From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2011 6:47 AM
To: Hays, Ron
Subject: Oklahoma's Farm News Update
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Oklahoma's latest farm and ranch news
Your Update from Ron Hays of RON for Thursday August 11, 2011
A service of Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, Midwest Farm Shows and KIS Futures!
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-- No New Regulations on Transporting Ag Products from Department of Transportation
-- Farm Credit Administration Offers Guidance after Credit Ratings Lowered
-- American Farmland Trust says Budget Deficit Plan Will Take a Toll on Future Agriculture
-- Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Awards OSU with $2.7 million for Bobwhite Quail Research
-- USDA Appoints Two Oklahomans to Minority Farmer Advisory Committee
-- American Farm Bureau Federation says Review of GPS Interferance is Important
-- ZACTRAN- A New Tool to Use in Battle Against BRD
-- August Crop Numbers Being Released This Morning.
-- 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 proud to have KIS Futures as a regular sponsor of our daily email update. KIS Futures provides Oklahoma Farmers & Ranchers with futures & options hedging services in the livestock and grain markets- Click here for the free market quote page they provide us for our website or call them at 1-800-256-2555- and their IPHONE App, which provides all electronic futures quotes is available at the App Store- click here for the KIS Futures App for your Iphone.

We are also 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.

And we salute our longest running email sponsor- Midwest Farm Shows, producer of the springtime Southern Plains Farm Show as well as the Tulsa Farm Show coming this December- December 8th through the 10th. Click here for the Midwest Farm Show main website to learn more about their lineup of shows around the country!

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.

If you have received this by someone forwarding it to you, you are welcome to subscribe and get this weekday update sent to you directly by clicking here.


No New Regulations on Transporting Ag Products from Department of Transportation
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The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced that it has no intention to propose new regulations governing the transport of agricultural products.

After hearing from concerned farmers earlier this year, FMCSA initiated this review to make sure states don't go overboard in enforcing regulations on agricultural operators, and to ensure consistent access to exemptions for farmers. No regulations will be proposed for any new safety requirements or changes to the rules governing the transport of agricultural products, farm machinery, or farm supplies to or from a farm.

"We have no intention of instituting onerous regulations on the hardworking farmers who feed our country and fuel our economy," said Secretary Ray LaHood. "Farmers deserve to know that reasonable, common sense exemptions will continue to be consistently available to agricultural operations across the country, and that's why we released this guidance."

This guidance - which does not impose any new rules on farmers - follows the Federal Register public notice which FMCSA issued on May 31, 2011, asking farmers, farm organizations and the public to give input on the agency's longstanding safety rules.

"We want to make it absolutely clear that farmers will not be subjected to new and impractical safety regulations," said U.S. Transportation Deputy Secretary John Porcari. "The farm community can be confident that states will continue to follow the regulatory exemptions for farmers that have always worked so well."

"FMCSA is pleased with the input we've received from the agricultural community and members of Congress. We received about 1700 comments and the vast majority called for us to preserve the guidance that leaves states to carry out the farm exceptions as they have for many years." said FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro. "We want to make crystal clear that we are not imposing any new regulations."

Several agricultural organizations were pleased with this decision from the Department of Transportation. Click on the links below to read their comments on this decision.

Click here to read NCBA's reaction to the Department of Transportation's decision.

Click here for Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association's reaction.

Click here for American Farm Bureau Federation's reaction, as well.


Farm Credit Administration Offers Guidance after Credit Ratings Lowered
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Farm Credit Administration Chairman and CEO Leland A. Strom recently released the following statement regarding the actions taken by Standard & Poor's to lower the rating of long-term securities issued by the U.S. government and certain government-related entities, including the Farm Credit System and its consolidated Systemwide debt.

"On August 5 and 8, 2011, Standard & Poor's rating agency lowered from AAA to AA+ the long-term issuer and related issue credit ratings of the U.S. government and certain government-related entities, including the Farm Credit System and its consolidated Systemwide debt.

With regard to the actions, the Farm Credit Administration (FCA) provides the following guidance for the institutions of the Farm Credit System: the risk weights for Treasury securities and other securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, government agencies, and government-sponsored entities will not change for purposes of calculating risk-based capital. The treatment of Treasury securities and other securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, government agencies, and government-sponsored entities under other FCA regulations will also be unaffected.

This guidance is consistent with the guidance issued by other federal financial regulatory agencies. We will evaluate any other implications for entities regulated by the FCA and issue additional clarification as necessary."


American Farmland Trust says Budget Deficit Plan Will Take a Toll on Future Agriculture
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"The various budget deficit talks that have gripped the attention of Washington these past months have finally resulted in a plan to reduce our nation's deficit," says Jon Scholl, President of American Farmland Trust (AFT). "While we are thankful that this crisis has been dealt with, we also know that the plan will have serious implications for the future of U.S. agriculture and its ability to provide food, fiber, fuel and stewardship of our natural resources."

The plan agreed upon last week will address the nation's budget deficit by requiring $900 billion in immediate cuts and then over $1 trillion in cuts either via a "super committee" of 12 members of Congress, or through automatic cuts if the committee can not come to agreement.

"We do not know what these cuts will mean for farms, farmland and food since the immediate and longer-term cuts have not been fully mapped out for each area in the federal budget," adds Scholl. "However, it is clear that agriculture will need to do more with less."

"I believe the next farm bill can be transformational," Scholl says. "Our country must now make big decisions about the nature of government and how it will spend our money, and agriculture and food policy will be no exception to that rule."

Click here for more from AFT on the budget deficit plan's affect on agriculture


Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Awards OSU with $2.7 million for Bobwhite Quail Research
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There are several factors at play as to why Northern bobwhite quail populations have dwindled statewide, and Oklahoma State University is conducting research to get to the root of the problem.

"Loss and degradation of habitats have certainly played a significant role in thedecline of quail populations throughout their range as well as in Oklahoma," said Chip Leslie, Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit leader. "The major problems are urbanization, large-scale agriculture and more recently, changes in landownership patterns."

To answer the question of where Oklahoma's bobwhites have gone, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation has committed to a six-year, $2.7 million grant to fund OSU's research.

"Bobwhite quail have been declining in Oklahoma and both ODWC and the public are concerned about the loss," said Dwayne Elmore, OSU Cooperative Extension wildlife specialist. "The objective of this study is to determine how better to manage bobwhite."

Elmore and his team will be primarily focusing on how fire and grazing impact bobwhite quail. Several other factors will also be reviewed.

Click here to read more on this bobwhite quail research at OSU


USDA Appoints Two Oklahomans to Minority Farmer Advisory Committee
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This Thursday and Friday, August 11-12, the members of USDA's Minority Farmer Advisory Committee will meet for the first time to discuss efforts to increase minority participation in Department programs and services. The establishment of this committee builds upon existing cultural transformation initiatives underway and will help ensure fair and equal access to USDA services.

Two members from Oklahoma were earlier named to the Minority Farmer Advisory Committee. Robert Anderson of Earlsboro, Okla., and Randall Ware of Fort Cobb, Okla., will be representing the state at the upcoming advisory committee meeting. Members will advise Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on additional ways the Department can continue building an inclusive future with targeted outreach and assistance to minority and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

The meeting will be held on Thursday, August 11, 2011, and Friday, August 12, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., respectively. The meeting will be open to the public for public comment on August 11, 2011, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The meeting will be located at the Crowne Plaza, 300 North Second Street, Memphis, TN 38105. Written comments may be submitted to: Henry Searcy, Jr., Designated Federal Officer, OAO, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Whitten Bldg., 520-A, Washington, DC 20250, 202-692-4119.

Click here to see more on the expected work of this advisory group to USDA.


American Farm Bureau Federation says Review of GPS Interferance is Important
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It is important to farmers and ranchers that the Federal Communication Commission's review possible interference with the Global Positioning Systems that could be created by a broadband network being developed by LightSquared, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. The company is building an open wireless broadband network that will operate on a wholesale basis.

"High-speed broadband services have great potential to bring opportunity to rural Americans, but should not jeopardize the Global Positioning System," said AFBF President Bob Stallman. "Many of our farmer and rancher members rely on GPS for precision agriculture."

Farmers use GPS for accurate mapping of field boundaries, roads and irrigation systems; for precision planting; and for targeting the application of fertilizer and chemicals that combat weeds and crop diseases. GPS also allows farmers to work in fields despite low-visibility conditions such as rain, dust, fog and darkness.

"It is the accuracy of GPS that makes it useful to farmers and ranchers," noted Stallman. Disruption to GPS could raise on-farm production costs.

AFBF submitted comments to the FCC in July urging the agency to ensure there is no interference with GPS receivers prior to granting LightSquared permission to operate its high-powered cellular base stations.

Click here for more on the need for review of GPS interference


ZACTRAN- A New Tool to Use in Battle Against BRD
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ZACTRAN is a new antimicrobial from Merial, which will provide producers with a rapid-response weapon in the battle against BRD. It can be used for control of BRD in high-risk cattle or as a first-pull treatment of sick cattle.

Dr. Bruce Nosky of Merial tells us that this is new chemistry when it comes to dealing with Bovine Respiratory Disease- or BRD. Noskey adds "BRD causes between $800 to $900 million annually in economic losses from death, reduced feed efficiency and treatment costs. Given the significant impact of BRD, producers need cattle to respond quickly to treatment."

Nosky is our Thursday guest on the Beef Buzz, our regular look at stuff happening in the beef cattle industry. The Beef Buzz is heard on great radio stations throughout our region- and is also posted on our website on a regular basis- previous Beef Buzz shows can be heard by clicking on the Beef Buzz button on the left hand side of any page on our website- www.OklahomaFarmReport.Com.

Click here for today's Beef Buzz with our conversation about ZACTRAN with Dr. Bruce Nosky of Merial.


August Crop Numbers Being Released This Morning.
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A quick reminder- the August first Crop Production numbers will be released shortly at 7:30 AM central time- we will have details on what they say and what they mean on the front page of our website- www.OklahomaFarmReport.Com. Click here for our front page and be looking for those Crop Production and Supply Demand Estimate updates.

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.

Click here to check out WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com


Let's Check the Markets!
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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 $12.15 per bushel, while the 2012 New Crop contracts for Canola are now available are $12.24 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:
Our Daily Market Wrapup from the Radio Oklahoma Network with Ed Richards and Tom Leffler- analyzing the Futures Markets from the previous Day-
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.
Previous Day's Wheat Market Recap- Two Pager From The Kansas City Board of Trade looks at all three US Wheat Futures Exchanges with extra info on Hard Red Winter Wheat and the why of that day's market.
Daily Oklahoma Cash Grain Prices- As Reported by the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture.
The National Daily Feeder & Stocker Cattle Summary- as prepared by USDA.
The National Daily Slaughter Cattle Summary- as prepared by USDA.
Finally, Here is the Daily Volume and Price Summary from the Texas Cattle Feeders Association.



God Bless! You can reach us at the following:
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phone: 405-473-6144
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