The 14th member of the Oklahoma Ag Hall of Fame, Wayne Krehbiel of Hydro, passed away after a short illness right at the end of 2016.  He was 85. 

A service to celebrate his life will be held this afternoon at 2 PM at the Bethel Mennonite Church.

I wrote about the accomplishments of Wayne when he was inducted into the Oklahoma Ag Hall of Fame in 2011. "He is perhaps best known for the innovations and inventions he contributed to agriculture. In 1956, Krehbiel bought anhydrous ammonia in El Reno and developed a plowshare to apply the ammonia below the surface. He is believed to be the first farmer in Oklahoma to use anhydrous ammonia in that way.


"His inventions and agricultural expertise took him overseas, first to Saudi Arabi to set up a model farm and then to the Canadian Arctic to test his flexible-shaft shearing machine on musk oxen. He developed a machine to produce compacted straw logs, which took him to Kazakhstan and Siberia where people needed the logs to cook and heat their homes. Rather than patent the machine, Krehbiel simply showed the people how to make the machines themselves.


"It's not about how much money you can make," Krehbiel said. "It's whether it is good for mankind, good for your neighbors. That, to me, is success."

You can go back to 2011 and read more about Wayne's success in the world of ag and hear our conversation with him on that day at the State Capitol by clicking here.

The Obituary from the Turner Funeral Home in Hinton can be read by clicking here.


Down through the years- I have known and loved the Krehbiel family- as many of you have.  Wayne's son, Jeff, fought an extended battle with cancer before we lost him a few years back.  Wayne's Daughter in Law Karen is a remarkable woman who currently serves as a member of the Board of Ag for the Oklahoma Department of Ag while granddaughter Brittany is a student in Stillwater at the College of Ag at OSU and a rising star in her own right.  Wayne always had a kind and encouraging word when we crossed paths at Farm Bureau meetings, Wheat Grower meetings, Farm Shows and more. His "aw sucks" demeanor paired well with his astute understanding of production agriculture in the southern plains- and made Wayne Krehbiel an Oklahoma treasure. 

We will all miss him.

 

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented yesterday on the nomination of Robert Lighthizer to the post of US Trade Representative, who he says he looks forward to working with as he continues to lead his organization.

"Mr. Lighthizer has had a long and distinguished career in trade, working in the White House, Senate and private sector to assure favorable trading conditions for American goods and services," Duvall said.

Duvall highlights in his comments areas that he and AFBF hope to align with the USTR's office on in the future, including the removal of certain tariffs and expansion into new global opportunities to secure prosperity for American agriculture.

"Economic growth in rural America depends on maintaining and increasing access to markets outside the United States. Since more than 95 percent of the world's population lives outside our borders, expanding access to international markets is essential for our future success. We trust Mr. Lighthizer will work tirelessly to assure it."

To read Duvall's complete statement on Lighthizer's nomination, click here.

US Senator Jim Inhofe, Senior Member of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) committee, met yesterday with Oklahoma Attorney General E. Scott Pruitt. This was Pruitt's first meeting on Capitol Hill since being selected by President-elect Trump to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Sen. Inhofe released the following statement:



"Scott Pruitt is the ideal candidate to lead the EPA," Inhofe said. "Pruitt has seen first-hand the abuses of power at the hands of this agency and has fought back to ensure environmental quality without sacrificing jobs. Scott is an expert in constitutional law, and understands the fundamental element of balance necessary between the states and the federal government. I look forward to working with Chairman Barrasso and the EPW committee to move Scott's nomination swiftly and fairly through the committee and to the Senate floor."


Click here to jump to that story on our website.

Oklahoma's Crop Weather Summary for December was released on Tuesday afternoon- and it shows the condition of the 2017 winter wheat crop plummeted compared to the final weekly report of the season that came out at the end of November 2016. At the end of November, the Oklahoma wheat crop was still in 53% good to excellent condition- at the end of December, that rating is only 25% good with no acres called in excellent condition. Wheat in fair condition went from 35% at the end of November to 50% at the end of December- and the poor to very poor ratings jumped from 12% to 25% by the end of calendar year 2016.

NASS officials called December a "cold and dry weather month" for Oklahoma, with the mid December arctic blast on December 16th dropping temperatures by sixty degrees in a 24 hour period. Temperatures weren't the only thing dropping as sharp decreases were noted in pasture and range conditions as well as topsoil ratings. A 0% topsoil surplus rating clearly illustrates the "dry" narrative of the summary.

USDA reports that cattle producers grazed more acres of wheat than the five year average and compared to 2015 in the monthly summary- saying 47% of the winter wheat crop was being grazed as of the end of the calendar year- versus 39% a year ago and 33% as the five year average.


Pasture and range conditions also dropped sharply lower compared to the final weekly numbers released- with 24% of the pasture and range rated in good to excellent shape, 52% in fair condition and 24% in poor to very poor condition in the end of December tally- that's compared to 41% in good to excellent condition at the end of November, 40% in Fair Condition and 19% in poor to very poor condition.

For more highlights or to view the complete December Crop Weather report from NASS at USDA, click here.

According to the latest DTN/The Progressive Farmer Ag Confidence Index, farmers have put tremendous hope in the new presidential administration to make their lives better, despite expectations of continued low commodity prices, relatively high production costs and the threat of trade wars with key commodity importers.

The overall producer confidence index for December returned to neutral territory, rising to 98 compared to a value of 72 in the August survey. An index value of 100 is neutral. Values above 100 indicate optimism, while values below signify pessimism.

"But the real story in the results from our latest survey is not in the overall index, it's in the numbers behind that index," said DTN Editor-In-Chief Greg Horstmeier. "Those numbers are unprecedented in the history of the Index."


The attitudes of farmers surveyed in late November and early December were at historic lows: survey results put farmers' rating of their present situation at a record 44.2. That's a significant drop from the August present condition score, which was the then-record low of 56. In December 2015, farmers put their present condition at 81.7.


When asked about their confidence for the coming year, farmers' answers revealed a huge jump in optimism, with a future expectations score of 126.6. That's the highest future expectations score in the history of the index.


"That swing, from record pessimism, and significantly more pessimistic than any other time in our index history, to a record level of optimism, simply defies logic," Horstmeier said. "While most farmers have adjusted to lower commodity prices and are working on strategies to see them through tougher times, there is nothing on the horizon, not world grain supplies, not weather, not signs of new commodity demand, that would justify such optimism. To the contrary, from the standpoint of global grains and livestock price expectations, prices look flat at best for 2017.


"The only thing we can put our finger on is the presidential election," Horstmeier said. "Farmers and rural America played a large role in Donald Trump's victory, and farmers must feel he's going to make the world right for them."

Continue reading this break down of the numbers behind the recent Index poll, by clicking here.

The Oklahoma Senate on Tuesday convened for an organizational day and, on a unanimous vote officially, elected Jackson County farmer Sen. Mike Schulz of Altus as President Pro Tempore. Schulz is the first senator from western Oklahoma to lead the Senate in more than 50 years. Senate Majority Floor Leader Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, made the motion nominating Schulz as President Pro Tempore and, in a show of bipartisan support, the motion was seconded by Minority Leader John Sparks, D-Norman.


"I'm very humbled that my colleagues would place their confidence in me as leader of the Oklahoma Senate. The Senate has a group of very talented men and women from both sides of the aisle and from all parts of the state. We're going to need the experience, insight and knowledge of all our members to pass laws that are helpful in the short-term, but also set us on a long-term path to economic growth and prosperity," Schulz said. "It's time to get to work, and I look forward to leading the Senate and serving the great people of Oklahoma."

Governor Mary Fallin offered her own comments to the election of the new leadership in the Senate and House as well.

"Mike Schulz is a dedicated leader who previously earned the respect of his fellow senators as majority floor leader," she said. "I look forward to working with him as Senate president pro tem to make Oklahoma a stronger, more prosperous state for our residents to work and raise a family.

"I am confident Charles McCall will be an effective and hard-working speaker of the House of Representatives. I look forward to working with him as we pursue policies to help create jobs and make state government more efficient."

To read Schulz's full statement, click here. Jump to the governor's comments by clicking here.

While the agricultural community may still harbor mixed emotions over the Veterinary Feed Directive, which officially arrived with the New Year, Kansas State University Veterinary Specialist Dr. Mike Apley says it's time to put those feelings aside and make VFD work. Don't misunderstand, Apley isn't just taking the high road here. He fears that if VFD fails to accomplish what those that put it in place hope it will, then it could be replaced by something even more stringent.


"We cannot afford as an agricultural industry to be perceived as blowing off regulations," Apley said. "Because if it is perceived that we cannot be trusted to adhere to regulations, then right or wrong, there's only the nuclear option left, and that is - you don't have (antibiotics) anymore."


Dr. Apley insists that we as an industry will get through this year and come out the other side adapted to the requirements of the new regulation. He assures that in time, navigating the waters of VFD will be routine practice. Nonetheless, he maintains that conversation between producers, their veterinarians and their feed distributor has never been more important than right now.


"There has to be that communication between the three, so that we can do this right. And you know what," Apley contests, "we all might learn a few things in the process.


Listen to Hays speak more about Dr. Apley's position on the importance of making VFD work, by clicking here.