From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2011 5:52 AM
To: Hays, Ron
Subject: Oklahoma's Farm News Update
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Oklahoma's latest farm and ranch news
Your Update from Ron Hays of RON for Tuesday January 18, 2011
A service of Johnston Enterprises, P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind Energy and American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company!
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-- Cattle Prices: How High is High?
-- Last Call for the 2011 Oklahoma Soy Expo
-- Paul Jackson with AFR Chairs National Farmers Union Policy Committee in Advance of Their National Meeting in San Antonio
-- R Calf Demands Investigation Into NCBA's Handling of Beef Checkoff Money
-- CSP Signup Ends This Friday- January 21
-- Genetically Modified Chickens Could Eliminate Bird Flu
-- Watch for Our Tweets From Canola U
-- Let's Check the Markets!

Howdy Neighbors!

Here's your morning farm news headlines from the Director of Farm Programming for the Radio Oklahoma Network, Ron Hays. We are pleased to have American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company as a regular sponsor of our daily update- click here to go to their AFR web site to learn more about their efforts to serve rural America!

It is also great to have as an annual sponsor on our daily email Johnston Enterprises- proud to be serving agriculture across Oklahoma and around the world since 1893. One of the great success stories of the Johnston brand is Wrangler Bermudagrass- the most widely planted true cold-tolerant seeded forage bermudagrass in the United States. For more on Johnston Enterprises- click here for their brand new website!

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Cattle Prices: How High is High?
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Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Market Economist Dr. Derrell Peel offers this latest analysis of where the cattle market stands here in the southern Great Plains.

"Feeder and fed cattle prices are at or near all time highs and are poised to keep moving higher. Both Feeder and Live cattle futures suggest that higher prices are yet to come. In several recent meetings and conversations with producers, I am seeing a couple of reactions to the current situation. There seems to be an overall feeling of disbelief or a sense that there is another shoe to fall. The basic question seems to be one of "Is this for real?".

"The real answer is, of course, is that no one can be sure how this will play out. We have never been in a situation like this before. However, when the factors that put us in this situation are considered, there is good reason to believe this is not a flash in the pan that will fizzle quickly. Unlike grain markets in 2008, cattle markets are not reacting merely to the short run impacts of market shocks. There are numerous factors at work, most of which are longer run in nature and will persist for the foreseeable future. Although the phrase "perfect storm" is overused, it may apply to the 2011 cattle market situation."

Dr. Peel believes that "The point is that there are some very solid reasons why we are seeing record cattle prices and still have expectations for even higher prices. Limited cattle numbers, high grain prices that temper carcass weights, and the need to reduce heifer and cow slaughter all suggest that supplies will tighten significantly in 2011 compared to recent years."

Click on the LINK below to read his full article about where we are in the cattle market cycle right now- and what the prospects are for 2011.

Click here for more of the commentary from Dr. Derrell Peel - OSU Extension Livestock Market Economist


Last Call for the 2011 Oklahoma Soy Expo
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The Oklahoma Soybean Board invites you to attend the annual Soybean Expo January 19, 2011. The 2011 Expo is happening on the campus of Oklahoma State University at the Wes Watkins Event Center. Registration beings at 8:00 a.m. with a complimentary breakfast and trade show.

This year's program will highlight two special speakers and greetings from Oklahoma's new Secretary of Ag, Jim Reese. Dan Smith of Top Third Marketing will kick off the expo followed by our "Recipe for Success" and research updates brought to you by OSU's top soybean researchers. Introduction of the 2010 Oklahoma Soybean Scholarship recipients, greetings from Secretary of Ag Jim Reese and keynote speaker Greg Risberg will follow our luncheon. Guests will have opportunities to visit the trade show throughout the day.

Click on the LINK below for other details and contact information. If you are considering a spring rotational crop on your farm in 2011- soybeans may be a crop you need to look at- and this one day overview that focuses on soybeans is a perfect place to check out how this crop might work in your operation.

Click here for more on the 2011 Oklahoma Soy Expo- happening tomorrow in Stillwater.


Paul Jackson with AFR Chairs National Farmers Union Policy Committee in Advance of Their National Meeting in San Antonio
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NFU's Policy Committee met last week in Washington, D.C., to begin the process of revising the organization's policy. The group is comprised of NFU members from across the country. The chairman of the Policy Committee for the National Farmers Union in 2011 is Paul Jackson of the American Farmers & Ranchers representing Oklahoma.

The policy revision process is two-fold. The first part, which took place this month, occurred when the committee went through the 2010 NFU policy book and considered the policy page by page. The delegates considered policy changes approved at state conventions throughout the year and were free to propose any changes that they felt was appropriate.

The second part of the process will take place in March during NFU's annual convention. The Policy Committee will meet one final time to make any further changes and to consider changes to any state policies that took place since the committee met in January. During the March meeting, any NFU member is free to propose any policy change. The committee then considers those proposals and submits a final copy of the policy to the delegates from each state at the convention. The delegates go through the policy book section by section and vote on the new policy.

Click here to read our full story on our website- www.OklahomaFarmReport.Com on Paul Jackson's leadership in setting NFU policy for 2011.


R Calf Demands Investigation Into NCBA's Handling of Beef Checkoff Money
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On Monday, R-CALF USA sent a formal letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Justice (Justice) to request that a proposed resolution between the Cattlemen's Beef Board (CBB) and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) that is designed to absolve NCBA of its misuse of Beef Checkoff (Checkoff) dollars be rejected. Further, R-CALF USA requested that NCBA's contract with CBB be suspended, pending a full and complete investigation into what R-Calf contends is NCBA's misuse of Checkoff money.

We have comments about these charges from Bill Bullard of R-Calf that you can hear on today's Beef Buzz. Bullard believes the discrepancies found in the Compliance Review of last year was just the tip of the iceberg in how many dollars might need to be repaid to the Cattlemen's Beef Board by NCBA. He contends that this is like an interest free loan to the Cattle organization to run their policy side- which is very often at odds with R-Calf on industry issues.

The USDA's Ag Marketing Service has already approved the compliance review and its results between the Cattlemen's Beef Board and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. According to Bill Bullard with the R-Calf group- they have requested a meeting and have gotten an appointment with officials at the AMS to review that approval- R-Calf saying they hope to convince USDA to reopen the review and have a total review of all expenditures of NCBA of checkoff dollars they have received to spend as a beef checkoff contractor.

Click here for the full story on R-Calf's charges- and a chance to hear Bill Bullard with his charges of wrongdoing by NCBA.


CSP Signup Ends This Friday- January 21
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USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) reminds landowners that the ranking period cut-off date for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) comes to a close this Friday, January 21. Producers interested in CSP should submit applications to their local NRCS Office by the deadline so that their applications can be considered during the first ranking period of 2011.

"CSP benefits rural communities across the nation by protecting and preserving critical natural resources," said NRCS Chief Dave White. "We encourage those producers who have already made conservation a priority to apply and work with us to expand the scale of conservation on their land."

CSP is offered in all 50 states, and the Pacific and Caribbean areas through continuous sign-ups. The program provides many conservation benefits including improvement of water and soil quality, wildlife habit enhancements and adoption of conservation activities that address the effects of climate change.

Click here for everything you ever wanted to know about the Conservation Stewardship Program courtesy of USDA and the NRCS


Genetically Modified Chickens Could Eliminate Bird Flu
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In an interesting article in meatlingplace- word comes that Chickens genetically modified to prevent them spreading bird flu have been produced by researchers at The Roslin Institute of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and the University of Cambridge in England. The study is published in the journal Science.
The scientists have developed genetically modified (transgenic) chickens that do not transmit avian influenza virus to other chickens with which they are in contact. This genetic modification has the potential to stop bird flu outbreaks spreading within poultry flocks. This would not only protect the health of domestic poultry but could also reduce the risk of bird flu epidemics leading to new flu virus epidemics in the human population.

"Chickens are potential bridging hosts that can enable new strains of flu to be transmitted to humans. Preventing virus transmission in chickens should reduce the economic impact of the disease and reduce the risk posed to people exposed to the infected birds. The genetic modification we describe is a significant first step along the path to developing chickens that are completely resistant to avian flu," said Dr. Laurence Tiley, Senior Lecturer in Molecular Virology from the University of Cambridge, Department of Veterinary Medicine.

"The results achieved in this study are very encouraging. Using genetic modification to introduce genetic changes that cannot be achieved by animal breeding demonstrates the potential of GM to improve animal welfare in the poultry industry. This work could also form the basis for improving economic and food security in many regions of the world where bird flu is a significant problem," added Professor Helen Sang, from The Roslin Institute.

Click here for the Science Journal article (subscription required to read it all)


Watch for Our Tweets From Canola U
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We plan to be doing some "tweeting" from Canola U later this morning- this is the canola one day boot camp that is being sponsored by Monsanto and High Plains Journal. Canola U is happening at the Reed Conference Center in Midwest City. I saw a note on Facebook that one of the folks planning on being there is our friend Matt Gard from Fairview.

Also happening right now is the winter conference of the wheat industry in Washington- that includes the policy sessions of the National Association of Wheat Growers as well as the sessions being held by US Wheat Associates. The US Wheat sessions are being chaired by our friend Don Schieber of Kay County, current Chairman of the wheat export promotion group. We'll be offering some of the highlights of those meetings later here in the week.

You may want to go and check out calendar page- as there are a world of events happening between now and the end of the month. That includes an Agritourism workshop, a whole host of grain sorghum educational meetings and the 2011 Oklahoma Beef Cook-Off which is this Saturday at State Fair Park in Oklahoma City. Heather Buckmaster with the Oklahoma Beef Council is also really excited about the special Oklahoma Iron Chef Beef Challenge being put on by the Made in Oklahoma coalition this Sunday- both of these beef events are a part of the Oklahoma City Home and Garden Show at State Fair Park.

Click here to jump to our full calendar listing as found on www.OklahomaFarmReport.Com


Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, PCOM, P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind Energy, Johnston Enterprises, American Farmers & Ranchers, KIS Futures and Big Iron Online Auctions 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- FREE!

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


Let's Check the Markets!
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We've had requests to include Canola prices for your convenience here- and we will be doing so on a regular basis. Current cash price for Canola is $10.00 per bushel, while the 2011 New Crop contracts for Canola are now available are $10.45 per bushel- delivered to local participating elevators that are working with PCOM.

Here are some links we will leave in place on an ongoing basis- Click on the name of the report to go to that link:
Our Daily Market Wrapup from the Radio Oklahoma Network with Ed Richards and Tom Leffler- analyzing the Futures Markets from the previous Day-
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.
Previous Day's Wheat Market Recap- Two Pager From The Kansas City Board of Trade looks at all three US Wheat Futures Exchanges with extra info on Hard Red Winter Wheat and the why of that day's market.
Daily Oklahoma Cash Grain Prices- As Reported by the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture. <
The National Daily Feeder & Stocker Cattle Summary- as prepared by USDA.
The National Daily Slaughter Cattle Summary- as prepared by USDA.
Finally, Here is the Daily Volume and Price Summary from the Texas Cattle Feeders Association.



God Bless! You can reach us at the following:
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phone: 405-473-6144
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