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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oklahoma's latest
farm and ranch news
Your Update from Ron
Hays of RON for Wednesday May 25, 2011 A
service of Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, Midwest Farm Shows and KIS
Futures!
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-- Ag Groups Call in Unified Voice for Obama Administration to Stop
the Games- and Submit the FTAs to Congress NOW
-- Lower Pork Cooking Temperature Approved by USDA- Industry Hopeful
WIll Enhance Consumer's Eating Experience
-- Ranchers and Farmers Use Social Media Proactively to Push Back
Against Foes of Animal Agriculture
-- NFU President Roger Johnson Sees Nothing Really Wrong with GIPSA
Rule on the Marketing of Livestock- Tells USDA's Vilsack to Finalize
It.
-- Pfizer Animal Health Snags Big Name Away from the Animal Science
Department of Oklahoma State University
-- Farm Bureau Says Millions of Acres Underwater This Spring Due to
MIssissippi River Flooding
-- National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum hosts Annual Chuck
Wagon Gathering and Children's Cowboy Festival
-- 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. 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. | |
Ag Groups Call in Unified Voice for Obama Administration to Stop the Games- and Submit the FTAs to Congress NOW ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ American Farm
Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman joined other agriculture leaders
to mark World Trade Month on Tuesday and advocate passage of three
outstanding trade agreements. At a press event on Capitol Hill, Stallman
said that AFBF supports immediate passage of the Korea, Colombia and
Panama free trade agreements."As the months and years pass by, U.S. agriculture is missing a significant opportunity to export nearly $2.5 billion in additional products to Korea, Colombia and Panama after full implantation of the agreements" said Stallman. "In the meantime, our competitors are moving in and staking claim to these markets." According to AFBF, a proliferation of free trade agreements are being negotiated or are already negotiated that increase U.S. competitors' export potential, putting U.S. agriculture at a disadvantage. For example, U.S. wine exports to Korea in 2008 totaled $167 million. But, as the Chilean market share rose from 2.4 percent to 21.7 percent in recent years, the U.S. market share fell from 17.1 percent to 9.8 percent. Farm Bureau was joined by several other commodity organizations in pushing for the Obama Administration to stop the games and the foot dragging- and submit the enabling legislation now. We have stories with audio from the news briefing of these agricultural leaders lifting their voices in a common way regarding the Free Trade deals with Columbia, Panama and South Korea. Click
here for our story with AFBF President Bob Stallman. | |
Lower Pork Cooking Temperature Approved by USDA- Industry Hopeful WIll Enhance Consumer's Eating Experience ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ New cooking
guidelines from the nation's food-safety agency confirm Pork Checkoff
research that shows pork can be consumed safely when cooked to an internal
temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, followed by a three-minute rest
time. The guidelines were announced today by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS).The new recommended temperature is a significant 15 degrees less than what was previously recommended and typically will yield a finished product that is pinker in color than most home cooks are accustomed to. "Our consumer research has consistently shown that Americans have a tendency to overcook common cuts of pork, resulting in a less-than-optimal eating experience," said Dianne Bettin, a pork producer from Truman, Minn., and chair of the Checkoff's Domestic Marketing Committee. "The new guidelines will help consumers enjoy pork at its most flavorful, juicy - and safe - temperature." Click here to read the rest of the story on this new cooking temperature | |
Ranchers and Farmers Use Social Media Proactively to Push Back Against Foes of Animal Agriculture ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In today's
Beef Buzz, Kay Johnson-Smith, Executive Director for the Animal
Agriculture Alliance, gives us even more insight into why anti-agriculture
organizations are taking on animal agriculture. Johnson-Smith also gives
us ideas on how to push back and take a stand against these campaigns.
Johnson-Smith says one way for farmers and ranchers to take a stand is to tell their own agriculture story through the use of pictures and video. However, besides pictures and video, farmers and ranchers need to be involved in the legislative process. It is important to discuss bills that can have a negative effect on agriculture with legislators. You can hear this segment of our conversation with Kay by clicking on the LINK below which jumps you to our Wednesday Beef Buzz report- as heard on great radio stations across the state on the Radio Oklahoma Network. | |
NFU President Roger Johnson Sees Nothing Really Wrong with GIPSA Rule on the Marketing of Livestock- Tells USDA's Vilsack to Finalize It. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ National
Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson sent a letter to all 435
members of the U.S. House of Representatives today urging them to allow
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack to continue
implementing the proposed Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards
Administration (GIPSA) rule. The letter was in response to a letter sent
by some members of Congress to Secretary Vilsack on May 18 asking that the
proposed GIPSA rule be scrapped and that a new rule be written.
"The packer-producer and meat packing industries have been wrongly arguing that the 110th Congress rejected the provision that was passed in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 under the Livestock Title," said Johnson. "This action requested by the members of Congress is unfortunately based on inaccurate information. Members of Congress were given ample opportunities to propose amendments, vote the bill down on the floor of each body, and to vote against the conference report. This bill even overrode two presidential vetoes, requiring a two-thirds majority vote in both the Senate and House. The 110th Congress strongly supported this bill, including the GIPSA provisions." In the letter, Johnson says it's time that someone stand up for the little guy in the livestock business- and he thinks the GIPSA rule takes us down that road. Click on the LINK below to read more about the NFU letter- and we have a LINK there where you can jump and see the full letter and pitch that NFU has made to the USDA on this issue. | |
Pfizer Animal Health Snags Big Name Away from the Animal Science Department of Oklahoma State University ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pfizer Animal
Health is increasing the expertise and services available to its customers
by adding three professionals to its Cattle Veterinary Operations Team -
Lance Fox, DVM; Mark Branine, Ph.D.; and Brad Morgan, Ph.D.
"We are excited to bring these experienced cattle professionals into our organization," says Roger Saltman, DVM, MBA, group director, Cattle Veterinary Operations, Pfizer Animal Health. "Our team prides itself on having firsthand experience to help other veterinarians, nutritionists and producers across the country make sound animal health decisions." Food Safety and Production Enhancement Specialist Dr. Morgan is based in Stillwater, Okla. He previously served on the faculties of Texas A&M University, Colorado State University and Oklahoma State University. Dr. Morgan currently serves on the board of directors of the American Meat Science Association. | |
Farm Bureau Says Millions of Acres Underwater This Spring Due to MIssissippi River Flooding ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After learning
firsthand from state Farm Bureaus about recent flooding devastation in the
southern United States the American Farm Bureau Federation now estimates
that nearly 3.6 million acres of farmland has been impacted by the natural
disaster. On a Farm Bureau nationwide call late last week, states also
reported an estimated 40 percent of this year's rice crop has been
affected.
Arkansas topped the list with a million acres affected, including 300,000 acres of rice and 120,000 acres of wheat. Illinois was estimated to have 500,000 acres of farmland under water, with Mississippi and Missouri coming in at 600,000 and 570,000 acres, respectively. Tennessee reported 650,000 acres and Louisiana was pegged at 280,000 acres. "There is no doubt about it, the effect of the flooding on farmers and ranchers is being felt deeply across the south," said AFBF Chief Economist Bob Young. "One is reminded of the '93 or '95 floods in terms of scale of affected area." | |
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum hosts Annual Chuck Wagon Gathering and Children's Cowboy Festival ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visitors to
the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum enjoy family
entertainment at its finest during the annual Chuck Wagon Gathering &
Children's Cowboy Festival. On Memorial Day weekend, authentic chuck wagon
crews prepare delicious cowboy favorites for folks to sample, like
biscuits and stew, beans and cobblers.
Stage entertainment ranges from a hilarious Old West Medicine Show to the sounds of acclaimed western singer Red Steagall and balladeer, Don Edwards. Activities include stagecoach and covered wagon rides, weaving and rope making. When the sun gets too hot, visitors find their way up the hill to enjoy the sprawling museum complex, or watch their children take part in the hands-on activities in the children's building, including pony rides, rope making, bandana designing, crafts and much more. Chosen by the American Bus Association in 2004 as one of the Top 100 Events in North America, this exciting event attracts more than 10,000 people. The Festival is planned for this coming weekend- and we have more details available by clicking on the LINK below. | |
Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, PCOM, P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind Energy, Johnston Enterprises, American Farmers & Ranchers, KIS Futures and Oklahoma Mineral Buyers 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 $11.49
per bushel, while the 2011 New Crop contracts for Canola are now available
are $11.49 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
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