September Pork Exports Steady; Beef Exports Lower 

U.S. pork exports in September were steady with last year's volume, while beef exports were well below a year ago. Despite sluggish volumes, however, the value of both pork and beef exports through the third quarter of 2012 remains ahead of last year's record-setting pace, according to statistics released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

"We are definitely in a challenging economic environment, which is making it difficult to match last year's export volumes," said Philip Seng, USMEF president and CEO. "But our products continue to command an excellent price in the international markets and provide substantial returns to U.S. producers, which is critically important at a time when they face extremely high production costs."

September pork exports reached 183,853 metric tons (mt), slightly exceeding last year's total. Though export value declined 6 percent compared to last year to $505 million, it was about 2 percent higher than the August value of $495.5 million.

With fewer production days this year, September beef production declined 9 percent and exports fell 17 percent in volume to 90,538 mt. September export value dropped 4 percent to $442.8 million, but was significantly higher on a per-head-of-fed-slaughter basis - increasing 7 percent to $227.65. 

You can read the full story by clicking here.  

Farmland Trust Leader Optimistic Congress Can Move Farm Bill Forward During Lame Duck Session 

Washington, D.C., seems set for business as usual following the outcome of last week's general elections. President Barack Obama remains in the White House. The Senate remains in Democrat hands and the House remains under Republican control. That particular equation set the stage for four years of gridlock, a stalled farm bill, and the spectre of a fiscal cliff. For Jon Scholl, president of the American Farmland Trust, that is a cause for concern.  He said business as usual is not acceptable if farmers and ranchers are to be able to feed 10 billion people by the middle of this century.

"Obviously, we really have a number of issues we need to have action on. The farm bill is certainly the top of the list of our priorities, but there's an awful lot of uncertainty with the tax and budget issues as well when it comes to the issue of estate tax, for instance. They really have a definite impact in terms of how people hold land-land that's transferred from one generation to the next-and being forced to sell in order to pay the estate tax burden. So, there's a number of issues that we just can't afford to have status quo. We've got to get some action."

Uncertainty when it comes to farm policy, Scholl said, makes it very difficult to support farmers, conserve farmland, and protect natural resources. Despite the difficulties, Scholl said he's more optimistic than most that the lame duck Congress can take positive action during the lame duck session.

"I think we've already got an awful lot of work done on the farm bill-passed out of the Senate, passed out of the House ag committee-that we've got a minimum of $23 billion in cuts that are being made to farm programs. And I think when you look at what the priority of Congress is going to be over the next couple of months, getting some sort of tax and budget deal, that's going to be awfully hard to resist not picking that up, including the farm bill provisions, and take credit for those cuts in a broader package."

I spoke with Jon at length recently, and you can read more and hear our full conversation by clicking here.

 

Oklahoma Beef Council Helps Consumers in Dubai Discover High-Quality U.S. Beef

Thanks to funding support from the Oklahoma Beef Council, U.S. chilled beef is now widely available in Dubai - one of the world's fastest-growing retail markets. Home to more than 2 million people, Dubai is the main economic hub of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), which has developed into a very strong destination for U.S. beef. Many factors are contributing to this expansion, including strong economic growth, growing acceptance of modern retail concepts and increasing household consumption by both native and expatriate populations.

The Oklahoma Beef Council funded product cooking and sampling sessions for a 10-week period this summer and early fall, demonstrating the unique quality characteristics of U.S. chilled beef - including tenderloin, sirloin, ribeye and rump steak - in 16 major retail outlets in the U.A.E. While the response from in-store consumers was very positive, these promotional sessions also served a broader purpose. USMEF invited U.A.E. importers to attend the demonstrations on a daily basis so they could see firsthand the remarkable potential for high-quality cuts of U.S. beef.  

"These retailers make up an interesting cross-section of the U.A.E.'s supermarket sector," said Dan Halstrom, USMEF senior vice president for global marketing and communications. "With 70 locations across the Gulf Region, Lulu is a true leader in the hypermarket concept - putting virtually all household needs under one roof. Choithram has 33 locations, but is very much a local chain specializing in high-end food items. Al Maya provides a happy medium - it's a multi-purpose supermarket, but on a smaller scale than the hypermarket chains." 

Click here to read more.

Rain, Feeder Cattle Totals, Cull Cow Sales, Stocker Prices All Fall

In the latest edition of the Oklahoma State University Extension Service's Cow-Calf Newsletter, Derrell Peel analyzes recent rains and the trend in feeder cattle, cull cow sales, and stocker calf prices.

Much of Oklahoma got some rain over the weekend with amounts ranging from less than one quarter inch to about an inch. The rain was very timely and much appreciated but will not be enough to produce much wheat pasture or rebuild soil moisture. It does, however, buy some time for wheat to hang on until more moisture can perhaps arrive.   It is unlikely that this rain produced any runoff to replenish livestock ponds and stock water will continue to be one of the most critical factors for many producers.

Feeder cattle auction totals the past four weeks are about 7 percent below the same period last year. However, last year by late October and November, feeder runs were less than usual for the period because so many calves had been marketed in September and early October. The auction total for the last four weeks is down 16 percent from a more typical run in 2010. In the month of September, 2012, auction totals were down about 11 percent from 2010, compared to last year when the September total was up 22 percent from 2010. The bottom line is that the fall feeder run is rather typical in terms of timing but is down simply because there are fewer calves. Remember that Oklahoma beef cows decreased nearly 15 percent in 2011 and few, if any, were replaced in 2012. 

Click here for more from Derrell Peel.

 

Castles Named OFB Farm Family of the Year

Richard and Cecelia Castle of Alfalfa County were named Farm Family of the Year at Oklahoma Farm Bureau's 71st Annual Convention Nov. 10, in Oklahoma City.

The Castles were one of six OFB district farm family finalists, chosen for their ability to best represent farming and ranching and the spirit of Oklahoma agriculture. As state winners, the family received the use of a General Motors pickup for one year, a free trip to the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention next January in Nashville, Tenn., and other prizes.

The Castles began their farming career in 1960, after they graduated from Oklahoma State University. The couple rented a farm from Richard's parents and raised wheat and hogs. Today, their operation consists of more than 6,000 acres of wheat, milo, alfalfa and pastureland and 150 cow/calf pairs. They also run about 2,000 stocker cattle each year.

Richard and Cecelia have three children and 13 grandchildren, who all live close to the family farm. Their son, Kent, works full-time for the farm and their grandson, Colton, also recently joined the operation.

I spoke with Richard at the award ceremony and you can listen to the interview by clicking here. 

Several other awards were made by the Oklahoma Farm Bureau at their annual meeting and you can read more about them by clicking on the links below:

Wichert Honored with OFB Distinguished Service Award 

Fairview County Couple Wins Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award 

Alfalfa County Couple Wins Young Farmers and Ranchers Excellence in Agriculture Award 

Clint Wilcox of Fairview Captures the Discussion Meet Championship- Headed to Music City USA in January to Represent Oklahoma  

Environmental Working Group Asks Congress to Support Stewardship Over Insurance Subsidies

In the following editorial, Sara Sciammacco, communications director of the Environmental Working Group, calls on Congress to pass the 2012 Farm Bill or an extension of the 2008 Farm Bill, paying particular attention to environmental concerns and small farmers.

With only five legislative weeks left, Congress must vote to extend the farm bill, but it must do it in a way that reflects the nation's spending priorities, supports family farmers and protects the environment.

Most of all, lawmakers should ensure that critical conservation programs that expired with the old farm bill at the end of September have full funding, including programs that protect and restore wetlands and grasslands.

Since 2008, crop insurance subsidies and ethanol mandates have led farmers to plow up more than 23 million acres of wetlands and grasslands - an area the size of Indiana. That has to stop. Land protection programs such as the Wetlands Reserve Program must not sit idle. This year's devastating drought is a compelling reminder of why the Conservation Stewardship Program and similar efforts cannot be allowed to lapse. A farm bill extension should ensure that farmers can continue to enroll in this program.

Click here to read more of the Environmental Working Group's position on the farm bill.

 

Roll Call Claims Unfinished Farm Bill Still on the To Do List of Speaker John Boehner- Details Could Come Soon

A Monday afternoon online article from Roll Call, an inside the Washington beltway publication, suggests that the 2012 Farm Bill is still in the mix for the Lame Duck session that is cranking up this week in our Nation's capitol.  

Author Ellyn Ferguson reports that the Farm Bill is on the list of unfinished business that Speaker John Boehner wants done- and that Republican leaders could announce as early as the end of this week how they will proceed.  

Ferguson writes about possible scenarios that could float to the top when we get direction from Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor- "At this point, leaders have three options: Move the House Agriculture Committee bill (HR 6083) to the floor; fold the House bill or the Senate version (S 3240) into a deficit reduction package to take advantage of the bills' savings; or go with some sort of reauthorization and extension of the 2008 farm law and leave it to the next Congress to produce a five-year measure."   

House Ag Committee Chairman Frank Lucas- reelected last week with a 75% vote in Oklahoma's Third District- told us on election night that he is willing to take whatever time leadership gives him to move a bill across the floor- his clear preference would be a bill passed by the House quickly, a Conference with Senate Ag Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow and then a Conference Report Vote in both bodies- all before the end of the Calendar year.  If the House Ag Committee measure can survive the House floor- the rest of the pieces could fall together quickly.  

To read more from the Roll Call update- Click here.