From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Monday, September 22, 2008 4:20 AM
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 Monday September 22, 2008!
A service of American Farmers & Ranchers, Johnston Enterprises and KIS Futures!
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-- Cattle on Feed- Probably Bullish With Fewer Placements Than Expected
-- Hurricane Ike Livestock Industry Relief Effforts Continue in Texas
-- Final Scheduled Week for Congress Before the Elections- But That Could Change
-- USDA Announces 5 Oklahoma Technology Projects will Share Nearly $1.6 Million in Grants
-- Wheat After Corn- Know The Dos and Don'ts
-- From the Desk of OSU's Kim Anderson- The Market is Telling Farmers- Less Wheat!
-- We Got Goats!
-- 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 KIS Futures as a regular sponsor of our daily E-Mail. KIS Futures provides Oklahoma Farmers & Ranchers with futures & options hedging services in the livestock and grain markets- Click here for their recent TV Commercial or call them at 1-800-256-2555.

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!
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Cattle on Feed- Probably Bullish With Fewer Placements Than Expected
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The number of cattle being placed into the nation's feedlots was down three percent compared to August of 2007- and three percent under the average guess of traders in front of the report- so this could be a bullish number. However, the placement number is seriously skewed to heavier cattle in this survey of feedlots, as the number of cattle over 800 pounds being placed is a whopping 12.5% above 2007 at a total of 720,000 head.

OSU Livestock Market Economist Dr. Derrell Peel tells us that "Of the major beef cattle feeding states, only Nebraska had a September 1 inventory larger than last year, up 2 percent. New Mexico and Arizona also had larger feedlot inventories, likely due to increased dairy animal feeding. Other major feeding states had smaller feedlot inventories with the two largest feeding states, Texas and Kansas, down 6 percent and 2 percent, respectively. The latest report also confirms that feedlots are placing cattle on feed at higher weights."

Our daily observer of the futures market on the Radio Oklahoma Network is Tom Leffler, who adds that this is fifth straight month of lower numbers of cattle on feed. While the marketings were slightly better than expected- this was the smallest August marketings in thirteen years. We have more details on the numbers- and an audio report of Tom's take overall on the report at our website- click below to get there.

Click here for the rest of the story on Friday's Cattle on Feed Report.


Hurricane Ike Livestock Industry Relief Effforts Continue in Texas
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The hard work of dealing with dead livestock and trying to save those animals that survived Hurricane Ike continues along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in far southeast Texas and across the state line into Louisiana. The Texas Animal Health Commission is leading the coordinated efforts of the Texas and US government efforts in dealing with the animal health and disease issues that are a part of this effort and they offered this assessment late Friday afternoon- "The TAHC's livestock carcass assessments were conducted initially in neighborhoods and in municipalities, but were expanded to include the entire impact area. Reliable numbers of dead or stranded livestock are not yet available, as additional carcasses and animals are detected as the water recedes and roads are cleared in the hard-hit counties along the coast, allowing access to remote areas."

Carla Everett of the Animal Health Commission adds in her report to us that "A team of TAHC and USDA Veterinary Service field staff continues to work in the Chambers, Jefferson and Orange counties area and has short-term, but greatly appreciated assistance from Florida's State Animal Response Team, and a response team from New Mexico. In addition to working with the Texas Department of Agriculture, Texas Agrilife Extension Service and producer organizations to acquire and distribute hay, feed, water and essential equipment for livestock survival, the TAHC's multi-state team continues livestock assessment by air boats, swamp buggies, by air and truck. The team is serving as a liaison among producers and local and state emergency officials. The TAHC also is coordinating carcass disposal with the National Resources Conservation Services and other entities."

Meanwhile, the work of caring for the animals still alive- and that does appear to be the majority of the cattle population in that region- continues with several Texas and Louisiana producer groups helping lead those efforts- along with Extension folks from both states. We have details of the National Cattlemen's Foundation giving ten thousand dollars to the relief efforts- and more of what is going on at the front lines of these efforts. Click here for that update from WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com

Click here for the latest on the Ike Livestock Cleanup found at WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com


Final Scheduled Week for Congress Before the Elections- But That Could Change
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There is talk inside the beltway that Congress will have to stay past this coming Friday to take care of the most urgent business before it- dealing with the proposed financial bailout proposed by the Department of the Treasury as several of the biggest Investment Banks in the country have disintegrated almost before our eyes- and the huge waves that has caused throughout the economy of our country and around the world.

On the edges of all of this is the Market Transparency Bill that passed the House Ag Committee and then the full House over the last couple of weeks. This bill would attempt to increase transparency and accountability in the futures markets- especially the energy contracts.

The Commodity Markets Transparency and Accountability Act of 2008, or H.R. 6604, was introduced by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) The bill was approved by the House Agriculture Committee, which has oversight authority over the commodity markets, in July. It passed the House this past week by a 283-133 vote.

The bill would tighten up the oversight of the futures markets by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and would among other things require foreign boards of trade to share trading data and adopt speculative position limits on contracts that trade U.S. commodities. (not sure how CFTC mandates that to a foreign entity) It also will limit eligibility for hedge exemptions to bona-fide hedgers. The measure now travels to the Senate, where its future is uncertain. Besides this measure, the Senate also has a House passed Energy Bill to deal with- and that proposal faces rough sledding on the Senate side of the Capitol as well.


USDA Announces 5 Oklahoma Technology Projects will Share Nearly $1.6 Million in Grants
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Agriculture Under Secretary for Rural Development Thomas C. Dorr announced Friday the selection of 105 recipients in 41 states for Distance Learning and Telemedicine grants totaling $28.2 million. "These funds will increase the range of educational opportunities available to students in rural communities and improve access to health care for countless numbers of rural Americans," said Dorr. "The projects will also open the door to the expansion of technology, increasing rural economic opportunities, promoting strong and vibrant communities."

Of the grants announced today, 47 will provide access to medical services; 58 will be used to improve educational opportunities. In Oklahoma, there is one grant related to Telemedicine- $97,333 going to the Kidney Specialists of Central Oklahoma. The other four grants are to educational groups and include:

Howe Public School District -$489,640
Independent School Dist. #2 of Logon County $397,434
Northwestern Oklahoma State University $181,169
and Oklahoma Panhandle State University $415,219.


Wheat After Corn- Know The Dos and Don'ts
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The latest Newsletter of the Plant and Soil Sciences Department at Oklahoma State University is out- and features an article by Dr. Jeff Edwards and Dr. Bob Hunger of OSU on the subject of rotating corn, then wheat on your farm. The writers tell us "Crop rotations can provide tremendous benefits to Oklahoma wheat growers, especially those who are no‐tilling. Rotational crops are very effective at breaking weed and disease cycles and spread risk by diversifying production and marketing cycles."

But they caution "While corn provides a good rotational crop for wheat farmers, there are some important potential stumbling blocks that can arise when sowing wheat into corn residue." Those problems revolve around several wheat diseases you have to be aware of. They point you to a fact sheet released by the University that provides lots of info to pay attention to.

We have the latest issue of the Newsletter available through our website- click below to jump over to it and take a look at this story and several other updates from the PASS department in the Division of Ag at OSU.

Click here for the PASS Newsletter released this past Friday afternooon


From the Desk of OSU's Kim Anderson- The Market is Telling Farmers- Less Wheat!
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Here's the View of the wheat market as we look into the new trading week from the desk of Dr. Kim Anderson, Extension Grain Marketing Economist at Oklahoma State University:
"The KCBT December wheat contract price traded between $7.77 and $7.30 this past week with closes between $7.63 and $7.34. During the last 20 trading days, four weeks, the Dec contract price has declined from a high of $9.82 to a low of $7.34 and closed today, September 19, at $7.56. The KCBT July wheat contract traded between $10.11 and $7.55 and closed today at $7.88. The Dec contract has price support at $7.50 and the July contract has price support at $7.75.

"While corn and soybeans are bidding for more 2009 planted acres, the wheat market appear to be signaling that producers should not plant as many acres of wheat as was planted for the 2008/09 wheat crop. Farmers in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas have indicated to me that they will not plant as many wheat acres as last year. Some analysts have also indicated that 2009/10 US wheat planted acres will be several million acres less than for the 2008/09 crop.

"US wheat ending stocks are expected to increase about 300 million bushels (mb) and world wheat ending stocks are expected to increase 900 mb. US stocks will be above average and world's ending stocks near average. The market does not want another 24.8 billion bushels (bb) world wheat crop or a 2.46 bb US crop. If this happens, wheat prices will go below $5. The September USDA Supply and Demand report projected that 2008/09 wheat marketing year US wheat exports will be 1.0 bb compared to 1.264 bb during the 2007/08 marketing year, a 21 percent decline. Since June 1, all wheat export sales are 26 percent lower than the same period last year. Hard red winter wheat exports are projected to decline 17 percent and are nine percent below last year's exports."


We Got Goats!
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The Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture will be sponsoring a Multi-species Grazing Field Day this coming Saturday, September 27, from 9-2 on Dr. David Sparks' 80-acre farm near Porum.

Through a three-year producer grant from the Kerr Center, Dr. Sparks is studying the effects of multi-species grazing on goat parasites and pasture forages. Goat parasites are a growing problem in the South. Dr. Sparks has found that cattle can reduce goat parasite loads by consuming the parasites' larvae as they graze. During the field day he will talk about parasite loads in the goat herd and the overall economics of the grazing system. Dr. Sparks has practiced veterinary medicine in Oklahoma, Kansas, California, and Arizona, and joined the OSU Cooperative Extension Service in 2006. He is Area Extension Food Animal Quality and Health Specialist serving 40 eastern Oklahoma counties.
Langston University Goat Extension Specialist Dr. Steve Hart will present information on basic goat care and parasite management. Hart has been working with goats and goat producers for seventeen years. Langston is the state leader in goat research and outreach.
Dr. Bob Woods will present forage and pasture composition data collected from the grazing of goats and cattle together. There will be a pasture walk to view the effects on the forages in a multi-species grazing system. Woods is OSU's Extension Agronomy Specialist in northeast Oklahoma.

While the Field Day is this coming Saturday- the deadline for registration is tomorrow- Tuesday September 23. We have the Kerr website linked below for you to register or you can call 918-647-9123 for registration information.

Click here for the Kerr Center's website and info on the Goat Field Day This Saturday.


Our thanks to Johnston Enterprises, KIS Futures and American Farmers & Ranchers 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...
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The end of last week- we saw auction markets under pressure when it came to yearling prices. For example, the Woodward Livestock market saw steer yearlings $2 to $4 lower with just over 6,000 head of cattle that sold on Friday. Steer calves under 550 pounds were steady to $2 higher. The seven to eight hundred pound steers brought $105 to $11 while the eight to nine hundred pounders cleared from $102 to $109. Click here for the full Woodward report for this past Friday- it should be updated by 8 AM Monday morning. ONLY on the Radio Oklahoma Network will you find details on the Woodward market early Monday morning on the radio- as well as the overnight electronic futures market updates- the other network records their Monday morning markets on Friday afternoon.

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:
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phone: 405-473-6144
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