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 pleased to have as a regular sponsor on our daily email Johnston Enterprises- proud to have served agriculture across Oklahoma and around the world since 1893. For more on Johnston Enterprises- click here for their website!
And we salute our longest running email sponsor- Midwest Farm Shows, producer of the just concluded Tulsa Farm Show, as well as the April 2009 Southern Plains Farm Show in Oklahoma City. Check out details of both of these exciting shows 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.

There is a new wrinkle that comes from the new farm law- the so called permanent disaster program- known officially as the Supplemental Revenue Assistance (SURE) Program has specific requirements for the 2009 crop year. To participate in the SURE program producers must purchase a policy or plan of insurance under the Federal crop insurance program for all insurable crops planted on all farms they have an interest in. In addition, if insurance is not available on a crop, producers will have to file the required paperwork and pay the applicable fee by the deadline for the noninsured crop assistance program (NAP) for all uninsured crops planted on all farms they have an interest in to be eligible.

Contact your local crop insurance agent today if you have not already done so to get your coverage lined up. Scott Bulling, who is the guru of Crop Insurance for the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, will be glad to field questions as well- give him a call at 405-523-2438.

In a letter sent Wednesday to the chairmen and ranking members of the Agriculture and Budget Committees in both the House and the Senate, the broad coalition of farm groups warned that the cuts "threaten, once again, to change the rules midstream on American farm and ranch families."

The coalition letter emphasized that the producers are already struggling to understand and comply with confusing, costly and unduly burdensome payment and eligibility rule changes that were unanticipated and far exceed what the farm bill required and Congress intended.
We have more on this letter- including the letter itself as well as the list of the groups that signed it in our webstory at the link below- check it out.

Click here for more on the Farm Groups' letter to Congressional leadership asking for help in responding to the Obama Administration FY2010 budget.

We sat down and talked about this process with Senator Ron Justice of Chickasha- and where the session now stands from his perspective as the Chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. Two measures that came to mind for Senator Justice that his committee has heard and have moved on have to do with private property rights and animal care. SB 453 had to do with trespass and hunting without permission- and would allow a landowner to recover damages to crops and livestock. The animal care bill that came out of his Committee and passed the full Senate earlier this week was SB452, which would make the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture Food and Forestry the state entity empowered to implement policy regarding the care and handling of livestock in this state. Also, the bill would not allow a municipality to make ordinances more restrictive in regard to the care and handling of livestock than those promulgated by the Department of Agriculture.

There are companion bills from the House on both of these issues- and they are likely to be assigned to the Senate Ag Committee and heard by Senator Justice and his members over the next two to three weeks. Those Senate measures are likely to be heard by House Ag Committee chairman Don Armes in that same time frame.
One issue that did not see a bill advance this session was one that would have attempted to offer some regulation over those using the herbicide 2,4,D. There was a bill introduced in the Senate but its author, Senator Mike Schulz, decided to pull the bill after it generated a good bit of opposition. Senator Schulz, by the way, authored both 452 and 453 that were successful in making it out of the Senate and now will be considered by the State House. We have audio with Senator Justice on where we stand in this 2009 session- it's in our story- and we invite you to be watching Saturday morning as Senator Justice joins us on our In the Field segment as seen on KWTV News9.

Click here for more on the "trade deadline" at the Oklahoma State Legislature

One group that says it is time for Mandatory Animal ID is the American Vet Medical Association. Their spokesperson this week was Dr. Ron DeHaven- who was the Chief Vet when we had the cow that stole Christmas back in December 2003- our first case of BSE found in this country (which turned out to be a dairy cow from Canada- but we still got whacked for the sun of her dying here in the US) Dr. DeHaven is the now the CEO and President of the American Vet Medical Association.

Dr. DeHaven says that Mandatory Animal ID would save valuable time in the case of a rapidly moving disease outbreak, would save millions if not billions of dollars by minimizing the spread of an outbreak and would also mean fewer animal involved results in better overall animal care- it can even be twisted into an animal welfare issue.
Click on the link below for this Beef Buzz- and remember that we have older Beef Buzz shows in our archives for you to review as well.

Click here for our Friday Beef Buzz- with an argument front and center over Animal ID and the need for it to be mandatory

Anderson says that with the slower economy, demand may be off a bit for some of the junk food products that use wheat flour. Anderson explains it by saying you go to the convenience store and buy gas- and you have a little bit of extra money and you reward yourself by buying a Twinkie. With the economic worries- you might not have the money so you don't buy the Twinkie. Even if you have the money- you might be too worried to buy the Twinkie- at least not as often. Consumption slumps a bit as a result.

Dr. Anderson also talks about the current wheat crop in the ground and current wheat price projections- you can hear the audio from the SUNUP conversation and more on this weekend's SUNUP show by going to our story by clicking on the link below.

Click here for more on the Twinkie Effect with Dr. Kim Anderson (and more on SUNUP for this weekend as well)

The first show event of the 2009 show happens Saturday afternoon at 1 PM- the Goat Showmanship competition in the Super Barn Arena.
On Sunday morning, 9:00 a.m. is the start time for the Farm Credit of Oklahoma Doe Kid Show in the Super Barn Arena.

Monday morning, things really start cranking up, with three species in four venues are showing:
8:00 a.m. Moorman's ShowTec Purebred Gilt Show: Berkshire , Chester White, Duroc, Poland China , Spot, Hampshire and Yorkshire- Barn 6 Arena
8:00 a.m. ~ Farm Credit of Oklahoma Market Wether Goat Show - Super Barn Arena
9:00 a.m. ACCO Showmaster Heifer Show: Beefmaster, Brahman, Brangus, Simmental and Commercial Heifers - Ring One Barn 8 Arena
9:00 a.m. ACCO Showmaster Heifer Show: Charolais, Chianina, Gelbvieh, Hereford, Red Angus, Salers, Santa Gertrudis and Texas Longhorns - Ring Two Barn 8 Arena.

Click here for more details on the Oklahoma Youth Expo- here's the link to their website

Guest consignor at the Sale for 2009 is Pfeiffer Angus Farms out of Mulhall. John and Kaye, along with their sons have some of their top animals that will be a part of this lineup as well.

Besides the Angus bull offerings- they will also be selling 60 fancy commercial Angus females that you will want to consider. For more information, contact Keith Grissom at 405-382-7678- or go to our link below at National Cattle Services for the on line sale catalog.

Click here for more information on this Saturday's sale at Blackjack Angus Farms.

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.