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.

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 recently concluded Tulsa Farm Show. Click here for more information on the Southern Plains Farm Show, coming up April 15,16 and 17, 2010.

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.

One good evidence of that for the farm and ranch community will be the reopening of our livestock auction barns, who have mostly been quiet since mid December. The regular Monday auctions held in locations like Tulsa, Joplin and Oklahoma City will be up and running today after their extended time off- and others will follow suit as this week unfolds.

We also start back with agricultural events- including two National meetings this week and this weekend. One is the annual Beltwide Cotton Conferences in New Orleans, and another is the American Farm Bureau annual convention that starts this coming weekend in Seattle, Washington. You can check other events coming up in the days ahead by clicking on the link below for our Calendar page found on our website, www.OklahomaFarmReport.Com.

Click here for the Calendar page found at www.OklahomaFarmReport.Com

The agreement between the USDA and the IRS will ensure that payments are not issued to producers whose adjusted gross income (AGI) exceeds certain limits. The limits set in the 2008 Farm Bill are $500,000 nonfarm average AGI for commodity and disaster programs; $750,000 farm average AGI for direct payments; and $1 million nonfarm average AGI for conservation programs.

Meanwhile, beginning with the 2010 program year, USDA has amended the rules that govern the requirements to be 'actively engaged' in farming. These rules apply to eligibility for payments under the Direct and Counter-cyclical Program (DCP) or Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program administered by the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA). USDA has implemented the following change to permit certain operations, most often family-run operations, to meet 'actively engaged' in farming requirements under less restrictive rules.
Every stockholder or member of a legal entity, such as a corporation, does not have to contribute labor or management if both of the following apply:

* at least half of the interest in the legal entity is held by stockholders or members who are providing active personal labor or active personal management that altogether qualifies as a significant contribution to the farming operation;

* the total direct payments received, both directly and indirectly, by the legal entity and each of the members does not exceed $40,000.

Click here for the full news release from USDA on the IRS partnership and Actively Engaged Rules

SURE provides assistance in an amount equal to 60 percent of the difference between the SURE farm guarantee and total farm revenue. The farm guarantee is based on the amount of crop insurance and Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program coverage on the farm. Total farm revenue takes into account the actual value of production on the farm as well as insurance indemnities and certain farm program payments.

We talked with Oklahoma FSA Director Francie Tolle about the SURE program- and she tells us most counties qualify as a disaster county for the 2008 crop year- allowing producers who believe they have a claim to be able to apply. She says that the local offices have had training for SURE- and will be ready to handle folks walking in this week who have questions or want to apply for assistance under the SURE program.

Click here to jump to our webstory, where you can listen to our conversation with Francie Tolle about the SURE signup getting underway.

The CCF writes in their look at the HSUS money report "HSUS reported spending almost $20 million on "campaigns, legislation, and litigation"- enough to worry any livestock farmer or hunter looking to keep their chosen lifestyle alive. The group collected over $86 million in contributions, and spent more than $24 million on fundraising, including $4 million on professional fundraisers. Think about it: 28 cents of every dollar contributed to HSUS goes back out the door to raise more money. HSUS even paid a single "lockbox" company more than $4.2 million to count and process its cash hauls."

The Center goes on to look at where they contend is a major concern- where the money does not go: "But the real trouble lies in where most HSUS money doesn't go: to pet shelters. In contrast with the group's extravagant spending on people, HSUS's total grant allocation was less than $4.7 million. And of that, almost half went to a political campaign committee called "Californians for Humane Farms," the main lobbying organization responsible for California's "Proposition 2" ballot initiative.

"For all the cute pictures of puppies and kitties on HSUS paraphernalia, you'd think it would operate a pet shelter, or at least give a substantial portion of its money to one. But HSUS has lobbying to do, a PETA-inspired agenda to push, meat eaters to stigmatize, and livestock farmers to put out to pasture. Lobbying? Oh, yes. HSUS takes four full pages to detail its lobbying activities on the state and federal levels."
You can click below for the full article from the Center for Consumer Freedom- it includes a link to the full report filed by HSUS with the IRS.

Click here for more on the Financial Report of the HSUS for 2008- as dissected by some of their critics.

One story that Tim Bartram, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Wheat Growers, believes should have been included was the decision by Monsanto to purchase Westbred and get back into the wheat seed business. Leaders within the US wheat industry believe that we can only keep wheat production viable in the US if we can find a way to compete with those crops that have genetically modified plant material. Monsanto's move back to including wheat in their portfoliio may help that become a reality- someday.

We have compiled all ten stories in one story- with links of the details of each of them going from there. Click on the link below and take a look at our list- we highlighted these stories this past week on Wednesday and Thursday.

Click here for a consolidated list of our top ten farm and ranch news stories from this past year.

Many of you may already be aware of the Oklahoma Beef Council being one person light in recent weeks. That's because Adam McClung, who was handling Industry Relations for the OBC, has moved back to Arkansas and is now the top hired hand of the Arkansas Cattlemen's Association in Little Rock. Heather Buckmaster is looking for Adam's replacement.

Finally, we got an email note from Daren Coppock on Thursday about his move that was announced some time back. The end of the year finished the splitting of his time between the National Association of Wheat Growers, where he has served as CEO, to this new CEO gig with the Ag Retailers Association. The NAWG continues their search for a new Executive- although it is possible that they are getting close, as applications for that position closed November 13.

According to the exclusive "interview," Kringle says that his interest in Angus cattle began just a few years ago- "Well now, let's see. Kringle Angus Ranch began here at the North Pole about five years ago. I needed a side business to appease the demands of our off-season elves, but it needed to be something I could enjoy. A vacation from Christmas, so to speak."

Santa also sees advantages in raising Angus cattle that many of us have probably never considerd- "Probably the best part is that Angus are naturally polled, which is a great relief since I bet I take an antler in the backside at least once a year. That's a real downer on the Christmas spirit around here, and it's driven up our workmans' comp premiums, too."

We have the full interview linked below- enjoy the belated holiday cheer- unless you are a Hereford or Shorthorn breeder and are concerned about Santa sticking you on the naughty list. (just kidding- he would NEVER do that!)

Click here for the full interview that unveils Santa as a North Pole Cowboy.

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

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.