Fish and Wildlife Service Seeks Comment on Draft Range-Wide Lesser Prairie-Chicken Agreement 

Following months of cooperation between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the five range states of the lesser prairie-chicken, the agency today continued its support of state efforts to conserve the species and its habitat. The Service is soliciting public comment on a draft lesser prairie-chicken range-wide candidate conservation agreement with assurances for oil and gas activities (LPC CCAA) and draft environmental assessment (EA) that will help implement the Service-endorsed range states' lesser prairie-chicken conservation plan, a conservation strategy for the species that is compatible with the economic well-being of private landowners.

"Working with states, the oil and gas industry and other partners, we have come up with a voluntary agreement that will allow us to achieve the goal of conserving an imperiled species while keeping the energy industry going strong, providing jobs and economic growth in local communities," said the Service's Mountain-Prairie Regional Director Noreen Walsh.

The draft LPC CCAA is a voluntary conservation agreement between non-federal landowners and the Service to conserve the prairie-chicken, a species proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act. The Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies would administer the CCAA and hold the permit, while oil and gas companies would enroll under the permit through certificates of inclusion. In return for volunteering to implement the LPC CCAA, participants would receive assurances that the Service will not impose further commitments or restrictions for the lesser prairie-chicken during the term of the permit, even if the species is listed.

Click here to read more of this story. 

OCA Donates $16,500 to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals 

The OCA Range Round-Up Committee presented a check for $16,500 to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals December 16.

"2013 marks the 17th year that our selected charity has been Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. In that time, the OCA has donated more than $441,500," said Tim Drummond OCA Range Round-Up Chairman. "We like to call the event, 'Cowboys Helping Kids'."

The Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association has coordinated the Range Round-Up annually for the past 29 years. Each year a portion of the proceeds goes to charity.

"The funds that have been raised by the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association have helped to bring 19 outstanding pediatric physician-scientists to Oklahoma," said Jan Dunham, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Director. "No child should have to leave the state to get the best care they could get anywhere in the country."

You can read the rest of the story on our website by clicking here.

Area Extension Specialist Roger Gribble Retiring at End of the Year

After thirty two years of service in the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service- the last twenty as Northwest Area Agronomist- Roger Gribble retires on December 31st. Friends and supporters of Gribble saluted him during a reception on Wednesday afternoon at the OSU Extension offices in Enid. Gribble replaced Dale Fain as the area crops specialist in one of the most wheat intensive parts of the southern plains.


Gribble pointed out to us as we visited with him that most acres of farmland in the counties he served back in the early 1990s could only be planted with wheat- with some acres diverted to alfalfa. That began to change after the passage of the Freedom to Farm Act in 1996- and diversification of farmland in his district and across much of Oklahoma and the southern plains has been nothing short of remarkable.


Gribble says the crop that has most surprised him in these years of diversification has been soybeans- he was skeptical that soybeans could be adapted to the area. But- "we had good researchers and good extension people on campus who came out and trained me up on it and then we were able to spread the news" which allowed soybeans to become a profitable part of the crop mix seen today in several counties in the north central part of the state.

Click here to read more- and to listen to our conversation from Wednesday afternoon as the reception to honor Roger was winding down.

IBR and Parasite Treatments Go Hand in Hand for Healthier Calves

The vagaries of the weather at this time of year can wreak havoc when receiving cattle. Warm temperatures one day can give way to sub-zero wind chills and freezing precipitation the next. This all adds up to greater stress on cattle. That's why Dr. Mac Devin, senior professional services veterinarian for cattle with Boehringer Ingelheim, says it is critical to treat those newly-arriving stockers properly.

"We've known for many years that fall is the hardest time of year to deal with stocker calves, but that's when we have wheat pasture in a lot of the country. So, we have to deal with those things effectively.

"The cattle have come through a marketing situation where, maybe, they've been pulled off of their mamas one day, they're sold at an auction market the next day and they go to an order buyer one, two, three, four to five days to be assembled into truckload lots. And, so, there's a lot of stress, a lot of socialization, a lot of nutritional limitations during that period of time and so what happens is that during those stresses cattle tend to carry in something like an IBR and they tend to shed it. And IBR has a very short incubation period-it's about three to five days. So if you have an IBR shedder in a group of calves, pretty soon they all get the opportunity-just like a bunch of five-year-old children going to kindergarten."

Click here to read more or to listen to my interview with Mac Devin.

Molly McAdams to be a Part of the 2014 Cattlemen's College in Nashville

A word to the wise- if you have attended the Cattle Industry Convention in recent years- look closely at how the schedule works this year- you may have to change your travel plans if you did not take into account that the 2014 edition of the Cattlemen's College starts Monday afternoon and then runs all day Tuesday. That's aday earlier than in recent years- as the entire meeting is a day earlier within the week compared to past conventions.

With that being said- the 2014 Cattlemen's College looks like a tremendous place to be in early February as cattlemen head to Music City USA. This year's National Cattlemen's Beef Association's Cattlemen's College will take place February 3rd and 4th at the front end of the 2014 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in Nashville.

During the program - cattlemen and women will have the opportunity to hear from Dr. Molly McAdams - Co-Founder at Om3 - on what consumers are saying about beef. We feature some of her thoughts about what she will be talking with cattle producers about at the 2014 event in the latest Beef Buzz.  Click here to listen in.

 

Higher Placements May Be Seen in December 20th Cattle on Feed Report

This coming Friday- December 20, 2013- will have the US Department of Agriculture releasing their final Cattle on Feed report of the year.

Rich Nelson, Chief Strategist with Allendale believes that the report will give us higher placements, lower marketings and a lower on feed number compared to December first of last year.

Specifically- Nelson reports via email that:  

"November Placements are expected to be 3.8% higher than last year. The winding down of this year's grass season and sharply lower grain prices encouraged cattle feeders. Corn averaged $4.32 in Western Kansas that month ($4.46 in October, $7.62 in Nov 2012). November placements are marketed from April through August. We see extremely small cattle slaughter in February and March due to low May through September placements. There will be adequate numbers available for late spring and summer."


Click here for more of Rich Nelson's analysis- including his thoughts on the Monday Cold Storage report.

 

And the WINNER of our Ipad Mini is... 

Mary Presley of Nowata, Oklahoma.  Mary registered at the 2013 Tulsa Farm Show at our Radio Oklahoma Ag Network booth- and she has until 12 noon on Friday to make contact with yours truly by calling 405-473-6144.

If Mary does not claim her prize- we will draw again and announce that winner in the Monday December 23 Daily Email.  

Our thanks to all of you that stopped by and registered for the Ipad Mini- and talked with us about how you read or listen or watch our agricultural news updates.   

I am grateful for your support and it's that support that fuels our passion to look for and report on the news that can have an impact on your bottom line as a farmer, rancher or agribusiness operator- as well as reporting on our young people that are receiving life changing training in our youth programs- 4-H and FFA!