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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.
Let's Check the
Markets!
Today's
First Look:
Ron
on RON Markets as heard on K101
mornings
with cash and futures reviewed- includes where the Cash
Cattle market stands, the latest Feeder Cattle Markets
Etc.
Okla
Cash Grain:
Daily
Oklahoma Cash Grain Prices- as reported
by the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture. NOTE- this report
was not updated on Tuesday afternoon-
next update comes Wednesday after the markets
close.
Canola
Prices:
Current
cash price for Canola is $11.80 per bushel-
2012
New Crop contracts for Canola are now available at
$11.96 per bushel- delivered to local
participating elevators that are working with PCOM.
Futures
Wrap:
Our
Daily Market Wrapup from the Radio
Oklahoma Network with Ed Richards and Tom Leffler-
analyzing the Futures Markets from the previous Day.
KCBT
Recap:
Previous Day's Wheat Market Recap-Two
Pager from the Kansas City Board of Trade looks at all
three U.S. Wheat Futures Exchanges with extra info on
Hard Red Winter Wheat and the why of that day's
market.
Feeder
Cattle Recap:
The
National Daily Feeder & Stocker
Cattle Summary- as prepared by USDA.
Slaughter
Cattle Recap:
The
National Daily Slaughter Cattle
Summary- as prepared by the USDA.
TCFA
Feedlot Recap:
Finally,
here is the Daily Volume and Price Summary from
the Texas Cattle Feeders Association.
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Oklahoma's
Latest Farm and Ranch News
Your
Update from Ron Hays of RON
Wednesday,
December 28, 2011
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Howdy
Neighbors!
Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch
news update.
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Featured
Story:
Cotton
Producers Struggled with Drought and More in
2011
2011
has been quite a ride for Oklahoma cotton
producers. The terrible drought finally gave way
to considerable autumn rainfall. The Altus Mesonet
Station has recorded 5.2 inches of precipitation
since October 1 (compared to the "normal 5.4
inches), and that is very near normal in terms of
amounts and distribution by month. This has
allowed many producers to get cover established on
previously parched fields.
The
bad news is we still have cotton in the field in
some areas at this late date. One producer
indicated that in the last 2.5 months, he has only
been able to conduct stripper harvesting
operations for only about 10 days. This has added
insult to injury relative to fiber quality issues.
The December USDA-NASS estimate indicated
that the Oklahoma crop had 100,000 standing acres,
would yield 432 lbs/acre and would ultimately
produce 90,000 bales. I have a hard time with the
90,000 bale production estimate based on
experience and what we know about the 2011 crop.
If we assume we planted about 400,000 acres and if
we assume we are harvesting 50,000 then that
results in an abandonment rate of about 87% during
the worst drought year on record. Data provided by
the USDA-FSA State Office indicated that dryland
planted acreage was about 262,000 whereas
irrigated acreage was about 134,000 for a total of
396,000 acres in the state during
2011.
Click here for more on cotton in 2011
and a link to the full copy of Cotton
Comments
Newsletter. |
Sponsor
Spotlight
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 website to learn more about their
efforts to serve rural America!
A new
sponsor of the daily email is One Resource
Environmental. Farm and ranch operators who
have gas or diesel storage on their place may be
facing regulations that spring out of the Federal
Clean Water Act. These folks can help you
determine if you need a plan and then if you do-
help you get that plan in place. Click here for their
website- FarmSPCC for more
details. |
NRCS
Offers Financial Assistance for Energy Savings on
Agricultural
Operations
As
one of the major users of energy in the American
economy, the agricultural industry is seeing
affects on their own economic sustainability due
to high cost of energy inputs. As a result, many
producers are beginning to look for ways to
conserve energy and reduce energy costs in their
operations. Through energy conservation measures,
producers not only receive a positive incentive in
their pocketbook, but they also help to reduce
reliance on fossil fuels; conserving our natural
resources.
The USDA Natural Resources
Conservation Service recently announced an
opportunity for agricultural producers to receive
financial assistance for energy conservation
through the On-Farm Energy Initiative. The On-Farm
Energy Initiative can assist producers who wish to
reduce energy use in two ways. First, the program
will offer financial assistance to producers who
wish to hire technical Service Providers (TSPs)
who will develop a type II energy audit. The
energy audit can identify potential energy saving
activities that the producer can implement in the
farm headquarters or on the landscape through
changes in tillage or other management.
Second,
the On-Farm Energy Initiative can provide
assistance for the implementation of recommended
practices. While an audit is encouraged to
identify those practices which will conserve
energy, assistance is available for a variety of
energy saving practices even without an existing
audit.
Click here for more information from
the NRCS on these energy
savings. |
Balance
Beef Herd Females With Expected Forage
Supplies
As
we wrap up 2011- several lessons in managing our
beef cattle operations have been force fed to
cattle producers- and one of the most important of
those lessons is to make sure you keep the proper
balance between the amount of forage you have
available and the number of animals you keep in
your operation- irregardless of whether you run a
seedstock operation, commercial cow calf operation
or even a stocker operation.
As
the price of feedstuffs has skyrocketed in 2011-
and shows little relief at least early in 2012,
cow-calf producers must continue to emphasize cost
management in their operations. And strategic
replacement heifer selection is one consideration
in helping with cost control- and in the survival
of your herd. Kansas State University cow-calf
production specialist Bob Weaber is advising
producers to select replacement heifers that will
economically match their expected feed
resources.
Click here for our Beef Buzz
featuring comments with Weaberabout this need
to match forage supplies with the right numbers of
the right sized mama cows.
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Tank-Mixing
Herbicides to Improve Weed Control in Winter Wheat
Tank-mixing
multiple herbicides is a simple way to broaden the
spectrum of weeds that can be controlled in a
single application. According to Joe Armstrong,
Small Grains Weed Science Extension Specialist, in
addition to improving weed control, tank-mixing
herbicides from multiple modes of action is also
an important step in the prevention and management
of herbicide-resistant weeds.
For example,
Kansas has found several populations of
ALS-resistant winter broadleaves, such as
marestail, bushy wallflower, and flixweed
(pictured below). In all situations, these weeds
were resistant to several ALS inhibitor
herbicides, such as Finesse®, Ally®, Amber®,
Olympus®, PowerFlex®, Express®, and Beyond®. While
ALS-resistant broadleaf weeds may not be currently
prevalent in Oklahoma, it is extremely important
to take pro-active steps to prevent their
development.
One of the easiest and most
effective ways to integrate resistance management
practices is to tank-mix products from additional
herbicide modes of action, such as MCPA, 2,4-D,
dicamba, Huskie®, or Aim®.
Click here for more from Joe
Armstrong on tank-mixing herbicides.
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Cattle
and Beef Markets Winding Down for 2011- New Weekly
Market Analysis
The
Cattle and Boxed Beef Markets are typically slow
in the final weeks of the year- and that seems to
be case this week as we watch 2011 rapidly come to
close. Beginning this week- and going forward on a
regular basis into the new year- we are pleased to
offer a new feature on our website- and also via
the daily email- a weekly recap of the fed cattle,
Boxed Beef and Feeder Cattle markets, as described
by Ed Czerwien of the USDA Livestock Market News
office in Amarillo, Texas.
Take a
listen- and you'll have a better insight into not
just the actual prices of the cattle market of the
previous week- but also some of the insights of
"the why" of the cattle market as well. Click here for the audio
conversation we had on Tuesday with Ed about
the fat cattle market, boxed beef and the feeder
cattle markets.
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OACD
and Chesapeake Energy to Partner on Outstanding
Conservation Educator Award
As
part of their continuing commitment to Oklahoma
and the health of its environment, Chesapeake
Energy and the Oklahoma Association of
Conservation Districts (OACD) have once again
teamed up to announce the "Chesapeake Energy
Outstanding Oklahoma Conservation Educator
Contest," a statewide program that honors the
Oklahoma school teachers who most effectively
incorporate natural resource conservation learning
into their class curriculum. The Chesapeake
Outstanding Conservation Educator Award will be
presented to one teacher in each Oklahoma
Congressional District. Each winner will receive
$2000 at the Governor's Conservation Awards
Ceremony during Conservation Day at the Capitol
next spring.
"We are truly honored to again
have Chesapeake, Oklahoma's most active driller
and largest clean natural gas producer, as our
partner in furthering conservation in Oklahoma,"
Joe Parker, President of OACD said. "The company's
continued sponsorship of these awards and its
commitment to protecting and conserving our
natural resources is greatly appreciated. They are
truly committed to the conservation and protection
of our soil, water, air and wildlife
habitats."
The Chesapeake Outstanding
Conservation Educator Award will be presented
annually to the Oklahoma school teachers judged as
having best incorporated information on the
conservation of our natural resources into their
lesson plans using inventive and imaginative
techniques.
Click here for more from OACD and
Chesapeake on this conservation award.
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Hooker
on Track to Have Driest Year of Any Location in
Oklahoma- Ever
Gary
McManus, Associate State Climatologist for the
Oklahoma Climatological Survey offers us a review
of rainfall totals for the year- including the
graphic that we have for you on our website that
shows a fifty inch spread of most to least
rainfall across the state for 2011- year to
date.
Gary writes "It became fairly
obvious early on that the western half of the
state was going to experience a heightened case of
drought compared to eastern Oklahoma. Drought
relief in April and May brought the drought to a
screeching halt in the eastern one-third before
the heat and dry weather brought it back in June.
No such luck for western Oklahoma, and the
year-to-date precipitation map from the Oklahoma
Mesonet paints that picture quite well.
Click here for the graphics we
have courtesy of Gary and the wonderful Mesonet
folks. |
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God Bless!
You can reach us at the following:
phone: 405-473-6144
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