|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oklahoma's latest farm and ranch news
Your Update from Ron Hays of RON for Tuesday March 8, 2011
A
service of Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, Midwest Farm Shows and Big Iron
OnLine Auctions!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-- Weekly Crop Weather Updates Return- Oklahoma Needs Mother Nature
to Provide Long Slow Drink of Water
-- Today's Cattle Market- Trying to Encourage Cow-calf Producers to
Rebuild Cow Herds
-- Oklahoma Watershed Rehabilitation Projects Will Be Stopped Dead if
CR is Approved
-- Mike Schulte of Oklahoma Wheat Commission on US Wheat Trade
Trip
-- 2011 Canola Crop Looking Good- Despite Dry Conditions in Many
Locales
-- NPPC to ask Vilsack to free up CRP acres
-- Blackjack Angus Farm Getting ready for their Spring Production
Sale This Saturday, March 12.
-- 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 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 our Listen to Ron webpage where you can hear the latest Farm
news from Ron Hays on RON. | |
Weekly Crop Weather Updates Return- Oklahoma Needs Mother Nature to Provide Long Slow Drink of Water ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ According to
the first weekly crop weather update for 2011- "Oklahoma received
virtually no rain last week with the Northeast and East Central districts
receiving the most precipitation at a meager 0.13 of an inch of rainfall.
Field crops and pastures are beginning to show signs of lack of moisture.
Fires were reported in Southwest Oklahoma during the earlier part of the
week due to dry conditions. Several homes were damaged, but no injuries
were reported. Temperatures ranged in the mid-to-low sixties during the
week, however, the weekend brought much cooler temperatures. Topsoil and
subsoil moisture conditions were rated mostly in the short to very short
range as a result of the lack of precipitation."
The Oklahoma wheat crop is in fair to very poor condition, as the dry conditions have taken a toll on many of our wheat acres for 2011. The Oklahoma wheat crop ratings reflect conditions not quite as bad as have been found in Kansas, where more of the crop is in the very poor category. Oklahoma wheat ratings show 41% in the poor to very poor category, 34% in the fair condition slot, 19% in good condition and 3% in excellent shape. The state that traditionally produces the most wheat in the country,
Kansas, has 17% of its crop in very poor shape and 23% in poor condition
rating- for a total of 40% in poor to very poor condition- 35% of their
crop is in fair shape, 23% in good condition and 2% in excellent shape.
Back to Oklahoma- the forage conditions are also feeling the impact of dry weather- "Oklahoma pastures are in desperate need of moisture due to dry conditions. Pasture and range conditions were mostly rated fair to poor, with 15 percent rated very poor." Click here for the full Oklahoma Crop weather report from NASS at USDA | |
Today's Cattle Market- Trying to Encourage Cow-calf Producers to Rebuild Cow Herds ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Markets
operate off of reality, occasionally on perceptions of reality, and often
on expectations of the future. According to OSU Extension Livestock
Marketing Economist Dr. Derrell Peel, "While it is the reality of supply
and demand conditions here and now that determine prices today, it is
expectations for the future that drive producer decisions about
production. This is particularly true and important in agricultural
markets where there is generally a long lag between production decisions
and the resulting product. The beef cattle industry is a prime example of
this because of the long biological lags and the tradeoff between the
immediate value of a heifer as a feeder animal compared to her investment
value as a breeding female."
"Cattle prices generally strengthened throughout 2010 reaching current record levels in the first quarter of 2011. The market is clearly trying to encourage cow-calf producers to rebuild cow herds. Yet there is no definitive indication that producers are retaining heifers at this time. Why has the beef industry been so slow to rebuild the cow herd? The answer is that producers don't have the expectations yet that supports the investment in saving heifers for cows." Dr. Peel argues that the fundamentals of the market have been set up in
such a way that they do indicate that we have a new higher base for
today's cattle market. He says in this analysis "There is considerable
reason to believe that the current market situation is not a short run
phenomenon." Click here for a complete read of this analysis from OSU Cattle Market Guru Dr. Derrell Peel | |
Oklahoma Watershed Rehabilitation Projects Will Be Stopped Dead if CR is Approved ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The federal
Continuing Resolution (CR) working its way through Congress now to try to
avoid a government shutdown contains language that would kill Watershed
Operations and Watershed Rehabilitation in the USDA Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS) and apparently prohibit any NRCS employees
from working on current rehabilitation projects already funded and in
progress. The Continuing Resolution is not funding for the next federal
fiscal year, but is for the current fiscal, already five months underway -
and its effects would be immediate.
"This would be a crushing blow to Oklahoma's flood control infrastructure," said Mike Thralls, executive director of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission. "Oklahoma has six projects under construction, nine more with designs complete and awaiting construction and 12 in planning or design stages. As we read the Senate CR language, all projects would simply stop dead at whatever their state of progress." Thralls said. "And they would stay that way until such a time as the state can find funds necessary to complete them," Thralls said. "That is highly unlikely to occur in the foreseeable future considering the state's current fiscal pressure and current budget deficit of more than $500 million," Thralls said. | |
Mike Schulte of Oklahoma Wheat Commission on US Wheat Trade Trip ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mike Schulte
and three others are on an extended trip in Latin America promoting US
Wheat exports and learning more about how US Wheat Associates can be
better suppliers of wheat to these nations. The group started out in
Mexico- are now in Chile and will end up in Peru before returning home at
the end of the week.
Of their time in Mexico- Steve Mercer with US Wheat Assoiciates wrote of the current wheat marketing climate in our neighbor to the south. "The baking industry in Mexico is not without its challenges, however. Bread consumption in Mexico has been on the decline for several years. In fact, the Mexican government has made an effort to help fight obesity and had singled out popular styles of bread including bolillo and the concha sweet bread as a major cause of obesity and actually banned them from school lunches. Working together with CANIMOLT and other stakeholders, CANAINPA sponsored independent research that showed the true nutritional value of breads and the government ended its ban on traditional breads in schools. In addition, CANAINPA partnered with other to create a campaign to inform the Mexican public about the nutritional benefits of bread featuring posters, exhibits at national health expositions, and through social media. With these efforts aided by a shift back to less expensive, because of the economic downturn, traditional bread consumption is on the rise- a lift for U.S. wheat producers who supply the majority of imported wheat in Mexico." They have posted several pictures with descriptions of their travels in Santiago, Chile- click on the LINK below and we will jump you over to Facebook for a chance to see those pictures and get a feel for what they have seen and heard thus far in this key South American market. Once you get to the page with the thumbnail pictures- click on any of the pictures for a description of who's in the photo and what is happening. | |
2011 Canola Crop Looking Good- Despite Dry Conditions in Many Locales ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ According to
Josh Bushong, OSU Extension Canola Specialist, the winter canola crop this
year is really doing well in Oklahoma. Despite some adverse soil moisture
conditions at planting, continued drought in some parts of the state this
fall and winter, and subzero temperature cold snaps the vast majority of
the canola acreage is still looking very promising. Southwest Oklahoma is
still dry in most places, Northwest Oklahoma is mostly still dry, and
throughout central Oklahoma is close to normal soil moisture.
Most farmers have finished up topdressing their canola which is good to do before "spring green-up". Canola farmers need to be out scouting their fields very closely this time of year for insects (army cutworms, diamond back moth larva and aphids are the main three) and weeds. Herbicides must be applied before the canola starts to bolt, which generally occurs during mid to late March. If further applications of insecticide are needed for aphid control
after bolting occurs don't rule out using a ground applicator. Although
some plants will be injured by the tire tracts the amount of insect
control is generally better than an aerial application due to the greater
spray volume. Adequate insect control can still be achieved by an aerial
applicator as long as they use at least 5 gallons per acre spray volume
and fly wingtip to wingtip with no gaps. Historically we have found that
insect control is much more critical in drought years and is typically
economical. Click here for more on the condition of the 2011 Canola Crop | |
NPPC to ask Vilsack to free up CRP acres ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Doug Wolf, a
pork producer from Lancaster, Wis., became president of the National Pork
Producers Council (NPPC) for 2011 at NPPC's annual business meeting at the
National Pork Forum last week in Phoenix.This week- he plans on asking for big policy changes from the Obama Administation's White House. Wolf said he is meeting this Tuesday (today) with Agriculture Secretary
Tom Vilsack to ask him to release Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres
for corn and other plantings to try and increase harvests. In addition, Wolf says NPPC will work hard to push the free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama through Congress this year. Those would be "real plusses" for pork producers, he said. | |
Blackjack Angus Farm Getting ready for their Spring Production Sale This Saturday, March 12. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Blackjack
Angus Farms Annual Bull Sale is set for this Saturday, March 12, 2011,
starting at 12 Noon at the Ranch near Seminole, Oklahoma.67 Performance Tested Bulls and 53 Females are being offered in this year's sale. From the sale catalog, sale manager Eddie Sims with National Cattle Services writes "This year's bull offering will include a very sound set of fall and spring yearlings. The bulls will sell with AHIR, ultrasound and performance data. Included are sons of EXAR 263C, TC Total, BC Raven, Bismarck, Mytty In Focus, Stevenson Moneymaker, Connealy Thunder and other popular Angus sires. You will like the soundness and condition of this group of prospects; they are ready to go to work. They have been developed in large pasture traps on a high maintenance ration and hay. New this year is the offering of five SimAngus bulls. Click on the LINK below for our auction listing- which includes a link to the catalog that you can view online or download. If you would like to visit with ranch owners Keith & Janet Grissom- you can call them at 405-382-7678. Click here for more on the Blackjack Angus Production Sale Coming Saturday, March 12, 2011 | |
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. | |
Let's Check the Markets! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 $10.15
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: | |
God Bless! You can reach us at the following: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email: ron@oklahomafarmreport.com
phone: 405-473-6144
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
