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 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.

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 April 2009 Southern Plains Farm Show in Oklahoma City. This year's show dates are April 23,24 and 25. Check out details of both the Southern Plains Show and the Tulsa Farm Show 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.

We will log four to eight hours below 28 degrees in many areas of the western half of the state- setting us up for potential freeze damage to the 2009 winter wheat crop. Based on the latest Oklahoma Crop and Weather Update- 84% of the Oklahoma wheat crop had reached jointing stage by Monday- setting us up for a substantial freeze injury.

Senior Agricultural Weather Analyst for the website StormX, Gail Martell says that when temperatures fall to the mid 20's for at least two hours, yield loss can occur as growth above the growing point will stop.

We have links to a couple of mesonet maps that may interest you- click here for the map that shows the number of hours below 32 degrees in real time- once these temps get above 32 degrees, the data will disappear. We also have linked below the current temperature map from the Mesonet for you to take a look at as well.

Click here for current temps as gathered by the Oklahoma Mesonet

For Oklahoma, there are seven projects that have been included in this announcement, with just over $14 million being allocated to these projects. The Oklahoma share of the monies is expected to come from the Conservation Bond Initiative that is working its way through the state legislature. The federal flood control rehab program offers 65% of the money needed with the state or local government required to pick up the rest.

The state measure that basically reaffirms the Capital Bond efforts of a year ago that was struck down by the Oklahoma Supreme Court because the law passed last year called for a bond issue for multiple purposes. Senate Bill238, as amended by the House Appropriations and Budget Committee, authorizes a $25 million bond issue "for purposes of construction, repair and rehabilitation of flood-control dams, repair of roadside water erosion, riparian restoration and purchase of necessary equipment in various counties through and with the assistance of local conservation districts, including restoration of flood-damaged areas, all pursuant to the Conservation District Act, with debt retirement payments to be made by the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, which is hereby authorized to borrow money from the OCIA for the purposes in this section." This bill cleared the Appropriations Committee on Monday by a 15 to 1 vote.

We have more details on the announcement by Secretary Vilsack- complete with an audio overview of the news briefing from Monday.

Winter wheat and rye were rated mostly in the good to fair range with oats rated mostly in the fair to poor range. Crop insect activities continued to range from moderate to light. Winter wheat jointing increased 22 points from last week to reach 84 percent, eight points ahead of normal. Rye jointing was at 90 percent and five points ahead of the last year.

For our spring row crops- work slowed on seedbed preparations in most parts of the State but remained ahead of average for most crops. Corn seedbed preparations increased by two percentage points from last week to reach 71 percent, two points ahead of normal; corn planted reached 16 percent, nine points behind normal. Twenty-eight percent of sorghum seedbeds were prepared, one point ahead of the five-year average. By week's end, 35 percent of soybean seedbed preparations were completed, on target with the five-year average. Peanuts seedbed prepared was 45 percent complete, seven points ahead of normal. Cotton seedbed preparations increased by eight percentage points from last week to reach 70 percent, 17 points ahead of normal.

Click here for the full report of Oklahoma Crop Conditions as of Monday afternoon.

Since that time, the US has had retaliation measures leveled against EU goods to the tune of millions of dollars annually- with never a penny of that being seen by cattlemen. The ban remains- altho the Europeans now buy a small amount of US beef that is certified as being free from being implanted with growth promoting hormones.

On April 22, the United States is scheduled to impose carousel retaliation measures against a new list of products from the European Union in response to the EU's long-standing ban on U.S. beef exports from cattle raised with growth promoting hormones. The two sides have been in discussions, however, on a compromise measure that would keep the hormone ban in place, but provide other trade relief that may allow the United States to export a higher volume of non-hormone beef into Europe.

We talk about these negotiations on today's Beef Buzz, with comments from Thad Lively of the US Meat Export Federation. The Beef Buzz is heard on great radio stations across the state as well as being found on the Internet on our website- just go to OklahomaFarmReport.Com and click on the left hand side button "Beef Buzz." Our link below takes you to today's report on this continuing battle over beef.

Click here for today's Beef Buzz featuring Thad Lively of the US Meat Export Federation

This afternoon- the Northwest Cattlemen's Association has their annual replacement cow and bull sale. The sale is expected to start at around 1:00 PM at the Woodward Livestock Auction. Speaking of Woodward- I don't have it on the our website calendar- but we do invite you to come out and say hello next Monday at lunchtime as we have been asked to be the guest speaker for the April gathering of the Woodward Chamber of Commerce- we'll be talking about the "brave new world" that we face in Washington with a radically different mindset at USDA with the Obama Administration versus the past eight years under George W Bush.

Be sure and let us know about what is going on with your group or association- we will be glad to get it on the calendar. The earlier you get it to us- the longer it will be on our calendar page for people to discover. Right now there are some three dozen listings of events on the calendar for the balance of April- so follow the link below and take a look at what may be happening that is in your area- or in your segment of the farm and ranch business.

Click here for the current calendar as found on WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com

"Offering both varieties will give wheat farmers an option for sunflowers," Neuens said."Producers need to contact their planting seed supplier to purchase the best seed for the area they live in. There are several good varieties available. "Our bid will be delivered to a storage facility of our choice. We are working on delivery points."

Neuens urges farmers to call his cell phone 1-405-760-4205 for information. Information can also be obtained from Brandon Winters at 1-405-232-7555. You can also go to the link below for more information from the PCOM website.

Click here for the PCOM website and details about Sunflowers as a crop to grow if you have freeze damaged wheat

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.