Most Farm Groups Glad to Get Successful Vote in House- Looking Forward to Conference with Senate  

Most ag and conservation groups are happy to see the vote of the slimmed down 2013 Farm Bill that gets the bill through the House and on to a Conference with leadership of the Senate Ag Committee.  

There are groups like the EWG, that are bitterly upset with the outcome- but most say let's move on and get a good bill out of conference.

Click on the Name of the group of interest to you to see their post farm bill vote statement:

National Cotton Council   

Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Wheat Crops All Get a Little Bigger in July Estimatest 

Oklahoma's July 1, 2013 wheat production is forecast at 115.5 million bushels, up 1 percent from last month, but 25 percent below last year, according to the July Crop Production report issued today by the USDA-NASS Oklahoma Field Office. Acres harvested for grain, at 3.5 million, are down 0.3 million acres from the previous month, and down 0.8 million acres from a year ago. Average yield is forecast at 33 bushels per acre, up 3 bushels from last month, but down 3 bushels from 2012. The 2013 Oklahoma crop is well above the estimate of scouts that reported in early May at the Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association, who saw only a 84 to 85 million bushel crop across the state after a series of freeze events had followed a very dry fall and winter season.

You can read more about the Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas wheat crops- plus details from the WASDE and July Crop Production numbers released at 11 AM Thursday- click here to do that.

Hundreds of Teachers Educated About Ag in the Classroom

Earlier this week, the Ag in the Classroom state conferencewas held in downtown Oklahoma City and was held in conjunction with a statewide Department of Education teachers event. Over 600 teachers were registered for the AITC program, and many others were exposed to the Ag in the Classroom concept for the first time with the venue set inside of the larger venue called Vision 2020.

During the statewide gathering, we talked with one of the Ag in the Classroom State Coordinators, Audrey Harmon. We talked about the State Conference and what's new in the Ag in the Classroom efforts to tell the agricultural story to school kids.  

Click here to read more and to listen to our conversation with Audrey.

MAP Funding Allocated for Current Fiscal Year- Millions to Promote Farm Goods Overseas  

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) awarded fiscal year 2013 funding to more than 70 U.S. agricultural organizations to help expand commercial export markets for their goods. USDA remains focused on carrying out its mission, despite a time of significant budget uncertainty. Today's announcement is one part of the Department's efforts to strengthen the rural economy.

Under the Market Access Program (MAP), FAS will provide $172.7 million to 70 nonprofit organizations and cooperatives. MAP participants contribute an average 171-percent match for generic marketing and promotion activities and a dollar-for-dollar match for promotion of branded products by small businesses and cooperatives. Under the Foreign Market Development Program (FMD), FAS will allocate $25.4 million to 26 trade organizations that represent U.S. agricultural producers. The organizations, which contribute an average 183-percent cost share, will conduct activities that help maintain or increase demand for U.S. agricultural commodities overseas.

Click here to read more- and there is a link to a table in our story listing all groups and how much money they are receiving for the current fiscal year.

Oklahoma Wheat Harvest Up to 97% Done- Plains Grains

Harvest of the 2013 HRW crop continues to rapidly wind down in the states of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. Texas is now 91% complete with almost all wheat left to cut being in the extreme northwestern part of the state (Panhandle). Oklahoma is almost completely done with 97% of the crop now harvested Kansas is also making rapid progress (87% complete) with the southern two-thirds now wrapping up and the northern one-third winding down.  

Colorado is now 25% complete with the majority of that being in the southern two-thirds of the eastern half of the state. That area has reported yields from 0 - 20 bushels per acre (0 - 1.3 tons per hectare) due to drought and freeze damage, while what little cutting that has been done in the northern areas has been ranging from 30 - 40 bushels per acre (2.0 - 2.7 tons per hectare). Nebraska is now 15% complete with harvest ranging from the southeastern parts of the state winding down to the far north and western areas either not started or having just begun.


Click here for more on the sampling and quality tests run to date-

Update Your APP!!! 

We have just posted a new update  in the iTunes store as well as in the Google Play store- at no charge or cost to you.

The upgrade will allow us to post pictures that won't cover up the hard copy of the story plus we now have the ability to post audio, a web link or even video on any page- I think you will find it a lot easier to use and with more capability than ever.   

If you have not yet downloaded the APP for your iPhone, iPad or Android device- now is a great time to do so- the links are in the left column of our email or click on the banner at the top of our website's front page- and in moments, you will be enjoying our Oklahoma Farm Report APP.

With these latest enhancements- we plan on posting more and more of what you find on the website- and we now have an easy way to post the daily email inside the APP as well.

Check it out- I think you will be glad you did!