Farm Lending Soars at Commercial Banks 

Farm lending at commercial banks accelerated in the fourth quarter of 2012 after solid gains in previous months, according to the Federal Reserve System's Agricultural Finance Databook.

Escalating feed and livestock costs contributed to higher lending activity to livestock operations. In addition, high fuel costs during harvest and rising fertilizer and seed prices prompted some crop producers to pre-pay for 2013 crop inputs, which boosted current operating loan volumes even higher.

Banker survey respondents also reported a fourth-quarter spike in farm machinery and equipment loans. After picking up in the third quarter, lending for farm machinery and equipment surged as farmers made capital purchases prior to the potential expiration of the tax incentive for accelerated depreciation at the end of 2012. 

With ample funds for farm loans, strengthening loan demand fueled intense competition for agricultural lending activity among financial institutions.

You can read more and find links to the full Kansas City Fed reports by clicking here.

Stabenow Named Wheat Leader of the Year, Congressman Lucas, OSU's Brett Carver Honored by NAWG 

The National Association of Wheat Growers presented its highest Congressional award to Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) on Tuesday.

Stabenow was named the 2012 Wheat Leader of the Year, an award given annually to one Member of Congress based on his or her demonstrated commitment to the well-being and goals of the wheat industry.  Stabenow was chosen to be so honored due to her diligence and leadership on farm bill legislation in the 112th Congress. 

"Though a farm bill ultimately didn't get done last year, our growers are confident that Chairwoman Stabenow did everything in her power to push it forward, and she has already shown her commitment to do the same in this new Congress," said NAWG President Erik Younggren, a farmer from northern Minnesota. 

For his extensive service to the industry, the NAWG Board also recognized Oklahoma State University wheat breeder and professor, and National Wheat Improvement Committee (NWIC) chairman, Dr. Brett Carver, with a Friend of Wheat Award. This is an exception to policy that calls for all Friends to be employed directly by Congress or an administrative agency.

The Wheat Advocate Award is given annually to Members of Congress who have demonstrated support for the wheat industry above and beyond the norm. Among those receiving 2012 Wheat Advocate awards were House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas. 
 

Click here to read more. 

Tammi Didlot is Proud of Accomplishments as President of American National Cattlewomen

Tammi Didlot, the current president of the American National Cattlewomen is coming to the end of her year's tenure as the leader of the group. An Oklahoman, Didlot spoke with me recently and will be my guest on "In the Field" Saturday morning on News 9 about 6:40 a.m.

Didlot said she's had a very busy year and says her time has been well spent.

"I can say without a doubt it's been worth my time. It's a labor of love. You just find the time to make it work. But it has definitely been the experience of a lifetime."

She pointed to several highlights in her year as president.

"The one thing I'm truly proud of is the involvement we have with our collegiate groups. We've really engaged a lot of the young people in that and we've expanded our Beef Ambassador program to a junior program. That's been an exciting thing to watch and seeing one of the largest turnouts for that program. The opportunity to travel all over the country and meet all of the different ladies and men-they are just great people. I've gotten a lot of good exposure to the beef industry from a different perspective."

Didlot said she is also proud of the Beef Cookoff program which is currently underway. 

You can read more and listen to our audio conversation by clicking here.

 

Conservation Meeting Produces Positve Results for Conservation, Soil Health

Clay Pope, executive director of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, and about 40 Oklahomans were on hand for the recent National Association of Conservation Districts meeting in San Antonio, Texas, earlier this week.

Pope said the continuing drought across Oklahoma and much of the Southwest got a great deal of attention as did a renewed emphasis on soil health. He said a new soil health initiative launched by the National Resource Conservation Service promises increased productivity for farmers and ranchers while multiplying conservation and environmental benefits. Our own Jim Apel caught up with Clay as he was returning from the 2013 national gathering on Wednesday.

"Clearly, the NRCS's soil health initiative is one of the things that we're really excited about--the idea that, with some of the research that's come out now, you can increase the organic matter in your soils, you can greatly increase your productivity. It's been shown that for every one percent improvement in organic matter you can have up to $750 worth of nutrients in that acre of soil, plus the fact that by increasing your organic matter you also increase the water-holding capacity of the soil.     

"You know, that's something we're all really excited about, that intersection of increased productivity and making sure that we can feed and clothe the world and do it in a manner that helps us protect our natural resource base."

You can catch an audio interview with Clay Pope as well as reading more of this story by clicking here.

 

Upcoming Workshop Aimed at Plasticulture Producers and Farmers Market Managers

The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry will host a workshop targeting plasticulture producers and farmers market managers. This workshop, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 9, is meant to connect plasticulture producers, who often sell their products at farmers markets, with the people organizing the markets. Registration for the workshop begins at 8 a.m., followed by presentations and breakout sessions beginning at 9 a.m. The daylong workshop is scheduled to end around 4 p.m.

The theme for the workshop is "Growing in Tough Times". Topics to be covered in the farmers market tract include: marketing tips for displaying produce, creative ways to entice customers and state health department rules and regulations for markets. ODAFF Oklahoma Grown Program Coordinator Nathan Kirby will present information on grants available to farmers markets as well as how markets can work with the agency to increase their productivity.   

Plasticulture is a farming technique that creates raised soil beds covered with plastic sheeting and equipped with irrigation drip lines laid directly under the plastic. Vegetable seedlings are planted in holes punched through the plastic. Micah Anderson, ODAFF Plasticulture Program Coordinator, will give an overview of the state's plasticulture program including grants available to farmers. Other presenters will cover how to gain organic certification and how to increase profits by embracing new technology. 

You'll find more of this story on our website.  Click here to go there.  

 

Analysts Expect Drop in U.S. Cattle Inventory in Semiannual USDA Report

USDA will release the results of its semiannual cattle inventory survey on February 1. The survey results provide a benchmark for cattle supplies currently on the ground and serve as the best indication for the outlook of US beef supplies in the medium term (next three years).

Analysts polled by Dow Jones ahead of the report indicated that they expect total cattle inventories as of January 1 to be down 1.8% from year ago levels. Assuming no changes to the previous year's inventory, this would imply a US cattle herd of 89.135 million head, the smallest inventory since 1952. US cattle inventories peaked in 1975 at 132.028 million head and have been trending lower ever since.

One of the survey items that will likely receive plenty of attention is the number of heifers that have been held back for beef cow herd rebuilding. In the Dow Jones survey, analysts have vastly different ideas in this regard. Some expect the beef cow herd replacement numbers to show further declines from a year ago, with the low end of estimates down 7.9% from last year. An average of all analysts, however, expect the beef heifer replacement numbers to be down 0.4% from last year, with the high side of the range expecting a 3% increase.

You can read more of this story by clicking here.

 

State Lawmakers Marlatt and Sanders Blast Oklahoma City Move to Move Water From Canton to Hefner

Oklahoma City has moved ahead with plans to take an additional 30,000 acre-feet of water from Canton Lake in the western part of the state.   State Sen. Bryce Marlatt said he learned Tuesday that Oklahoma City had instructed the Army Corps of Engineers to begin transferring the water on Wednesday morning. The entire process will take approximately three weeks.


"This should have been a last-ditch option for Oklahoma City, but the gates are open and the water is flowing out of Canton Lake right now," Marlatt said.

State Representative Mike Sanders is also disappointed over the decision to push forward with the water drawdown- fearing permanent economic damage to the recreational culture that has developed over the years around the northwestern Oklahoma lake. Click here to read the comments from both Marlatt and Sanders as they react to this water release. 

According to the Army Corps of Engineers, Congress authorized the Canton Lake project in 1938 for flood control. And at one point, it was authorized for irrigation and municipal water supply for the city of Enid.

But, because Enid did not access its storage rights, in 1955, The Army Corps of Engineers says OKC began a series of five-year contracts with the federal government to use Canton's water storage. Irrigation and water storage was eventually reassigned to Oklahoma City in 1990.

Our colleagues at News9, KWTV have a video piece on the water release from a Canton perspective- you can take a look at it by clicking here.