Cold- and Maybe Some Snow!  

Dr. Jeff Edwards (Our State OSU Wheat Specialist) sent an advisory out late Tuesday afternoon- updating folks on some calls he was getting in regards to some wheat looking like it had freeze damage.

Dr. Edwards writes "I have received several calls over the past few days regarding yellow/brown areas in wheat fields.

"Most of the symptoms are the result of freeze injury that occurred a few weeks ago. It seems odd to discuss freeze injuries given the warm winter, but the lack of a"hardening off period" and warm temperatures that encouraged new growth have left the plants susceptible to tissue damage due to freeze. Note that the injury is on the older leaves and/or leaf tips and that the new growth is healthy and green. This injury is purely cosmetic and will not impact yield. So,there is no need to deviate from your management plan because of this type of injury."

Jeff has some pictures in this release out from OSU on Tuesday afternoon- click here to take a look.  

That's the cold part of the headline- now for the "snow" part- It looks like we have a chance of a mix of rain and snow by Sunday night into Monday morning- one of our forecaster friends has mentioned the data as of Tuesday night suggests as much as six inches of snow in northern Oklahoma at the end of the weekend- and perhaps three inches in central Oklahoma. In the latest Weather Discussion by the National Weather Service- they are saying of the Sunday night-Monday morning time frame "MODEL FORECAST SOUNDINGS SUPPORT SNOW AND RAIN. THE SYNOPTIC ARRANGEMENT SUGGESTS THE ADDITIONAL POSSIBILITY OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET."  They add- and we agree- we shall see.

Globally- Farmers Continue to Embrace Biotech Crops   

Farmers around the world are increasing their use of genetically engineered (GE) crops according to a report released today by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA).

The ISAAA report, Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2011, says a record 16.7 million farmers in 29 countries are growing biotech crops on 395 million acres. 

According to the report, "such adoption represents a 94-fold increase in hectares planted since 1996, making biotech crops the fastest adopted crop technology in recent history." 

Click here for a statement on this fast adoption of this plant technology from Dr. Cathleen Enright, Executive Vice President, Food and Agriculture for the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)- who says that biotech crops are not just a benefit to the farmers who grow the crops but  "also provides consumers with a safe, affordable food supply with a reduced environmental impact.  

Cattlefax Thinks Market Could Support Three to Four Million More Beef Cows Then We Have in Early 2012 

The CEO of Cattlefax, Randy Blach,  was quick to caution me last Friday that a number he mentioned during last week's Cattlefax Market Outlook was not a prediction of how many cows we would add to the nation's beef cattle herd over the next few years.  

However, the three to four million cows that Blach talked about is the number he says that we need to add to the cow herd in order to take full advantage of the expanding global demand that is out there for US beef. The latest Cattle Inventory report showed two percent beef cows nationally at just slightly over 29 million head.

Blach says it takes two things to get people excited and thinking about herd expansion- green grass and profitability.

Blach is our guest on today's Beef Buzz as we discuss the state of the US Beef Cow herd. Click here to jump over to our website where you can hear this part of our conversation with the head of Cattlefax.

A Very Full Calendar- Including the Winter Crop Conference in Altus, Women in Ag in Tonkawa and OCIA in OKC   

We keep adding things to our calendar that is found on our website, OklahomaFarmReport.Com, and we are always glad to have the items that you get to us.  One word of advice- send those items as early as you can once you get a program or event set- that way it will be up on our calendar early enough for folks to see it several times.  You can email them to me by clicking here. 

The Winter Crop Conference in Altus looks like a really good program- and while they were encouraging early registration- the word we got yesterday was give either the Jackson County Extension office or the Southwest Tech Center a call and they will be glad to have you come this Thursday.  Program includes Cotton Specialist Dr. Randy Boman, Dr. Chad Godsey, Dr. Kim Anderson and Dr. Derrel Peel- all of these fine gentlemen from OSU.  Also on the program in the morning is Texas Agri Life Cotton Specialist  Dr. Jackie Smith.  Click here for more details of this day long event planned in Altus.  

The Kay and Noble Counties Women in Ag Conference is also an all day event- planned for Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa on Thursday.  "Denim and Lace" is the theme of the meeting- and I haven't decided which I will wear yet as I offer some thoughts in the morning part of the conference about how to tell Agriculture's story.  I always look forward to showing up at these events to see what comes out of my mouth- you just don't ever know for certain- click here for details of the rest of the program for the day. 

Finally- a quick reminder that the annual meeting of the Oklahoma Crop Improvement Association is set for this Friday and Saturday on the west side of OKC at the Embassy Suites on south Meridian. Click here for their agenda which has the program on Friday and Business meetings planned for Saturday.  

Devon Energy Becomes Platinum Sponsor for 2012 Oklahoma Youth Expo

The Oklahoma Youth Expo, known as the world's largest junior livestock show, is proud to announce the addition of Devon Energy to its list of platinum level sponsors. Devon has generously agreed to sponsor the 2012 Breeding Scholarships. These scholarships will be used to fund scholastic opportunities to the winners of the organization's prestigious breeding animal shows.

"We're extremely excited about the opportunity to partner with Devon," commented Tyler Norvell, executive director of the Oklahoma Youth Expo. "An important part of the educational mandate set forth by our Board of Directors is to ensure our students have real-life educational opportunities as part of the Expo's competitive process. Teaming up with Devon, one of the nation's premier energy companies, is an extraordinary fit. We are honored that Devon has agreed to assist in the scholastic mission of the Oklahoma Youth Expo.

Click here for more details about this new partnership with Devon- and if you want to reminisce about the 2011 edition of the OYE- click here for our Flickr set of pictures and enjoy!

"American Agriculture: Abundant. Affordable. AMAZING." 

On March 8, 2012, the Agriculture Council of America (ACA) will host three major events in the nation's capital: a coffee event in the morning, the Mix-and-Mingle Luncheon and the National Celebration of Agriculture Dinner. This year's theme is "American Agriculture: Abundant. Affordable. AMAZING."

The events honor National Agriculture Day and mark a nationwide effort to tell the true story of American agriculture and remind citizens that agriculture is a part of all of us. A number of producers, agricultural associations, corporations, students and government organizations involved in agriculture are expected to participate.

This is the 39th anniversary of National Ag Day (March 8, 2012), which is celebrated in classrooms and communities across the country.

Read more about this year's plan for Ag Day by clicking here.

Understanding Consumer Demand Trends Key To Producer Success- So Says Jim Robb

The good news and bad news for beef producers is that beef prices are expected to go higher says Jim Robb of the Livestock Marketing Information Center. He says the trends in the beef markets over the next few years will make it crucial for producers to keep consumer demand top of mind.

Drought-related herd liquidation has only added to the upward pressure in beef prices and the supply crunch internationally will continue for the next few years, Robb says.

We have a video produced by the American Angus folks featuring Jim Robb with his take on the importance of keeping the consumer top of mind.  Click here to jump over to our story  to take a look.