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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oklahoma's latest
farm and ranch news
Your Update from Ron
Hays of RON for Tuesday June 28, 2011 A
service of Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, Midwest Farm Shows and
OklahomaMineralBuyers.Com!
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-- OSU's Dr. Derrell Peel says Oklahoma Drought Region Expanding
Rapidly
-- Tough Decisions a Part of the Oklahoma Farm- Ranch Landscape Due
to Drought Conditions
-- Nationally- Crop Progress Shows Drought and Flooding Impacts
-- Rural Lawmakers Pleased with Funding for Ag in the Classroom
-- Oklahoma Land Owners Avoid Tree Listed as Endangered Species by
Fish and Wildlife Service
-- Beef Buzzing with Dr. Brad Johnson of Texas Tech on Marbling and
Higher Grades
-- Billions of Dollars Needed in Ag Research and Infrastructure to
Feed 9 Billion People- Private Sector Funds Are the Key
-- By Golly- It's Raining in Northwest Oklahoma!
-- 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 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 weekdays on the Radio Oklahoma Network
for the latest farm news and markets- if you missed today's Morning Farm
News (or in an area where you can't hear it) Click
here to listen to today's Morning Farm News with Ron on RON. | |
OSU's Dr. Derrell Peel says Oklahoma Drought Region Expanding Rapidly ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The latest
U.S. Drought Monitor confirms that the drought area in Oklahoma is
expanding rapidly. Over 48 percent of the state is included in the severe
or worse (D2-D4) drought rating. Most dramatic of all is the jump in the
percentage of the state in the worst drought category (D4 or Exceptional)
from 10.32 to 32.55 percent. The percentage of the state in the worst two
categories (D3-D4) increased from 33.53 percent to 41.22 percent. The
drought region is confined to the middle and western areas of the state
with the eastern third holding on to decent moisture conditions, according
to OSU Extension Livestock Market Economist, Dr. Derrell Peel. However, in
the last 30 days the majority of the state has received no more than 20-40
percent of normal precipitation and the drought boundary is moving back to
the east.
Rains in late April and early May provided some relief, particularly in
the middle part of the state, and appeared to be moving the drought
boundary farther west. Though the La Niña effects appeared to be weakening
at that time, improved moisture conditions in the middle part of the state
proved to be no match for recent hot and windy conditions as shown by the
current expansion in drought ratings. Producers face not only the
continuing lack of production due to drought but also the threat of fires
that may wipe out existing hay and forage stocks. Peel says that the lack of forage this spring has increasing impacts on the cattle industry- read about his concerns by clicking on the LINK below. Click here for Derrell Peel's take on the impact of drought conditions on the beef cattle business. | |
Tough Decisions a Part of the Oklahoma Farm- Ranch Landscape Due to Drought Conditions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Latest
Oklahoma Crop Weather Update talks about the extreme heat that has
continued in Oklahoma with average temperatures for this last week in the
80's and average highs topping 100 degrees in some districts. A high of
115 degrees was reached in Hollis and Erick on Sunday and more than 15
Mesonet stations recorded temperatures of 110 or higher. Very little
rainfall fell during the past week with a paltry statewide average of 0.11
of an inch.The writers of the weekly update add that "Farmers and ranchers are making tough decisions about planting row crops and livestock inventory levels. Topsoil and subsoil moisture conditions were rated mostly very short with only 10 percent of the state rated adequate. Harvest is about done in the major fall planted crops. Wheat harvest was 96 percent complete by Sunday, 16 points ahead of normal, with 44 percent of the ground plowed. Meanwhile, Oats in the soft dough stage reached 96 percent complete, while 87 percent of the crop had been harvested, and 35 percent of the ground was plowed by Sunday. Canola was 98 percent harvested by the end of the week, up eight points from the previous week. For the spring planted crops- NASS says "The heat and drought continued to impact the condition of all row crops, especially cotton which was rated mostly poor to very poor. Forty-eight percent of corn was silking by the end of the week, 14 points ahead of the five-year average. Planting of sorghum was 93 percent complete, while 80 percent of the crop had emerged. Soybean planting was 89 percent complete with 75 percent of the crop emerged by Sunday. Peanut emergence was 91 percent complete by week's end, and five percent of the crop was pegging, significantly behind normal. Cotton planting was virtually complete by the end of the week. Seventy-two percent of the crop had emerged, and five percent was squaring, both behind the five-year average." | |
Nationally- Crop Progress Shows Drought and Flooding Impacts ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Drought can
best be seen in the latest Crop Progress numbers issued on Monday
afternoon by USDA by looking at the 2011 US Cotton Crop Condition Ratings.
The state that easily has the most acres year in and year out is Texas-
and this year's Texas cotton crop is in trouble. 55% of the Texas cotton
crop is rated poor to very poor- only here in Oklahoma are things worse
for the 2011 crop at 65% poor to very poor. Nationally, the cotton crop
has only 27% of the US crop rated in good to excellent shape- versus 62%
good to excellent at this point a year ago- while the national poor to
very poor categories were only 6% a year ago- this year they check in this
week at 41%.
Despite a late start to the planting of the 2011 corn crop- the condition ratings reflect a crop not much different than a year ago, with over half of the crop now rated in the good category- the 54% number is exactly the same number rated "good" as we saw at this point in 2010. This week- there are no national breakdowns of corn crop progress- although the crop is behind normal development because of late planting in several key corn growing states in the midwest. Likewise- the US Soybean crop conditions reflect the fact that we have most of the US soybean crop planted-97% of the beans are now in the ground in the 18 major soybean producing states with 92% now emerged- a gain of 10 percentage points in the last week. | |
Rural Lawmakers Pleased with Funding for Ag in the Classroom ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rural
lawmakers have praised State Superintendent Janet Barresi and members of
the state Board of Education for voting to fund Ag in the Classroom. Ag in
the Classroom received a total of $38,675 out of $401 million budget.
"Agriculture remains a cornerstone of Oklahoma's economy and it is important that our school system continues to develop the farmers and ranchers of tomorrow," said state Rep. Don Armes, a Faxon Republican who is a former agriculture educator. "I know firsthand the value of Agriculture in the Classroom and I appreciate the board's support of this important program." At the recommendation of Superintendent Barresi, the board voted today
to approve a budget that includes funding for "Agriculture in the
Classroom" programs. | |
Oklahoma Land Owners Avoid Tree Listed as Endangered Species by Fish and Wildlife Service ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service will not list the Ozark chinquapin, a chestnut tree,
under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) because it is widespread in the
interior highlands of Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.The Ozark chinquapin is a medium-sized tree which once grew to 65 feet, but now rarely reaches heights of more than 30 feet. It develops from stump sprouts as well as seeds, but in recent years, new growth is generally from sprouts due to chestnut blight disease. Chestnut blight has posed a long term threat to the Ozark chinquapin since 1940. Due to the life history traits of the Ozark chinquapin, it appears that cross pollination and production of seeds is not uncommon. Based on the documented widespread distribution and abundance of Ozark chinquapin and its life history traits, chestnut blight does not threaten the continued existence of Ozark chinquapin at this time or in the foreseeable future. The Service announced its decision today in the Federal Register, after
conducting a comprehensive, range-wide, scientific review of the species'
current status, known as a 12-month finding. On January 6, 2004, Mr. Joe
Glenn, a private citizen from Hodgen, Oklahoma, filed a petition
requesting the listing of the Ozark chinquapin as candidate species under
the ESA. On June 1, 2010, the Service published an initial finding that
the petition presented substantial information indicating the requested
action may be warranted in the Federal Register. Click here for additional information on the Ozark chinquapin | |
Beef Buzzing with Dr. Brad Johnson of Texas Tech on Marbling and Higher Grades ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dr. Brad
Johnson of Texas Tech is working on how to maximize marbling without
getting beef cattle too fat. At the recent 64th Reciprocal Meat Conference
that was held on the campus of Kansas State University, Johnson told
fellow researchers about his work that has been done in conjunction with
Steve Smith of Texas A&M. Johnson says that for the cattle industry,
grade does matter, expecially if you look at the historical difference in
choice versus select carcasses. Dr. Brad Johnson talked with us previously about his efforts to look at interventions that could result in adding marbling without having to extend the number of days on feed once a beef animal has reached its full potential for expressing marbling. One obvious fact that Johnson discusses is that grass feeding is a slow way of getting a beef animal to marble, while feeding grain provides starch which speeds the process. According to the Texas Tech website, Dr. Johnson "is working on projects that include research to find certain agents to enhance marbling. He looks to use steroidal implants and beta agonists as a model to find natural techniques for increased muscle volume and intramuscular fat." Click here to listen to our Monday Beef Buzz with Brad Johnson regarding his marbling research. This morning, we continue Beef Buzzing with Johnson, as he tells us
about the impact the diet and age of the animal can have on the amount of
marbling in the meat tissue. Johnson says they have discovered that the
age of the animal does make a difference. The older the animal, the less
receptors are available in the back fat, which should allow marbling to
come a little easier with age, says Johnson. Dr. Johnson also talks about how the genetics of the various breeds impacts marbling- as well as the role of management systems that we utilize in the feeding cattle here in the US. You can hear Part Two of our three part series with Brad Johnson- just click here for the Tuesday Beef Buzz with Brad Johnson. | |
Billions of Dollars Needed in Ag Research and Infrastructure to Feed 9 Billion People- Private Sector Funds Are the Key ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Global
Harvest Initiative (GHI) released a policy issue brief which estimates a
$90 billion annual agricultural investment gap globally- and makes the
case that it will have to be the private sector that closes this gap- if
we are to feed the huge population increases that are on the horizon.
The policy issue brief, "Enhancing Private Sector Involvement in Agriculture and Rural Infrastructure Development," points to the private sector as one of the key influencers in creating economic growth, raising global incomes, and feeding a population anticipated to reach nine billion people by 2050. "With a $90 billion annual investment gap in the agricultural sector of developing countries, the task of doubling agricultural productivity in 40 years is a formidable one," said Dr. William G. Lesher, Executive Director of the Global Harvest Initiative (and former USDA official). "There are simply not enough resources in either developed or developing nations to bridge this sizable gap, so enhanced private sector involvement is the key to improving agricultural and rural development to ensure that the world's future agricultural needs are met "If the world does not address sustainable food production methods, we will face land degradation and extinction of vital species, and loss of natural habitats for farming and wildlife. By leveraging the expertise of corporations, NGOs, and others we can make great strides through market-oriented solutions in conservation and sustainability worldwide." - David H. Barron, Founder, International Conservation Caucus Foundation Click here to read more about private sectors for creating economic growth | |
By Golly- It's Raining in Northwest Oklahoma! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As we finish
up our email report to you this morning- we are seeing some rain in
several counties in the northwestern quarter of the state- click
here for a look at the Mesonet map that is the last 24 hours of rainfall
(updating on a real time basis) which gives you a glimpse at where
rain has come down as this slightly cooler set of temperatures work into
Oklahoma- for at least a day or so.
Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, PCOM, P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind Energy, Johnston Enterprises, American Farmers & Ranchers and KIS Futures 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 $11.81
per bushel, while the 2011 New Crop contracts for Canola are now available
are $11.81 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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