From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2007 07:45
To: ron@oklahomafarmreport.com
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 Tuesday March 6, 2007!
A service of Midwest Farm Shows
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-- Peterson says NO to Mandatory COOL this Fall.
-- Oklahoma Wheat looking decent while pastures and ranges remain in dire condition in much of Oklahoma.
-- On the Weather Front- it remains kinda dry to very dry across the western two thirds of the state.
-- Animal ID debated but policy left alone by NFU delegates.
-- I Believe in the Future of Farming!!!
-- Farm Aid Monies helping Cimarron County Ranchers.
-- Set your radio button on the right hand side of the dial for Ron on RON on KOKC Radio!

Howdy Neighbors!

Here's your morning farm news headlines from the Director of Farm Programming for the Radio Oklahoma Network, Ron Hays. Our email this morning is a service of Midwest Farm Shows, featuring the Southern Plains Farm Show in Oklahoma City April 19-21, 2007, as well as the Tulsa Farm Show held each December. Check out details of both of these exciting shows at the official website of Midwest Farm Shows by clicking here.

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.


Peterson says NO to Mandatory COOL this Fall.
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We had the chance this past Saturday to talk exclusively with the Chairman of the House Ag Committee on several issues important to the livestock industry and we wanted to share that conversation issue by issue over the next couple of days. On today's Beef Buzz heard on many of our Radio Oklahoma Network stations- we talk with the Chairman about the issue of Country of Origin Labeling. Peterson says flatly that we will have mandatory COOL- it will be implemented but he says there is no reason to rush it and do a poor job in putting it all in place this fall.

You can hear Collin Peterson's comments on COOL by clicking below and listening to our latest Beef Buzz- and we remind you that we have an archive of many of our previous Beef Buzzes available on our web site, OklahomaFarmReport.Com.

Later in the week- we will talk with the Chairman of the House Ag Committee about Animal ID, Manure and Horse Slaughter.

Click here for Ron Beef Buzzing with Collin Peterson on COOL.


Oklahoma Wheat looking decent while pastures and ranges remain in dire condition in much of Oklahoma.
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We have been chasing adequate moisture for a couple of years it seems like- and while our 2007 winter wheat crop is in 58% good to excellent condition as we get the summary for the month of February in the last Crop-Weather Update, it is pointed out that we need additional rainfall in most areas to continue to improve this crop.

When it comes to pasture conditions- Pastures were in poor shape in many areas and in dire need for warmer weather to stimulate growth. Over half of the State’s pastures were rated in poor to very poor condition. Many pastures were extremely soft and muddy in the northern parts of the State from the recent snow melts.

This is the last of the monthly reports of the winter season- and next Tuesday, we begin weekly updates from NASS which we will link for you regularly on the morning following the release. Yesterday's report is below!

Click here to check out the latest crop weather update for Oklahoma


On the Weather Front- it remains kinda dry to very dry across the western two thirds of the state.
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We heard last week from Scott Dewald of the OCA that the district meetings in the eastern part of the state included reports from ranchers of having full ponds for the first time in years- while the report was a lot more spotty in the central and western areas of the state.

In that latest Crop Weather update- which we linked above- you can can see that the 2007 wheat crop has been trying to make it on half as much rainfall as is normal in the normally high producing north central counties of our state. On average for the North Central District since September 1 of last year to the end of February this year- those counties have had 58% of normal precipitation and are down almost five inches of rain less than normal.

In looking this morning at the latest rainfall figures for the state from the Mesonet tables- NOBODY has received as much as a tenth of an inch of rain in the last seven days- while about five or six Mesonet sites have received over an inch of rain if you go back 14 days. That includes Woodward and Arnet who got over an inch of rain from those thunderstorms almost two weeks ago. Subsoil moisture at a 30 inch depth is especially short in two pockets of the state here early in March- Woods County and a second pocket that centers in Kingfisher, Blaine and northwest Canadian Counties. You can see how the various maps plot in your area by going to the Mesonet link we have provided below.

Click here to be taken to the Mesonet page on Soil Moisture and look at the maps that show the various depths checked.


Animal ID debated but policy left alone by NFU delegates.
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Before we left for the airport yesterday, we were able to sit in on some of the delegate discussion over policy positions the general farm group will take for the coming year. One amendment that was offered by the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union (that's the Farmers Union in New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming) would have had the NFU going on record as being against Electronic or Biomedic Animal ID period. Several Oklahoma Farmers Union members stood and challenged the logic of that resolution- including President Ray Wulf and Vice President Terry Detrick.

Detrick is especially well versed on this subject- as he was the Farmers Union representative on the National Animal ID Task Force made up of producers and others in the industry that have a dog in this hunt. Detrick said this discussion, which ended up leaving the Farmers Union policy unchanged as acknowledging that Animal ID seems to be on the way and that NFU wants certain concerns addressed.

We have linked Terry's comments on Animal ID below, which tie into the debate also on Country of Origin labeling, and in that discussion, delegates left alone their call on Congress to allow implementation of mandatory COOL by USDA "immediately."

Click here to listen to Ron talk with Terry Detrick on the Animal ID discussion held by NFU in Orlando.


I Believe in the Future of Farming!!!
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Is it real? That's the question a lot of folks, especially in the Corn Belt, are asking themselves about what Kenny Hulshof, Republican lawmaker from Missouri, spoke of as he spoke briefly during the Farm Bill Session held by the National Farmers Union this past weekend in Orlando.

Hulshof was there primarily as a member of the Second Amendments, the band that is led by House Ag Committee Chairman Collin Peterson. However, he has one on the Chairman- he is actually a farmer in northeastern Missouri, while Peterson is a CPA. Hulshof also sits on a vital committee, Ways and Means- so even as a member of the minority now- he is an important person for rural America as a member of that Committee.

Hulshof says that the biofuels explosion is not just fueling higher grain prices- it is also fueling optimistic attitudes out in farm country. He believes that if we do the policy right- we can keep this momentum rolling- but it won't be easy. You may remember that title I used above from your Freshman days as a FFA member- Kenny participated in FFA as well and offers the thoughts I have linked to below- it was one of the high points of that session.

Click here to listen to Kenny Hulshof on the optimism that is growing like a weed in parts of rural America these days.


Farm Aid Monies helping Cimarron County Ranchers.
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Farm Aid has announced that it has committed funds through its Family Farm Disaster Fund to support Cimarron County farmers and ranchers hard hit by winter storms. Farm Aid is delivering $9,000 in emergency assistance to support local relief efforts. Farm Aid will provide $9,000 to the High Plains Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) Council, located in Buffalo, Oklahoma, who will administer the program locally. High Plains is partnering with the Cimarron County Ranchers Relief Committee, the Fellowship of Christian Farmers, and the Cimarron County Conservation District in the effort.

Diann Adams, Chair of High Plains RC&D said that these funds will be used to assist Cimarron County producers by defraying a portion of trucking costs for hay being purchased or donated. Details of the program will be released to the producers in the next few days. She said “that this support is much needed. It has been a great pleasure to work with the Farm Aid staff. They have responded quickly and we appreciate the opportunity to work with them, and we welcome them as a partner.”

Diann adds that if you want to know more about this relief effort or more about the other projects that the High Plains Resource Conservation and Development Council is doing, give them a call at 580- 735-2033, extension 4.


Set your radio button on the right hand side of the dial for Ron on RON on KOKC Radio!
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We are proud to have a great radio station in Oklahoma City that carries several reports every day from the Radio Oklahoma Network. KOKC is that radio station, with a strong 50,000 watt signal that covers a good bit of the western United States at night. During the day, you can hear KOKC in all directions from Oklahoma City- and they offer at least four ag reports a day- and we're working on adding a couple of more.

You can hear Ron Hays with morning farm news at about 6:35 am weekdays, followed by Sam Knipp with his Farm Bureau Perspective Program at around 6:55 am. During the noon hour, we are proud to have a farm news update with Ron Hays, just before the Paul Harvey midday news- our farm update comes on at 12:12 pm. Finally, we have an agri futures wrapup that airs between 2:30 and 3:30 in the afternoon, with settlement prices from Chicago, Kansas City and New York.

Tune in daily to the best farm and ranch news you can find on Oklahoma City radio on KOKC, 1520 AM! And, if you want to know about stations in your area that carry Ron Hays farm news and markets, drop us an email and we will be happy to provide you with details of the radio stations to check out!


Our thanks to Midwest Farm Shows for their support of our daily Farm News Update. Go to their website at the link at the top of today's email for more information on either the Tulsa Farm Show or the Southern Plains Farm Show.

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



God Bless! You can reach us at the following:
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phone: 405-473-6144
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