USDA Helps Open and Expand Export Markets for US Agriculture 

US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service has awarded funding to more than 60 U.S. agricultural organizations to help expand commercial export markets for American products.


"The Market Access and Foreign Market Development Programs help agricultural organizations representing thousands of producers and businesses open and grow markets for American products around the world," Vilsack said. "Exports create jobs and foster growth that is critically important for rural communities and our entire nation's economy."


Through the Market Access Program (MAP), Foreign Agricultural Service partners with U.S. agricultural trade associations, cooperatives, state regional trade groups and small businesses to share the costs of overseas marketing and promotional activities that help build commercial export markets for U.S. agricultural products and commodities. The program, which focuses on consumer promotion, including brand promotion for small companies and cooperatives, is used extensively by organizations promoting fruits, vegetables, nuts, processed products, and bulk and intermediate commodities. Through MAP, the Foreign Agricultural Service will provide $173.2 million to 62 nonprofit organizations and cooperatives. Participants contribute an average 214 percent match for generic marketing and promotion activities and a dollar-for-dollar match for promotion of branded products by small businesses and cooperatives.

The Foreign Market Development (FMD) Program focuses on trade servicing and trade capacity building by helping to create, expand and maintain long-term export markets for U.S. agricultural products. Under FMD, also known as the Cooperator Program, the Foreign Agricultural Service will allocate $26.7 million to 22 trade organizations that represent U.S. agricultural producers. USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service partners with U.S. agricultural producers and processors, who are represented by non-profit commodity or trade associations called cooperators. The organizations, which on average contribute nearly triple the amount they receive in federal resources, will conduct activities that help maintain or increase the demand for U.S. agricultural commodities overseas.  Click here to read more about the benefits of these programs and to find the funding allocations for 2015.  

Peel Says Cold Weather Compounds Tight Beef Supplies

Winter time is hitting in a big way across the midwest and now into the eastern part of the United States. That impacts both beef movement and the ability to move cattle around. Oklahoma State University Livestock Market Economist Dr. Derrell Peel said winter weather is having widespread impact with cold temperatures. The storm was a dry cold at least for the southern plains, as the storm came in and there was no rain at the front of the weather system.


"So it didn't cause the kinds of problems for feeder cattle producers in terms of management headaches could certainly have happened in many other cases," Peel said. "I don't think its had a big impact on feeder cattle markets for the most part. Some disruption of movement of cattle depending on sale date this past week or so. But in the fed cattle markets probably a little bit more impact. It was difficult to sort cattle out and move them to market. Supplies were relatively tight already and it caused a little bit concern about available slaughter supplies, so we did see fed cattle prices trade through that process to a new high level on a live weight basis up to $1.72 a pound. We did some impact there on the market. If there were production impacts, those will become more evident as we move forward in terms of lost production and so on as a result of this.  


Currently the market continues to deal with tight supplies and also large carcass weights on fed cattle that have effected beef production.   The cold weather may take a little weight off fed cattle, but it looks for the market to move higher as there is good strong support close to the current levels. This year total cattle slaughter is down about 7.2 percent and beef production for the year is off about six percent. Peel expects a 5.5 to six percent decrease for year over year beef production. Click here to listen to Peel as he address the outlook for  additional decreases in beef production.  

Muscogee (Creek) Nation Creates New Conservation District 

The Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Wednesday the creation of a new conservation district that will help the Tribe manage natural resources, secure assistance for conservation projects and encourage tribal members to own and operate agricultural land.


Principal Chief George Tiger and USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Butch Blazer in the Tribe's capital city to officially designate the new Muscogee (Creek) Nation Natural Resource Conservation District.


"It is a historic day to sign a document that memorializes the partnership of USDA and Muscogee (Creek) Nation," Chief Tiger said. "Historically, we have been good stewards of our land with special emphasis on clean water and protecting the environment. This will allow us to grow in a positive direction in having more oversight of our natural resources."


Muscogee (Creek) Nation becomes one of 45 Tribal Conservation Districts in the nation.  Click here to learn more about how USDA and the Tribe will work together. 

National Pork Board Funds New Swine Health Information Center

The National Pork Board's board of directors approved the funding of a national Swine Health Information Center. The decision was made at the organization's regularly scheduled November board meeting. The new autonomous venture will focus its efforts on implementing industry preparedness for disease challenges that could affect U.S. swine herds.


According to Dr. Paul Sundberg, vice president of science and technology at the National Pork Board, a $15 million investment by the Pork Checkoff would fund the center for five years. The center would be governed by a board consisting of representatives from the National Pork Board, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) and at-large pork producers.


"It's our intention to establish a center that can improve our preparedness for swine diseases with the combined resources of swine veterinarians, producers, researchers, diagnosticians and state and federal animal health officials," Sundberg said. "We have learned a lot over the past year and a half from our experience with Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus and we want to create a unique, collaborative system that will help us achieve our overall goal of preparing for the next emerging swine disease."
 

Sundberg says the proposed new center would work toward recognizing and filling the resource and knowledge gaps that currently exist in swine disease diagnostics as they relate to emerging diseases.  Click here to read more about the role of this new National Swine Information Center.  

Doc Haskins Reflects on Cyclical Nature of Cattle Business

Doc Haskins does what he loves and loves what he does -- in working in the cattle business. Haskins is a veterinarian as well as a long time field representative for the Joplin Regional Stockyards. He has been involved in the cattle business nearly all his life. He bought his first cattle when he was five years old. The only time he didn't own cattle was while he was in veterinary school. For decades he has worked as a food animal and equine veterinarian in having his own veterinary clinic. As he nears retirement he said these days he spends more time consulting and helping people with their animals.


On Monday, I traveled to the Joplin Stockyards as Radio Oklahoma Network affiliate KRMO, Monett, Missouri had a remote at the sale barn where I talked with one of the institutions at the regional market- Dr. Harold "Doc" Haskins. 


At 68 years of age, Haskins also continues to work as a field representative for the Joplin Regional Stockyards in working with cattle producers in Missouri and Oklahoma along with shooting video of cattle for the video auctions. Haskin said he considers working in the cattle business like taking a full time vacation- he loves it.


Through the years, Haskins has been through the highs and lows of the cattle market. He still vividly remembers the cattle cycles of the early 70's, the 80's and the mid 90's when cattle prices were very low, but he didn't expect to see the market get to these record high levels.  Click here to listen to Haskins as he talks about the current record prices and remembers his time in the beef cattle business.  

Country Weddings Gaining Popularity in Oklahoma

If your dream wedding includes a country view, your best boots peeking out from under your wedding dress and a reception inside a beautifully decorated barn, there are lots of farms, ranches and vineyards in Oklahoma waiting to make that dream come true for you. Country weddings are big business and the state's booming agritourism industry offers wedding venues complete with wide-open vistas, wagon wheels, country lodges and cozy cabins.


The Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF) recently held a workshop to give owners of rural venues tips on how to provide high-quality service to wedding parties and ensure a memorable stay. Workshop speakers shared their business experiences hosting weddings and helped participants understand how to price services and promote their venues.


"I love weddings," Tatanka Ranch owner Sandy Sarette told the group. "It's fun to me, but you must like solving problems under stress." She shared experiences about how to make weddings manageable for her ranch and help brides develop realistic ideas of what to expect. Sarette explained how to decide on the type of facility to build and even the number of bathrooms needed. Click here to learn more about this emerging area for agritourism.  

This N That- Superior Sales, Bart Fischer Stays and Goodbye Reception Set for December 12

Superior Livestock has a pair of auctions this week- one this afternoon starting at 1:00 PM central and the other tomorrow morning at 8 AM central.

This afternoon, 4,770 females will be offered in the Superior Select Replacement Female Sale- to be seen on DISH Network channel 232 and on the internet on Superior Click to Bid.Com.

Then, tomorrow morning, the regular every other week Superior Auction is set to begin on both DISH  Channel 232 and Superior Click to Bid at 8 AM Central- with 17,500 lined up to be sold via video.

You can contact Superior at 1-800-422-2117 or go to their main website- SuperiorLivestock.Com for more details.

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The incoming Chairman of the House Ag Committee, Mike Conaway of Texas, is quickly announcing his Senior Staff for the Committee that will be in place shortly after the start of the new year.   

As has been the case with previous Chairmen (including Frank Lucas), Conaway is placing some of his long time personal office staff into the House Ag Committee Staff- including Scott Graves, who will be the Committee Staff Director.  Conaway has called him his "right hand man" for the past decade.  

One holdover from the Lucas staff will be greatly appreciated by Oklahomans- Bart Fischer will stay as the Chief Economist for the Committee.  Bart was instrumental in developing a lot of the 2014 Farm Law- and will stay on as Conaway takes the lead role in the House to make sure it is implemented correctly.  We have a rare on the record interview that we did with Bart back this past spring as we did not talk about the work of the farm bill but rather about the impact that FFA had on Bart Fischer being who he is today.  Click here to jump back to that conversation we had with Fischer at the 2014 NFU Convention.  

Speaking of Conaway- Politico has a good article featuring an interview they have done with him in recent days- and he talks about the need to start on the next farm bill by 2017 or 2019 at the latest. You can read that article here.

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There will be a "goodbye" reception for several folks within the Plant and Soil Science Department at Oklahoma State University coming up December 12th at 3:00 PM.  It will be held in room 374 of Ag Hall.

We have mentioned that Dr. Dave Porter, head of PASS, is retiring- but there are several other key players within the department that are either retiring or going on to other opportunities as the old year ends.  Besides Dr. Porter, Dr. Art Klatt is retiring and an email from the department indicates that Dr. Samantha Shoaf, Area Agronomist Rick Kochenower and Stuart Wilson are also leaving OSU.  

December is a busy month- so we wanted to give you time to get this date on your calendar ahead of time.