Grands Slapped at McDonald's Night of Champions at Tulsa State Fair 

It was a night for Champions as the market animal show came to a close Wednesday evening at the Tulsa State Fair.  The Tulsa show is easily the largest fall junior market show in the state- and second only to the Oklahoma Youth Expo as far as the size of the show is concerned- Period.

The Grand Champions and Reserve Grand Champs were selected in the Ford Arena in Tulsa last night in an event sponsored by McDonalds.

Leading off the night were the Market Barrows- the Grand Champion barrow was the Champion Crossbred- shown by Delynna Beard of El Reno FFA- the reserve Crossbred was the second best barrow in the entire show- the Reserve Grand Champion shown and owned by Kolton Baber of Big Pasture FFA.

The Goats were paraded into the arena next- with the Grand Champion Wether Goat shown by Johnna Stottlemyre from the Luther FFA Chapter.  The Reserve Grand Champion Market Goat was shown by Bree Taylor of Shattuck FFA.

Next up were the market lambs- and the Grand Lamb was shown and is owned by Emily Smith of the Elk City FFA- she had the Champion Natural division winner.  Reserve Grand Champion Lamb was the Crossbred Champion- shown by Hunter Dugan of the Tecumseh FFA.

Finally- the steers were brought into the ring one by one- and the best of the steers for 2014 was the Champion Maine Anjou- owned by Lauren Bilderback of the El Reno FFA Chapter- the best Crossbred of the show was the second best steer last night- the Reserve Grand Champion Steer was owned and shown by Baylor Bonham of he Newcastle FFA.

Here's a pic of a very happy Lauren Bilderback seconds after the judge chose her steer as the best of show-

Lauren will lead off the Premium sale this afternoon at 5:00 pm at the Tulsa State Fair- we will have a sale order document later this morning and will post it on our website.  We will also have stories on the top animals in each of the four species shortly in theBlueGreen Gazette section of our website.(slow internet in our hotel- so we are pedaling downhill as fast as we can)

We do have 171 photos of the night uploaded as a FLICKR Album- click or tap here to take a look at the events as they unfolded last night. 

United States and Brazil Reach Agreement to End WTO Cotton Dispute 

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman announced Wednesday that the United States and Brazil have reached agreement to settle the longstanding Cotton dispute in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Under the terms of the agreement, Brazil will terminate the Cotton case, giving up its rights to countermeasures against U.S. trade or any further proceedings in this dispute. Brazil has also agreed not to bring new WTO actions against U.S. cotton support programs while the current U.S. Farm Bill is in force or against agricultural export credit guarantees under the GSM-102 program as long as the program is operated consistent with the agreed terms.


"Through this negotiated solution, the United States and Brazil can finally put this dispute behind us," said Secretary Vilsack. "Without this agreement, American businesses, including agricultural businesses and producers, could have faced countermeasures in the way of increased tariffs totaling hundreds of millions of dollars every year. This removes that threat and ensures American cotton farmers will have effective risk management tools." 

National Cotton Council Chairman Wally Darneille responded by saying - "The new U.S. farm bill includes several necessary changes to cotton policy and the GSM export credit program," Darneille said. "When compared to previous programs, cotton policy is more market-oriented with the primary safety net conveyed through insurance products that must be purchased by the producer."

Comment from American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman - "This agreement brings certainty to cotton growers and all U.S. farmers that the current structure of commodity programs will remain intact. Farm Bureau worked diligently with Congress to ensure that the nation's safety net programs for agriculture were WTO compliant. Today's agreement validates that approach." 

Click here to read more about the announcement, including the 2014 Memorandum of Understanding Related to the Cotton Dispute. 

$1 Million Gift to Develop OSU Food-Safety Program

An advisory board of Oklahoma State University's Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center recognized the need to educate students in food safety, providing more than $1 million as a lead gift toward a $3.4 million fundraising goal to create a food-safety program at OSU.


"We are so grateful that FAPC's Industry Advisory Committee is embracing this opportunity to lead this fundraising effort," said Chuck Willoughby, FAPC manager of business and marketing relations. "One hundred percent of the advisory board has committed to support this financial campaign."


As a result of the initial gift, a curriculum proposal for the food-safety option is in the approval process and the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources is adding a food-safety faculty position in the department of animal science.


John Griffin, president and CEO of Griffin Foods in Muskogee, Okla., and spokesperson for FAPC's advisory board, said the committee has been discussing the need for a food-safety program for the past four years.


"It's great to see the work of the advisory board on developing a food-safety program at OSU come to fruition," Griffin said. "Once the food-safety option is approved and implemented, OSU will be among the first to offer an undergraduate food-safety option, according to our research." 

Click here to learn how having a food science program will prepare students for food-safety jobs. 

Rewind- Beef Checkoff Returns $11.20 for Each Dollar Invested by Cattle Producers

The benefits of the beef checkoff are much greater than initially though. A 2009 study revealed the beef checkoff reported a return of $5.55 on each dollar invested into the checkoff by producers. This year the Cattlemen's Beef Board asked for a more comprehensive study, where Dr. Harry Kaiser of Cornell University found the Return on Investment (ROI) of beef checkoff assessments between 2006 and 2013 returned about $11.20 to the beef industry for each dollar invested in the Beef Checkoff Program.  I interviewed Dr. Kaiser at the 2014 Cattle Industry Summer Convention in Denver in July about his study.

"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.


"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. 

"This really tells us that we're on the right track with how we plan our checkoff programs," said cattleman Ted Greidanus of California, who chairs the checkoff's Evaluation Committee. "We are accountable to beef producers and importers who fund the work we do with checkoff dollars, so we wanted to know how much difference we were really making in the marketplace, good or bad -- and I must say that I am quite pleased at how good the news really is." 

Click here to listen to my interview or to read additional key findings in Kaiser's benefits-cost analysis.

Sixty Thousand Plus to Gather for 87th National FFA Convention in Louisville

The 2014 National FFA Convention & Expo continues the second year of its three-year run in Louisville Oct. 29. More than 60,000 FFA members from throughout the United States are expected at this year's convention and expo that goes through Nov. 1.


More than a thousand FFA members and guests from Oklahoma will be a part of the 2014 event. Click or tap here for a list of Oklahoma FFA members that will represent or will be honored from the state in Louisville at some point during the event.


The convention and expo will bring an estimated economic impact of $40 million, making it the largest convention and expo for Louisville this year. Attendees will stay in 136 hotels for a combined 39,247 nights within a 60-mile radius of Louisville. The event will stay in Louisville through 2015 before returning to Indianapolis for three years.


"Go All Out" is the theme of this year's convention and expo. "With the opportunities we are given in our lives, we must take action. We must give it our all and put everything we have into everything we do," 2013-2014 National FFA President Brian Walsh, a Virginia Tech student, said. "We must go all out to develop positive leadership, personal growth and career success."

 

Click here to learn more about the activities, events and educational opportunities during the National FFA Convention.  

Oklahoma Farm Bureau Partners with Governor's Food Drive

County Farm Bureau offices across Oklahoma are once again serving as drop-off locations for Gov. Mary Fallin's fifth annual Feeding Oklahoma Drive. The goal of the food and fund drive is to raise enough food and funds to provide 2 million meals to help feed families, children and seniors in the state.


The month-long food drive will benefit the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma and their partner agencies across the state.


"Time and again, Oklahomans have proven themselves to be the most caring and giving individuals in the nation," Gov. Fallin said. "Last year, Oklahomans from all 77 counties came together and donated over 2 million meals in time for the holiday season. This year, we can do even more for the hungry in our state."


More than 675,000 Oklahomans struggling with hunger every day. The Regional Food Bank provides enough food to feed more than 110,000 people each week, 37 percent of which are children. The Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma distributes more than 335,000 meals per week. Demand increases during the holiday season.


"Oklahoma Farm Bureau is proud to participate in this honorable effort to feed hungry Oklahomans," said OKFB President Tom Buchanan. "Farmers and ranchers produce an abundance of safe and affordable food, which should be shared with those who need it most."


Click here to learn more about the food drive that runs through Oct. 31 and how to make donations. 

Wisconsin Lawmaker Bashes US-Brazil Cotton Deal- Angry Over $300 Million Dollar Pricetag

U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) harshly criticized the deal reached between the United States and Brazil regarding World Trade Organization (WTO) compliance in the cotton industry. The end result is a $300 million payout made to Brazilian cotton farmers.


"This outrageous waste of taxpayer dollars continues. Our annual payoffs to Brazilian cotton farmers should have been eliminated long ago, but we're sending them a $300 million payment instead," said Rep. Kind.   "I pushed to resolve this mess when Congress was debating the last Farm Bill, but Congress didn't act and now we are left with a bad deal that's paid for by American taxpayers."

The Wisconsin Democrat has been an ourspoken critic of farm programs over the last several farm bills- calling them a waste of taxpayer's money. 

You can read more of his comments on the US-Brazil settlement here.