Final Four Coming to Stillwater- Starting Today  

Four candidate finalists for the position of Vice President, Dean, and Director, Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at Oklahoma State University have been invited to present seminars on campus over the next several weeks on the following schedule:

John Russin, Vice Chancellor and Director, Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station and G&H Seed Company Endowed Professor, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center: Monday, Jan. 28 @ 3:00 p.m., 101 Ag Hall.

Donald Topliff, Dean, College of Agriculture, Science and Engineering, and Professor of Animal Science, West Texas A&M University: Monday, Feb 11 @ 3:00 p.m., 101 Ag Hall.

Gary Pierzynski, Professor and Head, Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University: Thursday, Feb 14 @ 3:00 p.m., 101 Ag Hall.

Jeffrey Jacobsen, Dean, College of Agriculture and Director, Montana Agricultural Experiment Station and Professor of Land Resources & Environmental Sciences, Montana State University: Monday, Feb 18 @ 3:00 p.m., 101 Ag Hall.

Each of the presentations will be followed by a reception. Each of these candidates will be on campus for a couple of days for interviews with the Search Committee and a chance to see firsthand the Division of Agriculture. 

The vice president dean and director is the chief administrative officer with responsibilities for the overall leadership, financial development, and fiscal management of the division.

The successful candidate will replace Dr. Bob Whitson who retired in the middle of 2012 after a seven-year tenure in the position.

Click here to read more.  

Cattle On Feed Report Shows Friendlier Numbers than Expected 

The latest Cattle on Feed numbers came in friendlier than expected, said Tom Leffler of Leffler Commodities. The on-feed number came in at 94 percent, with the trade looking for at least 95 percent. Placements in December came in at 99 percent, with the trade looking for as high as 104 percent. Marketings were at 98 percent of one-year-ago levels, with the trade looking for 98.2 percent.    

Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter in the U.S. in feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.2 million head on January 1st. The inventory was six percent below January 1, 2012. The inventory included 7.05 million steers and steer calves, down three percent from the previous year. This group accounted for 63 percent of the total inventory. Heifers and heifer calves accounted for 4.07 million head, down nine percent from 2012. 

Placements in feedlots during December totaled 1.66 million, one percent below 2011. Net placements were 1.59 million head. During December, placements of cattle and calves weighing less than 600 pounds were 495,000, 600-699 pounds were 415,000, 700-799 pounds were 379,000, and 800 pounds and greater were 375,000.

Click here for Tom Leffler's audio report. 

We also have posted our comments with OSU Extension Livestock Market Economist Dr. Derrell Peel as he walked us through what he saw in the Cattle on Feed numbers on Friday afternoon- we spent time talking with him in his office at Ag Hall on campus in Stillwater. Click here for our Monday Beef Buzz to hear his take on the tight cattle on feed numbers detailed in this report.

Lucas and Stabenow React to Resignation of CFTC Commissioner Jill Sommers

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow both reacted to the announcement by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) that Commissioner Jill Sommers will be leaving the agency this year.

Lucas said, "Jill Sommers has been a voice of reason during a pivotal time in CFTC's history and I am grateful for her service. She has advocated for a balanced approach to regulatory reform in the U.S. that is reasonable, thoughtful, and not disruptive to global markets. I appreciate her leadership in investigating the failure of MF Global and hope the Commission will continue her efforts when she leaves.

"In short, Jill is a friend of agriculture. Although I wish her well in all of her future endeavors, I can say with certainty she will be missed."

Stabenow applauded Sommers for her accomplishments.

"I'd like to thank Commissioner Sommers for her outstanding service during this critical time as we continue implementing the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and work to harmonize rules internationally. Her hard work and contributions are greatly appreciated and will be missed."

You can read more by clicking here.

 

Nearly one million dollars in scholarships and premiums are on the line in the upcoming Oklahoma Youth Expo that begins March 16 in Oklahoma City.

Tyler Norvell, the executive director of OYE, spoke with me on this past weekend's "In the Field" segment on News 9.   He said he expects about 10,000 animals will be shown during the ten-day event, with participants hoping to earn a berth in the premium sales.

"We'll sell the top 215 animals," Norvell said. "The young people have the opportunity to take their project through the ring and get a bonus premium that they'll use to turn around and buy another project, but more importantly, for their college education."

Norvell said the major funding for the premium sale is provided by members of the Sirloin Club of Oklahoma. According to Scott Eisenhower, their Annual Banquet and Chalice Auction in preparation for OYE will be held at 5:30 p.m. January 31st at the Embassy Suites Hotel on South Meridian in Oklahoma City. The Sirloin Club is a group of community leaders who support Oklahoma youth involved in agriculture through the FFA and 4-H. For more information about the Sirloin CLub banquet this coming Wednesday evening- contact Scott at (405) 826-9073.  

You can click here to catch our "In the Field" segment with Tyler, or you can click here for our longer audio conversation.

Van der Laans Overcome Odds; Optimistic for Dairy Farmers in 2013

Anyone who has been farming for any length of time knows adversity is just part of the job. But, there are times when one adversity piled on top of another can test the mettle of even the strongest. Such was the case with the Van der Laan family when not one, but two tornadoes wiped out their dairy farm near Frederick, Oklahoma, in 2011. Since then, like most Oklahomans, they've suffered through the drought. But, as Anita Van der Laan writes on dairygood.org, every storm brings a rainbow:

I consider myself to be an optimistic person. But the forces of nature have tested my optimism and that of my family.

Two tornadoes within a five-month stretch of 2011, followed by last year's crippling drought, pushed us to our limits. There's nothing quite like rebuilding our facilities only to call the contractor a month later to say we need to do it again.

The first tornado was bad enough, but the second one reached EF-4 status, meaning its winds were in the 166 to 200 mph range. Fortunately, we have a basement where our family and workers stayed safe as the storm roared overhead like a giant blender through our farm. The damage to our buildings was bad enough, but the loss of so many of our animals was - and remains - the most difficult part to accept.

It's been said that after every storm, there comes a rainbow. Ours came 30 minutes later with a phone call from a friend who asked how she could help...

Click here to read the rest of this story.

 

State Senator Urges OKC to Adopt More Aggressive Water Conservation Before Destroying Canton Lake

Taking an additional 30,000 acre-feet of water from Canton Lake would only be a temporary fix for Oklahoma City's water woes, but the immediate and long-term impact on western Oklahoma would be devastating, with repercussions for the entire state, said State Sen. Bryce Marlatt, R-Woodward. He urged Oklahoma City officials to be better stewards of the resource-and better neighbors to western Oklahoma.

The state's largest city announced watering limits last week, but Marlatt said that move was really too little, too late. This week it was reported that the city's water utilities department will present plans for more aggressive conservation measures, including higher prices and increased rationing, over the next few weeks.   Marlatt said those should be enacted before taking water from western Oklahoma.

"Everyone knows we are in a prolonged drought, and cutting back on outdoor watering in the dead of winter really isn't a solution. Oklahoma City's ultimate plan is a huge draw on Canton Lake, the main recreational lake in western Oklahoma, but this is essentially going to kill our lake," Marlatt said. "Legally, they have the right to do it. But it doesn't make it morally right. Oklahoma City needs to do everything it possibly can to avoid this draw down for as long as possible."

Canton Lake is not only important to fisherman who head there for the plentiful walleye, sand bass, catfish and more-it is also the walleye hatchery for the entire state. The plan to draw an additional 30,000 acre-feet of water would end that.

You can read more by clicking here.

 

Former Senate Ag Committee Chairs Announce Retirement Plans from the US Senate

Word came at the end of this past week that both former GOP Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia as well as Democratic Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa will not be seeking reelection in 2014.  Both of these lawmakers have served as the chair of the Senate Ag Committee during their careers in the US Senate.  

In the case of Harkin, he indicated in a statement made at the end of this past week that he had been giving this a lot of thought for some time. "I've reached a decision, and what I've decided really boils down to two things," said Harkin.  "First, I'm going to fulfill a promise that I made to my wife Ruth, and that I also made to myself.  It's a promise that we're going to do certain things together - and that we're going to live together in a way we've often talked about - before it gets too late.  That's a decision I believe many Iowans can relate to, either because of their own circumstances, or perhaps those of their parents."

As for the Georgia Senator- Chambliss denied in a statement Friday morning that a potential primary challenge was a factor in his decision, saying he was confident he would have won re-election.

"Instead, this is about frustration, both at a lack of leadership from the White House and at the dearth of meaningful action from Congress, especially on issues that are the foundation of our nation's economic health," Chambliss said. "The debt-ceiling debacle of 2011 and the recent fiscal-cliff vote showed Congress at its worst and, sadly, I don't see the legislative gridlock and partisan posturing improving anytime soon."

The National Cotton Council was quick to release a statement on Friday praising the career of Senator Chambliss- saying he will be missed- click here for their full statement from their Chairman- Chuck Coley.