Vilsack Praises Positive Agricultural Export Forecast 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released its Outlook for U.S. Agricultural Trade last week. USDA projects that Fiscal Year 2013 agricultural exports will reach $140 billion, which if realized would be a new record.  

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the following statement on this news:

"Driven by the productivity of U.S. farmers and ranchers, we have achieved five years of positive momentum for agricultural exports and today's forecast is another promising development. Agricultural exports have a real impact on Main Street and beyond, supporting more than one million good jobs here at home. We're counting on Congress to help keep up this momentum. With just a few weeks left before expiration of many Farm Bill programs - including trade promotion programs that return $35 in economic benefits for every dollar invested - producers and rural communities need passage of a comprehensive Food, Farm and Jobs Bill as soon as possible. This would enable USDA to continue trade promotion, and carry out a wide variety of additional efforts to support a productive U.S. agriculture sector. At the same time, America's farmers and ranchers need a reliable and stable agricultural workforce to keep up production. Passage of the commonsense immigration reform measure, which was already approved by a bipartisan majority in the U.S. Senate, would further strengthen American agriculture and help put our nation on solid footing to maintain strong exports in the years to come."

 

Hawaii Helps Monsanto and Other US Seed Companies Speed New Traits to Farmers 

I mentioned at the end of last week that I had asked a question of our followers on Facebook about what was the most important/ significant ag industry on Hawaii- as we continue a couple of weeks away from Oklahoma recharging our batteries for all of the things ahead for this fall.

The answer I had in mind can be found in a webstory that we have published this morning on our website- OklahomaFarmReport.Com.  The seed breeding efforts of all of the major players in especially the corn seed business is a major enterprise on most of the Hawaiian Islands, with Monsanto having roots dating back to the 1960s on Maui- and now with research locations also on Oahu and Molokai.

Today's seed industry has been able to speed up their ability to add new botech traits because of their farms they operate on the Hawaiian Islands- and that has made Hawaii a key player for the US corn industry.  David Stoltzfus with Monsanto says the ears of corn that they grow on Hawaii won't win the county fair prize- but they are able to produce three crops a year- and these few kernels produced  include traits that will be in the next generation of seed corn that farmers on the mainland will buy.

Click here to read our story about our visit to Monsanto-Hawaii- and for the folks who said the seed business in answer to our Facebook question- we will be sending you some goodies from one of the other Hawaiian ag industries- once we get back from our 50th state at the end of this week.

NACD Supports Bills to Increase Transparency in Conservation Litigation

National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) President Earl Garber sent the following letter to Chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary Bob Goodlatte supporting the Equal Access to Justice Act and the Government Litigation Savings Act:

"On behalf of the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) I am writing to support two pieces of legislation to increase transparency in litigation impacting conservation.

"The Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act, H.R. 2919, introduced by Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) would reinstate tracking and reporting requirements of payments made under the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA). By requiring agencies to track payments to attorneys engaged in lawsuits affecting conservation, the legislation would add much-needed accountability to EAJA. It would also provide transparency by increasing public understanding of how taxpayer dollars are being spent on such litigation.

"NACD also supports the Government Litigation Savings Act (GLSA), H.R. 3037, introduced by Rep. Lummis earlier this month. GLSA would limit access to taxpayer funded reimbursements for suing the federal government under EAJA. GLSA would bring us closer to the intent of EAJA, which is to provide small non-profit, business, or individual interests with a means to sue the federal government by taking on a one-time challenge, not for litigious groups to use EAJA to fund repeated procedural lawsuits.

Click here to read more.  

Lucas Schedules Town Hall Meetings this Week

Congressman Frank Lucas announces upcoming town hall meetings to be held in Alfalfa, Garfield, Grant, Kay and Noble counties Sept. 4 and 5. 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 Enid, Cherokee, and Medford on Wednesday, Sept. 4, and in Ponca City, Blackwell, and Perry on Sept. 5.

For a complete listing of times and locations, please click here.

Southwest Ag Issues Summit Coming to Oklahoma City September 8-10

Agricultural leaders and those interested in becoming stronger leaders in the industry are encouraged to attend this year's Southwest Ag Issues Summit at the Skirvin Hilton in Oklahoma City, Okla., Sept. 8th thru the 10th, 2013. Several speakers will be making a return engagement to the Southwest Ag Issues Summit, including the Chairman of the House Ag Committee, Frank Lucas.

Industry leaders from across the greater Southwest region will be gathering for this three day event to discuss key issues facing agriculture, as well as the opportunity to network with fellow agricultural influencers in the industry.

The summit includes a robust program of speakers to touch on such topics as the farm bill, agricultural trade, endangered species impacts, and more. Featured speakers include House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), futurist Jim Wiesemeyer, and Cook Political Report's David Wasserman. Renowned cowboy poet Waddie Mitchell will also be speaking at this year's event. 

Click here to read more and to find registration information.

 

Growth Energy Launches 'You're No Dummy' Advertising Campaign

The following is a news release distributed by Growth Energy:

Ethanol industry advocacy group Growth Energy has launched an advertising campaign called "You're No Dummy" in an effort to help Americans better understand that the oil industry is trying to stop the growth of clean, green renewable fuels to protect their own bottom lines.

For far too long Big Oil has run a campaign of misinformation and unsubstantiated attacks against the renewable fuels industry; it is high time consumers get a reality check from Big Oil's propaganda designed to protect their market share and enable their monopolistic behavior. Oil companies are not willing to give up any of their market share and they will do anything to protect their profits - plain and simple.

The campaign we have launched today is designed to do one thing - show consumers that the oil industry has attempted to deceive them over and over again and it's time they stop being treated like puppets by the oil industry. It is time consumers are allowed a choice when they fill up at the pump - a choice that allows them to not only save their own hard-earned money, but also spend their money on an American product that creates American jobs, promotes energy independence and improves our environment.

You can read more of this story by clicking here.

 

'Dirt Worshiper' Aims at Cleaning up the Dirt

The self-proclaimed "dirt worshiper" and Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Natural Resources Ecology and Management (NREM) at Oklahoma State University, Adam Cobb, recently made life a little easier on himself.

Annie's Homegrown, an organic and sustainable food products company, awarded Cobb a $10,000 scholarship for his efforts to cultivate a healthier and happier world through an ecologically friendly production of nourishing foods.

"Adam is extremely bright, self-motivated and passionate about sustainable resource management, especially improvement of soil-basedmanagement practices," said Gail Wilson, NREM professor. "Adam is focusing his research on harnessing beneficial soil organisms, such as mycorrhizal fungi, to decrease the need for fertilizer and water inputs for crop production."

Cobb has a deep-rooted interest and passion for meeting the food and nutrition needs of a growing population, without disturbing the natural habitat. 

Click here to read the full story on our website.