OFB's Collison Pleased with New State Laws Now Taking Effect, Looking Forward to Next Legislative Session 

With laws passed in the last session of the Oklahoma legislature and signed by governor Mary Fallin now taking effect, Oklahoma Farm Bureau's vice president for public policy, John Collison, says he was very pleased with the results of the legislative session.

He spoke with me recently about the session and some upcoming meetings and concerns of the Farm Bureau. You can hear our full conversation by clicking here.  Collison will also by my guest on this weekend's "In the Field" segment on News 9 Saturday about 6:40 a.m.

"We were really excited for a lot of the victories that we got, not only water and horses, but agri-tourism, some fence-cutting laws, trespassing laws were the holy grail at the Farm Bureau to keep people off the property that don't belong there," Collison said. "And so we felt really good looking back at our session this year."

Collison said the statewide nature of the water resources boards is a tremendous benefit for the state as the northwestern and southeastern parts of the state had never been represented adequately in water discussions.

"This isn't an issue that's going to be solved overnight. This is finishing the legacy of Robert Kerr, really. What he started back in the 50s we need to finish that project and use that water instead of just kicking out to the Red River and sending it on down south."

Collison said Farm Bureau is getting ready to have a series of meetings across the state to listen to members and formulate action plans for the 2014 legislative session.

"We are a grassroots organization. Our ideas come from our members. We're going to be out from Guymon to Idabel, from Miami to Altus talking to these folks statewide for two solid weeks and we're really excited about it and really looking forward to it."
 

Click here to read more.

Cattle Industry Conference Gets Underway in Denver on a Positive Note 

Cattlemen and women are gathering in Denver, Colo., to help create the direction for cattle industry at the 2013 Cattle Industry Summer Conference Aug. 7-10. More than 650 producers and other industry participants are in attendance at the event, which features meetings of National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA), Cattlemen's Beef Promotion & Research Board (CBB), American National CattleWomen, Inc. and National Cattlemen's Foundation.

The Cattle Industry Summer Conference is where cattle producers discuss current issues as a group, work on programs and initiatives and set the course the industry should take with various projects for the betterment of the beef cattle industry.

Scott George, president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, spoke with me in Denver.  He said the overall attitude of cattle producers this year is more optimistic than last year. The drought which was pinching producers last year has eased somewhat and thoughts are returning to expanding the nation's cow herd.

"We've got good demand for our product domestically and internationally, but you've got to have enough supply to be able to meet that demand. So, we would like to encourage people to go ahead and increase their herds, get that cattle herd back up to where it needs to be."

Click here to listen to my interview with Scott George or to read more of this story.

 

Red Meat Exports Hit 2013 Highs in June

Exports of U.S. beef and pork enjoyed their best month of the year in June, rising both in volume and value over 2012 levels, while lamb exports continued their steady increase, according to statistics released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

Pork exports in June increased 2.4 percent in volume to 169,098 metric tons while edging a fraction higher in value to $469.7 million. Beef exports fared even better, rising 8 percent in volume to 101,720 metric tons and 21 percent in value to $562.3 million.

Lamb exports also continued to grow, jumping 29 percent in volume to 1,423 metric tons and nearly 4 percent in value to $2.5 million.

"There is no question that challenges persist, such as the continued closure of the Russian market, but we are seeing positive signs from key markets, including Japan and Mexico, that are vital trading partners for our industry," said Philip Seng, USMEF president and CEO.

Click here for the rest of this story and a link to the complete export results.

 

NCC Says Only Congress Can Provide Long-term Ethanol Solution

National Chicken Council (NCC) President Mike Brown released the following statement in response to yesterday's announcement by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding its final 2013 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volume requirement:

"The National Chicken Council appreciates that EPA has finally recognized the reality of the situation and is willing to consider adjustments to the 2014 volume requirements of the RFS to address the fact that we simply cannot blend more and more ethanol into less and less gasoline.

"This is a band-aid approach, however, to a problem that needs a long-term, sustainable solution. Chicken producers, and all end users of corn, can't rely upon the administration to make these adjustments on an annual basis.

"We need certainty in the market that only Congress can provide by repealing the conventional requirements of the RFS."

 

Chairman Lucas Remains Focused on Farm Bill Completion 

House Ag Committee Chairman Frank Lucas remains optimistic that a comprehensive five year farm bill will be completed this year- and he believes that will include a Nutrition Title. Lucas, at his Town Hall meeting in Woodward on Wednesday, told Senior Director for Corporate Communications Sam Knipp of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau "it's tough to pass big policy changes in such a divided, complicated Congress these days."

Among the policy changes that have to be reconciled between the House and the Senate are the huge differences between the House and Senate on authorization cuts in the Nutrition Title as well as significant differences in how the two bodies approach a federal farm safety net. Lucas repeated his now familiar mantra that a federal farm bill has to offer a safety net to all farmers across the country and not giving special considerations to midwest farmers growing two of the major program crops.

While the House bill passed contains only eleven titles and no Nutrition language- Lucas said a stand alone Nutrition title might be adopted in the House in September- and that no matter what the House does- he simply does not see the Senate accepting a Conference Report that does not contain a Nutrition Title.

When asked about the chances of getting a bill done in September, Lucas expressed hope but then mentioned the magnitude of the pieces that must be dealt with to finish- adding simply that he would like to get a bill done "as soon as I can."

You can hear the comments of Chairman Lucas on the Farm Bill with Sam Knipp by clicking here.

Governor Fallin Appoints Shanon Phillips to the Arkansas-Oklahoma Committee on Water Quality

Governor Mary Fallin has appointed Conservation Commission Water Quality Division Director Shanon Phillips as one of three members representing the State of Oklahoma on a joint committee with Arkansas to review the phosphorus water quality standard for the Illinois River. The six-member committee, whose members are divided equally between Oklahoma and Arkansas, is tasked with designing a study and selecting and advising independent researchers to determine the critical nutrient concentrations that lead to excessive algal growth in the Illinois River.

"The nutrient concentrations that cause a noticeable increase in algae growth are critical in normal rivers also, but by law scenic rivers have extra protection to preserve their high quality and unique characteristics," said Phillips. "The goal is to implement a standard in these systems that may result in essentially no noticeable algal growth."

"The appointment of Shanon Phillips to this committee by Governor Fallin recognizes the important work Shanon and the Commission's Water Quality Division have been doing in the Illinois River watershed for the past 25 years," said Mike Thralls, executive director of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission. "Shanon brings excellent technical credentials to the committee. I commend the governor for selecting Shanon." 

You can read more by clicking here.

 

More Raindrops Falling on My Head- North of I-40

The rainfall totals in the Oklahoma Panhandle have been the most impressive we have seen in at least a couple of years- with Beaver leading the way with 3.11 inches of rain in this latest moisture bringing system that is just about out of Oklahoma on this Thursday morning. At least four Mesonet stations have reported rainfall greater than three inches- besides Beaver, that list includes Alva, Cherokee and Jay in northeastern Oklahoma (topping four inches).

Kenton and Hook both have recorded over two inches of rain in the last 24 hours- and while a lot of the dryland crops that were planted may be beyond hope- these rains will lighten the pressure on irrigation wells for a bit- and help solidify a good irrigation growing season.

Click here for the latest Mesonet Rainfall map- which will reflect in real time the rainfall totals for the state- limited rainfall in southwestern Oklahoma- but temperatures have moderated a bit- and at least that makes August afternoons a little more tolerable.