From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2008 6:43 AM
To: ron@oklahomafarmreport.com
Subject: Oklahoma's Farm News Update
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oklahoma's latest farm and ranch news
Your Update from Ron Hays of RON for Wednesday October 8, 2008!
A service of Johnston Enterprises, National Livestock Credit and American Farmers & Ranchers!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-- The McCain Ag Team is Revealed
-- Time To Be Thinking Entries for the Oklahoma Youth Expo Now.
-- A $12 Billion Dollar Disease- The Impact of Mad Cow on US Cattle Business
-- Derrell Peel Beef Buzzing With Us Midweek- Watch Out for the Price Break at 550 pounds
-- Land Owners Beware of Carbon Credits Fine Print.
-- Bits and Pieces- What a View
-- Two Sales in One Day- the Star Lake Herefords Bull and Female Sales Are Set
-- Looking at our Agricultural Markets...

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 American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company as a regular sponsor of our daily update- click here to go to their AFR web site to learn more about their efforts to serve rural America!

We are also pleased to have as a regular sponsor on our daily email Johnston Enterprises- proud to have served agriculture across Oklahoma and around the world since 1893. For more on Johnston Enterprises- click here for their website!
And we are proud to have National Livestock Credit Corporation as a regular sponsor of our daily email update. National Livestock Credit Corporation works diligently to provide unsurpassed service to their customers in the area of livestock financing. Check out the National Livestock Family of Services website 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.


The McCain Ag Team is Revealed
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today McCain-Palin 2008 announced the leadership of the McCain-Palin Farm & Ranch Team and released a statement on John McCain's vision for agriculture and rural prosperity. This distinguished team of elected officials and leaders in agriculture share a common goal with John McCain: to provide the leadership necessary to create prosperity in America's rural heartland. It is an interesting mix of individuals from across the country- but no one on the Steering Committee for the Arizona Republican is from the state of Oklahoma.

"If you look at the issues that I think are important to agriculture and rural America -- energy, trade, taxes, judges that the next president is likely to appoint, and national security -- John McCain trumps his opponent on every issue," said Charlie Kruse, a fourth- generation farmer from Drexel, Missouri, and Co- Chair of the McCain-Palin Farm & Ranch Team National Steering Committee. Kruse serves as President of the Missouri Farm Bureau, but his comments are his and not that of the organization, according to the McCain news release.

Besides Kruse, the other co-chairs are either politicians or former USDA officials. The Senators that are being Co-chairs include Sam Brownback of Kansas, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Chuck Grassley of Iowa. Two Congressmen are Co-chairs- top Republican of the House Ag Committee Bob Goodlatte as well as Adam Putnam of Florida. The USDA alums are former Ag Secretary Jon Block and former Deputy USDA Secretary Jim Moseley.

Click here for more on the McCain Ag Team- including the full list of of members on the Steering Committee.


Time To Be Thinking Entries for the Oklahoma Youth Expo Now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We had the chance to preview the 2009 Oklahoma Youth expo with Jeramy Rich, Executive Director of the OYE while we were in Tulsa this past week. The dates for the 2009 OYE (they are back on Oklahoma's spring break week) are March 13-23, 2009. 2009 marks the 95th year of this great event. Since 1915 Oklahoma youth and their families have been making this event a tradition in their lives; a pinnacle to a year of hard work and through the years making this event not only the World's Largest Junior Livestock Show but an event which highlights the world's best and brightest young people.

It's hard to believe- but it is already time for the nomination of many of the animals that will be showing at the Youth Expo next March. For the Steers, Sheep and Goats- the nominations are due this month. In the case of hogs, they will be due in December.

We have details of that- as well as the audio of the conversation that we had with Jeramy when we caught up with him at the Premium Sale of the Tulsa State Fair. Click on the link below to jump to this story.

Click here for more on the Oklahoma Youth Expo from www.OklahomaFarmReport.Com


A $12 Billion Dollar Disease- The Impact of Mad Cow on US Cattle Business
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The International Trade Commission (ITC) released a report today estimating that trade restrictions resulting from Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) cost the cattle industry $11 billion from 2004 to 2007.

Farm-gate sales of cattle and calves during the period between 2004 and 2007 were $195.5 billion, so the $11 billion in losses estimated by the ITC translates to 5.6 percent of cattle producers' income. The report also estimated that tariffs and tariff-rate quota (TRQ) restrictions cost the industry another $6.3 billion from 2004 to 2007.

NCBA Chief Economist Gregg Doud praised the thoroughness of the report, saying, "This illustrates the many economic consequences resulting from global tariff and non-tariff trade barriers. Trade restrictions continue to hurt our industry, costing cattle producers considerable amounts in lost sales." Doud continued, "I appreciate the foresight shown by Senator Max Baucus in commissioning this study. The analysis helps demonstrate why opening markets is so important."

We have more on this report- as well as a link to the full report on our website. Click below on the link we have provided.

Click here for more on the BSE Impact on US Cattle Industry


Derrell Peel Beef Buzzing With Us Midweek- Watch Out for the Price Break at 550 pounds
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our Wednesday edition of the Beef Buzz as heard on the Radio Oklahoma Network features comments with Derrell Peel, Extension Livestock Market Economist at OSU. Dr. Peel tells us that cow-calf operators and stocker operators need to pay close attention to the current market signals that we are seeing in the prices of lighter cattle versus heavier stockers.

Peel says that if you decide to retain some calves past the 450 pound level- you need to be committed to carry them out to the seven to eight hundred pound area- otherwise you might get caught in a sharp price drop that is currently being seen around the 550 pound area.

We have Dr. Peel's complete comments on our Wednesday Beef Buzz- and we have it on our Beef Buzz page at WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com. In fact, we have Dr. Peel's comments from the first three days of this week on that page on the Beef Buzz shows- so take a listen to some of his other comments as well. We have linked below the Beef Buzz page where you will see today's Beef Buzz featured at the top- and a full listing of all recent shows by date that follows.

Click here for the Beef Buzz page found on WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com


Land Owners Beware of Carbon Credits Fine Print.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Farmers, ranchers and other landowners should be careful when selling carbon credits generated by practices on their land and should closely review the terms of any carbon contract according to Clay Pope, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts (OACD). "Landowners throughout Oklahoma are being approached by numerous groups and individuals in search of carbon sequestration credits generated by land management practices," Pope said. "While this is a great source of new income for landowners, you should always look at the details of the contract before you sign on the dotted line. The devil is always in the details and no one wants to get locked in a bad deal that may limit their ability for higher income in the future."

According to Pope, many landowners have contacted their local Conservation Districts after receiving letters offering up to $2 per metric ton of carbon for ten years or more for the purchase of the carbon sequestered through grass plantings, no-till crop production or tree plantings. While at first blush this may seem like a benefit to the producer, Pope said that carbon is a commodity that goes both up and down in price based on supply and demand and overall market trends.

Sarah Love, Director of the Oklahoma Carbon Initiative (OCI) a division of OACD, agreed. She also said that other terms and conditions of Carbon contracts should be closely scrutinized before they are signed. "Some of the contracts that are out there were not written with Oklahoma in mind," Love said. "We have heard of provisions that could be construed as conflicting with oil leases, conservation plans and other activities on the land in question. Landowners should always read these things closely."

According to Love, this concern on the nature of carbon contracts is one of the reasons why OACD created the carbon initiative. The goal of the initiative is to make sure landowners receive the most money possible for carbon sequestration, that carbon buyers get a good product for their money and that good stewardship of our natural resources is rewarded. They are currently involved only in helping landowners with carbon credits in the Canadian River wateshed, but have a goal of going statewide as early as the first of November.


Bits and Pieces- What a View
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's not exactly Lake Altus that I can see this morning as I write this email to you- I am overlooking the Sarasota Bay along the Gulf Coast of Florida- getting ready later this morning to join some of my ag media colleagues in checking out several lines of tractors that John Deere is touting as utility tractors on larger farm operations, and as primary units in a rural lifestyle situation or a smaller farm or ranch. I'll give you a report from the field tomorrow morning- it's like big kids getting to play with brand new toys.

Meanwhile, one of our long time colleagues is not here in Sarasota, but is busy nonetheless- as he will have a chance to visit with Presidential hopeful Barack Obama later today. We talked a little about some of the questions he hopes to pose to the Senator from Illinois- and we will be sharing that interview with you hopefully tomorrow.

And- we want to remind you of the National Beef Ambassador Contest that will be underway later this week in Oklahoma City. We featured Sierra Simpson of Kremlin recently as the Oklahoma contestant- and we will be covering that event for you as it unfolds starting Friday.

Check out all of the latest things going on as listed on our calendar page at WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com


Two Sales in One Day- the Star Lake Herefords Bull and Female Sales Are Set
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's your chance to select some of the best Hereford genetics around for your cattle operation on Sunday, October 19 at the Star Lake Cattle Ranch in Skiatook, Oklahoma.

At 11 AM- it's the Star Lake Fall Celebration Female Sale, offering 20 fancy show heifers and over 60 pairs. These females will feature the freshest genetics the ranch has to offer.
Then at 1 PM- the Ranch Ready Bull sale gets underway with 80 bulls to be sold. We will have more bulls than ever fitting the high-demand categories of added IMF and strong carcass numbers, lower birth weight and higher CHB index.

Montie Soules of Star Lake Herefords is proud of the lineup of the Range ready Bulls that will be offered, and he tells us "These are the premium genetics of the Star Lake New Hereford and they carry the right package of economic traits to help keep you in business. Star Lake bulls from past bull sales have performed for our customers, and these will too."
We have the Star Lake website linked below- there you can read more about their operation as well as view the catalog for these October 19 sales.

Click here for the Star Lake Hereford Ranch Website.


Our thanks to National Livestock Credit, American Farmers & Ranchers and Johnston Enterprises for their support of our daily Farm News Update. For your convenience, we have our sponsors' websites linked at the top of the email- check them out and let these folks know you appreciate the support of this daily email, as their sponsorship helps us keep this arriving in your inbox on a regular basis!

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


Looking at our Agricultural Markets...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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- One Pager From Country Hedging- looks at all three US Wheat Futures Exchanges 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.



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

Forward email

Safe Unsubscribe
This email was sent to ronphays@cox.net by ron@oklahomafarmreport.com.

Oklahoma Farm Report | 10700 Whitehall Blvd | Oklahoma City | OK | 73162