Howdy Neighbors!

Here's your morning farm news headlines from the Director of Farm Programming for the Radio Oklahoma Network, Ron Hays. We are pleased 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!

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At the state level- Detrick worries about the long standing exemption for agricultural inputs from state sales tax being eliminated- saying that ideas like the HOPE initiative that is the basis of State Question 744 could mean lawmakers might come looking for a new source of revenue at the state level. The sales tax exemption could be on the list of things that might be considered if lawmakers are mandated to put common education at the front of the line for state funding at an arbitrary level.

Besides Climate Change and Animal Welfare- we also talk with Terry Detrick about NAIS, COOL as well as discuss the AFR annual county meeting process that is just getting underway. You can hear our full conversation with Terry by clicking on the link below to jump to our web story with the President of this general farm organization.

Click here for our conversation with Terry Detrick, President of the AFR

"Another area where he was a visionary, way ahead of his times was the whole concept of bio-fuels. I remember visiting the Ft. Reno USDA research facility early in his U.S. Senate career and as he looked out at the fields full of various grasses swaying in the wind, he not only saw real beauty and cattle feed but also was talking crazy about fueling our vehicles with grasses. He said that we needed to prepare for a time when our farmers would be raising fuel or energy as a major crop. He persisted in talking about and encouraging research in this area over the last three decades. The major research efforts by Ray Huhnke and others at OSU, the large and amazing research team at the Noble Foundation for whom he had special respect, the chemical and process scientists at OU and the researchers at the state USDA facilities currently working in this area are a testament to this vision he has promoted for so long."

Dr. Ron Elliott, Department Head in the Biosystems and Ag Engineering Department at OSU, also offered a quick word about Governor Bellmon and his influence in making the Oklahoma Mesonet a reality. Dr. Elliott writes "Another of Henry Bellmon's many lasting imprints on our state is the Oklahoma Mesonet, the nation's premier statewide weather monitoring network and information system. During his second term as Governor, he made it possible for Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma to receive "oil overcharge funds" to implement the Mesonet concept. Until he made that decision, the Mesonet was just a great idea on the drawing board. We later joked with Governor Bellmon that it was probably his shock at seeing the two universities approaching him together on a joint project that caused him to approve the funding. He remained very interested in the Mesonet as it developed and matured, and he closely monitored the data gathered at the Red Rock station, which was the Mesonet site closest to his farm. We unofficially refer to Governor Bellmon as the Father of the Oklahoma Mesonet."

"America's farmers and ranchers did not fare that well in the House-passed climate change bill and they fare even worse in the Senate bill," said American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman. "There are few benefits and even greater costs to agriculture and the American public."

The bill, authored by Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and John Kerry (D-Mass), seeks to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions through a cap-and-trade program. The legislation would require greenhouse gas emissions to be cut 20 percent by 2020 from 2005 levels -- greater than the House bill's target of 17 percent. Stallman said the 20 percent target is unrealistic and will lead to higher energy bills for all consumers. "The Waxman-Markey bill, passed narrowly by the House this summer, did at least include credits to farmers for carbon-storing or carbon management practices. The Senate bill does not guarantee any benefits to agriculture for carbon sequestration," Stallman said.
We have more on our website of the AFBF's position on the Boxer- Kerry Bill- click on the link below to check it out.

Click here for more on Farm Bureau's Dislike of the Senate Climate Change Proposal

The Republican lawmakers write "Numerous studies conducted on H.R. 2454's cap and trade provision show that invariably there will be real costs to agriculture, while the benefits, if any, are difficult to quantify. It is worth noting that more than 120 agriculture groups still oppose H.R. 2454 today. They do so for good reason. If this bill were to become law, it would dramatically change agriculture for the worse not just because this industry is energy-intensive, but because this bill impacts the entire network that supports agriculture. From input suppliers to processors to retailers to consumers, no part of the food chain is left unscathed."

Lucas and Chambliss go on to say further down in the Editorial that "Proponents of H.R. 2454 often argue that farmers and ranchers can mitigate higher costs by participating in an offset program. However, not every farmer and rancher will be able or even eligible to participate. Under H.R. 2454, participating in an offset program depends upon the producer's location and farming operation. As noted above, some analyses show that a farmer's best and almost only chance to participate in an offset program would be if the farmer stops farming altogether and plants trees instead. Most of the offset benefit is generated by afforestation on agriculture lands. This underscores another troubling part of H.R. 2454 in that it estimates 40-60 million acres of land are likely to shift from commodity production to forestry."

We have the full editorial- along with links to several studies that Lucas and Chambliss mention- click on the link below to get to their commentary.

Click here for the full Editorial that Frank Lucas and Saxby Chambliss Have Offered on Climate Change Legislation

"Oklahoma State University has conducted some harvest aid demonstrations in the area. Those applications, with a combination of boll opener plus defoliant have been performing the best, even when the bolls are already open. Finish, Prep or other ethephon-based boll openers seem to make the defoliant material work more effectively. Finish will work more quickly than other boll openers, but other openers applied at a higher rate will be almost as effective.

"The best treatments at this time are Finish at 1.5 to two pints per acre plus Def at one pint per acre. Other effective treatments include other ethephon-boll openers at two pints plus either Def at one pine per acre or Ginstar at six to eight ounces per acre. The Ginstar appication works more slowly, but is probably the best choice in the areas where plants have had a surge of late season growth. Some of the boll opener products have come down in price recently, and their use at a higher rate can be easily justified. With stripper harvesting, it is likely that a desiccant will need to be applied at about a week following the initial treatment to further condition the plant for harvest. If we receive a freeze, that should take care of the conditioning of the plant. Desiccants can be Gramoxone, Aim, ET or Blizzard if there is no danger of drift to areas planted to wheat, but if there is any danger of drift to small grains, Gramoxone should not be used." (Our thanks to NTOK for helping us with these comments with JC Banks- click on the link below for their website)

Click here for more on Oklahoma Cotton Production for 2009 at the NTOK website

The five-member Oklahoma Oilseed Commission will administer check off funds which will be collected on oilseed grown in the state. An assessment to be determined by the commission will be collected and used to develop programs that will enhance oilseed production, provide oilseed research, promote market development, education, and improve profitability of Oklahoma oilseed producers.

For more information contact Glen Schickedanz at (800) 580-6543

Selling will be a 100 18- to 20-Month-Old Bulls and a Select Group of Females. Eddie Parker says that this year's crop is looking really good- and he writes in the sale catalog "The bulls continue to improve as is evidenced by the outstanding EPDs. An update will also be available sale day."

For information, contact Eddie or Karen Parker at 580-228-3251. You can also click ont he link below for their website and their complete sale catalog.

Click here for more on the Parker Angus Ranch Production Sale- One week from today- on October 12

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

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- Two Pager From The Kansas City Board of Trade looks at all three US Wheat Futures Exchanges with extra info on Hard Red Winter Wheat 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.