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We invite you to listen to us on great radio stations across the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network weekdays- if you missed this morning's Farm News - or you are in an area where you can't hear it- click here for this morning's Farm news from Ron Hays on RON.
Let's Check the Markets!
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:
mornings with cash and futures reviewed- includes where the Cash Cattle market stands, the latest Feeder Cattle Markets Etc.
Each afternoon we are posting a recap of that day's markets as analyzed by Justin Lewis of KIS futures- click or tap here for the report posted yesterday afternoon around 3:30 PM.
Okla Cash Grain:
Futures Wrap:
Feeder Cattle Recap:
Slaughter Cattle Recap:
TCFA Feedlot Recap:
Our Oklahoma Farm Report Team!!!!
Ron Hays, Senior Farm Director and Editor
Carson Horn, Associate Farm Director and Editor Pam Arterburn, Calendar and Template Manager Dave Lanning, Markets and Production
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Oklahoma's Latest Farm and Ranch News
Your Update from Ron Hays of RON
Monday, April 16, 2018
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Howdy Neighbors!
Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update.
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 Featured Story:
Over 300,000 Acres Burned in Northwest Okla- Much of It in Dewey County- More Extreme Conditions on the Way
The vast majority of the burned acres as of this Monday morning have been the result of the Rhea Fire in Dewey County- 245,433 acres according to the latest report from the Oklahoma Emergency Management- click here for the full report. There was some movement towards Thomas over the latter part of the weekend. At this point- almost 40% of the County has been burned by this fire.
Over 67,778 acres were burned in Woodward County in the 34 Complex fire- containment on it as of Sunday midday was 25%.
We have a couple of pics to share- one is courtesy of Jimmy Emmons in the Leedey area- an aerial view of the burned pastures and more near his place:
This second pic that we got an okay to share with you is from the Camargo area- and shows a couple of the Mama Cows that did not make it- the hair on their bodies burned off- a horrible death for these and an unknown additional number of cattle and wildlife that were caught in the flames that were traveling at 50 miles per hour:
The Rhea Fire in Dewey County(242,000 acres) was only 3% contained as of midday Sunday- our next update comes around 8:30 or 9 AM this morning.
The Oklahoma Cattlemen, AFR and Oklahoma Farm Bureau all have started accepting cash donations into their Foundations to distribute aid to ranchers and landowners hurt by the fires. Click or tap here to see details on those efforts.
More extreme weather is on tap for this week- starting as early as today. A Red Flag Watch is in place in northwestern Oklahoma today- a Red Flag Warning is in place for Tuesday- winds gusts of forty to fifty miles an hour from the south along with low humidity will put an extreme amount of pressure on the already bad situation. Click here for a graphic on the Tuesday status- click here for the Monday status.
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Sponsor Spotlight
The Oklahoma Farm Bureau - a grassroots organization that has for its Mission Statement- Improving the Lives of Rural Oklahomans." Farm Bureau, as the state's largest general farm organization, is active at the State Capitol fighting for the best interests of its members and working with other groups to make certain that the interests of rural Oklahoma are protected. Click here for their website to learn more about the organization and how it can benefit you to be a part of Farm Bureau.
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Uncle Frank Lucas is Encouraging Democrats and Republicans on the House Ag Committee to Get Farm Bill to House Floor Quickly
Former Chair of the House Ag Committee, Frank Lucas, spent an unprecedented hour and a half last Thursday at the White House with several of his peers, governors and President Donald Trump discussing agriculture - which Lucas says speaks to the President's concern for rural America.
A broad range of topics were discussed including ongoing talks with the Chinese regarding tariffs and other trade matters like NAFTA and even TPP.
The conversation moved on to the 2019 Farm Bill proposal unveiled by House Ag Committee Chair Mike Conaway. Tension between the parties are on the rise since Conaway's big reveal last week, due to the Left's disapproval of the proposed SNAP program as outlined in the draft. Lucas says he is working to bridge the divide where he can in order to make as much progress on completing the Farm Bill as possible. He says the best strategy is to get it through the initial process and onto the floor for the real debate to take place.
"Being a former Chairman of the Ag Committee, I have a role kinda like someone's old Uncle- so I spend time talking to everybody- I spend time working with everybody on both sides of the room- both sides of the Committee to move the process forward."
Congressman Lucas remains hopeful that a bill will move out of the Committee this week and get floor time soon after- he is concerned about missing the window of opportunity and not getting a new farm bill.
Click here to listen to the complete conversation between former Chairman Lucas and I.
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OKFB's Ron Justice Commends Lawmakers on Hard Work - Talks Priority Issues with Ron Hays
Oklahoma Farm Bureau Director of Public Policy Ron Justice, commended our state's lawmakers for working diligently over the past few weeks to meet deadlines and accomplish certain tasks, as we sat down and talked with him about this past week's work at the State Capitol by lawmakers. He said they deserved praise for their hard work that often goes unseen - especially this past week while they tried to be as accommodating as possible to teachers who have been actively knocking on their doors.
In looking at the progress of the 2018 Oklahoma Legislative Session, Justice says there are several bills pertinent to the state's agriculture industry. Many of these bills have already been sent to the Governor's desk for her review. Still, there are others being processed by the House and Senate, but at the moment, Justice says there aren't really any bills he finds threatening to the rural community. Nonetheless, he is closely monitoring a number of them that he says could always potentially be amended or rewritten in a manner that would negatively impact the ag community.
Learn more about the bills Justice is tracking this session and how they could each potentially impact the ag community in Oklahoma by listening to my full interview with Justice - click here. |
Conaway's Farm Bill Draft Includes Startup Funding for FMD Vaccine Bank- the Rest to Come, Maybe
Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee Michael Conaway unveiled his vision for the 2018 Farm Bill this past week. One thing included in that draft proposal - money to fund a Foot & Mouth Disease vaccine bank that has been heavily lobbied for by the livestock industry.
"It's the one new big-ticket item that came out of all of our conversations with not only the livestock folks, but also the security issues surrounding that piece as well," Conaway said during a news conference where he debuted his draft legislation. "That was some dollars I had come from other places in order to make it work, because I have no new money. We didn't get to provide as much as the industry asked for, but we got a really good step forward in a combination of mandatory and discretionary spending with respect to that vaccine bank."
In the months leading up to this unveiling, both the beef and pork industries had advocated for $150 million per year for several years to fund the project. Conaway's draft only allocates $150 million one-time for the life of the 2018 Farm Bill.
"The $150 million is that startup money that gets them going, whether it provides all 23 lines or just the ten most important lines we need," he said. "All of these decisions will be made in a much more fulsome and forward basis as we get up and running. I believe the Secretary will have the resources to get the program off the ground and once it's up and established, it'll be a little easier to get additional resources once we see what it's doing - and if it shows we don't need those resources - then we're not duty bound to spend money where don't need to."
Listen to Conaway talk about the funding for an FMD vaccine bank included in his draft of the 2018 Farm Bill, on Friday's Beef Buzz - click here.
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Sponsor Spotlight
KIS FUTURES specializes in Futures and Options for Institutions, Commercials, Hedgers, and Individual Traders and executes trades for its clients in the following markets: Livestock, Grains, Energy, Metals, Softs, Financials, Currencies, and Stock Index Futures. For more information, please give them a call Toll Free at (800) 256-2555. Click here for their website to learn more.
And- their iPhone App, which provides all electronic futures quotes is available at the App Store- click here for the KIS Futures App for your iPhone.
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Senator Jim Inhofe Praises Appointment of Former Aide Andrew Wheeler to Deputy Post at the EPA
Last week, Andrew Wheeler was confirmed as Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Wheeler, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, received approval from the Senate on Thursday to be second in command at the Environmental Protection Agency in a 53-45 vote.
"I am pleased that after months of delay and unwarranted obstruction, the Senate has finally confirmed my good friend, Andrew Wheeler, to serve as Deputy Administrator of the EPA," Inhofe said in response to his former staffer's nomination. "Working with Administrator Pruitt, I know he will be a good steward of the environment without punishing our states, farmers and job creators."
Wheeler served as chief counsel for the Tulsa Republican from 1995 to 1997 and later served under Inhofe on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee as a staff director and top attorney.
"Throughout his distinguished career in the Senate and in the private sector, Andrew has shown he is a man of integrity, character and experience," Inhofe remarked. "I congratulate him on his bipartisan confirmation and look forward to working with him in his new role."
Click or tap here to watch Inhofe deliver his comments regarding Wheeler and his nomination to the EPA.
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Meet Your 2018 Central Area FFA Star in Agriscience, Katelynn Carey of the Harrah FFA Chapter
We concluded our spotlight last week of the 2018 Area Stars in Agriscience on Friday profiling your Central Area Star in Agriscience, Katelynn Carey of the Harrah FFA Chapter. Turning to her chapter's shop class for inspiration, Katelynn found that oil spills account for most injuries in the average shop. This is a problem almost everyone, on and off the farm faces at some point. Katelynn decided to test different materials to find out which one worked the best at cleaning up spills.
Katelynn found that wood shavings worked the best as the most absorbent of the materials she used in her experiment. She says once the oil is absorbed into the wood shavings, the shavings must then be properly disposed of due to risk of being a potential fire hazard as the material is at this point extremely flammable. Finally, she recommends using an industrial clean up solution you can purchase at the store to finish the job.
Listen to our complete conversation to hear Katelynn describe her experiment in detail and how the FFA has helped her be successful in her endeavors, by clicking over to the Blue-Green Gazette on our website.
Our salute of the 2018 Area Stars of the Oklahoma FFA is brought to you by American Farmers & Ranchers and AFR Insurance, proud to support Oklahoma's youth.
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Want to Have the Latest Energy News Delivered to Your Inbox Daily?
Award winning broadcast journalist Jerry Bohnen has spent years learning and understanding how to cover the energy business here in the southern plains- Click to subscribe to his daily update of top Energy News.
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President Trump's Common Sense Support for Year-Round E15 Sales 'Welcome News' for Ethanol Crowd
The Trump Administration is apparently planning to allow E15 sales year-round. During the White House agriculture roundtable last Thursday, President Trump announced his support for E15 sales year-round without a cap on RIN prices.
Ethanol groups have argued that allowing year-round sales of 15 percent ethanol blended fuels would be a "win-win" for agriculture and refiners, who have alleged that RIN prices are overburdensome. President Trump told the group "We're going to raise it up to 15 percent," adding the move "makes a lot of people happy."
Growth Energy applauded the comments from Trump, calling the move a "common-sense fix." Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor says a waiver lifting the Reid Vapor Pressure limits on summer-time E15 sales "allows retailers to offer better options alongside traditional blends all year long."
"Allowing the sale of E15 all year, will allow for less confusion and more savings at the pump for consumers, continue to benefit the environment with the further reduction of emissions and provide corn farmers with a more stable market," said North Dakota farmer Kevin Skunes, president of the National Corn Growers Association.
Weary of what he calls mixed signals on this matter by the administration, Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen stated Trump's remarks on E15 was "welcome news," but was cautiously optimistic about whether or not his promises would be kept.
"If true, the report suggests President Trump intends to fulfill his commitment to a 15 billion gallon RFS," Dinneen said. "But for that commitment to be fully realized, EPA Administrator Pruitt must cease his campaign to destruct biofuel demand with unjustified waivers and other policies meant to undermine the RFS. We look forward to working with the administration to fulfill the promise of a growing and dynamic renewable fuels industry."
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Reminder- Wheat Webinar This AM at 8:30 AM- Will Feature a Multi State Update
Wheat Specialists from Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and Nebraska will be online via Zoom Technology THIS MORNING at 8:30 AM discussing the status of the 2018 wheat crop and how much freeze damage has shown up from the April 6-8 time frame.
Click or tap here to learn more about the series of Wheat Webinars that Oklahoma State University's PASS has been presenting- today's is the third of four sessions planned for this spring.
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Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K Equipment, American Farmers & Ranchers, Livestock Exchange at the Oklahoma National Stockyards, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Stillwater Milling Company, National Livestock Credit Corporation, OERB, 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! You can reach us at the following:
phone: 405-473-6144
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