Drought Emergency Legislation Bills Approved, Move to Appropriations Committee 

The passage by an Oklahoma House of Representatives sub-committee of two legislative measures designed to help agriculture producers and rural fire districts cope with the record drought currently gripping the Southern Plains is a very positive development according to Joe Parker, president of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts (OACD).

The two measures, House Bill 1827 by Representative Don Armes, (R-Faxon) and House Bill 1923 by Representative Dale DeWitt (R-Braman) both passed the House Appropriations Sub-Committee on Natural Resources and Regulatory Services with no opposition.

Armes spoke with me at the state capitol. He said the bills won't work miracles, but they are solid steps in the right direction. (You can listen to the full interview by clicking here.)

"Is that going to fix the drought or make it rain? Probably not, but what we're trying to aim at is rural Oklahoma that needs help," he said.  "Maybe it's drilling a well. Maybe it's fuel costs for water hauling. Maybe it's cleaning out a pond. Maybe it's doing whatever we can to help with drought issues... The big deal is we're going to try to get some dollars to rural Oklahoma and help cattlemen keep water in front of their cattle, just things like that."

The bills would provide funding for emergency cost-share measures at the Oklahoma Conservation Commission. Funds would also be provided to the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry to help rural fire districts with operational and equipment needs to deal with the upcoming fire season.

Armes also said that moves to eliminate the sales tax exemption for agricultural producers have been turned back--for now. 

You can read more of this story by clicking here. 

Moisture Rolls in From two Directions- We have Snowfall and Rainfall Totals  

Moisture came from two directions into Oklahoma on Tuesday- and so we have two different maps on our website for you to check out- click here for both snow and rainfall totals. The first of those graphics is of the snowfall totals of Tuesday. Some of this has likely melted and is reflected in the graphic below- but much of it has yet to melt and will be counted as liquid later in the Mesonet reports. The heaviest snowfall totals came right along Interstate 40 west of El Reno out to the Oklahoma-Texas state line. This storm has produced very little drifting- and that bodes well for a soaking in of the moisture present into the fields and pastures of that part of the state.


Rainfall totals reflect the system that came into the state even as the snow was entering into northwestern Oklahoma on Tuesday. Two Mesonet stations topped an inch of rainfall- Acme and Mangum both recorded 1.06 inches of liguid precipitation. Hollis comes across the finish line in third place as the storm moved away from Oklahoma with .90 inches of rain reported. It is significant to note that every single Mesonet station in the state reported at least some liquid moisture- Boise City barely registered anything at .01 inch of liquid received to make it a 100% precipitation event. There was at least a small amount of snow in Cimarron County that could add to that total as it melts.  

NCC, Broad Coalition Urge USDA to Uphold its Commitment to Food Safety Inspection

The National Chicken Council today, along with 37 organizations representing various aspects of animal agriculture, livestock and poultry producers, food processing and manufacturing, retail, international trade and transportation, wrote to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack to express strong concerns with the possibility of furloughing the nation's federal meat, poultry and egg products inspectors in the event sequestration goes into effect.

"We understand USDA is considering implementing a sequestration plan that would result in furloughing all the Food Safety and Inspection Service's (FSIS's) meat, poultry and egg products inspectors for 15 days," the groups wrote. "Because of the importance of federal inspection to the production of meat, poultry and egg products, we do not believe furloughing FSIS inspectors to be an appropriate response to sequestration within the framework of the federal meat, poultry and egg products inspection laws. It certainly would not be in the public interest."

Because federal establishments may not produce meat, poultry or egg products without federal inspection, furloughing inspectors would effectively shutter meat, poultry and egg products plants for more than two weeks, imposing significant hardship on thousands of inspected establishments and hundreds of thousands of people directly employed by these industries, not to mention the affected government employees.

Click here to read more and to find a link to the coalition's letter.

OFB Leadership Conference Highlights Farm Bureau Week

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has signed a proclamation designating Feb. 18-22 as Farm Bureau Week.

The week is part of a statewide observance during which county Farm Bureaus will host receptions, open houses and other events inviting the community to participate.

"This is a time for us to discuss rural issues and explain how Farm Bureau can help improve the lives of rural Oklahomans," said Mike Spradling, Oklahoma Farm Bureau president. (Click here for more on Farm Bureau Week.)

The state organization will kick off the week with its annual leadership conference, Feb. 18-19, at the Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City. Keynote speakers include U.S. Representatives Frank Lucas, R-OK, and James Lankford, R-OK, AFBF President Bob Stallman and Lawton businessman Bill Burgess. Also, Oklahoma FFA President Brandon Baumgarten will welcome the group to the conference. 

For more information on the conference, please click here.

Hispanic and Women Farmers and Ranchers Claims Must be Postmarked by March 25

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack reminded Hispanic and women farmers and ranchers who allege discrimination by the USDA in past decades that there are 45 days remaining in the filing period closing March 25, 2013.

"Hispanic and women farmers who believe they have faced discriminatory practices in the past from the USDA have 45 days left to file a claim in order to have a chance to receive a cash payment or loan forgiveness," said Secretary Vilsack. "USDA urges potential claimants to contact the Claims Administrator for information and mail their claim packages on or before March 25, 2013."

The process offers a voluntary alternative to litigation for each Hispanic or female farmer and rancher who can prove that USDA denied his or her application for loan or loan servicing assistance for discriminatory reasons for certain time periods between 1981 and 2000. There are no filing fees to participate in the program. 

Click here for more.

U.S. Cattlemen's Association and NFU Release COOL Compliance Legal Analysis

The United States Cattlemen's Association (USCA), together with the National Farmers Union (NFU), has released a legal analysis detailing the options available for bringing the U.S. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) implementation rules into compliance with a recent World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling on COOL. The analysis, completed by the Stewart and Stewart Law Firm of Washington, D.C., outlines regulatory remedies responding to WTO concerns with how COOL is implemented. USCA has been adamant throughout the WTO challenge brought by Canada and Mexico that legislative action is not an appropriate response to the WTO ruling and that the law can be brought into compliance with simple regulatory changes.

The WTO ruling affirmed the U.S. right to require origin labeling, but said that in order to achieve the legitimate goal of providing information to consumers, more thorough information should be provided on labels. The legal analysis, commissioned in part by USCA, concludes that an effective method of complying with the WTO decision is to simply provide more information and more accurate details to consumers. This will not create any additional burden on producers or processors, nor will it require them to collect any additional information. It will merely require tightening the implementation rules so that information to the consumer is increased. "In addition," noted Jon Wooster, USCA President, "this should not in any way increase consumers' retail prices, and that's a very important point."

Click here for more of this story and to find a link to the full legal analysis.

A matter of the Heart on Valentine's Day- Friends and Neighbors Come Together to Help Jhett Skaggs and His Family 

Friends of Jhett Skaggs are hosting a benefit auction for the six-year-old heart transplant patient who is in dire need of another heart.

Jhett received his first heart transplant when he was just 11-months-old in 2007. He has since developed transplant coronary artery disease. The only cure is another transplant.

Since Jhett can't be more than an hour away from the transplant hospital, he and his dad, Brian, are living in Houston. His mom, Audra, and his eight-year-old sister are trying to keep the home fires burning in Lexington, Oklahoma. Audra is a schoolteacher and is trying to keep the family's financial head above water, but with limited success.

That's why their friends are holding a benefit auction for the family Thursday(Valentine's Day) at the Comanche County Fairgrounds in Lawton. A complimentary steak dinner will begin at 6 p.m. and a live auction will begin at 7 p.m.   There is also a silent auction featuring everything from genetics to ranch equipment to trips, artwork, professional services, and collectibles.

If you'd like to help this young family, they'd love to see you in Lawton on Valentine's Day, or you can bid online at liveauctions.tv. You can browse the online auction catalog by clicking here.