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Earlier this week, the Oklahoma State Board of Agriculture unanimously approved a moratorium on the production of castor beans in the state. Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Jim Reese says the board's decision is intended to prevent farmers from growing castor beans on their farms. The Oklahoma state legislature is expected to outlaw the production of castor in its upcoming 2012 session.

This moratorium is only for the commercial production of castor beans says Secretary Reese. There is an exemption for those wishing to grow castor beans for gardening or ornamental purposes.

We also talked with Secretary Reese about 2011 and how it was such a difficult year for farmers and ranchers across the state of Oklahoma. Secretary Reese says that having the hottest summer on record this past year severly damaged the summer crops and a majority of these crops were a loss.

However, with a promising 2012 on the horizon, Secretary Reese says the perception of people across Oklahoma has changed mainly because of the recent rainfall. While some areas of the state are still dealing with the effects of the 2011 drought, Secretary Reese says the state as a whole has received some much needed rain. 

Click on the LINK below to hear the rest of our conversation with Secretary Jim Reese. Or you can watch Secretary Jim Reese this Saturday morning at 6:40 a.m. during the In the Field segment on KWTV News 9. 

Click here to listen to our conversation with Ag Secretary Reese. 

New Study Confirms Role of Beef in a Heart-Healthy Diet 

In a first of its kind study, researchers at The Pennsylvania State University demonstrated that eating beef everyday as part of a heart-healthy diet can improve cholesterol levels. Texas medical doctor and cattleman Richard Thorpe said the Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet (BOLD) study proves what he has known for years - lean beef not only tastes great but it also plays an important role in a heart-healthy diet.

"As a father, medical doctor and beef producer, I have proudly and confidently served my family beef and have recommended it to my patients for years," Thorpe said on behalf of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA). "The BOLD study is further proof that Americans should feel good knowing the beef they enjoy eating and serving their loved ones is not only a nutrient-rich, satisfying food that provides 10 essential nutrients in about 150 calories but is good for their heart health as well."

The BOLD study, which was funded by the Beef Checkoff, will appear in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in January. The study followed 36 men and women with moderately elevated cholesterol levels who consumed four diets for five weeks each to measure the impact of each diet on heart health risk factors, such as LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. 

Click here for more information on this study and a heart-healthy diet.

Wheat Prices Drop and Latest WASDE Report is Out - and we have your SUNUP preview

The latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates Report has been released and wheat has dropped below $6.50 in Kansas City. Dr. Kim Anderson, Grain Marketing Specialist, takes a look at the change in prices and says that it is a significant change in the market.

Anderson explains that over the last six weeks, there has been significant support of the $6.50 price and looking ahead it is difficult to tell how far it can fall from that $6.50 level. Anderson adds that this happened during the holiday season and the trading and volume is light, which is another item to take into account.

As we look into 2012, Anderson predicts that we are going to continue to see weakness in prices, especially if we get those timely rains in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas. Anderson says that there is a lot of wheat around the world and that is going to weigh heavy on the market.

Click here to listen to Dr. Anderson and Austin Moore's conversation on the wheat market and for your SUNUP preview.
 

Crop Insurance Companies Pay More Than $7.1 Billion in 2011- and Counting 

Crop insurance companies have paid out more than $7.1 billion and climbing in claims so far this year, which makes 2011 second only to 2008's $8.6 billion in the total value of indemnities paid out to farmers. The combination of several large-scale floods in the Central U.S., record droughts in the southern plains, a strong tropical storm in the Northeast and a hard freeze in Florida set the stage for the widespread agricultural losses.

But what is the significance of this? The fact is that despite being one of the worst weather years in recent history, farmers had a policy backstop in place-crop insurance-to preclude major losses from natural disasters or market fluctuations that could lead to widespread bankruptcies and foreclosures.

Over the years- Congress has made significant investments in crop insurance infrastructure, increasing the varieties of crops covered and policies available as well as augmenting resources to increase farmer participation. Crop Insurance supporters contend that they net result is a resilient and robust modern-day crop insurance safety net.

Click here for more on this update about payouts of crop insurance in 2011. 

DuPont and Rosetta Green Sign Research Agreement for Drought Tolerance in Corn and Soybeans 

DuPont and Rosetta Green Ltd. have entered into a strategic research agreement to identify drought tolerance genes in corn and soybeans.

Under the agreement, Rosetta Green will use proprietary technology and bioinformatics capabilities to identify microRNAs. DuPont, through its Pioneer Hi-Bred business, will test candidate genes in target crops. Pioneer will have an exclusive commercial license for genes identified through this collaboration which will improve drought tolerance in corn and soybeans for farmers. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"Drought can lead to losses for corn growers of up to $13 billion annually," said John Bedbrook, vice president, DuPont Agricultural Biotechnology. "We are pleased to collaborate with Rosetta Green to identify new genes leads which can help farmers protect yield and feed a growing population, and build on our strong pipeline of leads for drought tolerance."

Click here for more information on this agreement between DuPont and Rosetta Green.

Fertilizer Institute Applauds USDA Revised Nutrient Management Standard

The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) commended the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for embracing 4R nutrient stewardship (the right nutrient source at the right rate, the right time, and in the right place) at the national level with its December 13 release of the national conservation practice standard for nutrient management.

"We are extremely pleased with USDA/NRCS' call for 4R nutrient stewardship as part of a sustainable agricultural system," said TFI President Ford West. "Agriculture is being asked to maintain profitable farm economics, while meeting the increased product demands of a growing population and responding to increased scrutiny of land and resource management and the 4R's are key to addressing challenge."

4R Nutrient Stewardship is an innovative and science-based approach to fertilizer best management practices (BMPs) to help achieve agricultural sustainability. The 4Rs imply there are four aspects to every fertilizer application and it provides a simple framework to assess whether a given crop has access to the necessary nutrients. Asking "Was the crop given the right source at the right rate, the right time, and in the right place?" helps identify opportunities to improve fertilizer efficiency and prevent nutrient movement from each field. The four aspects of this system for fertilizer management are interconnected, and none of the four can be right when any one of them is wrong. 

Click here for more on USDA's revised nutrient management standard. 

This & That- Drought Lingers- and Looking Ahead 

While we have had a much wetter fall than we anticipated as we looked this direction back in late August- the fact remains that a significant part of the state remains in drought conditions- mainly because of the lack of moisture down in the soil profile. There are exceptions- and the amount of the state that has broken out of drought will likely take another jump higher this coming week in the next Drought Monitor, as the southeastern third of the state has had really good rains in the last few days.  

We have the graphic for the latest Drought Monitor Index for the state on our website- click here to jump over and take a look- and it reflects the exact same numbers of relative drought as a week earlier.  About 86% of the state remains in moderate drought or worse as of early this week. However, the amount of the state under exceptional drought is well under what we saw three months ago- when 69% of the state was in exceptional drought- today that number is 2%.   

A reminder that we have a Cattle on Feed Report that will be our this afternoon- 2 PM central- we will have details of the report including analysis of the numbers with Tom Leffler on our website later on Friday afternoon- and we will have that in our Monday email as well. ALSO- we would invite you to stop by and take a look at our website on a regular basis as we usually have several other stories posted that are not in this email- for example- we spotlight Louise Rigdon of Blackwell, Okla in a story about National Sorghum Checkoff Board members that are ending their service to the industry at the end of the month- and we have our Thursday Beef Buzz posted that offers some tips for Bull Buying for those who will be wanting to improve the genetics of their cow herd in the new year.   Go to OklahomaFarmReport daily and you'll find even more agricultural information that can help you stay on top of what's going on in the world of agriculture.  

Experience the Best in Italian Dining at Luigi's Italian Restaurant in Ardmore

Luigi's Italian Restaurant in Ardmore, Okla., continues the Legendary Restaurants of Oklahoma this week. Known for the best in authentic and traditional Italian dining, Luigi's Italian Restaurant serves up some of the most delicious and traditional dishes. Geno Abazcha, owner of Luigi's Italian Restaurant, says the family owned and operated restaurant started with his uncle. After working under his uncle for about six years, Abazcha bought the restaurant and has continued on with the same traditions and recipes ever since. Not a typical chain restaurant, Luigi's has authentic cooks that make the best house specialties like Chicken Pomodoro, Veal Marsala or Luigi's Special, which is chicken and sausage served on a bed of spaghetti with a white wine cream sauce and veggies. 

Click here to purchase your two $25 vouchers to Luigi's for only $25!

Karolyn Bolay talked with Geno Abazcha, owner of Luigi's, more about their restaurant and the history behind it. Click here to listen to their conversation.