From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 7:11 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 Wednesday March 18, 2009
A service of Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, KIS Futures and American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company!
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-- Oklahoma Youth Expo Coverage Continues
-- More ACRE Details Unveiled by USDA- Still No Definite Sign Up Date Announced
-- Pork Industry HBO Movie NOT Typical of Swine Husbandry in the US
-- Here Comes Baxter!
-- Prowl H2O Exemption Granted for Oklahoma Producers to Help Control Sandbur in Bermuda
-- Congressman Frank Lucas in the National Spotlight
-- OBI Performance Tested Bull Sale is Set for March 26
-- Let's Check the 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 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!

We are also excited to have as one of our sponsors for the daily email Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, with 64 years of progress through producer ownership. Call Brandon Winters at 405-232-7555 for more information on the oilseed crops they are crushing, including sunflowers and canola- and remember they post closing market prices for canola and sunflowers on the PCOM website- go there by clicking here.
And we are proud to have KIS Futures as a regular sponsor of our daily email update. KIS Futures provides Oklahoma Farmers & Ranchers with futures & options hedging services in the livestock and grain markets- Click here for the free market quote page they provide us for our website or call them at 1-800-256-2555.

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.


Oklahoma Youth Expo Coverage Continues
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We continue to follow the show results of the 2009 Oklahoma Youth Expo at State Fair Park in Oklahoma City. Tuesday was wrap up day for the purebred gilt show and the beef heifer show. We have Monday results up on our website and will be adding the rest of those breeding animal classes later today- all to be found on the Blue Green Gazette as linked below.

We also have results of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau YF&R Speech Contest that was held on Monday in tandem with the Youth Expo at OSU-OKC. Senior Division winners include McKenzie Walta of Kingfisher in Ag Production, Clairissa Craige of Bokchito in Ag Policy and Bonnie Murphy of May in the Environment and Natural Resources category. Senior Division winners won scholarships while the younger contestants came away with Savings Bonds.

Today, it is a reload day, as animals leave and others arrive. Only two events are planned for the day- the Swine Showmanship Competition at 11:00 AM and then the Legislature Show this evening at 6:30 PM. The Legislature Show allows state lawmakers the chance to interact with young people from their districts that are participating in the Oklahoma Youth expo- and the lawmakers even try their hand at showing some animals- sometimes the animals show the lawmakers, so it's appropriately named- the "Show."

Click on the link below as we will be posting more results and other stories on our website about the 2009 edition of the OYE.

Click here for more coverage of the 2009 Oklahoma Youth Expo


More ACRE Details Unveiled by USDA- Still No Definite Sign Up Date Announced
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We have a lot more information on the ACRE program and the figures that USDA will be using to figure ACRE supports for the current crop year- they have been released by USDA this week. ACRE is the Acreage Crop Revenue Election program that is debuting in this crop year- having been developed and made the law of the land in the 2008 farm law.

Through ACRE, USDA offers producers an alternative to Direct and Counter-cyclical (DCP) payments. The ACRE alternative provides eligible producers a state-level revenue guarantee, based on the 5-year state Olympic average yield and the 2-year national average price. ACRE payments are made when both state- and farm-level triggers are met. By participating in ACRE, producers elect to forgo counter-cyclical payments, receive a 20-percent reduction in direct payments and a 30-percent reduction in loan rates.

Some of the more interesting numbers that will be used to figure ACRE both nationally and here in Oklahoma include the "Preliminary Guarantee Price Estimate" which comes from the average of recent actual market prices. For wheat nationally, that number is $6.64 a bushel, for corn it's $4.15 a bushel and for cotton it's .542 cents per pound. The two numbers that are highest when it comes to what they call the "Program Guarantee" is in the irrigated category for Oklahoma- for corn it's $638.69 per bushel on a benchmark yield of 171 bushels per acre and for cotton- the Irrigated Program guarantee is $457.07 on a benchmark yield of 937 pounds per acre.

We have more on ACRE- including links in our story to one of the latest ACRE calculators.


Pork Industry HBO Movie NOT Typical of Swine Husbandry in the US
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The National Pork Producers Council, in response to the HBO documentary "Death on a Factory Farm", says that this production shows actions at a hog farm that are not condoned and, in fact, abhorred by responsible pork producers. NPPC publicly condemned the mistreatment when it originally occurred in 2006. The Council says, - for the documentary's producers to imply the situation shown in the film is in any way typical of swine husbandry in this country is grossly unfair to the farm families who work daily to feed this country and much of the world.

During NPPC's recent annual meeting, pork producers reaffirmed the industry's strong support for the well-being of its animals in a statement that states, in part: The U.S. pork industry recognizes its moral and ethical obligation to provide for the responsible treatment of animals. Any willful mistreatment or neglect of animals is unacceptable. The U.S. pork industry affirms its obligation to act swiftly to end any mistreatment and to take immediate corrective actions to fully restore proper and responsible animal care.

We have more on this story- and an audio overview of NPPC reaction to this "documentary" that will be seen several times this month on the premium entertainment channel. Click on the link below.

Click here for more on the industry responding to HBO and their portrayal of a hog farm in Ohio.


Here Comes Baxter!
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We had the chance this week to visit with Baxter Black, who is coming to Oklahoma City this coming Friday evening for an appearance at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.

We have turned this conversation into one of our Ag Perspectives Podcasts- and we invite you to listen as we talk a bit about Baxter Black the entertainer and his ongoing journey to be an observer of life- and a repeater of stories that come to him from all over.

We also get a taste of the serious Baxter Black as we visit about the problem that is getting bigger and bigger- abandoned horses- in this country. Click on our link below- we include details on his upcoming appearance in Oklahoma City this Friday night at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.

Click here for our Podcast special "All About Baxter"


Prowl H2O Exemption Granted for Oklahoma Producers to Help Control Sandbur in Bermuda
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The Environmental Protection Agency has granted a specific exemption to allow Oklahoma producers to use the chemical Prowl H2O to control sandbur infestations in Bermuda grass from now until June 30. The agency granted the exemption at the request of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry. This is the second consecutive year this exemption has been made.

Prowl H2O is a selective herbicide for controlling sandbur as it germinates and producers have a very narrow window of opportunity to treat their Bermuda pastures and meadows for this weed. More information on the use of the product has been posted on the ODAFF website- click below for that link.

The agency has also requested that EPA grant a similar exemption for the herbicide, Pastora, for sandbur control as well. This herbicide has not been exempted at this time. The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry also say producers should also consider treating pastures for invasive weeds such as musk thistle at this time. 24D type products are effective during this time of year.

Click here for the details on this product and the exemption given to Oklahoma


Congressman Frank Lucas in the National Spotlight
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The ag policy website, Agri-Pulse, is featuring Oklahoma Third District Congressman Frank Lucas this week in their "Open Mic" segment that is accessible as a free part of their website.

The lead in to the interview says "Our Open Mic guest this week is Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK), the ranking minority member of the House Agriculture Committee. Lucas discusses, among other things, his concerns with the Obama administration's 2010 budget proposal and the potential for farmers and ranchers to be saddled with a sizable amount of the cost associated with climate change legislation."

We have the link to the Agri-Pulse front page linked below- once you arrive- look to the right hand side of the page and there you will see a smiling picture of Congressman Lucas and a "button" to push to start the interview.
We cooperate and trade stories ideas with Stewart Doan and Sara Wyant regularly- and would recommend that you take a look at their weekly newsletter that they offer on a subscription basis. It is a must read for those inside the Washington beltway that are keeping up with things in farm country- and offers lots of insight into the world of ag policy, ag trade and more.

Click here for Agri-Pulse and look to the right hand side of their page for the Open Mic Interview with Congressman Frank Lucas.


OBI Performance Tested Bull Sale is Set for March 26
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Oklahoma Beef Inc. has announced their All Breed Performance Tested Bull Sale on Thursday March 26, 2009 at 12 Noon. The sale is set to be held at the OBI Test Station, 8 miles west of Stillwater on Highway 51.

The 2009 sale is the 36th sale of the OBI test Facility and will feature 158 performance tested bulls. The bulls to be sold include 137 Angus, 15 Hereford and 6 Simmental. Sale day phone is 405-624-1181

We have more about the OBI sale and the link to the catalog for the 2009 sale- just click on the link below.

Click here for more on the OBI sale on March 26, 2009 just west of Stillwater on Highway 51.


Our thanks to KIS Futures, Producers Cooperative Oil Mill and AFR 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


Let's Check the Markets!
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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.



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