From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2011 8:28 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 Thursday March 24, 2011
A service of Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, Midwest Farm Shows and KIS Futures!
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-- Working to Stay Relevant for Students and for the Livestock Industry- That's the OSU Animal Science Department
-- Oklahoma Congressman Lucas Calls for Farmers and Ranchers To Step Up and Tell Their Story
-- Will China be a Game Changer in the Global Corn Market?
-- DASNR Champions Named- Mike Spradling, Terry Detrick and Ron Hays
-- Little River Conservation District Named Best in State at Conservation Day Celebration
-- Chile Opens Trade Doors to U.S Beef
-- Thank You OSU!
-- 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 KIS Futures as a regular sponsor of our daily email update. KIS Futures provides Oklahoma Farmers & Ranchers with futures & options hedging services in the livestock and grain markets- Click here for the free market quote page they provide us for our website or call them at 1-800-256-2555- 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.

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.


Working to Stay Relevant for Students and for the Livestock Industry- That's the OSU Animal Science Department
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The Head of the Animal Science Department at Oklahoma State University, Dr. Ron Kensinger, told us at the recent Oklahoma Youth Expo that one of his goals for the department is to remain "relevant to the young people who need an education in the state of Oklahoma as well to the livestock producers here in the state."

Dr. Kensinger says that the Department understands that the industry they serve is ever changing- and the help that OSU can provide to the industry needs to keep up with the times.

One area that the department has identified is in the area of animal well being and animal behavior. In 2010, the Oklahoma Beef Council gave a $250,000 gift to the University to help establish an endowment to help pay for a position that will be named in honor of Dr. Temple Grandin, who is a world renowed in the area of animal well being and animal handling. Dr. Kensinger says that the proposed position concept has been submitted to the Dean of the Division of Agriculture at OSU, and that he is hopeful the additional resources to go along with the Beef Council gift will be secured in the near future.

Click on the LINK below to read more about our conversation with Dr. Kensinger- as well as to hear our conversation with him as well.

Click here for our conversation with the OSU Animal Science Department head- Dr. Ron Kensinger


Oklahoma Congressman Lucas Calls for Farmers and Ranchers To Step Up and Tell Their Story
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The Chairman of the House Ag Committee, Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas, says in a feature released periodically by the House Ag Committee that farmers and ranchers need to help those who will be writing farm policy in the months ahead. Lucas says that if you care about farming and ranching in this country- you are needed to remind everyone in your circle of influence of the importance and the relevance of today's production agricultural system.

Quoting Thomas Jefferson who once called agriculture this nation's "wisest pursuit," the House Ag Committee Chairman says "Frankly, as the Agriculture Committee prepares to write the 2012 Farm Bill, we need your help in getting the attention of my colleagues who may not be on the committee, who may not be from the countryside, and who may not know just how important American agriculture is to our country.

"We need a corps of citizen activists who care about the future of production agriculture and rural America. We need folks who are ready to tell the story of how agriculture continues to be our wisest pursuit."

You can hear his entire statement by clicking on the LINK below.

Click here to jump to this week's audio statement from Oklahoma Lawmaker Frank Lucas


Will China be a Game Changer in the Global Corn Market?
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In an article on the Feedstuffs website, they cite a teleconference held this week by Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute. Brown says that China is on the road to change the global feed grain market, just as they have changed the global soybean market- and cropping practices along the way. "We can anticipate substantial further rapid growth in China's grain consumption, most of it to expand beef, dairy, and poultry production," Brown said, noting that U.S. grain industry and international financial institutions analysts now believe that China's entry into the world grain market is "inevitable."

On the Earth Policy website, Brown says that "China's decision to import vast quantities of soybeans led to a restructuring of agriculture in the western hemisphere, the only region that could respond to such a massive demand. The United States now has more land in soybeans than in wheat. Brazil has more land in soybeans than in all grains combined. Argentina, with twice as much land in soybeans as in grain, is fast becoming a soybean monoculture. For the hemisphere as a whole, there is now more land in soybeans than in either wheat or corn." China imports almost 60% of the soybeans that are traded in the global marketplace.

"For China, the handwriting is on the wall. It will almost certainly have to turn to the outside world for grain to avoid politically destabilizing food price rises. To import massive quantities of grain, China will necessarily draw heavily on the United States, far and away the world's largest grain exporter. To be dependent on imported grain, much of it from the United States, will be China's worst nightmare come true.

"For U.S. consumers, China's worst nightmare could become ours. If China enters the U.S. grain market big time, as now seems inevitable, American consumers will find themselves competing with 1.4 billion Chinese consumers with fast-rising incomes for the U.S. grain harvest, driving up food prices.

Brown concludes his overview of where China stands today and where it may be in the next few years when it comes to needing feed grains- "For Americans, who live in a country that has been the world's breadbasket for more than half a century, a country that has never known food shortages or runaway food prices, the world is about to change. Like it or not, we are going to be sharing our grain harvest with the Chinese, no matter how much it raises our food prices."

Click here to read the full article from Lester Brown on China and his belief that they are soon to enter the global feed grain market in a HUGE way.


DASNR Champions Named- Mike Spradling, Terry Detrick and Ron Hays
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The Oklahoma State University Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources has announced a new award to be given to individuals who have served with distinction in the agricultural community in the state of Oklahoma and have helped the Division achieve its mission of serving the agricultural community in the state of Oklahoma. This award is designed to be given to those who are NOT graduates of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, but have been of great service to the Division nonetheless. Three have been named charter recipients of the award- Mike Spradling, President of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Terry Detrick, President of the American Farmers & Ranchers and yours truly- Ron Hays of the Radio Oklahoma Network.

Mike Spradling is the eighth President of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau and is a Tulsa County farmer-rancher. "Mike is very much aware of the concerns and issues faced by Oklahoma producers and related agribusiness operators, which has played a significant role in the guidance he has provided over the years as a member of our dean's advisory council, helping us ensure that division programs remain relevant and focused on high-priority needs," said Robert E. Whitson, DASNR vice president, dean and director. Click here to read more about Mike and his selection as a DASNR Champion.

Terry Detrick of the American Farmers & Ranchers has also been named as a DASNR Champion. "Terry has worked tirelessly to support agriculture and rural America at the state, regional and national levels," said Robert E. Whitson, DASNR vice president, dean and director. "He has engaged in numerous economic development projects throughout our state and has actively promoted alternative agricultural enterprises such as renewable energy crops."

"This award is one that I will cherish; my only wish is that I could divide it in pieces to share with all the people who have enabled me to be involved and who assisted along the way," said Detrick, who with his son Brad operates a 2,800-acre diversified farm and ranch operation in the Ames, Drummond and Lahoma communities.
Click here for more on Terry Detrick named as a DASNR Champion by OSU.

The third and final DASNR Champion selected in this charter group for this award goes to Ron Hays of the Radio Oklahoma Network. "Ron Hays' many accomplishments in Oklahoma media have been second to none in the past 30 years," said Robert E. Whitson, DASNR vice president, dean and director. "He has been and continues to be one of our state's most passionate voices and advocates for Oklahoma farmers and ranchers, rural communities and agribusinesses."
Click here to read more about our selection as a DASNR Champion by the Division of Ag and Natural Resources at Oklahoma State University.


Little River Conservation District Named Best in State at Conservation Day Celebration
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Tuesday was Conservation Day at the State Capitol- and Conservation leaders celebrated the work of volunteer cooperators who help improve the soil and water conditions in the state of Oklahoma.

The OACD Conservation Awards are presented according to three categories - Outstanding Conservation District, Outstanding District Director and Outstanding Landowner/Cooperator.

Little River Conservation District received the Outstanding District Award, cosponsored by Chesapeake Energy. Lindsay McIntire, Chesapeake Energy; and Joe Parker, OACD, presented the award. The Little River Conservation District office is in Idabel.

Jimmie Purvine of Fay, Okla., on the board of directors of the Dewey County Conservation District, received the Outstanding District Director Award, cosponsored by the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. Corey Moffet, Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, presented the award.

Loren Liebscher of Hydro received the Outstanding Landowner/Cooperator Award, cosponsored by the Nature Conservancy of Oklahoma. Liebscher is a cooperator with and was nominated by the Deer Creek Conservation District. Jay Pruett, Nature Conservancy, presented the award.

The Little River Conservation District is one of the five largest districts in the state, encompassing nearly one million acres. The district provides both rental equipment and custom services for its customers. It also has the largest Wetland Reserve Program area in the state and has restored over 14,000 acres of wetlands. The district provides assistance with maintenance by brushhogging the levees surrounding the WRP sites and two sites, the Red Slough and the Grassy Slough, have been nationally recognized for their habitat restoration. The district offers assistance to landowners through its conservation cost-share program and also has one of the most diverse education programs, sponsoring and providing funds for scholarships for land, forestry and speech contests held each year. The district also owns and operates a 266-acre demonstration farm used for tours, fertilizer comparisons, establishing new grasses, beaver management, pecan tree management, no-till pasture seeding and most recently, experimenting with tree trunk insecticide application.

You can read more about the other Conservation Day honorees by clicking on the LINK below.

Click here for more on this week's honroees at the Conservation Day Celebration at the State Capitol


Chile Opens Trade Doors to U.S Beef
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In a joint statement, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk announced that U.S. producers are now eligible to ship a larger array of U.S. beef and beef products to Chile. The market opening follows months of bilateral meetings between officials from the Chilean government, USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. And it follows a visit to Chile by President Obama to discuss how the United States can create jobs in America by deepening our economic relationship and expanding exports to South America.

Secretary Vilsack said - this action by the government of Chile will provide Chilean consumers with greater access to safe, high-quality U.S. beef. These negotiations were based on a mutual respect for international, science-based standards. Meanwhile U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said - the commitment of Chile and the United States to work together to promote science-based trade rules while providing our consumers with safe and wholesome foods is a win-win for both countries.

The United States exported approximately 6.2-million dollars in beef and beef products to Chile in 2010. World-wide, U.S. farm exports, including beef and beef products, reached an all-time high of 115.8-billion dollars in calendar year 2010.


Thank You OSU!
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In one of the stories above, you see that the Oklahoma State University's Division of Ag and Natural Resources has called me a "DASNR Champion." It's a special honor that I am humbled to receive for a couple of reasons. The first reason are the two other recipients who are HUGE in the business of agriculture not just in this state but Nationally as well. Both Mike Spradling and Terry Detrick cut a wide swath in the areas of service to farmers and ranchers they are involved in- they are richly deserving of this award and to be mentioned in the same sentence with them is amazing to me.

Secondly, this is a special award because of the tremendous people I have enjoyed working with down through the years at OSU. From Bob Reisback to Bob Totusek to Bob Terry to Joe Williams to Glenn Selk to Kim Anderson and on and on- the people on campus in Stillwater and the extension folks out across the state are second to none. Again- I am humbled by this honor because I am receiving it because I have had a chance to work with all of these incredible people since the late 1970s.

Finally, I am humbled because of so many of you that read this daily email and encourage me regularly as we cover farm and ranch news and markets and events locally as well as on a state and national level. It's our desire to give you solid information that can help you succeed on your farm or ranch- in your agribusiness or in your position that is related some way to the production of food and fiber for this country and the world.
Everyday is different- and it often feels like we are drinking from a fire hose as events and news stories demand our attention- but we take a deep breath each morning and jump in- hoping what we bring to the surface will be of importance to you.
Thanks for your interest in what we do. You will never know how much we value the many friendships that we have made in our business down through the years.


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 $9.60 per bushel, while the 2011 New Crop contracts for Canola are now available are $10.40 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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