Mark Hodges Takes a Final Look at 2012 Wheat Crop Quality and Prospects for 2013 

The 2012 wheat crop is now in the bin and is being utilized by end users. Mark Hodges of Plains Grains spoke with me about the final numbers on the crop's quality nationwide and what can be expected in 2013.

"We are now approaching 27,000 different data points on this hard red winter wheat crop from Texas to North Dakota and across to Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Really, this year, more than any other, has been as variable as any I have ever seen in my career."

He said that the crop in Oklahoma and Texas got off to a late start, but a good start, last year. Mild winter temperatures never really put the plants into dormancy and heavy early spring rains encouraged tremendous tillering. Hodges said several cattle producers had an overabundance of forage and had to pull cattle off wheat pasture early because they were gaining too much weight. Abnormally hot and windy conditions in May were hard on the crop especially since it was two weeks ahead of schedule by that time. He said the crop became moisture stressed right when it was most vulnerable during kernel development.

"And so we ended up, in a lot of locations where the wheat being delivered was anywhere from nine to sub-nine percent protein all the way up to 15 percent protein. It was on a fairly wide basis and it wasn't associated with management. It wasn't associated with the amount of nitrogen that was available to the plant. It was the growing conditions under which that crop developed."

You can read more from Mark or listen to our conversation by clicking here.

 

Oklahoma FFA Aims for Fourpeat in Public Speaking- Our Thursday Morning Convention Update

The competition at the national level really got underway yesterday here in Indianapolis, and Oklahoma FFA members seem ready to grab their share of national honors once again. 

At the top of the storyboard- Tanner Allread of Union City won his two preliminary rounds- and is now in the National Finals of the Prepared Public Speaking Contest- that will begin at 9 AM eastern time today (Thursday). This is the fourth year in a row that an Oklahoma FFA member will be in the finals. In fact, the last three years- Oklahoma has WON the National Prepared Public Speaking Contest.

After his first round victory on Wednesday- we talked with Tanner about his topic- the 2012 Farm Bill- and I found myself talking to someone who could step in and serve right now alongside the staffers who work for House Ag Committee Chairman Frank Lucas in DC- he knows his stuff- click here for that story and a chance to hear our conversation.

Click here for our overview for this Thursday morning from here in Indy- we have summarized everything that has happened to this point- and have links back in time to the previous three Public Speech winners from the last three years.

Other contests that have Oklahomans still alive and pushing forward include the Ag Issues Contest- with the Kingfisher Team winning in their first round- they compete again today.  And, today is the start of the FFA Creed Contest, with Cheredan Vap of Burlington representing the state. 

Our coverage of the 2012 National FFA Convention is made possible by the support of the Oklahoma FFA Association and the Oklahoma FFA Alumni Association- click here for the Oklahoma FFA website to learn more about the Blue and Gold.

Much of Oklahoma's Water Infrastructure Nearing End of its Lifespan

Tick-tock, tick-tock potentially could become more synonymous with Oklahoma water than the drip-drip-drip of well-managed, high-tech garden irrigation or the DRIP-DRIP-DRIP of some homeowner's frustratingly leaky faucet.

Mike Langston, assistant director of the Oklahoma Water Resources Research Institute at Oklahoma State University, cautions that time is not on the side of the state's water infrastructure, much of it built not long after World War II and given a life expectancy of 50 to 60 years.

"One of the most important taken-for-granted issues in water management is the pipes, dams, treatment plants and pumps that bring us clean drinking water and treat our sewage," he said. "Many of our communities are at or near the end of much of their water infrastructure's projected lifespan and officials must consider how to replace it." 

Click here for more on this story and information about the upcoming Oklahoma Governor's Water Conference.

Tight Beef Supplies Fuel Higher Prices, Export Concerns

Tighter and tighter beef supplies seem to be on the way. Three to four percent fewer pounds of beef will be available in 2013 according to livestock marketing specialist Dr. Derrell Peel of Oklahoma State University.   He says higher prices are likely to result.

"I think we're already seeing those in some sense. As we go forward it gets to be a bigger issue because the supply pressure will be even greater. This year, repeatedly, we're now for the third time this year bumping up into $1.95 to $2 range for choice boxed beef and that $2 ceiling seems to be a very, very strong barrier to us right now. I think it's a very strong psychological barrier at the wholesale and retail level. I do think we'll go through it. We may go through it before the end of this year. If not, I think there's a greater chance we'll go through it in the first quarter of next year."

Even with the rising prices, Peel says, consumer demand is there and, possibly, may increase.

You can listen to my interview with Derrel Peel in the latest Beef Buzz by clicking here.


 

U.S-Panama Free Trade Agreement To Take Effect

The U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement will take effect Oct. 31, signifying an end to a five-year push to solidify three free trade agreements (FTA) that are expected to boost beef exports by $3 billion. The U.S.-Korea FTA took effect March 15, 2012, followed by the Colombia FTA on May 15, 2012.

"Texas ranchers have worked for nearly five years to see these agreements become reality," said Joe Parker Jr., rancher and TSCRA president. "Families, both at home and abroad, want Texas beef on their tables, and now we will be able to help meet that demand. This is a win for consumers overseas and producers here in the U.S."

Among other things, implementation of the Panama FTA results in the immediate repeal of the 30 percent tariff on prime and choice cuts of U.S. beef and begins to phase out all remaining tariffs.

Read more by clicking here.

RFA Says Distillers Grains a Critical Component of Global Feed Market

Speaking to a crowd of more than 500 feed producers, marketers and buyers from around the world at the Export Exchange in Minneapolis, Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) Vice President Geoff Cooper explained that distillers grains and other ethanol co-products have become a tremendously important component of the global animal feed market. The Export Exchange, which is a joint conference between the RFA and the U.S. Grains Council, began Monday and ends Oct. 24.

"The American ethanol industry produced nearly 39 million tons of nutrient-dense animal feed in the 2011/12 marketing year, meaning the ethanol industry has surpassed the U.S. soybean crushing industry in terms of feed production," Cooper said. "The feed produced by the ethanol industry is nourishing beef, dairy, swine, poultry, and fish around the world. About one-quarter of the feed co-products generated last year were exported to more than 50 countries."

Cooper also explained that the U.S. ethanol industry has responded to the historic drought of 2012 by curtailing its consumption of corn. "There is a false notion out there that the ethanol industry is somehow insulated from the effects of the drought and high corn prices because of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)," Cooper said. "That simply isn't true. As crop conditions deteriorated in July and August and corn prices increased, corn use for ethanol dropped by almost 15 percent. That means the ethanol industry reduced its corn consumption by about 600-700 million bushels on an annualized basis in less than two months' time. Without a doubt, the ethanol industry has not been spared from the effects of the drought."

You can read more by clicking here.

 

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words- and We Have Lots of Pictures to Share- Corn Harvest, WheatWatch, Sholar Reception and FFA

We have several new sets of photos on FLICKR that you may want to check out- here's a quick thumbnail sketch of each and a link to take a look:

As we traveled into Indianapolis earlier this week- we saw some combines rolling and pulled off I-65 near Columbus, Indiana and got some great shots of the 2012 corn harvest here in the Hoosier state.  It was a decent field of corn- but clearly below what midest farmers have come to expect as normal- click here to take a look at the combine in action as well as a full close up of good and bad ears of corn.

We mentioned it earlier in the week- but you may want to go and look at our new WheatWatch 2013 set that we have just begun- early pictures of a couple of Canadian County wheat fields that we will be following all season as they develop- and a video with the audio of our current Oklahoma Wheat Commission production tip featuring comments from OSU's Dr. Jeff Edwards.  Click here  and check out WheatWatch 2013.

This past Friday- we were in Stillwater and were excited to be a part of the Ron Sholar reception as he was honored by CASNR as a Distinguished Alum.  Click here to see our pictures of that day- including some of the walkaround fun on campus that evening.

Finally- as we have been reminding you all this week- we are in the process of building a set of photos from the 2012 National FFA Convention- we have added a few more from Wednesday- so go check out our FLICKR set from Indy- click here to take a look.