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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oklahoma's latest
farm and ranch news
Your Update from Ron
Hays of RON for Friday July 29, 2011 A
service of Johnston Enterprises, P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind
Energy and American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance
Company!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-- Oklahoma 4-H Soaring to New Heights With a Million Dollar
Gift
-- Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association Convention and Trade Show
Underway in Midwest City
-- Rooting for Don!
-- Dr. Kim Anderson Discusses Wheat Price Changes- and we have your
SUNUP preview
-- Noble Foundation Offers New Technology for Farmers and Ranchers
Dealing with Drought
-- House Agriculture Subcommittee Examines USDA Research
Programs
-- Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Discusses New Opportunites in
Agriculture with National FFA Officers
-- 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 pleased to have American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company as a regular sponsor of our daily update- click here to go to their AFR web site to learn more about their efforts to serve rural America! It is also great to have as an annual sponsor on our daily email
Johnston Enterprises- proud to be serving agriculture across
Oklahoma and around the world since 1893. Johnston is proud to be an
outlet for Trimble GPS Guidance and Precision Agriculture Solutions- Call
Derrick Bentz at 580-732-8080 for details. For more on Johnston
Enterprises- click
here for their website! 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. | |
Oklahoma 4-H Soaring to New Heights With a Million Dollar Gift ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here in 2011-
the Oklahoma 4-H Foundation was able to give out about $50,000 of
scholarships and awards at the Honors Night program at the 90th Oklahoma
4-H Roundup being held on the campus of OSU in Stillwater. But in addition
to those checks handed out to 4-Hers, there was another check that was
historic that was handed over to the Oklahoma 4-H Foundation. The largest
non estate gift ever to the organization was announced last night at
Honors Night- given by Terry Stowers of Norman. According to Past
President of the 4-H Foundation Rodd Moesel, the earnings of this gift
will be used to fund 4-H travel scholarships & college education
scholarships. The earnings of the money could provide forty to fifty
$1,000 scholarships on an annual basis for Oklahoma 4-H members.
This year's Roundup will be finishing up the annual conference this Friday morning, July 29 with the announcement of the 2011-2012 State Leadership Council Representatives. The three day State 4-H Roundup started on Wednesday, July 17 and featured a wide range of activities for the members participating. This year's "Soaring to New Heights" themed conference provided diverse opportunities for 4-H members. The 914 members attending Roundup had the chance to participate in activities ranging from speech contests, Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom, to rain water harvesting, plus workshops focusing on social media, wildlife, and proper feed grains for livestock. One of the highlights of the Honors Night Program was the naming of the
2011 Hall of Fame Winners- Whitney Dockrey, Shawnee, Oklahoma, and
Jenna Murray, Fletcher, Oklahoma. | |
Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association Convention and Trade Show Underway in Midwest City ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mike Armitage,
Northeast District Vice President for the Oklahoma Cattlemen's
Association, came by our studios on Thursday to visit with us about the
Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association's Annual Convention and Trade Show that
cranked up yesterday- and runs through midday Saturday at the Reed Center
in Midwest City. Armitage said the convention is important because cattle producers need to join together, especially in today's environment, because there is strength in numbers and as membership grows, more members can become involved in developing policy and strengthening the agricultural industry's position. The severe drought that Oklahoma has seen over the past couple of months is already a topic of great discussion at the convention. Duringt eh opening reception last night, we talked with the President and CEO of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, Ross Wilson. We talked with Ross about drought conditions and how that is affecting day to day operations of the southern plains feedlots- as well as what the liquidation of mama cows in the southern plains may mean to the US cattle herd in the years to come. Click here to jump to today's Beef Buzz which features comments from Ross Wilson on that subject. The OCA Convention and Trade Show will also feature a line-up of
speakers including Phil Seng with the United States Meat Export
Federation, State Attorney General Scott Pruitt, OCA Past President Joe
Neill, and Congressman Frank Lucas. There are also more than 100 trade
show exhibitors at the convention. Click here for the chance to hear our visit with Mike Armitage at the OCA Convention and Trade Show | |
Rooting for Don! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Who's Don and
why are we rooting for him? Well, Don is a late forming tropical storm
headed for south Texas which may hit the coast of Texas by midnight
tonight. As folks were stopping at the Oklahoma Mesonet booth at the OCA
reception last night, they were looking at the tracking maps that Al
Sutherland had for them of Don- and everyone agreed that Don needed to get
on shore, such up lots of gulf moisture and then turn northward for
Oklahoma.
I'm not sure that Don is going to behave in that manner- but cattle producers at the Reed Center in Midwest City last night were united in their hopes for that type of track. As of early this morning- Don had strengthened to 50 miles per hour- still below minimum hurricane status- but the hope is that it will be a good rainmaker. Click on the LINK below for the latest from the Corpus Christi NWS office for their take on the storm system. | |
Dr. Kim Anderson Discusses Wheat Price Changes- and we have your SUNUP preview ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dr. Kim
Anderson, Grain Marketing Specialist from Oklahoma State University,
predicts the wheat prices to go up, if they break $8.00 per bushel next
week. Currently at $7.95, the wheat prices are still in a sideways pattern
and Anderson predicts prices to stay that way until they break out the top
or the bottom. Anderson says the reason prices jumped to the higher end of the $7.00 to $8.00 range is the news on wheat harvest in the northern United States coming in over the past week. And with significantly less acres of spring wheat planted, yield estimates for the northern region are coming in at less than expected. It is also a general consensus that it will be the same situation for Canada, says Anderson. Export sales for wheat are relatively good, says Anderson, but Russia is determined to be a major exporter for this crop year. Russia is currently underpricing the U.S. at anywhere from $0.75 to $1.25 less per bushel. Anderson also predicts the USDA dropping the estimated yield numbers for corn, which will make the corn stock relatively tight. Click on the LINK below to hear the rest of Austin Moore and Dr. Kim Anderson's discussion on wheat and corn prices- as well as, his advice to producers on selling their wheat. | |
Noble Foundation Offers New Technology for Farmers and Ranchers Dealing with Drought ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Noble
Foundation launched a new online resource to assist farmers and ranchers,
who are enduring one of the worst droughts since the Dust Bowl.
Noble Foundation agricultural consultants have developed www.noble.org/drought, a Web page that will serve as a central repository for information to assist agricultural producers in managing their properties and resources throughout this difficult situation. "This is a once-in-a-generation drought," said Billy Cook, senior vice president and director of the Agricultural Division. "We haven't seen this type of heat and lack of precipitation since the record-setting drought of the mid-1950s or even the Dust Bowl. Lloyd Noble established the Noble Foundation to assist producers after he witnessed the devastating effects of the Dust Bowl. Decades later, we're equipped with the knowledge and experience to help farmers and ranchers to successfully endure this drought." Information for the special Web page was developed by the Noble Foundation's agricultural consultants, who have been inundated with hundreds of calls concerning drought management since the beginning of July. Additional information was gathered from university researchers and agricultural experts from around the country. Click here for more information on the Managing During Drought website | |
House Agriculture Subcommittee Examines USDA Research Programs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rep. Timothy
V. Johnson, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on
Rural Development, Research, Biotechnology, and Foreign Agriculture, held
an audit hearing to examine U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) research
programs. This is the ninth hearing in the audit series that is designed
to provide members of the committee with a greater understanding of farm
policy. Within USDA, the Under Secretary of Research, Education, and Economics (REE) administers research efforts. REE is divided into four main agencies: Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Economic Research Service (ERS), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Research programs are vital to enhancing agricultural productivity, decreasing input costs, and ensuring American consumers continue to enjoy a safe, abundant, affordable, and nutritious food supply. "The only way to meet the growing demand for food will be through technological advances. As we consider the next farm bill, we are faced with scarce resources, so this subcommittee has a responsibility to improve the administration of research programs to make the most efficient and effective use of the funds available. These dollars go to not only developing the next generation of farm practices, but also to future generations of farmers through agriculture study programs offered through extension offices and land-grant institutions," said Chairman Timothy V. Johnson (R-IL). "For 150 years, research has been a core mission of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that has helped American farmers thrive. In 2008, for the first time ever, the Farm Bill created the Specialty Crops Research Initiative, which has helped confront the challenges facing America's fruit and vegetable growers in the same cooperative way program crops have enjoyed for over a century. It is critically important that our agricultural research programs remain strong so our land-grant universities and other agriculture schools can continue their important work on behalf of American agriculture," said Ranking Member Jim Costa (D-CA). Click here to see a witness list, as well as, their testimonies | |
Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Discusses New Opportunites in Agriculture with National FFA Officers ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack told state officers from the National FFA
Organization that, as the next generation of America's farmers, they face
a bright but rapidly changing future and USDA is committed to partnering
with them to achieve their goals. The Secretary also announced the release
of a new field guide to assist entrepreneurs looking to build successful
farming operations that take advantage of new local and regional
markets."The Obama Administration recognizes that the face of American agriculture is rapidly changing, with access to new markets, opportunities and innovative ways of providing products to consumers," said Vilsack. "At the same time, the average age of the American farmer is now 57, so it will soon be up to the next generation to pick up the mantle, produce our nation's food and fiber and manage the risks that are inherent to agriculture. At USDA, we are committed to working with these young farmers to ensure they have the support they need to be successful in this industry that is so vital to the safety and security of our nation." Speaking to State FFA presidents and officers at the Agriculture Department, the Secretary noted that nearly half of the USDA direct operating loans provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) went to beginning farmers. He noted that the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) continues to work with the National FFA and supports research, education and outreach projects that directly benefit small and medium size farmers. Working with the National FFA and the 4-H, the Farm Service Agency makes loans to rural youth to help them start agricultural operations. Earlier this year the Secretary signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National FFA to find ways to strengthen American agriculture by developing new farming opportunities for young owners and producers. Additionally, Rural Development each year helps fund the FFA Agri-Entrepreneurship Award which honors FFA members who recognize market opportunities and develop solid business plans. Click here to read more comments from Secretary Vilsack to the National FFA officers | |
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 $12.75
per bushel- as of the close of business yesterday, while the 2012 New Crop
contracts for Canola are now available are $12.61 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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