From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays
[ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Monday, February 28, 2011 5:52 AM
To: Brown, Dana
Subject: Oklahoma's Farm News Update
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oklahoma's latest farm and ranch news Your Update from Ron Hays of RON for Monday
February 28, 2011 A service of Producers Cooperative Oil Mill,
Midwest Farm Shows and Big Iron OnLine Auctions! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -- Pro Ethanol Groups Tell the Senate- Defeat
Efforts to Damage American Ethanol Industry -- Of Course- Lots of Folks Are Not Ethanol
Subsidy Fans -- Certified Angus Beef Meetings Set for April
in Oklahoma -- OSU Plant Pathologist Bob Hunger on Wheat
Disease Prospects -- Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association Worried
About Farm Sales Tax Exemption -- The Obama Administration Continues to
"Settle Up" with Minorities Over Mistreatment in Years Gone By -- This Week- OCA District Meeting in
Woodward, A Welcome for Randy Boman and More -- 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, March 9 - 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. 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. |
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Growth Energy, joined by the American
Coalition for Ethanol, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Renewable
Fuels Association, the National Corn Growers Association, National Farmers
Union and National Sorghum Producers, sent a letter to all 100 U.S. Senators
urging them to defeat any efforts that would damage the American ethanol
industry's growth. The U.S. Senate is scheduled to consider that Continuing
Resolution this week which includes provisions that would prevent the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency from implementing its approved waiver for E15
ethanol blends in America's fuel supply, and prohibit construction of blender
pumps and ethanol storage facilities - both measures that would deepen our
addiction to foreign oil and further hurt our economy by limiting consumer
access to the only commercially viable fuel alternative to foreign oil:
American ethanol. The seven groups urged the Senate to oppose any efforts that
would block the Administration from implementing policies that would reduce
our dependence on foreign oil, create jobs and strengthen our national
security. Click on the LINK below and read more- including the text of the
full letter that has been sent to all US Senators as they head back to
Washington this week. |
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There are actually three groups that have come
together that helped promote enough votes to get those two amendments passed
last week that would block EPA from moving forward in ethanol development.
The first group are those who are looking at all programs to cut federal
spending- and anything they don't care about gets deep or total cuts. One market reality that the second group does not understand is
that if the ethanol market went away- corn farmers would be growing fewer
bushels of corn for two markets instead of three- feed grains and the export
market. The third group is where most livestock producers fall into-
ethanol is an industry that has had a reasonable amount of time to develop-
and that it is now a mature industry using billions of bushels of grain- and
no longer deserves federal government subsidies. Most livestock producers
don't have a problem competing with ethanol in the market for corn- as long
as the government is not subsidizing its competition. |
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quality beef production is on everyone's mind
today. Consumers want the best and most consistent beef for their money.
Maybe that's why strong exports and premium U.S. markets for upper Choice and
Prime beef brands have helped lead cattle to record high prices. A series of meetings in Oklahoma will help Sooner State ranchers
capitalize on this premium market, according to a news release from Certified
Angus Beef LLC (CAB). Purina Land O'Lakes, Pfizer, Oklahoma State University
(OSU) and the Oklahoma Angus Association will join in to present "Best
Management Practices for Quality Beef Production" sessions in three
locations. We talk about these meetings on today's Beef Buzz with Gary Fike
of the CAB Program. Haines Land and Cattle, Lexington, Okla., will host the first
event on April 5; the next day moves to the Kiamichi Technology Center in
McAlester, Okla.; and the April 7 seminar is set for the Rogers County
Building in Claremore, Okla. All meetings begin with registration at 8:45
a.m., include a Certified Angus Beef lunch and adjourn at 2 p.m. Click here for more on the CAB meetings coming in
early April across Oklahoma. |
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Over the weekend- we got the latest details on
what Dr. Bob Hunger has been seeing after the extreme cold and the back to
back snowstorms that Oklahoma experienced back a few weeks back. Here's his
summary of what is going on with possible disease development in the 2011
Hard Red Winter Wheat Crop in the state: Last week in Stillwater I observed large, "old"
pustules of leaf rust on low leaves of Jagalene planted next to some of Dr.
Carver's breeder lines. This strip of Jagalene was planted relatively early
(mid-September) and has not been cut back or "grazed" as have the
plots in the field. Hence, the growth is high and rank with the upper leaves
obviously having been frozen during the cold spells. Leaf rust pustules were
observed on the lower leaves. These pustules were faded orange in color
indicating that although these spores are viable, they are relatively old and
new spores have not yet started to be produced. Dr. Hunger also has some information from other states that he
promises will be up on the OSU plant pest website- as well as pictures of
what he is now seeing when it comes to the latest hints of disease that may
be out there. Click on the LINK below for that update- it should be showing
up as a "Wheat Disease Update" on this page later on Monday. |
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Scott Dewald of the OCA reports in his weekly
update this past Friday afternoon that there is a measure that could water
down the Farm Sales Tax Exemption- and actually take it away from most
agricultural producers in the state. Scott writes in his newsletter: Along with participating in the agriculture committee meetings
we will be attending a number of other legislative committee meetings. At
this point we are most interested in what could potentially happen in the
House Appropriations Committee. No agenda has been posted but we do know that
HB 1292 by Derby R, Owasso has been assigned to this particular committee. HB
1292 amends existing law by inserting the following language: Scott goes on to say "The way we read this a rancher would
not be eligible for the exemption if he/she derives more than 50% of their
income off the ranch. While we do not like it many of us have had to seek
part/full time occupations off the ranch to help meet our obligations. The
impact this would have on our members is huge. It is patently unfair to discriminate
against those who have a diverse flow of income. The principle reason for the
exemption is to avoid paying taxes on the same thing twice. For instance,
without the exemption we would pay sales tax on the feed we use to produce
the beef we sell which we end up paying income tax on." Dewald adds that "Late Friday afternoon we visited with the
Chairman of the Appropriations and Budget Committee, Representative Earl
Sears, R-Bartlesville about this bill. Representative Sears has invited us to
his office first thing Monday morning so we can discuss this bill and address
this issue before it "gets legs." We sincerely appreciate
Representative Sears and his leadership." |
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As part of continued efforts to close the
chapter on allegations that discrimination occurred at U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) in past decades, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and
Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division Tony West announced the
establishment of a process to resolve the claims of women and Hispanic
farmers and ranchers who assert that they were discriminated against when
seeking USDA farm loans. "Under the resolution announced, USDA and Hispanic and
women farmers will be able to move forward and focus on the future,"
said Assistant Attorney General West. "The administrative process being
established will give Hispanic and women farmers who believe they suffered
discrimination the chance to have their claims heard." The program announced today provides up to $50,000 for each
Hispanic or woman farmer who can show that USDA denied them a loan or loan
servicing for discriminatory reasons for certain time periods between 1981
and 2000. Hispanic or female farmers who provide additional proof and meet
other requirements can receive a $50,000 reward. Successful claimants are
also eligible for funds to pay the taxes on their awards and for forgiveness
of certain existing USDA loans. There are no filing fees or other costs to
claimants to participate in the program. Participation is voluntary, and
individuals who opt not to participate are not precluded by the program from
filing a complaint in court. Click here for more details of the latest round of
settlements and cash being offered |
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This evening, the next in a series of district
meetings is planned by the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association- this one in
Woodward for their Northwest District. Click
here for details as found on our calendar at www.OklahomaFarmReport.Com. Also this week- the Oklahoma Cotton Industry is officially
welcoming Dr. Randy Boman, who is the new state cotton specialist for the
state. Randy fills the shoes that have been worn for a lot of years by JC
Banks, who retired this past year. Boman has been located in Lubbock- working
for Texas Agrilife Extension- and is an Oklahoma native. Click
here for details of the reception planned for Randy tomorrow in Altus. The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture has a Farmers Market
Seminar planned for this week in Stroud- which makes it fairly easy for folks
in either central or northeast Oklahoma to get to. That meeting is planned
for Thursday- and
we have details by clicking here. |
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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. |
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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 $9.90 per bushel- as of the close of trade
on Thursday, while the 2011 New Crop contracts for Canola are now available
are $10.60 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: |
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ email: ron@oklahomafarmreport.com phone: 405-473-6144 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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