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.

Meatingplace .Com quotes Christina McGlone, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. analyst who told them ""The fact that it was done rather abruptly makes one wonder if there was a disagreement between Dick and the (Tyson) family. First, you wonder what led to a sudden departure. And second, who's going to replace him on a permanent basis? In the absence of facts, you're left to speculate."

In 2008, Tyson and other meat companies were hurt by high feed prices early in the year and, later, slowing economies around the world. Tyson's earnings fell 68 percent to $86 million in the fiscal year ended in September. Meat industry conditions appear to be improving, with feed costs down from the highs in early 2008 and producers cutting production, which should lift meat prices in 2009.

"After seven years of helping lead or leading the world's largest meat company, I have decided it is in both my best interest personally and the best interest of the company for me to move on and pursue other interests," Bond said in a statement.

More ont his story at our website- WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com- Click here to read.

The agricultural leader acknowledges every producer's break even points are different, but just like in 2008, large price swings will force them to study the markets closely. "Successful farming is often a combination of good timing and good weather," Spradling said. "We can't control the weather, but with skill and a little luck we can grab a profit out of the market." Spradling expects farmers and ranchers to be faced with unpredictable and wildly fluctuating input costs, especially in the energy sector.

We have more with Mike Spradling of Tulsa County who leads the general farm organization at our website- WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com. Click on the link below to take a look.

Click here for more comments from Mike Spradling of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau and some Perspectives on 2009.

They are planning a series of meetings over this week and next week- mostly in Missouri- with a couple of meetings in southeast Kansas and one in northeast Oklahoma. The Oklahoma meeting will be at Lorene's Restaurant in Fairland, Oklahoma at 1:30 pm this Friday, January 9, 2009.

Our thanks to Brent Rendel for passing this info along to us- and if you have any interest- there are phone numbers on the link below for you to call and ask your questions. This is a cooperative already up and running with what is apparently a successful business model. They are looking for farmers that want to have some exposure to biodiesel in their operation. If you have interst- Investigate closely before you get involved.

Click here for the Prairie Pride website.

"Call this one of the newest and innovative ways your government has come up with to battle greenhouse gas emissions. Indirectly it could be considered a cheeseburger tax, but one of the suggestions offered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) for regulating greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act is to levy a tax on livestock."

Rick Krause, senior director of congressional relations for the American Farm Bureau, warned it's certainly feasible - especially based on the rhetoric of President-elect Barack Obama and the use of the EPA to combat global warming. Such action by an Obama administration would take an act of Congress for livestock to be exempt. "The new president has been on record as saying that he really supports regulating greenhouse gases out of the Clean Air Act," Krause said to the Business & Media Institute. "So, we really have to keep an eye on it. Legislation would really be the only way to exempt it at this point - the cow tax."

Click here to see the story linked on the Drudge Report on Monday afternoon about the "Cow tax"

They beat up on conservation efforts in this country and bemoan soil loss and the industralization of agriculture. One paragraph they write sums up their complaints: "To the problem of soil loss, the industrialization of agriculture has added pollution by toxic chemicals, now universally present in our farmlands and streams. Some of this toxicity is associated with the widely acclaimed method of minimum tillage. We should not poison our soils to save them."

They turn around at that point and call for something that might be very interesting indeed- the idea of developing our major crops we grow for food and fiber into perennials. Berry and Jackson claim "In fact, research in Canada, Australia, China and the United States over the last 30 years suggests that perennialization of the major grain crops like wheat, rice, sorghum and sunflowers can be developed in the foreseeable future."
And the idea of a fifty year farm bill comes in as an answer to "the problems of soil loss and degradation, toxic pollution, fossil-fuel dependency and the destruction of rural communities. "
Whether you buy their arguments or dismiss them as rubbish- you might want to read the full opinion piece. It's another of those voices out there being heard by large numbers of those who know little and understand less about modern production agriculture in this country.

Click here for the full thought piece entitled "The Fifty Year Farm Bill."

Take advantage of the early discount of $150 ($200 after Jan. 15) to reserve your spot at the 2009 Winter Conference, where you will have the opportunity to visit with other no-tillers from various regions. This year several "producer speakers" - each in a different stage of continuous no-till (CNT) with a variety of unique conditions - will offer presentations. In addition, several no-tillage experts will engage the crowd. The speaking lineup features Kirk Gadzia, NM; Paul Jasa, UNL, NE; Steve Melvin, UNL , NE; Kenneth Miller and Marlyn Richter, ND; Phil Needham, KY; Moe Russell, IA; Ray Ward, NE; Brian & Keith Berns, NE; Humberto Blanco, KSU, KS; Tom Cannon, OK; Gail Fuller, KS; Stuart Hoff, UNL, NE; Andy Holzwarth, KS; Bill Kuenstler and Jerry Lemunyon, NRCS, TX; Gary Maskus, CO; Lance Russell, Hays, KS; Mark Watson, NE; and Marty Williams, OK. These experts are extremely knowledgeable, and growers will have the opportunity to ask questions, share trade secrets and interact with other attendees, participants and presenters.

Brian Lindley, Executive Director of No-till on the Plains, comments, "Our theme for the conference this year is 'Pursuit of the Ideal.' This is a topic not unfamiliar to most no-tillers since we realize that we have yet to attain the ultimate yield goals. While most conventional tillage practices have stagnated and their yields have plateaued, continuous no-tillers know we have yet to realize our full potential. This is why we must keep learning from the very best the industry has to offer -- producers who are maximizing rotations, crop sequencing practices, fertility, nutrient cycling, and management skills, while achieving an overall food quality that has not been surpassed."

We have more on the Conference including details on registration at our website- click here for the info.

Tom Daschle is first up this Thursday. The former Senate Ag Committee member and Senate Majority Leader has been selected to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. Then - next Tuesday (January 13) - the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will review Energy Secretary-designate Steven Chu. That same committee will hear from Interior Secretary-designate Ken Salazar next Thursday (January 15).

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.