From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Friday, March 14, 2008 06:09
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 March 14, 2008!
A service of Farm Credit of East Central Oklahoma, American Farmers & Ranchers and Midwest Farm Shows
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-- President Bush Says Get a New Bill By Mid April or Extend the Old Bill by at Least a Year.
-- At the State Capitol- 2024 Does NOT Survive the Passage Deadline!
-- From The Radio Oklahoma Network & McDonalds- Congrats to Tyler Boles of Asher for His Grand Champion Wether Meat Goat!!!
-- NCBA Eliminates Three VP Slots- Plus Jay Truitt is Gone.
-- U.S. Bakers want Preference for Domestic Use over International Markets When It Comes to US Wheat.
-- More from the Youth Expo as the Radio Oklahoma Network & McDonalds Salute the Purebred Gilt Winners!
-- Oklahoma Beef Incorporated Bull Test Sale Coming March 27!

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 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!

We are also 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!
And our email this morning is also a service of Midwest Farm Shows, producer of the annual Tulsa Farm Show held each December, as well as the Southern Plains Farm Show in Oklahoma City coming up this April! 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.


President Bush Says Get a New Bill By Mid April or Extend the Old Bill by at Least a Year.
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President Bush has issued a statement on the extension of the 2002 farm law that has passed the House and Senate this week- saying he will sign this one- but after that "If a final agreement is not reached by April 18, I call on Congress to extend current law for at least one year. While long-term extension of current law is not the desired outcome, I believe the government has a responsibility to provide America's farmers and ranchers with a timely and predictable farm program -- not multiple short-term extensions of current law. Without a predictable policy, agriculture producers will be unable to make sound business decisions with respect to this year's crop."

We have the full White House Statement linked on our website on our Farm Bill page at WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com. And, you can jump to the Statement by using the link below.

Click here to see the full White House Statement calling on Congress to Act on a New Bill NOW or Extend the Old One by at Least a Year.


At the State Capitol- 2024 Does NOT Survive the Passage Deadline!
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We talked to lobbyists from a couple of our ag groups- and there was great relief in the news that Senate Bill 2024 that originally would have set a sunset date on virtually all sales tax exemptions in the state did NOT pass it's originating body on Thursday (the Senate) and is now dead for this session. Ag groups had really rallied on this issue and had made 2024 target number one when it came to defense this legislative session.

Two measures that did pass on Thursday have been hailed as good news by both Scott Dewald of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association and Tyler Norvell of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau. Those two measures have to do with trespass- Senate Bills 1735 and 2111.

Senate Bill 1735 and Senate Bill 2111 would allow property owners to protect their land from activities that destroy property, including damage from recreational use by all-terrain vehicles and hunting and fishing activities. The author of the bills, David Sparks of Norman says "This bill makes trespass violators accountable for the damages they cause to personal property. Responsible government means protecting property owners."

Sparks said offenders, at a judge's discretion, could be fined, jailed and held responsible for the monetary value of damages caused. "The heart of the matter is habitual offenders, people who repeatedly destroy property, tear up crops, cut down fences, and let livestock escape," Sparks said.


From The Radio Oklahoma Network & McDonalds- Congrats to Tyler Boles of Asher for His Grand Champion Wether Meat Goat!!!
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The 2008 Oklahoma Youth Expo is underway at State Fair Park- and in fact, we are starting to change out animals as the goats leave and beef Heifers arrive. The Purebred Gilts have been shown, with the crossbred commercial gilts up next.

In the 2008 Goat show, a total of 1700 animals were brought to Oklahoma City, and the best of the 1000 wether Meat Goats was owned by Tyler Boles of the Asher FFA Chapter. Tyler is no stranger to the top end of the Youth Expo Meat Goat Show, as a couple of years ago, the now High School Sophomore showed the Reserve Grand Champion Meat Goat.
The Reserve Grand Champion Meat Goat was shown by Stasha Harp of the Kansas FFA Chapter.

There were about 700 female goats shown this year, and the Champion Doe Kid was exhibited by Kelsie Romine of the Tupelo FFA, while the Reserve Champion Doe Kid is owned by Garrett Hudgins of the Mannford FFA.
We had a chance to visit with Tyler Boles about his Grand Champion- and we have the link to that conversation below from this year's Youth Expo!

Click here to listen to Ron talk with Tyler Boles of Asher after he won the 2008 Grand Champion Trophy for Meat Goats at the OYE!


NCBA Eliminates Three VP Slots- Plus Jay Truitt is Gone.
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Very abruptly, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association is looking for a new head of their Washington, DC office. Jay Truitt, who has been their Vice President for Public Policy since Chandler Keys left to work for Swift, is no longer heading up the cattle organization's national lobbying efforts. It's a critical time for the cattle industry, as NCBA has been one of the major critics of the Senate's proposed Ban on Packer Ownership.

While it's not being said whether Truitt left voluntarily or was forced out- the CEO of the NCBA, Terry Stokes, offered this statement to us after we requested some reaction from the group. "Jay Truitt is a very respected government affairs professional in Washington, D.C., and across the nation. NCBA very much appreciates his lifelong commitment to cattlemen. Jay will be missed, and we wish him well as we begin a search for the new head of NCBA's government affairs office. In the meantime, I will be working in our D.C. office, ensuring the cattlemen's agenda continues to move forward. "

We have been told by Joe Schuele, head of their trade media efforts, that the Association has decided to reorganize their senior management, and that three Vice President slots have been eliminated- not counting the position vacated by Truitt in Washington. The three slots include Vice President for Governance & Federation held by Don Ricketts, Vice President for Strategic Projects held by Tim Downey and Vice President for Global Marketing held by Mark Thomas.

Click here to listen to our Beef Buzz on the subject- including comments from NCBA spokesman Joe Schuele.


U.S. Bakers want Preference for Domestic Use over International Markets When It Comes to US Wheat.
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I guess you could say it's gotten hot in the kitchen and the folks who bake our bread don't like it. The middle of this week found the American Bakers Association in Washington calling on Uncle Sam to help them out- they issued the call for allowing acres out without penalty from the Conservation Reserve Program- and they asked the government to effectively restrict exports of bread wheat.

In response- the National Association of Wheat Growers and U.S. Wheat Associates issued a joint statement on the idea of shutting off the global wheat market from US wheat producers in order to help the Bakers be more profitable. Alan Tracy and Daren Coppock say "U.S. bakers are in Washington, D.C., today sharing their concerns about domestic wheat supplies and prices. They are calling on the government to intervene in the wheat market, saying their call to action 'will send important, positive signals to the marketplace at a time when it is critically needed.
While the U.S. wheat industry understands the concerns of bakers and other flour users who have not forward contracted to meet their flour needs, we must respectfully disagree. The fact is U.S. wheat production far exceeds domestic demand. Half of our annual production is purchased by countries that cannot grow enough for their own people and many wheat producers depend almost entirely on overseas customers.
We believe even a temporary market disruption could dramatically undermine the economic incentive to produce more wheat. That may signal some farmers to plant other crops this spring. And farmers who can only grow wheat or sell exclusively into export markets would be needlessly penalized at a time when their production costs are rising dramatically. Some of our loyal importers would begin seeking alternatives to the supplier they have come to rely on.

"Previous cycles have proven that global wheat production will assuredly expand in response to higher prices and evidence of that is already being seen. The International Grains Council recently forecast that the world is likely to produce a record 642 million metric tons of wheat in the coming year if there are no serious weather problems. U.S. winter wheat plantings are up by seven percent compared to 2007.
The bakers have also suggested that Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres should be released from their contracts to provide more productive land to address supply issues. U.S. wheat producers believe in the sanctity of contracts. When CRP contracts are up for renewal, landowners will be able to make a choice between renewing CRP contracts and bringing those acres back into production in the market environment that exists at that time.
The U.S. wheat industry publicly and wholeheartedly supports fair and open trade of wheat throughout the world and shares the U.S. Department of Agriculture's commitment to making agriculture even stronger by expanding market opportunities at home and abroad. That is exactly what wheat producers-and the millers, bakers and consumers they supply-need today and tomorrow."


More from the Youth Expo as the Radio Oklahoma Network & McDonalds Salute the Purebred Gilt Winners!
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The purebred portion of the gilt show is complete at the 2008 Oklahoma Youth Expo- and the Yorkshire gilt came out as the Supreme Champion of the Purebred show. Brooke Nation of the Alva FFA had the top York and the Supreme Champion in the competition. The top Hampshire was shown by Taylor Thompson of Mangum FFA- and Taylor's pig was the Reserve Supreme Purebred Gilt.

Other Breed winners included Blair Mitchell of Skiatook FFA with the top Berkshire; Lauren Martin of Webbers Falls FFA with the best Chester White; Brock Herren of El Reno FFA topped the Duroc breed; Tyler Leiphardt of Kiowa 4-H claimed top prize in the Poland breed and finally, Karlena Mitchell of Rock Creek 4-H had the Champion Spot gilt.

The Oklahoma Youth Expo continues today with the Crossbred Commercial Gilt Show kicking off- while the Beef Heifers begin their show schedule as well.


Oklahoma Beef Incorporated Bull Test Sale Coming March 27!
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Cattle producers looking to improve herd performance should be putting pencil to paper now to determine the type of animals they want at the Oklahoma BEEF Inc. All-Breed Performance-Tested Bull Sale. 144 bulls will be available at the sale, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 27, at the OBI test station, eight miles west of Stillwater on State Highway 51.

Currently there are 135 Angus, five Simmental and four Hereford bulls consigned for the sale. Each bull sold through OBI undergoes a breeding soundness examination and is tested for brucellosis and tuberculosis or is from a certified-free herd. All bulls must index in the top 70 percent of their test group. "OBI has been having bull sales since 1973," said Tim Stidham, OBI test station director. "With 30-plus years of feeding bulls, the dependability of our performance records is unmatched. OBI customers depend on the reliability of these bulls."

Performance test results for bulls include: average daily gain; weight per day of age; adjusted 365-day weight; scrotal circumference; ultrasonic data for rib eye area, fat thickness and marbling; hip height; computation of performance ratios; and Expected Progeny Differences as provided by breed associations.
If you need additional information- contact the OBI office at 405-744-9287. AND- we have the catalog for the sale linked below for your to check out.

Click here for the Catalog for the upcoming OBI Bull Sale March 27.


Our thanks to Midwest Farm Shows, American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance 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!

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