Ethanol Industry Applauds EPA Approvals Paving the Way For E15 Fuel 

For the first time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved E15 (gasoline with 15 percent ethanol) as a registered fuel. This is one step closer to seeing low-cost, renewable E15 sold into the American fuels marketplace.

This is the most significant development in a three-year effort to approve sale of the mid-level ethanol blend, and it follows EPA's approval of health effects testing of the fuel in February.

"Our nation needs E15 to reduce our dependence on foreign oil - it will keep gas prices down at the pump and help to end the extreme fluctuations in gas prices caused by our reliance on fuel from unstable parts of the world," said Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy. "Today's announcement from EPA finally puts that goal within reach."

"This announcement strengthens the ethanol industry's efforts to innovate and continue to deliver domestically-produced and affordable alternatives to foreign oil," said Buis. "With ethanol selling an average of a dollar a gallon cheaper than gasoline and $4 a gallon gasoline on the horizon, we'd encourage all Americans to ask their local filling station how soon they will see more-affordable E15."

"American consumers may soon have some much deserved relief at the pump. Today's EPA decision clears yet another major hurdle in bringing E15 to the marketplace. States in the Midwest have begun to address their regulatory requirements and perhaps as early as summer we could see E15 at fuels stations in the Heartland of America. The future for consumers, ethanol producers and this country has just gotten a little brighter, a little stronger," said Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association.  

CanolaTV- 2012 Winter Canola Field Tours Kick Off April 9th 

A series of educational field tours for canola growers and prospective canola growers all across the state kicks off April 9th and runs through April 12th. Educators, agronomists and marketing specialists will give presentations and discuss the ins and outs of successful canola production at each tour location.

OSU Extension Canola Specialist Josh Bushong says anyone is welcome to attend. He said the program is intended to help established canola growers fine tune their management practices and to encourage potential growers with the knowledge necessary to understand if canola might be a good addition to their operations. 

The tour will make 13 stops in four days. 

Click here for a list of locations, times and presentation topics. 

Good Producing Cows Could Become Harder to Find, Higher Priced

Rebuilding cattle herds thinned out by last year's devastating drought is on the top of a lot of producers' minds. Steve Swigert, an agriculture consultant with the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, says the costs of rebuilding a herd can be quite high--and the costs are headed higher. He recently took a look at the economics of herd rebuilding and offered his findings in the the foundation's latest newsletter:

With the challenges of the 2011 drought, the beef cow inventory declined 3.1 percent for an annual inventory of 2011 and prospects for further decline are evident unless changes occur in cow slaughter and heifer retention. With this decline, the 2012 U.S. calf crop stands at 35 million head, the lowest in 60 years.

With low cow numbers, historical high prices for weaned calves and the cost of cows at all-time highs for the foreseeable future, what does this mean for the cow/calf producer wanting to rebuild the herd? It means good producing cows are going to be hard to find and will be higher priced than in previous years - possibly exceeding $2,000 per cow. In addition, it will be more critical to cull unproductive cows because input costs are increasing as well.

You can learn more about the factors to consider for maximum profits when purchasing cows to rebuild herds by clicking here. 

OSU Specialists Produce Fact Sheets and Videos to Help Growers Fight Foliar Diseases in Wheat

While the warm, wet conditions all across the state may be conducive to vigorous growth of the wheat crop, the conditions are also favorable for foliar diseases. If not treated in time, these diseases can result in significantly lower yields.

OSU Extension Wheat Pathologist Dr. Bob Hunger and OSU Extension Wheat Specialist Dr. Jeff Edwards have published a fact sheet about the most common--and most destructive--foliar diseases common to Oklahoma. They have also produced a series of videos to help growers identify and combat these diseases.

Click here for the fact sheet.

Dr. Hunger says time is of the essence in properly treating these diseases and having the proper information at hand will help growers make cost-effective decisions. The three short videos linked below provide an overview on the proper identification of the major fungal diseases as well as best management practices.

Click here for the videos. 

Oklahoma Beef Council Reaches Out to Decision Makers and Influencers on LFTB

We have had several stories on the fallout that the beef industry has faced because of Lean Fine Textured Beef- or as some in the general media like to call it- Pink Slime.  As we reported on Monday, a lot of folks in the beef industry are really struggling with how to address this attack on both the image of beef as a highly desirable food- as well as its safety.  Click here for our Monday Beef Buzz with Bill Rupp of JBS if you want to review his concerns about how the industry needs to respond to this combination assault by ABC News and social media.  

One way to push back is to allow a cattle producer and daddy of school aged kids to offer an up front explanation of what LFTB is- and what it is not- and then invite dialogue.  That's the approach that the Oklahoma Beef Council is taking as they have had Clay Burtrum, Secretary-Treasurer of the OBC, to author a letter that has gone out to several key groups discussing LFTB.  Click here to read Clay's letter, which explains "Though some media outlets are reporting this product is a filler, that's not true. It's beef plain and simple."

The letter/email/memo has been sent to all School Nutrition Directors in Oklahoma as well as Oklahoma school administrators and members of the Oklahoma Restaurant Association and the Oklahoma Grocers Association.   

Will this save this long established process of extracting the last bit of lean pure beef from the carcass- to mix with 50% beef trimmings for a lean ground beef product?  It's too early to say- but  it appears to be one of the immediate strategies being used by the beef industry to push back on those that want to do harm.   

Study Finds Market-Driven Inventory Would Preserve Farm Income, Lower Taxpayer Costs

The National Farmers Union (NFU) has released the final report from a study by the University of Tennessee Agricultural Policy Analysis Center on the effects that a Market-Driven Inventory System (MDIS) would have on U.S. agriculture. Phase I of the study, released in September 2011, examines the effects MDIS would have had on extreme crop price volatility and government payments from 1998 to 2010, while Phase II reviews the effects of MDIS from 2012 to 2021.

"The study results very clearly indicate that MDIS would preserve net farm income at current levels while significantly decreasing the cost to taxpayers," said NFU President Roger Johnson. "From 1998 to 2010, the farm programs that were in place cost $152 billion, while MDIS policies would have cost $56 billion over that same period. From 2012-2021, current farm programs are projected to cost $65 billion while MDIS is projected to cost $26 billion, a savings of $39 billion."

From 1998 to 2010, the value of U.S. exports would have increased by $20 billion under MDIS policies. Also, corn prices would have been 26 cents per bushel higher, wheat prices would have been 48 cents per bushel more, and soybean prices would have increased by $1.09. MDIS combines a system of farmer-owned commodity inventories, set-asides, and loan rates to help decrease the volatility in the market.

Read more about this study and find a link to the full study by clicking here. 

This N That- More Rainfall Arrives- and So Does Ag Day at the State Capitol

We have a snapshot of the rainfall that has fallen the first half of this week- and while the larger amounts of the liquid stuff fell in south central counties- it was a nice surprise to see decent totals in places like Kenton and Hooker out in the Panhandle.  Click here for our graphic from the Oklahoma Mesonet.

Tomorrow is Ag Day at the State Capitol in Oklahoma City.  Several events are planned during the day- including:

10:00 a.m. - Ag in the Classroom State Contest Award Winners and Ag in the Classroom State Teacher of the Year will be honored in the Supreme Court Hallway (2nd Floor)

10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. - Made in Oklahoma Program companies and Agricultural Organizations will be participating in a Mini-Fair on the 4th Floor Rotunda

1:00 p.m. - Agriculture Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony - Blue Room (2nd Floor)

Hope to see you around the Capitol on Thursday!