Crop Insurance Costs Americans Two Cents Per Meal, According to CBO Data 

Americans will spend two cents per meal on crop insurance - the risk management tool most used by farmers to protect themselves from the whims of Mother Nature - through FY 2023, according to CBO's latest 10-year budget projections. That figure is up from one cent per meal, which was the average cost for the period of FY 2000 to 2011.

Those estimates might come as a surprise to many Americans, who are watching ongoing Congressional action surrounding the five-year, $100 billion per year Farm Bill. But most of that money actually goes towards spending on domestic food programs, with roughly 15 percent directed to farm programs and crop insurance.

The cost per meal figure is derived from CBO's projected crop insurance program outlays, the Census Bureau's projections of total U.S. population, the Department of Commerce's data on consumption spending on food, and the assumption that consumers eat three meals a day.

Total government spending on crop insurance is projected at roughly $8.5 billion per year, with farmers paying $4 billion out of their own pockets to purchase their policies. With the elimination of direct payments in the Farm Bill currently being discussed, crop insurance will be the primary risk management tool available to many farmers, and the only risk management tool available to some farmers, like specialty crop growers.

You can read more of this article by clicking here.  

Noble Academy Gears Up to Educate Educators to Bring Agricultural Science Into the Classroom

With students and teachers heading back to the classroom in just a few weeks, Dr. Frank Hardin is gearing up as well. Hardin is the educational outreach manager at the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in Ardmore. It is his mission and his passion to bring agricultural science education to as many students as possible. One of the ways he is doing that is through a concept called the Noble Academy.

Hardin was a featured speaker at the Vision 2020 Conference for Oklahoma educators earlier this month. Afterward, he talked about his work with me. 

Hardin said the idea for the Noble Academy started with simple observations on the Noble Foundation campus in Ardmore.

"It began because we host tours at the Noble Foundation, for adults and for youth. And the past several years, as we've brought more and more youth on the campus, we began to realize there is a huge disconnect between today's youth and agriculture. So much so that we hear things like, 'I would never eat beef from a cow, I'd only eat beef from Walmart.' And, 'Do strawberries really come from plants?'

"So, we realize this disconnect and we also realize that today's youth are future leaders and policymakers and educators. And if this disconnect continues, agriculture could suffer some severe consequences in the future later on down the road. So, the Noble Academy began to take science and ag programs into the classroom. 

Click here to hear our full conversation or to read more.
 

When it Comes to Beef Quality, Management Reflects Marketing Outcomes 

Most cattlemen mark improvement in their herd on performance records or sales, but it is also important to mark improvements in management. Kansas State's Dr. Dan Thompson says today's Beef Quality Assurance Program helps document how they're doing.

"The beef industry, through practice, through Beef Quality Assurance, is continuing to improve the quality of production, improve the profitability, improve the efficiency as we move forward.

"I think it's really important for producers to continuously create the culture of improvement whether it's on the farm, at your home, whatever. We always want to continually to look for a way to do things a little bit better."

You can read more or watch the video version of this story by clicking here. 

Growth Energy's Tom Buis Testifies in RFS Hearing

Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis testified on Tuesday before the Energy and Power Subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce as a part of the second panel of a two-day hearing entitled, "Overview of the Renewable Fuel Standard: Stakeholder Perspectives."

In the testimony, Buis outlines his support for the RFS and the renewable fuel industry, calling it a resounding success that has created American jobs, revitalized rural America and injected much-needed competition into a monopolized liquid fuels market. The industry, thanks to the RFS, has lowered prices at the pump, improved the environment and made our nation more energy independent.

The testimony urges the committee to stay true to the RFS, a policy that is working and already showing results-America is on the brink of energy independence and energy diversity. Now is not the time to disrupt this success and interfere with the progress of the American biofuels industry.

Click here for our story that includes Tom Buis's full testimony.   We also have the video of Buis appearing before the Committee as well at this link. 

Congressman Lucas Announces Upcoming Town Hall Meetings

Congressman Frank Lucas announces upcoming town hall meetings to be held in Beaver, Cimarron, Ellis, Harper, Texas and Woodward counties August 7 & 8. All residents of these locations are invited to attend a meeting and express their opinions. Congressman Lucas will be discussing current events in Washington, taking questions about issues important to constituents of the Third Congressional District, and asking for opinions and input on legislation currently before Congress.

Lucas will hold meetings in Woodward, Beaver, Guymon, Laverne, Boise City, and Shattuck.

Click here for the complete schedule. 

Glenn Selk Takes the Mystery Out of Mineral Supplementation

Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University Emeritus Extension Animal Scientist, writes in the latest Cow-Calf Newsletter:

Without a doubt, one of the most confusing aspects of beef cow management has got to be vitamin and mineral nutrition. Proper mineral and vitamin nutrition contributes to strong immune systems, reproductive performance, and calf weight gain. A properly balanced mineral program requires consideration of previous cow and calf mineral nutrition, hay or pasture forage intake and mineral concentration, and feed or mineral supplement intake and mineral concentration. Diets with mineral imbalances may cause poor animal performance, resulting in reduced profitability.

Mineral nutrition is generally divided into two main categories: macro minerals and micro minerals. Macro minerals include: calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and sulfur, in addition to sodium (in salt). Micro minerals of concern are: copper, cobalt, iodine, iron, manganese, selenium, and zinc.

You can read all of Glenn Selk's recommendations by clicking here. 

This N That, Rainfall and Storms, Big Iron and OCA Offers CEU Credits

Strong winds and lots of rain tore across eastern Oklahoma overnight- with lots of trees down and power knocked out for thousands of Oklahoma families. 

Rainfall totals are piling up this morning as this storm system has now extended into central Oklahoma- we have a snapshot of rainfall totals to look at on our webstie- click here- as well as the link to the Mesonet 24 hour rainfall map.  

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Big Iron has their regular Wednesday closing of items for sale on the farm and industrial equipment site- they have a total of 252 items for sale this week that start closing at 10 AM central time.

Click here for the Big Iron website- there you can browse through the wide variety of stuff that all is being sold in an unreserved auction process- online.

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A quick note that was passed along to us from the great OCA team- the Cattlemen's College being held on Friday afternoon at the 61st Annual Convention of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association in Midwest City will provide three hours of CEUs for those that attend and are looking for credits from the Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association.   

Click here for full details about the 2013 Convention- that starts Thursday and runs through midday Saturday.