At the final day of the NAFB Washington Watch Fly In- the Chairman of the House Ag Committee, GT Thompson of Pennsylvania offered his view of his Chairman's Mark for the 2024 House Ag Farm Bill proposal. He announced Wednesday that he plans a mark up on May 23rd.

“We are going to get a farm bill done that is highly effective, in some regards, transformational, and certainly bipartisan, and we have built that,” Thompson said. “We have built that with the travel around somewhere around 85 listening sessions across the country. Multiple times in several states. 40 states all together so far, and one territory.”

Thompson said his goal from the beginning was to write a Farm Bill that reflects the voices of agriculture outside of Washington, D.C. Thompson added that this Farm Bill will take care of the needs and priorities of those in the U.S. agriculture industry. “In its structure, it is a strong, bipartisan bill,” Thompson said.

Regarding misconceptions that there will be cuts to SNAP benefits, Thompson said there will not be any cuts made to SNAP.

“We have far too many families living in poverty today, and it has only gotten worse with inflation,” Thompson said. “The other factor is the cost of living.”

The title by title summary of the Chairman's proposal can be seen here.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau works to improve the lives of all Oklahomans by supporting our state’s agriculture community. As Oklahoma’s largest general farm organization led by Oklahoma farmers and ranchers, OKFB takes grassroots values and advocates for agriculture at the state Capitol and in Washington, D.C., to ensure our way of life continues for generations to come.

Farm Bureau hosts leadership events, supports our state’s agricultural youth and connects consumers with agriculture in order to build a brighter future for our state. Become an OKFB member today online at okfarmbureau.org/join. Together, we are rural Oklahoma.

U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) Wednesday unveiled her version of a 2024 Farm Bill proposal which she has named the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act, which contains more than 100 bipartisan bills and puts the 2024 Farm Bill back on track to being signed into law by the end of the year.  

Chairwoman Stabenow said: “This is a serious proposal that reflects bipartisan priorities to keep farmers farming, families fed, and rural communities strong. The foundation of every successful Farm Bill is built on holding together the broad, bipartisan coalition of farmers, rural communities, nutrition and hunger advocates, researchers, conservationists, and the climate community.”  

The Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act reflects more than two years of bipartisan work on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and incorporates more than 100 bipartisan bills and the work of Senators on and off the Committee. It addresses the issue of foreign ownership of farmland, builds on our commitment to rural communities, makes meaningful investments into the farm safety net to provide certainty to all farmers, ensures that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) keeps up with the realities of American life, and brings the historic investment in climate-smart conservation practices into the Farm Bill.  

A full summary of the bill is available here.

A section-by-section is available here. 

Introducing Connor Mack of the Drummond FFA Chapter, Your 2024 Northwest Area Star in Agricultural Production

This morning, our coverage of the 2024 Oklahoma FFA Star Award Finalists continues with Agricultural Production competitor Connor Mack of the Drummond FFA chapter representing the Northwest Area.

Farm Director KC Sheperd interviewed all 18 Star finalists recently in Stillwater after they were judged in their respective areas- and you can hear KC talk with Connor by clicking on the blue button at the bottom of this story.

Mack’s project is diverse, he said, as he plants several different crops including wheat, canola, milo, corn, and soybeans. Within his livestock operation, Mack said he runs 50 standard commercial Hereford cows, 47 stockers, 15 Miniature Herefords, and 35 Dorper sheep.

“I am a fifth-generation farmer and I have always looked up to my dad, my grandpa, my brother, and my uncles and this life is all I know,” Mack said.

As the weather in Oklahoma can be as unpredictable as the markets, Mack said through his work on the farm he has learned about different risk protection programs for livestock and crops.

After high school graduation, Mack said he plans to attend Oklahoma State University and major in Plant and Soil Sciences with a minor in Animal Science. After college, Mack said he looks forward to coming back to the family farm.

Our coverage of the Stars and the 2024 State FFA Convention is powered by Hilliary Communications.

It's day two for our Beef Buzz series with the Vice President of Governmental Affairs at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Ethan Lane as we dive into the USDA final rule that ushers the US cattle industry into the era of mandatory electronic ID for older cattle.

Lane said the final EID rule announced a week ago was “in line” with the proposed rule, and there were not any surprises. “The 2013 Animal Disease Traceability Rule is what sets out this class of cattle needing to be traceable across state lines and moving interstate. That is those over 18 months intact, plus dairy cattle, rodeo cattle, etcetera.”

The new rule sets a standard for the technology that must be used to accomplish a visually and electronically readable tag. Lane said the rule will not go live until November. 

“If producers want to get grandfathered in under the old system, they can do that,” Lane said. “They can also go to their state health officials, get tags, and get tagged up under the new format. We worked hard during appropriations to make sure there was money available to cover the cost of those tags.”

Lane emphasized that there is no interest in adding younger cattle under 18 months of age to the cattle required to have an EID tag. He says that it is not in NCBA’s policy and USDA has stated multiple times they have no interest in going that direction.

To view the NCBA’s comments on USDA’s Traceability Rule, CLICK HERE.

The House and Senate Ag Committee's have both made public their ideas of a 2024 Farm Bill this week. Several groups have offered their reaction to what has been released by the two Chairmen.

One of those reactions came from Oklahoma Wheat Producer and President of the National Association of Wheat Growers, Keeff Felty. “It is great to see progress being made on a long-term Farm Bill. We are glad to see legislative summaries being put forward by both the Senate and House Agriculture Committees to get a Farm Bill done in the 118th Congress. NAWG will continue reviewing these Farm Bill proposals and remain in contact with committee leaders and staff.”

NAWG's full statement is available here.

Other ag groups also weighed in on the proposals: 

• National Cattlemen's Beef Association
• American Farm Bureau
• National Council of Farmer Cooperatives

OSU’s Dr. Liberty Galvin Explores Strategies for Weed Control Around the State

At the Oklahoma State University Wheat and Forages Field Day held in Chickasha, Associate Farm Editor Reagan Calk had the chance to talk with OSU’s Dr. Liberty Galvin about herbicide resistance issues. Galvin is the extension weed scientist and precision week management at OSU.

Galvin said when talking with growers around the state, herbicide resistance in Italian ryegrass is a common complaint for wheat producers, especially those growing single-purpose wheat. While some producers plant ryegrass as a forage, Galvin said unwanted growth is an issue in the fields of many of those who are growing wheat only.

“My assumption is that we are seeing some weeds migrate from our dual-purpose fields into our wheat crops and they have become very problematic for wheat growers,” Galvin said.

As producers are seeing resistance against particular herbicides towards weed control, Galvin talked about considering non-chemical control options such as crop rotation, cover crops, and fire.

With her grad students, Galvin said one of the things they are working on is the efficacy of fire when it comes to weed control. Galvin also mentioned the use of a post-harvest seed crusher to control weeds.

Galvin said she and a colleague are conducting a statewide survey of herbicide-resistant weeds, so if a grower believes they have a herbicide-resistant weed in their field, they can contact Galvin at 405-334-7676 or lbgalvin@okstate.edu.