Howdy Neighbors!

Here's your morning farm news headlines from the Director of Farm Programming for the Radio Oklahoma Network, Ron Hays. It is wonderful to have as a regular sponsor on our daily email Johnston Enterprises- proud to be serving agriculture across Oklahoma and around the world since 1893. For more on Johnston Enterprises- click here for their website!

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 handle, 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 salute our longest running email sponsor- Midwest Farm Shows, producer of the springtime Southern Plains Farm Show, as well as the December 2009 Tulsa Farm Show. Midwest Farm Shows wants to invite FFA chapters to participate in the 2009 Tulsa Farm Show Livestock Skills Handling Contest- you have to take the qualifying test during the Big 3 Livestock Field Days on July 15- Click here for more information.

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.

Dr. Peel believes that we won't have the counter seasonal move that we saw last year in the cash cattle market, where we had late summer season strength last August. He sees little hope of a significant rally in the next several weeks as we begin to move next to the Fourth of July holiday weekend, and then hit the dog days of summer from Fourth to July to Labor Day.

He adds that supplies seem to be pretty well in line, but he worries about beef demand, and he believes that will hinge on the general economy. If we see an improvement of the macro economics in this country, that could allow the relatively tight market supplies to work higher, price wise, in the latter part of the year.

Click here for today's Beef Buzz as heard on the Radio Oklahoma Network, and as found anytime on our website at www.oklahomafarmreport.com- just click on the Beef Buzz button on the left hand side of any page.

Click here for the Monday Beef Buzz with Dr. Derrell Peel of OSU as our featued guest.

"Our scholarships are simply another way we support the leaders of tomorrow," said Terry Detrick, AFR President and CEO. "The premiums paid to Oklahoma based American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company enables the organization to have an active role in developing Oklahoma's youth through scholarships and other agricultural events like speech contests, livestock judging and leadership summits. We are happy to invest Oklahoma insurance premium dollars in Oklahoma youth rather than see those funds sent to an out-of-state corporate headquarters never to be seen again."

We have the full list of 25 scholarship recipients on our website- and invite you to go to the link below and jump to this listing of some of the best and brightest rural youth from across our state here in 2009.

Click here for the full list of AFR Scholarship Award Winners for 2009

Grimes says the U.S. hog industry has to downsize. Producers hoped prices could get to around 80-dollars per hundredweight by now - but the market isn't going above 60 - with the June futures price contract closing down on Wednesday at roughly 57-dollars in trading. But Grimes does believe the industry will be looking at financial recovery in a year and hopes hog prices will be profitable at that time.

Our full story that we have linked below also has comments from Iowa State's Dr. Bob Wisner, who says to fasten your seat belt for a wild ride of volatile corn and soybean markets this summer - as worldwide supplies of grain tighten.
We also have audio comments from Dr. Grimes about this past week's hog market.

Click here for more on the hog economics that were talked about at the World Pork Expo

His work is called the "Economics of Animal Welfare Regulations Proposed for Ohio." Dr. Tweeten cites studies that show little correlation between the well being of the animals involved and the regulations that the HSUS has forced upon California and want to force on Ohio next. He zeros in on the caged hen part of the proposal from HSUS, saying that will have the effect of eliminating the egg business from Ohio, because it will make Ohio egg producers at least 20% less cost effective in their business. He adds that neighboring states will simply have an economic incentive to up production and that consumers will not actually see a lot of cost increase.

He adds that one tactic that is now being pursued in California as they try to help their chicken producers after the fact is an exercise in futility. "To protect its producers, California has proposed trade barriers to egg imports from other states. Such barriers seem unachievable because they conflict with the interstate commerce clause of the U.S. constitution and likely would be ruled unconstitutional."

He adds that HSUS will try to build enough momentum to enact federal regulations, but that too will simply push livestock practices that are most efficient to border countries and allow their production to flourish. Producers will pay, consumers will likely get stuck with some higher costs and animals will not be better cared for. And, Tweeten adds that large farms will still have a production advantage over smaller operations.

Click here to read his complete paper- which offers a lot of insight on the impact that the HSUS may achieve if they are successful in changing how animal agriculture operates in the US.

Sarah writes "Do you believe in instilling good old-fashioned values, discipline and boundaries in your children? Can you give two British teenagers the chance to have some much-needed structure in their lives? Following the huge success of the first series, the BBC are looking for role model families to take part in a second series of factual entertainment programmes on parenting. In each one-hour programme, two British teenagers will be sent to live with a family abroad, to experience life in their country under their rules. In the last series, the BBC sent overindulged teenagers from the UK to live with families over the world, from Jamaica to India, Alabama to South Africa. In this series we want to send two British teenagers to Oklahoma.

"We are looking for a traditional, conservative Oklahoma family (with children aged 14-16) who are proud of their strong parenting and family values and who would be willing to accommodate two British teenagers for one week in July 2009 and instill in them the values and morality they demand of their own children."
We have a few more details on our website below- and we have agreed to do an interview with the producer of the show- and we will have that up on the website later in the day on Monday.

Click here for more information the BBC wanting to come to Oklahoma for a reality TV show.

SECOND- we have had some challenges on making sure that those you that have Pioneer internet are getting our emails. If you have a "pldi.net" on the end of your email and you are getting the email okay- take a moment and send me an email at the address found at the bottom of today's email. AND, if you have had any problems getting the email- or know of someone who has had problems- please drop me a note as well and tell me about that as well- including email addresses that don't seem to be getting along with our Constant Contact server that handles this daily report.

Thanks for your help on both of these issues- our email has gone out virtually every weekday over the last three years- and we appreciate how well it has been received. It's our hope to continue to reach more folks with this daily report, as well as make our website, www.oklahomafarmreport.com a primary destination for those of you that are interested in farm, ranch and rural issues of importance to Oklahoma. If you know someone that needs to get this report- forward it to them- and invite them to sign up.

In July, the OCA Annual Convention and Trade Show that happens once again in Midwest City, the Summer Cattle Industry Conference planned at 5280 feet in Denver as well as the Big 3 Field Days and the Oklahoma State 4-H Roundup- both planned for the campus of OSU in Stillwater.

As you take a look at the listings, if you don't see items that need to be included, please drop me an email and I will be happy to get them on line as we continue to strive to make this a comprehensive "all in one spot" calendar for Oklahoma Agriculture. Email me at the address found on the bottom of the email- and click on the link below to jump to our calendar page on OklahomaFarmReport.Com

Click here for the Calendar as found on WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com

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.