From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Friday, January 04, 2008 06:37
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 Friday January 4, 2008!
A service of Farm Credit of East Central Oklahoma, KIS Futures & American Farmers and Ranchers.
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-- To TopDress Now, Later or Never- those are the Questions!
-- Reward Offered Over Northeast Oklahoma Cattle Killings.
-- Candidates Escape Iowa with Minimal Promises Made on Farm Policy.
-- Why have wheat futures jumped the first two days of 2008?
-- Oklahoman included in Cotton Board Reappointments.
-- Drought Tolerant Corn Advances in the Monsanto Pipeline.
-- Listen to Ron on RON! (or watch- or read- or surf!)

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 welcome 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 website or call them at 1-800-256-2555.

We are also proud to have American Farmers and Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company as a regular sponsor of our daily update- click here to go to their NEW AFR web site to learn more about their efforts to serve rural America!
And we welcome back Farm Credit of East Central Oklahoma as a regular sponsor of our daily email update. Farm Credit of East Central Oklahoma has ten branch offices to serve your farm financing needs and is dedicated to being your first choice for farm credit. Check out their website for more information 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.


To TopDress Now, Later or Never- those are the Questions!
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We reported to you before Christmas about the latest Wheat Production Newsletter put out by OSU Wheat Specialist Dr. Jeff Edwards, who seemed to be saying you need to be timely in getting your wheat topdressed- and that means not too early nor too late. Too late according to Dr. Edwards would be around the development of first hollow stem. Too early may be late December or early January- right about now.

Well, there are others out there with the opinion that for several reasons- you need to probably pull the trigger sooner rather than later this year if you plan on topdressing. Joe Neal Hampton with the Oklahoma Agribusiness Retailers Association says that because of what could be a shortage of nitrogen fertilizer as we approach corn planting season this spring- plus weather uncertainties- you need to topdress ASAP.

Hampton writes us in an email "The availability of UAN and urea could be very tight and prices could increase in the near future. The U.S. imports 50% of its nitrogen fertilizer needs. Many U.S. Nitrogen manufacturers are either on allocation , will be on allocation, or have drawn down their stocks to very low levels. Surging corn prices will likely draw much of the Nitrogen supply to the corn country this spring. Current U.S. Nitrogen prices are below the world price which further complicates the supply issue as much of the world Nitrogen production is going to China, India and South America. In addition, the producer is "rolling the dice" waiting until mid-to late Feb. to topdress. The ground could either be too wet for application, or too dry for the Nitrogen to move into the soil to become available to the plant. It is widely held among many agronomists that once it rains, it takes two weeks for urea to "break down" and be available to the plant."

Hampton continues "Jim Leikman, Kansas State University extension nutrient management specialist believes producer's waiting until right before jointing to apply their Nitrogen needs are making a big mistake given the current Nitrogen supply situation and weather uncertainty. Another factor is the relationship between Nitrogen and quality . After last year's low protein content in our wheat production, it has become very difficult to sell wheat with a protein content of less than 11%. Nitrogen adds to the protein content. If the plant does not have an adequate Nitrogen source to make protein for this year's crop, large price discounts could develop for this year's wheat production that has low protein content."


Reward Offered Over Northeast Oklahoma Cattle Killings.
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A reward is being offered for information regarding the almost 30 head of cattle that have been reported as shot and killed in a concentrated area in Northeastern Oklahoma since August. As recently as a few days ago, three bred cows and one llama were killed at a ranch near Claremore, Okla., about 30 miles northeast of Tulsa. Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Special Ranger John Cummings, who has been working with area game rangers and sheriff's departments on the case, says the number of incidences is still on the rise. He has received four reports since New Year's Day.

In addition to working to solve the case, Cummings and local officials are trying to spread the word to cattle producers that this is a real threat and to be on the lookout on their own ranches. "We need them to check their cattle regularly," he said. "And we need them to not assume that a dead cow is a natural death. Gunshot - especially from a high-powered rifle - will go through and through and it's very hard sometimes to find a gunshot wound," Cummings said. "There's very little blood because some of these cattle drop right in their tracks. If there is any doubt, call us. The game wardens have expertise in determining how an animal was killed, whether or not it was a gunshot."

The investigators are calling on the public's help to solve this crime. Through its Operation Cow Thief, TSCRA is offering a reward to citizens who provide information leading to the arrest or grand jury indictment of individuals responsible for the cattle deaths. An informant may remain anonymous by giving a pseudonym and may be paid by cashier's check made out to the bearer. The toll-free phone line, 888/830-2333, is monitored 24 hours a day.

Ranchers who believe they may be victims of this spree are encouraged to call Special Ranger John Cummings at 817/342-0888.


Candidates Escape Iowa with Minimal Promises Made on Farm Policy.
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As Senator Obama won the Democratic Caucus and Governor Huckabee took the Republican count in Iowa last night, it appears that while the top candidates in both parties spoke of their love for biofuels and rural development- few if any other specifics were offered by the Presidential hopefuls regarding what they would do in regards to agricultural policy if they became President.

The one exception to that was Senator John McCain, who came in fourth in the Republican voting- just barely behind Fred Thompson- they were both well behind Huckabee and Mitt Romney, who admitted disappointment in only being second in Iowa last night. Back to McCain- he campaigned little in Iowa but has frequently said when asked about farm programs- he is not in favor of large subsidies for farms and is not in favor of government help in promoting ethanol.

Ken Root told us this week before the voting that issues relating back to core values would matter to Iowans- and that apparently was the case with Mike Huckabee supporters- including those involved in farming. On the Democratic side- Barack Obama was clearly ahead of both former Senator Edwards and current Senator Clinton- we have linked below his campaign website's page on rural issues. It says that Obama wants a strong safety net for family farmers- wants to regulate CAFOs and is supportive of programs to encourage young people to get into farming and ranching.

Click here for the Barrack Obama webpage on rural issues.


Why have wheat futures jumped the first two days of 2008?
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We have few answers to this question, as several analysts we have checked with have few ideas as to the reasons why wheat futures have gone limit up for two days in Chicago- and almost limit up in Kansas City.

The Country Hedging folks say that "big money" has driven any notion of supply and demand out of the wheat market in recent weeks. Specifically about the Kansas City Board of Trade movement of yesterday, they write in their daily web summary "Kansas City limped into limit up moves again today with the buying sporadic as the sellers were convinced that the sidelines were the safest place Simply put - sellers are not only sidelined they are not even on the field.. In the last two days wheat has rallied on expectations that the funds would be buyers, they certainly have been active but in Kansas City the funds really have been long approximately 32,000 for some time now and have not added to their length for any significant size to justify a 60 cent move."

With wheat futures jumping, that has Gulf wheat prices and Oklahoma grain elevator bids higher once again as well. We are back to the high eight dollar to low nine dollar levels in the state once again- and we have linked the Thursday cash grain prices for Oklahoma below.

Click here for the current cash grain prices for Oklahoma.


Oklahoman included in Cotton Board Reappointments.
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Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner today announced the appointment of 17 members and 17 alternate members to the Cotton Board, as well as one vacant alternate member position in Mississippi created by a resignation. Beginning January 1, the Cotton Board will consist of 37 representatives of cotton producers and importers, their alternates and one consumer advisor. The members and alternates named today will serve a three-year term, ending Dec. 31, 2010.

Robert D. Robbins of Altus was one of the Cotton Board members that was reappointed. One of the alternates that was reappointed was Robert H. Miller of Wellington, Kansas.

The cotton research and promotion program is designed to advance the position of cotton in the marketplace. It is funded by assessments on all domestically produced cotton and imports of foreign- produced cotton and cotton-containing products, and is authorized by the Cotton Research and Promotion Act of 1966. USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service monitors the program.


Drought Tolerant Corn Advances in the Monsanto Pipeline.
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Monsanto offered an overview yesterday about some of the research they are currently working on in the biotech arena- and perhaps the most exciting work they are doing could bring more corn acres to places like Oklahoma- the work is in the drought tolerant field.

Monsanto's release says "We've seen the first advancement of a multi-generational family, in this case our drought-tolerant research, in the history of our company. Given the phase transition of our first- generation drought-tolerant corn technology, Monsanto is now the industry's first company to advance a drought project into the regulatory and commercial phase."

I have details of some of the other Monsanto technology efforts- and have a link that is below. It is very interesting how we have some talking organic at every turn- for example the keynoter of the Horticulture Show this weekend in Tulsa(not to mention Barack Obama's call for more organic farming support from Uncle Sam)- and then we have Monsanto and their brave new world approach in biotech that offers a lot of promise to farmers in this country and globally.

Click here for that overview from Monsanto on their Technology Pipeline.


Listen to Ron on RON! (or watch- or read- or surf!)
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We appreciate your support of our many ways that we are trying to get the latest farm and ranch news out to farmers, ranchers and those in agribusiness here in the state of Oklahoma. Daily, we produce multiple radio programs for the largest network in the state of Oklahoma Radio Stations on the Radio Oklahoma Network- and we also update our web site at WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com.

Of course, we also spend a good bit of time writing this email- and then weekly we do our TV update on KWTV News9 in Oklahoma City for their Saturday morning news block from 6 AM to 8 AM. Speaking of TV, we look forward to having Mike Spradling, new President of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau with us as our guest this Saturday morning on January 5.

One way we merge some of these ways we reach out and provide you information is via our website- as we regularly offer several of our radio programs on the website for you to listen to if you miss the show on one of our great radio stations across the state. On our website, we have three buttons that will take you to audio reports that are updated regularly. One is the "Listen to Ron" button, which takes you to a link that allows you to listen to our daily morning farm news fed each morning to our radio stations. The second button that takes you to a couple of our market reports is our "Markets" button- we have both the midday 12:35 PM cash and futures market update linked here- as well as the closing market wrapup- hosted by Ed Richards with his regular guest, Tom Leffler. Finally, we have our "Beef Buzz" button, which offers you a chance to hear our daily beef industry news update- and we have many of these shows archived for you to listen to at your convenience 24/7- 365 days a year. Below- we have a link that will take you straight to the "listen to Ron" page- check out this morning's farm news as heard on the Radio Oklahoma Network!

Click here to jump to the "Listen to Ron" page of WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com


Our thanks to American Farmers & Ranchers, KIS Futures and Farm Credit of East Central Oklahomafor 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



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