Canadian Ag Minister Says Time For Repeal of Mandatory COOL in US 

Canada has a long history of being against the US Country of Origin Labeling Law. Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Canada Gerry Ritz was at the Cattle Industry Summer Convention in Denver on Thursday. After his presentation to the NCBA Board of Directors, we had the chance to meet and interview Minister Ritz about COOL.


"We're seeing it as a real detriment to the integration that we have with the North American beef market," Ritz said. "Certainly we rely a large amount of our beef processing is done here in the US and as we see plants falter and not get to capacity they need because of the discrimination and segregation that is required under mandatory COOL of course that's very concerning to us."


The latest US COOL Rule has been in place since May 2013. This revision to the original rule was written in response to previous complaints from Canada and Mexico. Ritz said unfortunately the revision made the impact of the rule even more severe.


"We're actually seeing the discrimination actually ramped up more so than it was before," Ritz said. "Before that amendment was put into play we were looking at about a $1 billion a year that our industry has identified that they're leaving on the table because of that price discrimination due to the segregation that was required."  

Ritz said there is one way to reach compromise and that through repealing COOL.  Click Here to read or to listen to my full interview with Ritz.  

We also talked with Kristina Butts of NCBA about their perspective on this soon to be released WTO finding on the US COOL Rule- get our Friday Beef Buzz with Kristina here as she offers some "inside the DC Beltway" thoughts on this contentious subject.

House Lawmakers Want Good TPP Deal For Agriculture 

Nearly one-third of the U.S. House urged the White House to pursue a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement without countries that prove unwilling to fully open their markets to all U.S. agricultural products.


The TPP is a regional negotiation that includes the United States, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam, which account for nearly 40 percent of global GDP.


In a letter sent this afternoon to President Obama, 140 members of the House, led by Ways and Means trade subcommittee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., and Ranking Member Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., indicated that congressional support for the TPP would be jeopardized if U.S. negotiators accept anything less than elimination of all trade barriers to U.S. agricultural goods. They pointed to Japan's current offer, demanding special treatment for its agricultural sector, including exemption from tariff elimination for certain "sensitive" products, including pork. (Click here to read the letter.)


"If accepted," the lawmakers said in the letter, "this unprecedented and objectionable offer would significantly limit access for U.S. farmers and ranchers to the Japanese market and, most likely, to other TPP countries as well."

Click Here to learn more about how the TPP agreement would benefit US ag producers.  

Oklahoma AG Advances Investigation Into HSUS Fundraising

HumaneWatch.org, a project of the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom, applauded Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt yesterday for moving forward with his investigation into the deceptive fundraising of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).


Oklahoma Farm Bureau's Director of Corporate Communications Sam Knipp recently interviewed AG Pruitt about this latest development. To listen to that interview click on the LISTEN BAR at the bottom of this article. Pruitt stated last week that his office has issued subpoenas to HSUS and an HSUS vendor, direct-mail firm Quadriga Art, in light of the latter's $25 million settlement with the New York Attorney General earlier this month. Quadriga had been accused of raising money on behalf of a veterans charity and keeping almost all of the millions raised.


Earlier this year, Pruitt issued a public "consumer alert" regarding the fundraising of national animal charities.

Click Here to listen to Sam Knipp's interview or to read the rest of the article.

Spend a Dollar- get Back Eleven Bucks- Beef Checkoff Getting It Done

In the most comprehensive study ever rendered about the Return on Investment (ROI) of beef checkoff assessments, Dr. Harry Kaiser of Cornell University concludes that each dollar invested in the Beef Checkoff Program between 2006 and 2013 returned about $11.20 to the beef industry. Here in Denver, Kaiser was featured speaker in a session  that explained the ROI study- and we had the chance to visit with him about the research on the value of the checkoff.

"The news for beef checkoff investors couldn't be better," said Kaiser, the Gellert Family professor of applied economics and management at Cornell and director of the Cornell Commodity Promotion Research Program, who is sharing study results this week at the 2014 Cattle Industry Summer Conference.


"It is clear to me that activities funded through the Beef Board budget have a substantial impact on beef demand in the U.S. and in foreign markets. The return on producers' and importers investments into this program is vastly greater than the cost of the program."


Commissioned through the checkoff's Joint Evaluation Committee, this new ROI study could be a useful tool for producers who make decisions about how to invest checkoff dollars.


Click Here for additional key findings in Kaiser's benefits-cost analysis and to listen to my interview with Dr. Kaiser.  

Farmer Organizations Applaud Passage of Bill to Ease Regulatory Burden

The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) and National Association of Wheat Growers both applauded House passage of H.R. 935, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act, by a vote of 267-161. The bill, introduced by Congressmen Bob Gibbs, Kurt Schrader, Austin Scott and Mike McIntyre, would eliminate the costly and duplicative pesticide permitting requirements imposed on farmers and ranchers by a misguided decision of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in National Cotton Council v. EPA.


"The House's strong vote in favor of H.R. 935 this evening is an important first step towards ensuring that this country's farmers and ranchers will not face burdensome and redundant regulations and the tremendous uncertainty that goes along with it," said Chuck Conner, president and CEO of NCFC. "I would like to thank Representatives Gibbs, Schrader, Scott and McIntyre for their leadership in seeing this bill through the process and urge that the Senate take up its version of the bill after the August recess without delay." 

"The passage of HR 935 is an important step in addressing the duplicative regulation on pesticide applications," says NAWG President, Paul Penner, a wheat farmer from Hillsboro, Kans. "NAWG has been engaged in this issue for many years, and we send our thanks to Congress for continuing to address regulatory issues impacting agriculture." 

H.R. 935 the Reducing Regulatory Burdens act addresses a duplicative permit required for pesticide application. For over 30 years, the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) regulated pesticide applications and growers and other pesticide applicators must follow the label requirements to be in compliance with the law. H.R. 935 eliminates the second requirement for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit under the Clean Water Act. The bill passed 267-161 and will now go to the Senate. 

Anderson Says Odds Against Big Drop In Wheat Prices

Wheat prices are on the decline again this week, but how low will it go? On this Saturday's SUNUP program, Oklahoma State University Grain Marketing Economist Kim Anderson looks at the global wheat situation and the price outlook for 2015.


Anderson said there is negative news for France and Germany where they are having too much rain which is impacting the quality of the crop. Anderson said its dry in Australia and eastern growing region, so there is concern for that wheat crop. Additionally there are also potential economic sanctions against Russia, which could inhibit their exports.


With the step decline in the market, where is the bottom in the market? Anderson has stated that $6 - 6.05 remains to be strong support price.


"You look at the technicals, the charts are telling you that the September contract price is going to go to $5.70," Anderson said. "I think the odds are against that, maybe about 35 percent chance of that happening."


"That would drop cash prices down to around $5.40.....If cash prices drop 13 to 15 cents, then they will go on down, so I have the bottom for cash (wheat) around $5.40," he said.
  

Click here to listen to Anderson's view on the price outlook for June 2015 for wheat and canola.  You can also take a look at the SUNUP lineup for this weekend on OETA.    

This N That- Colin Woodall Joins Us for In the Field, DairyMAX Scholly and Southern Plains Beef Symposium Coming 

This Saturday morning on KWTV, News9- my guest for my regular In the Field segment will be Colin Woodall, Vice President for Governmental Affairs for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

We will be talking about the lack of accomplishments for this Congress in an election year- as well as looking at the EPA proposed rule regarding the Waters of the US, which NCBA strongly objects to.

We also did an in depth audio interview with Woodall about these subjects- you can jump over to our website and get that interview here and plan to watch for our In the Field segment Saturday morning at about 6:40 AM on News9- or be watching their website later in the day Saturday as they will post our visit with Colin in the video section.  

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A Frederick high school graduate is the recipient of a $2,500 scholarship sponsored by Dairy MAX, your local dairy council. Liza Van der Laan is one of two high school graduates who received the award. The scholarship is given based on scholastic achievement, leadership abilities and an interest in an agricultural-related field of study.


"We are proud to support outstanding youth in their future endeavors," said Tom Woods, a Dairy MAX board member and farmer from Gage, Okla. "With the help of these young leaders, I have no doubt the dairy industry has a bright future ahead."


In the fall, Van der Laan will pursue an undergraduate degree in plant science at Oklahoma State University. Upon graduating college, she hopes to pursue a career in biotechnology and develop a strain of drought and flood resistant crops.

Read more here.

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August has arrived- and that meansone of the best one day cattle industry conferences in country will be getting underway right away- specifically, next Saturday, August 9th.  The 2014 edition of the Southern Plains Beef Symposium is set for the Ardmore Convention Center all day next Saturday- with the 2014 theme "Expanding? Factors to Consider."

You can jump over to our calendar section of our website to see the full agenda and to get information on how to register. And- for more information, you can call the Carter County Extension office at 580-223-6570.