Coalition Calling on Speaker Boehner to Move Farm Bill to Conference 

Representative Tim Walz (MN-01), the ranking member of House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry, led a broad coalition of 50 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in sending a letter to Speaker Boehner urging him to take immediate action and convene a Farm Bill conference committee before adjourning for a five-week August recess. With only nine legislative working days scheduled by the Majority for the entire month of September, moving to conference now and allowing Members time to work out an agreement during August is critical to the Farm Bill's success.

"Our farmers and ranchers go about their business quietly every day and simply expect Congress to do the same. With only nine legislative work days scheduled in September, we're burning daylight we don't have," Walz said. "The Farm Bill was once a place where Congress could get results; where pragmatic problem solving trumped partisan ideology. Let us return to that mind frame, reject rigid ideology, and work together during August to get a bipartisan Farm Bill signed into law before the end of September. Rural America and the rest of the country can't wait."

Click here to read the full letter and a list of the representatives who signed it.

The National Cotton Council also called for quick action.

"Timely enactment of new farm legislation is critically important for production agriculture and especially for the U.S. cotton industry," stated NCC Chairman Jimmy Dodson, a cotton producer from Robstown, Texas. "Building on the hard work done under the leadership of Chairman Lucas, Chairwoman Stabenow, and their respective ranking members, Representative Peterson and Senator Cochran, we strongly urge that work to resolve the differences in the two bills begin immediately. When members return in September, a formal conference committee can be convened and remaining differences can be resolved in a timely manner.  

Click here for more from Jimmy Dodson.

United States Wins Trade Enforcement Case, Proves Export-Blocking Chinese Duties Unjustified 

United States Trade Representative Michael Froman, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that the United States won a major case at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on behalf of American chicken producers, proving that China's imposition of higher duties on chicken "broiler products" - which was followed by an 80-percent drop in American exports of those products to China - is unjustified under international trade rules. A WTO dispute settlement panel agreed with the United States, finding that China violated numerous WTO obligations in conducting its investigations and imposing anti-dumping (AD) duties and countervailing duties (CVD) on chicken imports from the United States.

"This decision sends a clear message that the Obama Administration can fight and win for American farmers, businesses, and workers in the global trading system, ensuring that America gets the benefit of the rules and market access we have negotiated in our international trade agreements," said Ambassador Froman."WTO Members must use trade remedies strictly in accordance with their commitments, and we hope that this win will discourage further violations that hurt American exporters."

Click here to read the full story. 

U.S. Trade Rep Froman, Ag Secretary Vilsack Announce Continued EU Market Access

United States Trade Representative Michael Froman and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that the European Union (EU) will continue to provide U.S. beef producers with significant access, at zero duty, to the EU market for high-quality beef produced from non-hormone-treated cattle. The United States and the European Union are planning to extend for two years Phase 2 of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in 2009 in connection with the United States' long-running dispute with the European Union over its ban on beef from cattle treated with certain growth-promoting hormones.

In the year since Phase 2 began, U.S. beef shipments under the quota were an estimated $200 million, up 300 percent from the value of exports in the year before the MOU entered into force. Under the extension, the EU would maintain until August 2, 2015 its duty-free tariff rate quota for high-quality beef, established pursuant to the MOU between the United States of America and the European Commission Regarding the Importation of Beef from Animals not Treated with Certain Growth Promoting Hormones, at the Phase 2 quantity of 45,000 metric tons per year.

"I am very pleased that American ranchers and meat processors will be allowed to ship substantial quantities of high-quality U.S. beef into a market worth millions of dollars to their bottom lines," said Ambassador Froman. "Before the memorandum of understanding was signed, the EU's beef market had been largely closed for far too long. The substantial market access that we have achieved since 2009 shows what we can accomplish with practical, problem-solving approaches to trade barriers."

You can read the full story by clicking here.  

Value-Added Programs Essential for Getting Top Cattle Dollar, Mourer Says

Getting top dollar for their cattle is not as difficult as some producers might believe, says Beef Value Enhancement Specialist Gant Mourer of Oklahoma State University. Mourer spoke recently with Radio Oklahoma Network Farm Director Ron Hays about the challenges that face producers when it comes to adding value.

Mourer said most producers are already managing and caring for their herds properly, but more work needs to be done.

"The one thing I've found, Ron, is that these producers are already doing these management steps. We just need to get the word out to buyers that they are managing these cattle properly. And when they do that, we'll capture those premiums. And they are willing to pay more because those cattle do better for them down in the other segments of the beef industry."

Gant joins me on the latest Beef Buzz.  Click here to listen in or to read more of this story.
 

Agricultural Lease Education Benefits Owner, Tenant

Jeri Donnell with the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation writes in their latest News and Views newsletter:

Leases are a common practice in agriculture. In its most basic form, a written lease is a unique document that defines the owner (lessor), tenant (lessee) and property; describes each party's privileges/responsibilities; and details mutually agreed upon terms. Still, many individuals perceive leases as complicated and approach the topic with hesitation. However, education allows one to become more comfortable with the lease process and more confident in knowing what one wants to occur under an individual lease.

Leasing can be advantageous, depending on one's operational goals, resources and negotiating ability. Benefits to an owner include property care and income without owner participation. Tenant benefits include an opportunity for expansion or management on a trial basis without capital investment. Owners must overcome the fear of losing control, and tenants should evaluate the risk of leases not being renewed.

Click here for more. 

Marbling and Reproduction Go Hand-in-Hand

James Henderson of the Bradley 3 Ranch in Texas knows what kind of cattle his customers need. In the big cattle country where they operate, cows must be able to travel for their food, defend their calves against predators and produce offspring that are in demand.

"We've been in the meat business and we've dealt with consumers and we understand that marbling is a very important trait to the consumer. And, so, looking at it from the meat side, that's important. As we've looked at it from the maternal side, we think it's even more important because there's nothing that makes a cattleman more money than a cow that has a calf and stays in the herd and reproduces on an efficient basis. So, if you can keep those two things going--and marbling helps do that--that's what we think makes money."

Selecting for quality can have a positive impact on the cow herd.

"I've said numerous times that marbling may be a more important reproductive trait, maternal trait, than it is a carcass trait. I say that because it's that ready source of energy and that cow can store it up really quickly and she can use it really quickly when she needs to. And those easy, fleshy, easy-keeping cows tend to be the ones with the highest marbling."

Click here to read more or to watch the video version of this story. 

This N That- Cost of Farming Going UP, Superior Sale Was Hot as a Three Dollar Pistol and Busy Week Ahead

Click here for the complete report of farm expenses as detailed by Uncle Sam.

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Superior Livestock wrapped up their four day auction this past Friday called the Video Royale sale.  On offer were 158,000 head of cattle- and the market was hot.

The Superior team report that "The market was tremendously active on all classes of cattle with yearlings being $3-$5 higher and the calf market $10-$12 higher than our last auction."

Click here for the complete market report from this past week- which includes details of several groups of Oklahoma cattle being sold.

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We have several things on the Oklahoma Farm Report calendar this week- with cattle meetings, Town Hall Meetings, Grain Sorghum Field Tours and even the Women in Ag Conference all on the agenda.

We will be heading to Denver for the later than normal Summer Cattle Industry Conference the second half of this week- and will be reporting on what the NCBA, ANCW and the CBB are up to- we will be cutting out of there a little early to get back in time to help emcee the 2013 edition of the Southern Plains Beef Symposium in Ardmore that happens this Saturday, August 10th- what we have called in the past one of the best one day cattle industry seminars that you will find anywhere in the US.
I think it qualifies again this year- and no matter where you are in Oklahoma- it will be worth the drive down to Ardmore to check out the 2013 Symposium.

For details on everything going on this week- click here for our calendar page as found on our website- OkahomaFarmReport.Com.