From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Monday, August 22, 2011 6:27 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 Monday August 22, 2011
A service of Johnston Enterprises, P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind Energy and American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company!
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-- Oklahoma Agriculture United Over Castor Bean Concerns
-- United States Cattle on Feed Up 8 Percent - The third largest August On-Feed number in 16 years
-- OSU and Oklahoma Water Resources Research Institute Join Up to Serve Producers
-- U.S. Looking to Expand Canola Crop Due To Demand
-- Hot Summer May Cause Southern Plains Beef Cows to Calve Early This Fall Calving Season
-- House Ag Committee Member Collin Peterson says Safety Net for Dairy Industry is Crucial
-- Century Mark Record Will Be Set Later Today in Oklahoma
-- 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!

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Oklahoma Agriculture United Over Castor Bean Concerns
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Agribusiness and farm and ranch organizations are speaking with one voice- voicing major concerns about the production of Castor beans in the state of Oklahoma.

The Otoe-Missouria Tribe in Red Rock has partnered with a group of out-of-state financiers to begin working on a project to grow 15,000 acres of castor beans and then convert them to biofuels. The tribe has already purchased the grain elevator in Red Rock and would like to eventually operate 16 plants around the state, with 15,000 acres of castor beans in each area.

Castor beans contain the toxin, ricin, which is extremely dan-gerous and fatal if consumed, inhaled or injected. Ricin is illegal to possess and has been used as a weapon worldwide since the 1940's. If found in wheat, soybeans or other food grains, a single castor bean seed would cause the entire field, truck or elevator to be condemned.

The Radio Oklahoma Network talked with several agricultural leaders in the state at the end of this past week- and they all expressed worries about castor bean production- all citing the fears of ricin being produced in the state. Click on the LINK below to hear our audio overview of our conversations with Terry Detrick of the AFR, Scott Dewald of the OCA and Joe Neal Hampton of the Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association.

Hampton's group issued a news release on Friday about a resolution they have adopted- calling for a total ban on the production of any crop that contains toxic levels of ricin- which would include Castor Beans. Here is that release:

Citing an unacceptable risk to the integrity, security and safety of a wide variety of cultivated agricultural commodities within our state and the food and feed processed products made from them, the Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association, the Oklahoma Agribusiness Retailers Association, and the Oklahoma Seed Trade Association have each adopted the following resolution:

Be it resolved that the Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association, the Oklahoma Agribusiness Retailers Association, and the Oklahoma Seed Trade Association do not, and will not, support castor bean cultivation and production within the State of Oklahoma until such time as cultivated castor seed, and its components, are scientifically considered non-toxic.

Click here for more on the Castor Bean Uproar- we several links as well as that audio overview of what we heard from Oklahoma Ag leaders


United States Cattle on Feed Up 8 Percent - The third largest August On-Feed number in 16 years
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The latest Cattle on Feed Numbers are out on Friday afternoon, August 19, 2011 and the figures released by USDA are United States Cattle on Feed Up 8 Percent

The latest Cattle on Feed report shows the third largest August On-Feed number in the past 16 years.

Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 10.6 million head on August 1, 2011. The inventory was 8 percent above August 1, 2010. This is the third highest August 1 inventory since the series began in 1996.

Placements in feedlots during July totaled 2.15 million, 22 percent above 2010. This is the highest placement total for the month of July since the series began in 1996. Net placements were 2.09 million head. During July, placements of cattle and calves weighing less than 600 pounds were 625,000, 600-699 pounds were 405,000, 700-799 pounds were 498,000, and 800 pounds and greater were 625,000.

Click here to listen to our latest Cattle on Feed report and analysis with Tom Leffler


OSU and Oklahoma Water Resources Research Institute Join Up to Serve Producers
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The Oklahoma Water Resources Research Institute - with its 46-year commitment to scientific inquiry and outreach on behalf of state citizens - has joined the Oklahoma State University Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

"The division has more investment in water research, education and public service than any other entity in the state," said Robert E. Whitson, DASNR vice president, dean and director. "Improved integration of OWRRI projects with the division's many water-related county and state programs can only enhance Oklahoma's ability to develop the most cost-effective and environmentally sustainable uses of its water resources."

Whitson said decisions made by Oklahoma producers, agricultural processors, value-added industries, community leaders and county officials about their water use and management have never been more important, with demand for water increasing from multiple users and interest groups.

OWRRI is one of 54 state and territorial water research institutes created at land-grant universities by the federal Water Resources Research Act of 1964. OWRRI was established at OSU in 1965 but serves the entire state and has funded 195 research projects over the years.

Click here for more information on the joint effort of OSU and OWRRI


U.S. Looking to Expand Canola Crop Due To Demand
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The demand for canola, best known for the cooking oil it produces, continues to rise and the industry is working to grow more of the plant in the U.S. to keep pace with increased sales.

Experts said the best hope for meeting demand is to grow a variety of canola that is planted in the fall and harvested in the spring, offering farmers in some regions a chance to make use of their land during a normally dormant period.

Most of the nation's canola crop is a spring variety, planted in the spring and harvested in late summer or early fall. About 90 percent of U.S. canola is grown in North Dakota, but by growing more winter canola, industry officials believe canola acres in the U.S. could more than triple.

"There is no reason we couldn't see 4 to 5 million acres planted from the Carolinas to the Great Plains," said Dale Thorenson, assistant director of the U.S. Canola Association.

The U.S. used just over 3 billion pounds of canola oil in 2010, with about 2.5 billion pounds being imported from Canada, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Click here to learn more about demand for canola across the U.S.


Hot Summer May Cause Southern Plains Beef Cows to Calve Early This Fall Calving Season
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For cattle producers that have mama cows that calve in the fall- you need to expect many of those calves may come earlier than normal because of this very hot summer we continue to experience. We talk about the urgency of paying attention now to your beef cow herd with Dr. Glenn Selk of Oklahoma State University on our Monday Beef Buzz.

OSU research that Dr. Selk had a hand in points to earlier calving in hot years versus more normal summers. Producers with early fall-calving cows should expect calves to start coming several days ahead of the "textbook gestation table" dates. They should begin their routine heifer and cow checks at least a week to 10 days ahead of the expected first calving date.

Click on the LINK below for more on this research- and a chance to hear our Monday Beef Buzz with Dr. Selk. The Beef Buzz is heard on great radio stations across our region- and we have previous Beef Buzz reports on our website- www.OklahomaFarmReport.Com. Go to the website and click on the Beef Buzz button on the left hand side of any page to see a listing of previous shows.

Click here to learn more about hot weather and early calving that seems to result- we talk with OSU's Glenn Selk.


House Ag Committee Member Collin Peterson says Safety Net for Dairy Industry is Crucial
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The following article is an op-ed article from House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin C. Peterson, D-Minn. concerning the dairy industry and the issue of improving the dairy program.

"It has been nearly three years since the combination of declining milk prices and escalating input costs devastated the dairy industry. Many producers were forced out of business while others just barely managed to survive.

The dairy safety net did not work in 2009 and it won't work if similar events occur now. Current dairy programs are not keeping pace with the challenges facing today's industry. In fact, the current levels of support will actually decrease in September of next year.

I recently put forward a discussion draft of proposed dairy reforms that I believe will offer better protection, create stability and inspire growth in the dairy sector. The dairy industry can be a very diverse and divided industry, and for the first time I have seen agreement that the current system is hurting American dairy producers. We can't let this opportunity pass us by."

Click here to read the rest of Rep. Peterson's thoughts on dairy policy and reform


Century Mark Record Will Be Set Later Today in Oklahoma
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According to Gary McManus with the Oklahoma Climatological Survey, Sometime around noon on Sunday, the Oklahoma Mesonet site at Grandfield measured a temperature of 100 degrees, marking the 86th day this year that site has reached triple-digits. That ties the state's all-time record of 86 days set by Hollis in the drought-fueled summer of 1956. And Grandfield is not the only site to bust into the top spots this year. Altus and Hollis are both making waves with Altus now solely in third place at 84 days.

Grandfield will most assuredly break the all-time Oklahoma record on this Monday with Altus soon to follow.

Gary adds "Why stop at 100 degrees? Grandfield has been at or above 105 degrees 60 times this year through today. That tops the previous statewide record of 51 days set in 1934 and 1936 at Cloud Chief (Washita County) and 1936 again at Jefferson (Grant County). Altus has reached 105 degrees 57 times counting today, also besting the previous state record (and their previous record of 42 days from 1936)."

Oklahoma City also has a chance to establish it's own record this week- looking for day 51 of 100 degrees or more- OKC has tied the old record of 50 days in a year of a hundred degrees or more.

We do have some rain rumbling through in the form of thundershowers in north central Oklahoma- click here for the Oklahoma Mesonet realtime precipitation map of the last 24 hours- you notice there are some rainfall totals piling up in north central Oklahoma- north of Oklahoma City and west of Tulsa.


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 $12.62 per bushel- as of the close of business yesterday, while the 2012 New Crop contracts for Canola are now available are $12.98 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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