a historical perspective since Angus comprises a larger portion of market share today in the total U.S. cattle inventory."

More on the first half of the Angus fiscal year available here.

EPA Provides Section 18 Help for Sugarcane Aphid in Oklahoma

 

Dow AgroSciences announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted Section 18 emergency use exemptions in nine more states for the application of Transform® WG insecticide for control of sugarcane aphids in sorghum. Texas recently received a Section 18 approval, and now Section 18 approvals have been issued in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Tennessee for 2016.

"Sugarcane aphids continue to be a problem and sorghum growers in affected states need an effective control option like Transform to combat this devastating pest," says Todd Pilcher, product manager, Dow AgroSciences.

Sugarcane aphids first appeared in sorghum in 2013, mostly in Texas and Louisiana, but the last two years have spread across 14 states. Sugarcane aphids feed on plant sap, causing the foliage to turn purple and yellow, thereby reducing yield. The pest also produces a sticky honeydew that collects on leaves and stalks, creating reduced harvest efficiency and clogged combines.

More on the Section 18 for Oklahoma is available here.

Animal Ag Alliance Explores Protecting the Future of Animal Agriculture at 2016 Summit

 
I regret not being able to get out to Arlington, Va for the 2016 edition of the Animal Ag Alliance Summit on Animal Agriculture last week- and judging by the reports- there was a lot of good info to chew on at the sessions.

Last week on Day 2- they focused on several aspects of how to protect the future of animal ag from attacks from those who want to destroy this part of production agriculture.

For example- Dr. Wes Jamison, Associate Professor of Public Relations, Palm Beach Atlantic University was a featured speaker on the tactic utilized by anti animal ag activists in regards to religion and meat in the diets of humans.

"Your primary opponents have no fear in using religion for persuasive purposes," said Jamison. But if they're "going to use a source they need to use it correctly."

Old Testament Professor Walter Kaiser told the Summit "There is a plain misunderstanding or deliberate reinterpretation of the text. Activists retranslate God's mandate to say something different in their favor" and "cherry pick certain phrases and give them a spin not aligned with the author's intentions."

"You have nothing to fear," said Jamison as he wrapped up the panel discussion with a reassuring message. The Bible "gives you permission and applauds you for doing so. You have the truth on your side." (kudos to Roy Lee Lindsay for having Dr. Jamison at the Oklahoma Pork Expo a couple of years ago offering a similar message.)

Other issues tackled last week at the Summit was using Social Media to tell the modern animal ag production story and how to deal with misinformation- where ever it comes from.

Click or tap here to read more of the summary of day two from the Animal Ag Alliance Summit- and click here for an earlier summary of day one from that same meeting.

 

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

Obama Trade Ambassador Filing Trade Complaint in WTO Against China Over Chicken Duties

 
U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman says the U.S. will request the World Trade Organization take action against China for failing to eliminate its anti-dumping duties on U.S. chicken exports. The National Chicken Council and the U.S. Poultry and Egg Export Council applauded the announcement Tuesday in a joint statement.

In 2013, a WTO dispute settlement panel found that China's anti-dumping and countervailing duties violated its WTO obligations. Despite that decision, China has still refused to remove these duties. The two poultry groups said jointly "we are heartened to see that USTR will not back down when it comes to enforcing our rights, and in making sure we truly get the market access we bargained for."

Also cheering the decision by the USTR's office is the American Farm Bureau. Their President, Zippy Duvall, says of the decision "We are enthusiastic supporters of Ambassador Froman's action."

He adds that "Trade enforcement is an essential part of an effective trade policy. Farm Bureau supports trade that brings fair prices to farmers and good nutrition to a rapidly-growing population around the world. We applaud USTR for pursuing this action." 

More details about the move by Ambassdor Froman are available here.

Today in History- It Was a Very Dirty Day

The website History.Com is featuring one of the biggest dirt storms of the 1930s on this day in history.

From their account- "On this day in 1934, a massive storm sends millions of tons of topsoil flying from across the parched Great Plains region of the United States as far east as New York, Boston and Atlanta."

They point to the massive plowing up of the Great Plains in the early part of the 1900s- and how by the early 1930s- there was little to keep the top layer of soil from moving once it was dry enough.

The account picks up in 1931- "a severe drought spread across the region. As crops died, wind began to carry dust from the over-plowed and over-grazed lands. The number of dust storms reported jumped from 14 in 1932 to 28 in 1933. The following year, the storms decreased in frequency but increased in intensity, culminating in the most severe storm yet in May 1934. Over a period of two days, high-level winds caught and carried some 350 million tons of silt all the way from the northern Great Plains to the eastern seaboard. According to The New York Times, dust "lodged itself in the eyes and throats of weeping and coughing New Yorkers," and even ships some 300 miles offshore saw dust collect on their decks."

This storm was the spring before what is called Black Sunday- which happened on April 15, 1935.  But it was the storm in 1934 that got the attention of Americans living in the east that something was wrong- and that allowed Black Sunday to become a trigger for the establishment of the Soil Conservation Service that started farmers and ranchers on the path to become the stewards of the soil that is almost a given here in 2016.

Click here to read the full account of that day in May 1934- a very dirty day in the history of the Great Plains.

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