From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Friday, February 18, 2011 8:18 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 Friday February 18, 2011
A service of Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, Midwest Farm Shows and KIS Futures!
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-- House Ag Committee Hears From USDA's Tom Vilsack on Strong Farm Economy- Yet Some Worries Linger in 2011
-- USDA Secretary Vilsack to Chief Economist Joe Glauber on GIPSA Cost Benefit Analysis- Do it Right
-- Lyndall Stout and Kim Anderson Talking Wheat Marketing on This Week's SUNUP
-- Sixteen Locations in Oklahoma Are Members of the Hundred Degree Swing Team
-- Oklahoma Pork Council Honored by Sirloin Club
-- EPA's Numeric Nutrient Criteria in Florida Impose Future Threats
-- This Weekend on TV
-- 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 proud to have Big Iron Unreserved Online Auctions as one of our great sponsors of the daily Email. Their next auction is Wednesday, February 23 - featuring Low Hour, Farmer Owned Equipment. Click here for their website to learn more about their Online Farm Equipment Auctions.

We are also excited to have as one of our sponsors for the daily email Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, with 64 years of progress through producer ownership. Call Brandon Winters at 405-232-7555 for more information on the oilseed crops they handle, including sunflowers and canola- and remember they post closing market prices for canola and sunflowers on the PCOM website- go there by clicking here.

And we salute our longest running email sponsor- Midwest Farm Shows, producer of the recent Tulsa Farm Show.. Click here for the Midwest Farm Show main website to learn more about their lineup of shows around the country, including the Southern Plains Farm Show April 7-9, 2011 in Oklahoma City.

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.

If you have received this EMAIL by someone forwarding it to you, you are welcome to subscribe and get this weekday update sent to you directly by clicking here.


House Ag Committee Hears From USDA's Tom Vilsack on Strong Farm Economy- Yet Some Worries Linger in 2011
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The House Agriculture Committee held a public hearing on Thursday to review the state of the farm economy. Members of the committee heard testimony from U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and questioned him on a variety of topics including the many regulatory burdens affecting the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers. The committee also discussed economic trends in prices, input costs, and farm output.

"The agriculture economy is highly cyclical and it changes like the weather in western Oklahoma: fast, sharp, and without notice. This reality helps explain why the mood in farm country today is both upbeat and apprehensive. This fact, along with experience, offer a cautionary note to anyone who might be tempted to cite current economic conditions on the farm as the basis for setting long term farm policies," said Chairman Frank Lucas.

The lone witness for the day was Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. After his opening statement, the Chairman of the Committee, Frank Lucas of Oklahoma, led off the questioning of the USDA Chief. We have that Q&A on our website for you to hear- just click on the LINK below to read Vilsack's opening statement, as well as have a chance to listen to the Q&A with Congressman Lucas and Secretary Vilsack.

Click here for our coverage of the House Ag Committee Hearing Featuring the Testimony of Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack


USDA Secretary Vilsack to Chief Economist Joe Glauber on GIPSA Cost Benefit Analysis- Do it Right
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A flood of EPA rules and a pending USDA livestock marketing rule were among key issues House and Senate Ag lawmakers pressed U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack about Thursday.

Vilsack was qustioned multiple times during his Q&A with memebrs of the House Ag Committee on USDA's pending GIPSA Livestock Marketing rule - which he defends as necessary to bring fairness to the marketplace. The rule, which sparked huge controversy in 2010, was originally issued last June by the Agency, was the focal point at the USDA-Department of Justice Workshop on Competition Issues in the Livestock industry last August and drew over 60,000 comments during the public comment period that ended in November, 2010.

Vilsack discussed the Cost Benefit Analysis which he announced would be done after USDA began to review the flood of comments that came in on the proposed rule. He gave no time line for that work to be done, saying only that he had asked the Chief Economist to "do it right." Click on the LINK below for our Friday Beef Buzz featuring the comments of Secretary Vilsack as he discussed GIPSA with members of the House Ag Committee on Thursday.

Click here for our Friday Beef Buzz featuring the comments of USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack- talking GIPSA.


Lyndall Stout and Kim Anderson Talking Wheat Marketing on This Week's SUNUP
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Oklahoma State University Grain marketing Economist Dr. Kim Anderson has told Lyndall Stout of SUNUP that he expects wheat prices this coming June at harvest will be significantly higher than they were last June- but that prices could trend lower once we can past our harvest season.

He adds that between now and harvest, the wheat market will be volatile- and that our weather in the middle part of the United States (the traditional bread basket of the country) will help drive price direction as we near the harvest season.

Dr. Anderson broke down the numbers from the USDA Long Term Projections of earlier this week that showed more acres are or will be in wheat this year than last- but that Uncle Sam is already guessing we will average fewer bushels per acre, based on dryness concerns here in the heartland.

You can see Kim and Lyndall on SUNUP Saturday morning at 7:30 on OETA statewide- or you can click on the LINK below and hear their conversation now. You can also check out the full lineup for SUNUP this weekend- as always it looks like a dandy.

Click here for this week's wheat marketing update with Kim Anderson- courtesy of the OSU Ag Communications team at SUNUP.


Sixteen Locations in Oklahoma Are Members of the Hundred Degree Swing Team
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No, that's not swing dancing- but rather the swing between the lowest temperature in a seven day period and the highest temp. A total of 16 locations have had a temperature swing of at least 100 degrees between February 10 and February 17. Leading the list was Nowata, which is the location that set the all time record low temperature in Oklahoma last week (now official) of 31 degrees BELOW zero. They jumped up to a high yesterday of 79 degrees- a total swing of an astounding 110 degrees in a matter of seven days.

Here's the full list of the sixteen locations in the hundred degree swing club (courtesy of the Oklahoma Climatological Survey:)

Site TMAX TMIN SWING

Nowata: 79 -31 110
Medford: 82 -27 109
Blackwell: 81 -27 108
Marshall: 81 -25 106
Cherokee: 81 -24 105
Red Rock: 81 -23 104
Breckinridge: 80 -23 103
Oilton: 81 -21 102
Pawnee: 82 -20 102
Pryor: 74 -28 102
Burbank: 80 -21 101
Vinita: 77 -24 101
Stillwater: 81 -19 100
Camargo: 84 -16 100
Seilling: 82 -18 100
Bixby: 78 -22 100

Regarding the records set last week- The State Climate Extremes Committee (SCEC) met by teleconference Thursday afternoon and officially approved two new all-time statewide records for Oklahoma.

Lowest Minimum Temperature: -31 degrees, Nowata Mesonet, February 10, 2011 Greatest 24-hour snowfall: 27 inches, Spavinaw (NWS COOP), February 9010, 2011
While the snowfall at Spavinaw spanned two calendar days, it accumulated within a 24-hour period. The SCEC teleconference, hosted by the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), consisted of representatives from NCDC, the Oklahoma Climatological Survey, NWS-Tulsa Forecast Office, NWS Southern Region Headquarters, and the Southern Regional Climate Center.

Anytime you want the latest weather conditions in all areas of Oklahoma- click here for weather observations courtesy of the Oklahoma Mesonet.


Oklahoma Pork Council Honored by Sirloin Club
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The Sirloin Club of Oklahoma presented the Presidents' Award to the Oklahoma Pork Council at their annual banquet earlier this week.

The Presidents' Award is named to honor the presidents' of the Oklahoma 4-H and FFA programs and all the members they represent. The award is presented to a company or organization that has shown continued support for youth livestock shows in Oklahoma and support for other 4-H and FFA programs each year. "When we added it up, the Oklahoma Pork Council has given over a quarter of a million dollars to Oklahoma's 4-H and FFA Youth in the past 10 years," said Celeste Nelson, chair of the honorees committee and immediate past president of the Sirloin Club.

Nelson said they have honored individuals for their commitment to raising money for youth activities since 1966. They established the Presidents' Award to honors companies because the individuals representing the organizations would fluctuate but the organizations were always committed to supporting youth. The Sirloin Club wanted to honor that commitment. Eighteen organizations have been recognized to date.

"We are honored to receive this award on behalf of Oklahoma's pork producers," said Jeff Mencke, OPC president and pork producer from Ames, Okla. "We believe in the youth of Oklahoma and the skills and leadership they gain through 4-H and FFA. Many of our children are among those benefitting from the programs and we will continue to be a supporter."

In addition to the monetary donation given by OPC to the show as premiums, scholarships and premium auction support, OPC commits a great deal of staff time directing the swine shows, serving on committees and attending and helping with other youth programs.
"It is really special that an organization would allow their executive director to dedicate so much time at the swine shows and on the committees that directs the shows," said Nelson.

Roy Lee Lindsey, Jr., OPC executive director, serves as the co-superintendent for the Oklahoma Youth Expo and Tulsa State Fair swine shows. He says his involvement at the shows and OPC's monetary contributions are just a natural part of what OPC does.
"We know that these 4-H and FFA youth are the future of agriculture and we will continue to support the programs that allow them to gain valuable skills and have positive experience in agriculture," Lindsey said.


EPA's Numeric Nutrient Criteria in Florida Impose Future Threats
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The National Sorghum Producers, The National Cattlemen's Beef Association and the American Farm Bureau were three signees of more than 60 agricultural, water and industry organizations in a letter earlier this week opposing the Environmental Protection Agency's federal numeric nutrient criteria for Florida's flowing water and lakes finalized in November 2010. EPA's actions in Florida established a template for how the agency will structure and impose similar nutrient requirements nationwide. In fact, the agency is already taking steps to impose its Florida model on New England states and states in the Mississippi River watershed, which encompass the entire middle portion of the Unites States.

A study by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services concluded that Florida's agricultural community will lose 14,545 full‐time and part‐time jobs and will lose $1.148 billion annually as a result of the EPA requirements.

The letter states, "The negative attributes of this unprecedented federal mandate for Florida: unsound science, severe economic ramifications, harm to successful state water quality programs, and the absence of appreciable environmental benefits, will likely be a narrative retold in state after state in the coming years."

Click here to read the full letter send to Congress regarding the EPA Rules being imposed on Florida.


This Weekend on TV
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We have already mentioned the program lineup for SUNUP- but a couple of other TV tune-ins may be of interest to you as well.

Mike Spradling, President of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, will join us Saturday morning on KWTV News9 for our regular In the Field Segment that is a part of the News9 Saturday morning news block that runs from 6 AM til 8 AM. Our In the Field segment usually falls around 6:40 AM. Mike and I will be talking about the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Leadership Conference that is happening this coming Monday and Tuesday in Oklahoma City.

And we invite you to check out "This Week in Agribusiness" on RFD TV as Orion Samuelson and Max Armstrong are going to SKYPE me in during one of their segments. We are talking about the recent two weeks of snow and cold conditions that blasted our state- and how our cattle producers and wheat farmers are faring after the storms. Click here for the RFD page for the show- they air This Week in Agribusiness a total of four times starting Saturday mornings at 7 AM central time- and also Sunday and Monday as well.


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 $10.10 per bushel, while the 2011 New Crop contracts for Canola are now available are $10.90 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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