From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2007 06:30
To: ron@ronhays.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 May 1, 2007!
A service of Midwest Farm Shows
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-- It's Soil and Water Stewardship Week Across Oklahoma.
-- We're in Washington for a couple of days- we meet today with Mike Johanns, Sam Bodman and other Bush Administration officials.
-- Spring storms continue to replenish soil moisture profile
-- Will South Korea be our next Billion Dollar Beef Market?
-- Tort Reform Vetoed Over the Weekend by Governor Henry- but Lawmakers expected to make Another Run at Issue.
-- Bob Drake writes Oklahoma Farm Bureau leaders across the state- signals he will run for OFB President.
-- Check out our Featured Audio later in the day today for more from Washington!

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 just concluded Southern Plains Farm Show in Oklahoma City, 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.


It's Soil and Water Stewardship Week Across Oklahoma.
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As proclaimed by Governor Brad Henry- we are celebrating Soil and Water Stewardship Week in the state. The Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts are busy telling folks about the great job landowners and others are doing in preserving our natural resources- three corporate sponsors have stepped up to help in this effort, including Chesapeake, Monsanto and the Oklahoma Farm Bureau.

Governor Henry has proclaimed all week long as Soil and Water Stewardship Week- and here is the text of his call for all citizens of the to celebrate these efforts by thousands of cooperators.

Whereas fertile soil and clean water provide us with our daily sustenance; and
Whereas effective conservation practices have helped provide us a rich standard of living; and
Whereas our security depends upon healthy soil and clean water; and
Whereas soil and water stewardship calls for each person to help conserve these precious resources, and
Whereas locally-led conservation districts have established sound practices for the conservation of Oklahoma's renewable natural resources;
WHEREAS, 2007 marks Oklahoma's Statehood Centennial and the 70th Anniversary of the Conservation District Enabling Act;
Now Therefore, I, Brad Henry, Governor of the State of Oklahoma, in recognition of the role habitat plays in support of all life, do hereby proclaim April 29 through May 5, 2007, as

Soil and Water Stewardship Week
in the State of Oklahoma.


We're in Washington for a couple of days- we meet today with Mike Johanns, Sam Bodman and other Bush Administration officials.
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It's an annual pilgrimage that we have taken to Washington for a lot of years- the springtime Washington Watch for the National Association of Farm Broadcasters. Yesterday afternoon, we talked with several key ag industry leaders who have offices here in Washington and try to get their point of view made regularly to both the Administration and to Congress.

Our Tuesday morning farm news on the Radio Oklahoma Network features some comments from both Bob Young of the American Farm Bureau as well as Ralph Grossi of the American Farmland Trust in what they see ahead during the farm bill debate- at least what they would like to see- we have that report from Washington linked for you below.

This morning, we will be on our way to USDA and will have about five hours of briefings with a wide variety of folks at USDA from Secretary Mike Johanns down to folks like Bruce Knight, Ron DeHaven, Teresa Lasseter, Tom Dorr, Mark Keenum and Mike Yost. In the afternoon, we have a special Renewable Fuel Panel that will feature Secretary of Energy Sam Bodman- and later this evening, we will have the chance to dine, courtesy of the National Farmers Union, at the farmer owned restaurant in Georgetown, Agraria.

Click here to listen to Ron reporting from Washington with several key lobbyists on farm policy discussions


Spring storms continue to replenish soil moisture profile
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The latest Crop Weather Update continues to show the improvement in soil moisture profile- topsoil and subsoil moisture supplies alike. Recent rains have pushed us to 89% adequate to surplus on toposil moisture, while we remained about even with last week on subsoil moisture supplies at 70% adequate to surplus. In both cases, we are in much better shape than one year ago- and you have to go back several years to find this much moisture in the soil profile at the beginning of the summer crops growing season.

A slip in the rating of the Oklahoma Wheat Crop was noted in this latest report- but not too much of a slip. We are now rated at 70% good to excellent for the 2007 wheat crop- that compares to 76% poor to very poor in 2006. The Kansas wheat crop condition improved marginally- with 37% of that state's wheat crop now rated poor to very poor, versus 41% poor to very poor a week ago- and we now have a rating of 39% good to excellent versus 34% good to excellent one week ago.

Spring replanting of some corn acres is occurring where farmers have extra corn seed available- and others are looking at grain sorghum as a substitute where corn acres were damaged by the Easter weekend freeze. We have also begun the planting of the 2007 cotton crop in some of our counties where farmers have elected to stay with cotton.

Click here for the latest Oklahoma Crop Weather Update


Will South Korea be our next Billion Dollar Beef Market?
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NCBA Chief Economist Gregg Doud says he thinks it will be a billion dollar market for US cattle producers- and that he thinks once we get through these hurdles of fine tooth comb inspection erected by some zealous Korean officials that we will see trade quickly expand.

The key will be if Korea will step up and accept our boneless beef once we get past May 20th and the expected OIE ruling that the United States is a Controlled Risk County for BSE. Once that ruling is in place, it should mean a process will start that will result in US Beef being able to once again enjoy full access into the South Korean market. Doud says the key is that we have not really been replaced in South Korea by other protein sources- so we have a chance to fill a vacuum quickly with high quality beef that will come in cheaper than what the Korean people are now having to pay- by a lot.

You can hear Gregg Doud's comments with Ron on today's Beef Buzz from Washington- click below to take a listen or tune into one of our Radio Oklahoma Network stations across the state!

Click here to listen to Ron with Gregg Doud of NCBA on today's Beef Buzz!!!


Tort Reform Vetoed Over the Weekend by Governor Henry- but Lawmakers expected to make Another Run at Issue.
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While Governor Brad Henry vetoed Tort Reform on Saturday- there are already efforts to bring another measure that will address at least some of the concerns of this measure just stopped by the Governor.

A "shell" bill was being held back by leaders in the Legislature and this measure is expected to take on a lot of the tort reform provisions- that measure is S824. Senator Susan Paddock has been mentioned as one of the key players for moving this measure forward and it appears the State Chamber of Commerce is jumping on board to promote the passage of this bill.

It has been pointed out to us that rural areas have major stake in the medical fallout of not having tort reform- as Doctors are at a breaking point because of litigation and the cost of insurance to protect them. More and more rural hospitals have no doctor that can deliver babies, for example, because of the price of insurance. It looks like the next couple of weeks at the State Capitol could well provide us clues as to the fate of this legislation for the 2007 session.


Bob Drake writes Oklahoma Farm Bureau leaders across the state- signals he will run for OFB President.
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In a letter sent to many in Oklahoma Farm Bureau about ten days ago, Vice President of that group, Bob Drake of Davis, signaled his intetention to run for the job of President of the general farm organization. Drake has been involved in organizational politics for many years- serving as the last President of the National Cattlemen's Association before the merge that resulted in the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

He has served in several roles at the local and state level for the Oklahoma Farm Bureau- and expessed his desire to serve the statewide interests of the group as Steve Kouplen ends his tenure as President of the group because of term limits in 2007. Election of a successor to Kouplen, a very popular figure in and out of Farm Bureau here in the state, will be this coming November during their annual convention.

It appears that Drake and Mike Spradling of Tulsa County will be vying for the leadership role. In the letter sent by Drake, he expressed the need to focus on the "continued strength and grother of Oklahoma Farm Bureau and our affiliated companies. We have a great team of people working for us in the state, district and county offices who deserve our respect and admiration for their dedicated service to our Farm Bureau organization." Drake adds that "We need to keep local grass roots control of Oklahoma Farm Bureau and All of its affiliates."


Check out our Featured Audio later in the day today for more from Washington!
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We will be posting several interviews from Washington after lunch today- from both some of the key lobbyists here inside the Washington Beltway, as well as from Secretary Johanns and several of his key advisors within the USDA structure.

We have that page linked below for you to go and check out- most certainly after 1 pm central time today.

Click here for the latest from Washington on our Featured Audio Page!!!


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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