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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oklahoma's latest
farm and ranch news
Your Update from Ron
Hays of RON for Thursday June 2, 2011 A
service of Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, Midwest Farm Shows and Oklahoma
Mineral Buyers. Com
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-- Emergency Grazing on CRP Land Available in Western Oklahoma
-- Real Cowboys Tweet- Telling the Beef Story Through Social
Media
-- OSU Research shows why switchgrass is good for biomass
production
-- RFA says global biofuel production is needed for global food
security
-- NCBA supports legislation Introduced by Jim Inhofe and Dan Boren
that allows states to opt out of corn ethanol mandate
-- Angus Beef genetic influence increasing quality beef
-- Wheat and Canola Harvest Happening- Tell Us Your Story
-- 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 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. | |
Emergency Grazing on CRP Land Available in Western Oklahoma ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OSU's Dr. Jody
Campiche says the emergency grazing allowance on Conservation Reserve
Program land that kicked into gear as of Tuesday of this week is highly
unusual and underscores the severity of the drought western counties in
our state currently face.Dr. Campiche writes in her latest ag policy newsletter from the OSU Department of Ag Economics that "Emergency grazing of CRP land has been authorized in twenty‐two Oklahoma counties as of May 31, 2011. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) requested authority to graze during the primary nesting season and received support from wildlife entities due to the extreme drought conditions across much of the state." Jody adds that "At this time, haying is not permitted and grazing is allowed through September 30, 2011 (or earlier, if conditions return to normal). Acreage is eligible for emergency grazing regardless of whether or not the acreage was hayed or grazed during the managed haying and grazing period in the previous two years. Managed haying and grazing is allowed in one out of every three years following the establishment of the CRP cover. The managed grazing period for 2011 in Oklahoma counties is July 2, 2011 - September 30, 2011." Click on the LINK below to review the 22 counties that has received this extraordinary treatment here in 2011- and more on the details of the deal that ranchers will have to cut with Uncle Sam to be able to use that forage on CRP ground. | |
Real Cowboys Tweet- Telling the Beef Story Through Social Media ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mike Deering
is the Director of Communications for the National Cattlemen's Beef
Association, and since he has taken on the job of directing the flow of
the message coming out of the NCBA, social media has become a bigger part
of their strategy. That includes a blog called Beltway Beef, and lots of
work on Twitter as well.
Deering says that Twitter offers an option they take advantage of- an audio feed that can be linked up to Itunes which allows it to become a podcast that people can subscribe to- even if they are following the NCBA on Twitter. He says that saves the Association money and helps broaden their reach. And Deering says that Social Media is becoming more important very
quickly as more and more farmers and ranchers buy smart phones and have
access to Twitter, Facebook and more. Of course, we have seen that trend
in a positive way here at the Radio Oklahoma Network as many of you now
read our daily email on your smartphone- thank you for letting us be a
part of your day! | |
OSU Research shows why switchgrass is good for biomass production ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There are
several reasons for which switchgrass has been chosen as a source of
biofuel production in the United States. It can grow on wastelands and
tolerate drought and extreme heat, to name a few. Raman Sunkar, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Oklahoma State University, and his team of researchers are starting to answer several questions about the role of microRNAs in the biomass production and adaptation to stress conditions of switchgrass. Funding for this research is provided by Oklahoma's National Science
Foundation Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NSF
EPSCoR). Click here for more information on switchgrass biomass production | |
RFA says global biofuel production is needed for global food security ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A new report
from Oxfam rightfully raises concerns about the potential effects of
unmitigated commodity speculation, escalating oil prices, underinvestment
in agriculture technology, and climate change on future world food
supplies. But the report misses the mark when it makes unsupported claims
about the effect of biofuels on global food supplies. Global biofuel
production is a means to enhancing global food security and tackling
problems of climate change. According to an UN Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) report released just last week, "investment in
bioenergy could spark much-needed investment in agricultural and transport
infrastructure in rural areas and, by creating jobs and boosting household
incomes, could alleviate poverty and food security."
"American ethanol production has helped spur needed investment and
research into dramatic advances in farming technology that have allowed
U.S. farmers to double their production on the same amount of land from a
generation ago," said Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob
Dinneen. "The same opportunities at varying scales are available to farm
communities in developing nations. Together with improved farming
technologies, local biofuel production can provide developing rural
economies with the kind of economic prosperity needed to become more food
secure." | |
NCBA supports legislation Introduced by Jim Inhofe and Dan Boren that allows states to opt out of corn ethanol mandate ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The National
Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) threw its weight behind the Fuel
Feedstock Reduction Act, which amends the Clean Air Act to allow states to
opt out of the corn ethanol portion of the renewable fuel standard (RFS)
and to broaden eligibility of the cellulosic biofuels carve out by
redefining "cellulosic biofuels" as "next generation biofuels" to allow
non-ethanol sources of renewable fuel. NCBA President Bill Donald said
this legislation is a big step toward leveling the playing field for a
bushel of corn."NCBA member-passed policy supports our nation's commitment to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and that includes ethanol. But we don't support propping up a 30-year-old industry that should be able to stand on its own two feet with mandates and subsidies," Donald said. "Allowing states to opt out of the RFS and expanding eligibility for the cellulosic ethanol carve out applies some much needed common sense to renewable energy policy. It's time to take the training wheels off of the corn-based ethanol industry and we urge all members of Congress to support this bill." The Fuel Feedstock Reduction Act, S. 1085 and H.R. 2009, was introduced in the Senate by James Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and in the House by Congressman Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.), Dan Boren (D-Okla.), Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Jim Moran (D-Va.). According to the legislation, if a state legislature votes to opt out of the corn-ethanol portion of the RFS and the state's governor signs the bill into law, the Environmental Protection Agency would reduce the national corn-based ethanol mandate by the national gasoline consumption percentage that is attributable to that state. Click here for additional information on NCBA's thoughts on the Fuel Feedstock Reduction Act | |
Angus Beef genetic influence increasing quality beef ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dr. Larry
Corah of Certified Angus Beef says that genetics are a big factor in
providing quality beef to consumers. And the increase in Angus influence
is one way the quality of beef has been improving. Studies have shown that
a higher percentage of Angus leads to a higher percentage in the choice
grade of beef. As the Angus breed influence continues to grow on a national level, an upswing in higher grading cattle has occurred. Corah says another reason for the increase in the use of Angus breeding in genetics is the drive of flavor for consumers. Higher quality that is shown by a higher percentage of choice grade in cattle also results in a more flavorful end product for the consumer. Click on the LINK below to watch a video on the influence genetics have on beef quality and the increase in choice beef due to Angus beef influence, as well as, additional information from Dr. Larry Corah of Certified Angus Beef. Click here for the rest of the story and a video on Angus beef influence | |
Wheat and Canola Harvest Happening- Tell Us Your Story ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We have had
reports that harvest is now active all the way to the Kansas border, with
combines being seen in the fields of Alfalfa and Woods Counties.
Early indications are that the 2011 wheat crop will be a good quality crop, with test weights mostly 60 pounds and higher, and protein samples eleven percent and up. We would love to hear and see more of your harvest efforts of both your canola and your wheat crops here in 2011. Drop me info about your harvest results- ron@oklahomafarmreport.com (you can click on the email link at the very bottom of today's email)- and we would love to see some pictures of what is going on as well. | |
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.Com 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 $11.71
per bushel, while the 2011 New Crop contracts for Canola are now available
are $11.71 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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