From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 07:07
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 August 26, 2008!
A service of American Farmers & Ranchers, Johnston Enterprises and National Livestock Credit!
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-- Cooler, Damper August Helps Pastures and Crops in Oklahoma
-- Wheat Planting Cranking Up.
-- Decision Time Nears on Putting Winter Canola Into the Mix This Fall
-- Beef Buzzing on PETA
-- Crops Will Battle For Available Acres in the Marketplace Again in 2009
-- To Russia With Love- and some Beef Livers.
-- Check the Calendar
-- 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 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.

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Cooler, Damper August Helps Pastures and Crops in Oklahoma
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Cool and wet weather for the last two weeks has helped improve Oklahoma's pastures and late maturing row crops. This rainfall should also enhance prospective yields for many hay and late maturing row crops that have suffered from a hot and dry July. The statewide average precipitation was 1.51 inches, making this an unusually wet August. The number that jumps out at me is the topsoil moisture ratings, which have gone from 18% adequate to surplus to 73% adequate to surplus- most of that in the adequate category.

The recent weeks of cool and wet weather have improved row crop conditions and should have a positive impact on future yields in some areas. Row crop conditions are mostly in the good to fair range. Corn silking is virtually complete at 97 percent. Forty-five percent of corn had reached maturity by week's end, an increase of fifteen points from the previous week and three points ahead of normal. Thirty percent of corn was harvested by week's end. Sorghum emerged was nearly complete at 97 percent. Sorghum headed increased 11 points from the previous week to reach 58 percent complete but was 20 points behind the five-year average. Ten percent of the State's sorghum had reached maturity, in-line with the five-year average. Sorghum harvested has begun in a few isolated areas. Soybeans blooming were at 80 percent, an increase of 12 points from the previous week but five points behind the five- year average. Just under two thirds of the State's soybeans were setting pods, an increase of 16 points from the previous week but six points behind normal. A small percentage of soybeans had reached maturity by the end of the week. Peanuts setting pods increased seven points from the previous week to reach 90 percent complete, six points behind normal. Peanuts had reached maturity in a few areas of the State. Cotton setting bolls reached 88 percent complete, two points behind normal. A small percentage of cotton bolls were opening by week's end.

Hay growth has increased greatly from the recent rainfall. Hay conditions remain mostly in the good to fair range. Seventy-two percent of the State's alfalfa had been cut for the fourth time, a 20 point increase from the previous week. Alfalfa fifth cutting reached 10 percent complete by week's end. Other hay second cutting reached 42 percent, an increase of 12 points from the previous week, but 18 points behind normal. Meanwhile, the pasture and range conditions remain in the fair to good categories.

Click here for the complete Oklahoma Crop Weather Update from USDA and NASS


Wheat Planting Cranking Up.
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It remains to be seen how many acres of wheat will be planted really early this year, as producers go for wheat pasture. But I talked to one producer yesterday that had the grain drill out and was moving that direction. He told me that he wasn't sure that it was the smartest thing to do, with July wheat futures predicting some pretty strong wheat prices for next year's harvest- but the moisture was there and he was going to plant at least a few acres- this in central Oklahoma a little north of OKC.

In talking with other producers further south- the fields may be still a little on the muddy side for a little longer yet after the heavy rains of last week. And two or three counties in northwestern Oklahoma- Harper, Ellis and Roger Mills Counties got from three to seven tenths of an inch of rain in storms that developed in that corner of the state yesterday.

Thirty percent of the seedbed has been prepared for planting the 2009 winter wheat crop in Oklahoma- so it is likely that some of those acres will have grain drills rolling in the next few weeks. However, if you are interested in grain only- the optimum planting window for winter wheat really does not open until around the first of October.


Decision Time Nears on Putting Winter Canola Into the Mix This Fall
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For winter wheat producers who are thinking about planting some of their acres to winter canola this fall instead of wheat- the planting window is about ready to fly open. Before it opens- you do need to keep your options open by talking with your crop insurance agent and indicating your intention to plant winter canola this fall.

There is no obligation and there is nothing you have to buy or pay at this point- but if you want crop insurance coverage- and you definitely DO want crop insurance coverage- you have to keep that option open for winter canola plantings for this year by getting those intentions registered with your crop insurance agent by August 30. For all practical purposes, that means you need to do it before the close of business this Friday August 29.
Dewey County is the only county in the state that USDA considers canola to be a "program crop" and it's the only county where the insurance coverage is automatic. In all other counties- if oyu have grown canola before, they will use that data- otherwise, if you have a wheat yield history, they will use that to establish that you can grow canola- will take the information- USDA will crunch the numbers and come back with a price for a policy a few days later. As we mentioned earlier- there is no obligation for making this request- but it has to be done for winter canola by Friday- wheat and other fall planted cereals have a deadline in Oklahoma for a similar declaration of September 30. (based on a conversation that we had with Scott Bulling of Oklahoma Farm Bureau yesterday)

We have reported on the radio and here in cyberspace about the reasons to include winter canola in the mix- the ability to break your weed cycle in your wheat fields as well as grow a crop that offers a price premium to wheat of up to $4.00 per bushel for next year's harvest as of right now. You can talk to the folks at PCOM if you have questions about winter canola- ask for Brandon Winters at 405-232-7555.


Beef Buzzing on PETA
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In recent days, we have interacted with two gentlemen that have taken it upon themselves to "push back" for the livestock industry against the groups that want to see the end of animal agriculture as we know it in the US and for that matter, around the world.

One of those gentlemen is David Martosko, who spoke to the opening general session of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association few weeks ago. We feature some of his comments as we visited with him after his presentation about the need to balance the information these groups are spewing- and we focus today on where the group PETA is here in 2008.

Both David and the other guy that we have talked to about this recently, Steve Dittmer of Agribusiness Freedom Foundation, agree that PETA seems to acting as crazy older sister of another group that has risen in monies raised and more- the Humane Society of the US. Martosko says that while HSUS looks more reasonable than PETA and their stunts they like to pull with lots of nudity- their goals are much the same and HSUS is just as dangerous, if not more so than PETA. Today- we examine PETA- tomorrow we begin to look more at HSUS. All of this a part of our regular beef industry focus- the Beef Buzz as heard on the Radio Oklahoma Network.

Click here for the latest Beef Buzz as heard on RON about the groups that want to do YOU harm.


Crops Will Battle For Available Acres in the Marketplace Again in 2009
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The battle for acres will take place this fall in the United States - and at the conclusion of last week's Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour - senior market analyst Brian Grete said corn and soybeans will be the main participants. He says that while this is not really just "food versus fuel" but rather the continual adjustment that we have seen ever since 1996 and the farm law that changed crop agriculture forever- Freedom to Farm. When the ties were removed from program crops to specific acres, that opened up a world of possibilities, with higher priced/more profitable crops able to lure more acres into their mix for the next growing season.

We have Grete's take on all of this in a special audio report linked on our website- in fact this is the Top Story on the website on this Tuesday morning. Click on the link below for that audio overview- he has some most interesting ideas on how this 08-09 battle will unfold.

Click here for the Top Ag Story of the Day found on WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com


To Russia With Love- and some Beef Livers.
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As export results for the first half of 2008 clearly indicate, Russia is emerging as one of the top destinations for U.S. beef. Closed to U.S. beef from late 2003 through almost all of 2007, Russia has quickly become the third-largest destination for U.S. beef variety meats and the seventh-largest market for overall exports of U.S. beef. Beef exports to Russia in the first half of the year totaled 11,194 metric tons (24.7 million pounds). Outstanding sales of about 6,800 metric tons (nearly 15 million pounds) suggest the volume of beef exports will remain strong in the coming months as well.

Russia remains a critical market for cuts that are underutilized in the domestic market. Once the top export market for U.S. beef liver, Russia is once again making an impact on liver demand and, in turn, carcass value. As Russian importers have begun bidding against their counterparts in Egypt for a limited supply of U.S. beef livers, liver prices have more than tripled when compared to last year. For U.S. cattle producers, this has added roughly $7 per head.

Russia's appetite for processed meats is also helping U.S. producers derive additional value. According to John Brook, USMEF's regional director for Europe, Russia and the Middle East, unexpectedly large sales of round cuts are being utilized in this sector. "USMEF's objective is to transform this business - which is currently a price opportunity due in part to the exchange rate - into a more sustainable, recurring business opportunity based on product satisfaction and buyer loyalty," Brook said.


Check the Calendar
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We added several events yesterday on our OklahomaFarmReport calendar- including all of the livestock events planned for the 2008 Oklahoma State Fair.

Check those items out- as well as the purebred auctions that we now have on both our calendar page linked below as well as the auction page- linked here.

Click here for the Calendar Page found at WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com


Our thanks to Johnston Enterprises, National Livestock Credit 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 Oklahoma National Stockyards ended up with around 8200 cattle for their Monday run yesterday. Prices for yearling steers were $1 to $2 lower. Seven to eight hundred pound steers brought from $110 to $114, while the eight weights brought from $107 to $110.75. Click here for the complete Oklahoma City cattle market report from Monday.

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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