~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oklahoma's latest
farm and ranch news
Your Update from Ron
Hays of RON for Friday October 21, 2011 A
service of Johnston Enterprises, P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind
Energy and American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance
Company!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-- Lubbock Dust Storm of This Week a Reminder of the Need for
Conservation Investment in 2012 Farm Bill
-- Senator Jim Inhofe Discusses Overregulation on Farmers by
GIPSA
-- For the Second Year in a Row- Oklahoma FFA Advances Three Speakers
into the National Finals
-- New Legislation Introduced to Stop Agendas Derailing Superfund
Law
-- Prices and Protein Premiums Important for Wheat- So Says OSU Wheat
Market Guru Kim Anderson
-- Letter Goes to USDA Secretary Vilsack on Beef Checkoff
Changes
-- National FFA Foundation's Exec Says Fundraising Continues to Go
Well for FFA
-- Visit Stockyard City and Grab a Juicy Steak from Cattlemen's
-- 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. | |
Lubbock Dust Storm of This Week a Reminder of the Need for Conservation Investment in 2012 Farm Bill ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A dust storm
reminiscent of those which plagued the southern plains of the United
States during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s that struck Lubbock, Texas, this
week should serve as a reminder of the importance of state and federal
conservation programs according to Joe Parker, president of the Oklahoma
Association of Conservation Districts (OACD).
"The massive dust storm that hit Lubbock, Texas, on October 17 ironically happened on the same day that the leaders of the U.S. House and Senate Agriculture Committees announced their willingness to reduce federal Farm Bill Programs, including Conservation programs, by over $23 billion as part of the effort to balance the federal budget," Parker said. "While it's true we all need to do our part to help put our fiscal house in order, this storm should show why these cuts can't all come from conservation and why it's important that we keep a focus on natural resource protection on working farm and ranch land unless we want to see a new Dust Bowl." On October 17, a massive dust storm started in the far southwest Texas panhandle along the edge of a cold front that moved south toward Lubbock at approximately 55 mph. The storm reached Lubbock at 5:30 p.m. and took roughly 30 minutes to blow through the city. At the height of the storm, visibility ranged from a quarter-mile to near-zero for 40 minutes at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport. Reports from the National Weather Service said winds gusts as high as 60 to 65 miles per hour were recorded. (picture here is of Massive dust storm as it rolls into Lubbock, Texas, on October 17, 2011. (Viewer-submitted photo from KCBD-TV Lubbock website.) According to OACD's Executive Director Clay Pope, this storm should
send a message to policy makers and agriculture producers alike-we have to
stay focused on working lands conservation. Click here to listen to our conversation with Clay Pope on conservation | |
Senator Jim Inhofe Discusses Overregulation on Farmers by GIPSA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Senator Jim
Inhofe of Oklahoma took the floor late afternoon on October 19 to discuss
the controversial Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration
rule within the USDA. Senator Inhofe clearly addresses the overregulation
placed on farmers and ranchers by the GIPSA rule and claims it is
"regulating the industry in a way that would prohibit any real
innovation."Inhofe also discusses the ban that would be placed on packer-to-packer livestock sales, which he says will have a detrimental effect on Oklahoma farmers and ranchers. A part of Senator Inhofe's speech and thoughts on GIPSA is listed
below. This provision of the Farm Bill was heavily debated and amended when it was considered, and ultimately the USDA was instructed to provide regulations for a few explicit objectives: among them were broader contract cancellation rights for livestock growers; the disclosure of foreseeable future necessary capital investments required of contract growers within their growing contracts; and criteria for GIPSA to determine whether producers are treated with unreasonable preference or advantage." Click here to watch Senator Inhofe address the GIPSA rule and for the rest of his thoughts | |
For the Second Year in a Row- Oklahoma FFA Advances Three Speakers into the National Finals ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And Blair
makes it three! For the second time in as many years, Oklahoma FFA has
advanced all three National Speech contestants into the National Final
Four of their respective contest. On Wednesday, Kaylen Baker of Yukon
advanced to the Final Four of the National Prepared Public Speech Contest-
competing on Thursday morning in those finals. Kyle Hilbert of Depew also
advanced into the Final Four of the National Extemporaneous Speech
Contest- also competing on Thursday morning in Finals Hall.
On Thursday- Blair Kloeppel of Kingfisher advanced in both the
Premlinary round, as well as the semi final round to reach the National
Final Four of the Creed Contest- to be held midday on Friday at the
Indianapolis Convention Center, site of the 2011 National FFA
Convention. Read more in our early Friday morning recap from the National FFA Convention- click on the LINK below- there we have more info on what is going on today- a link to our FLICKR pictures from the convention and more. Click here for more on the success of Oklahoma FFA Speakers at the 2011 National FFA Convention | |
New Legislation Introduced to Stop Agendas Derailing Superfund Law ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Senators Roy
Blunt (R-Mo.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) this week introduced the "Superfund
Common-Sense Act of 2011" (S. 1729), which would prevent the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and the courts from imposing what the policymakers
called another "needless and burdensome" regulation on U.S.
agriculture.National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) Deputy Environmental Counsel Ashley Lyon said the legislation would restore the original intent of Congress under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), more commonly called the Superfund Law, and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). She said the Superfund Law was originally passed by Congress in 1980 to prevent toxic waste from polluting U.S. waters and was never intended to elevate extreme agendas by imposing liability on U.S. farmers and ranchers in the same fashion as toxic waste polluters. The legislation would exempt cattle manure from regulations under these laws. "Congress never intended manure to fall under the jurisdiction of CERCLA. However, some activists groups and attorneys in Texas and Oklahoma have worked to increase the law's reach by attempting to convince courts that livestock producers should be subject to CERCLA liability," said Lyon. "Subjecting farmers and ranchers to CERCLA liability could place the financial burden of nutrient reduction for an entire watershed on a single producer. This kind of liability could easily reach into the many millions of dollars and bankrupt family farmers and ranchers." | |
Prices and Protein Premiums Important for Wheat- So Says OSU Wheat Market Guru Kim Anderson ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dr. Kim
Anderson, Oklahoma State University Grain Marketing Specialist, and
Lyndall Stout sat down to discuss the changes in wheat prices, how protein
premiums can help prices and the impact of the foreign wheat on supply
levels and prices here in Oklahoma and in the U.S. While cash prices in general are "wallowing around" says Anderson, if you look at the Kansas City Board of Trade December contract, it has been trading at a low of $6.88 to a high of $7.22. And if you look at the closes on that December contract, it is from $7.01 to $7.14. Anderson says there has been a $.13 spread in price over the last week, while the Oklahoma basis has been fairly stable. And with Australia beginning harvest of hard white wheat, they are expecting a record crop but anticipating below average in proteins says Anderson. However, if you look at the European Union harvest, they were expecting relatively low yields and poor quality and ended up having average yields and better quality. Anderson adds that for this reason, producers need to keep an eye on Australia as they begin harvest. Click on the LINK below to hear Lyndall Stout and Dr. Anderson's
conversation on wheat prices, proteins, and more. Click here for more from Dr. Anderson and for your SUNUP preview | |
Letter Goes to USDA Secretary Vilsack on Beef Checkoff Changes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A coalition of
organizations have sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom
Vilsack urging him to take steps to make funding for the Cattlemen's Beef
Board (CBB) more transparent and to ensure that more voices are heard when
distributing checkoff dollars. The letter came as a result of a September
27 meeting of ten agricultural organizations in Minneapolis.
"It is the recommendation of this group that seats be made available on all Joint Checkoff Committees for one representative from each national nonprofit industry-governed organization that would qualify as a checkoff contractor and desires to have a representative on the committee," the coalition wrote. "These committee members would be allowed to engage in all deliberations of the committees; but would not have a vote on motions brought before the committee." We have the full letter that was signed off on by ten groups- including the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, the American Farm Bureau and the Livestock Marketing Association. Click on the LINK below for more on this story and a chance to read the full letter. | |
National FFA Foundation's Exec Says Fundraising Continues to Go Well for FFA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Case IH is
pleased to continue its long-standing support of the National FFA
Foundation by donating a new, one-of-a-kind Case skid steer nicknamed,
"Red Power," to be auctioned off later next year to benefit the National
FFA Foundation. In the meantime, Case IH announced at the National FFA
Convention in the National Careeer Show their intention of taking "Red
Power" around to major ag shows and events with details being shown with
it to support and publicize the mission statement of the National FFA
organization.
During the Media event- we talked with Rob Cooper, Executive Director
of the National FFA Foundation about this donation and how the Foundation
continues to see success in raising money for FFA in the face of an
uncertain economy. | |
Visit Stockyard City and Grab a Juicy Steak from Cattlemen's ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cattlemen's
Steakhouse in Oklahoma City, Okla., is our latest Legendary Restaurant of
Oklahoma this week- being spotlighted this morning, Friday, Oct. 21.
Cattlemen's is the oldest, continuously operated restaurant in the state
of Oklahoma and was originally opened in 1910. Since then, Cattlemen's has
changed owners a few times but is still helping customers to a delicious
steak, which they will even serve you for breakfast. Dick Stubbs, owner
and president of Cattlemen's Steakhouse, says they strive to serve up a
perfect steak every time one is ordered. Using only USDA choice and prime
quality beef, Cattlemen's uses the best beef around. All of their steaks
are hand-cut in the restaurant, aged for a period of time, and then
broiled over a real charcoal flame before being brought to the table. Click
here to purchase your $50 certificate to Cattlemen's for only
$25!Our very own Karolyn Bolay sat down with Dick Stubbs and talked about Cattlemen's history and what they do to ensure a perfect steak for customers. Click here to listen to their conversation. Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, PCOM, P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind Energy, Johnston Enterprises, American Farmers & Ranchers ,One Resource Environmental- operators of FarmSPCC.Com, 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 $11.68
per bushel- as of the close of business yesterday, while the 2012 New Crop
contracts for Canola are now available are $11.75 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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