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June 29: Good news comes to Dean Bob Whitson of the Division of Agriculture at Oklahoma State University- the $2.9 million earmarked for Extension and the Experiment Station System will go intact through the hands of the Regents of Higher Education to Stillwater. We covered the Regents meeting on Thursday and sat afterwards with Whitson and talked about those monies and how they can improve services from OSU.
June 28: He has been considered one of the key players for agricultural interests for rural Oklahoma at the State Capitol for the last several years. Mason Mungle has moved on to a non lobbying position with a group called Farmers Royalty Company and ended his career at Oklahoma Farmers Union yesterday. We spent a few minutes with him on his final day in the office and you can listen to a part of our conversation by clicking here.
June 28: The final conversation we have in a series of interviews we obtained while in Washington is with Sallie James of the Cato Institute, Ms. James has helped author a Cato proposal that is way out there when it comes to farm bill ideas, especially at this stage of the farm bill cycle. She advocates ending payments under the Commodity Title of farm law- give those who get a subsidy payment approximately five years worth of commodity payments in a lump sum- and end farm programs FOREVER. I suspect virtually no one in production agriculture would agree with her ideas- but it’s important to listen to these kind of ideas on the edge because there are those away from our business who would agree wholeheartedly with Sallie. Click here to listen to Ron and Sallie James talk about her paper called “Freeing the Farm.”
June 27: Today we feature our conversation with Sandra Schubert of the Environmental Working Group and the EWG role in this 2007 farm bill debate. We talk with Sandy about the Farm Subsidy Database the EWG is well known for plus we discuss the EWG position on how and why they want BIG changes in farm policy.
June 26: We continue our series of special interviews looking at the 2007 Farm Bill Debate through the eyes of those who want BIG changes- today we hear from Ralph Grossi of the American Farmland Trust- we talked with Mr. Grossi in the hallway of the Longworth Office Building as the House Ag Subcommittee was marking up the Commodity Title of the 2007 Proposal.
June 25: He wants to be a revisionist when it comes to farm policy- while in DC, we talked with the Chief Sponsor of Farm21, a measure that would phase out farm price supports and radically change farm policy as we know it in this country. Congressman Ron Kind is that architect of this farm bill proposal that could well be the key challenger to the House Ag Committee’s farm bill when it is considered on the floor of the House of Representatives- we talked with him at length about his concept.
June 25: One of the Oklahomans that we ran into while in Washington this past week was Ericka McPherson of Oklahoma Farm Bureau- and we talked with her about Manure Definition legislation as well as a legislative push to change the weight minimum for a commercial motor carrier.
June 22- We are just back to Oklahoma City after spending the last several days in Washington- and we chatted with Ray Wulf, President of American Farmers and Ranchers/Oklahoma Farmers Union, about the key messages delivered by those on the trip. Click here to listen to Ron and Ray discuss some of those priorities. It is a little noisy in the background at a couple of points- as we recorded this conversation at the Cincinnati Airport just before boarding the airport for Oklahoma City.
June 21: We had the chance to sit down and dissect the actions of the House Ag Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities as they marked up the Commodity Title of the 2007 Farm Bill with Congressman Frank Lucas of Oklahoma- this after he had spent time with members of the American Farmers and Ranchers on Wednesday morning. We talked about the rejection of the Kind Amendment and embracing of the Commodity Title from the 2002 farm law. Lucas sees the chances of a straight extension of current policy for a year and perhaps two at “fifty-fifty.” Click here to listen to Ron talk with Congressman Lucas
June 20: I would swear that Congressman Frank Lucas has just a bit of Baptist Evangelist in him after his passionate speech to the House Ag Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities yesterday in Washington- his passion flowed against Congressman Ron Kind’s farm bill proposal that has been dubbed Farm21 and is what Lucas calls the “most frightening thing he has seen in farm policy in 13 years in Congress.” Listen to Congressman Lucas’ comments in the hearing on Tuesday about this measure- which was rejected by the SubCommittee 18 to nothing.
June 20: He’s a blogger and an outspoken critic of current farm policy- Earl Blumenauer of Oregon is a popular urban Congressman from Portland who sits on the Budget and House Ways and Means Committees and is a supporter of Ron Kind’s Farm21 proposal- we talked to him during a news event promoting FARM21 yesterday here in Washington.
June 19: We also visited with Ray Wulf last night about coming to Washington and the OFU/AFR concern about getting Permanent Disaster Aid in this farm bill. Click to hear Ron and Ray visiting in our nation’s capitol.
June 19: We are in Washington the next few days with members of the Oklahoma Farmers Union- the group was briefed last night by Tom Buis, President of the National Farmers Union about the developing Commodity Title of the 2007 Farm Bill. We talked with him and you can listen in by clicking on this link.
June 18: There is a rising amount of interest in Meat Goats here in Oklahoma and around the country- Ron talks with JJ Jones of OSU extension (JJ is based out of Ada) on a sold out event happening this week in Ada- the first OSU Meat Goat Boot Camp- and plans to have more.
June 15: We had the chance to visit with Dr. Brett Carver of OSU in his office in Stillwater yesterday- as we talked about lessons learned from the tough conditions we have dealt with during the 2007 wheat growing and now harvest season.
June 11: Ron talks with Dr. Kim Anderson of OSU about marketing strategy in moving your 2007 wheat crop to market- decent test weights or less than decent.
June 8: House Ag Committee Chairman Colin Peterson says he hopes to make everyone unhappy as they write farm policy in 2007- which he believes will mean they have truly come down the middle and made everyone give some to achieve the final product- Ron offers this special report with comments from the Chairman
June 1: We talked with Steve Kouplen, President of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau about the just concluded 2007 Oklahoma Legislative Session- and got the “Farm Bureau” take on the results.
May 29: Ron talked late Monday evening with Mark Hodges of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission who did a little road trip on Memorial Day into Jackson, Tillman and Cotton Counties, looking for that elusive start to full scale wheat harvest- he says he will be looking again today.
May 29: We chatted with Oklahoma’s lawmaker on the House Ag Committee, Frank Lucas of Cheyenne, as he headed back into Oklahoma for the Memorial Day week long work period- Congressman Lucas will do some cattle chores early this week than will have Town Hall meetings on Thursday and Friday.
May 29: The 2007 Oklahoma Legislative Session is officially in the history books and we talk with one of the ag industry players in the 2007 session- Scott Dewald of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association- we talk about success and some disappointments of the past four months.
May 25: Longtime friend and colleague Roger Bernard dialogued with the Chairman of the House Ag Committee yesterday as he asked Colin Peterson about additional budget authority and if that will be a part of the 2007 farm bill mix or not. Take a listen.
May 24: A little more on Winter Canola as we chat with Gene Neuens of POP- they plan on offering a contract on Canola for the fall of 2007 planting- the contract will be on acres not on actual production.
May 23: We talk Winter Canola with Mark Broyles of OSU as harvest of the crop comes closer here in 2007.
May 22: The final countdown for the end of the 2007 State Legislative Session is underway- and here’s some comments we gathered from Mason Mungle of the Oklahoma Farmers Union on a couple of bills being watched in case they boil over.
May 22: Here’s an interview from this past Friday with Dr. Brett Carver of OSU that offers a look of wheat breeding here in Oklahoma from Statehood to Centennial and from Turkey Red to Hard White Wheat possibilities.
May 21: Two interviews that we did on Friday during the Lahoma North Central Research Station Field Day were with Oklahoma State Wheat Specialist Dr. Jeff Edwards and Kansas Wheat Specialist Jim Shroyer- click on their names to here our conversation with each of them.
May 19: In this weekend’s “IN Your Field with Ron Hays on News9 in Oklahoma City on Saturday morning, we featured a conversation that we had with Jennifer Terronez, a member of the state Oklahoma 4-H officer team about the upcoming Oklahoma 4-H Roundup on campus in Stillwater at OSU. Click here to take a look!
May 18: The drafting of the 2007 Farm Bill is just beginning this coming week- and already the House and Senate are at odds- serious differences over CSP- Ron Hays reports on the outcome of a News Conference held by the House Ag Committee Chairman Colin Peterson.
May 18: We talked yesterday afternoon with Dale DeWitt, Chairman of the Natural Resources Committee of the Oklahoma House- and we talk budget and some of the accomplishments of the 2007 session for agriculture and rural Oklahoma- one week from the finish line.
May 11: We talk about the health of the 2007 Oklahoma wheat crop with OSU Wheat Specialist Dr. Jeff Edwards- looking to a later harvest of the crop compared to what we were expecting just a few weeks ago.
May 11: Wheat Crop Production numbers came out Friday morning- we have a an audio update of the actual report which shows an Oklahoma crop of 161 million bushels, Kansas at 361 million bushels and Texas at an impressive 132 million bushels.
May 10: Ron talks with Congressman Frank Lucas about his Rural America Energy Bill as well as the prospect of a stand alone Ag Disaster Aid vote in the House.
May 7: We visit today with Mark Hodges of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission about both the Kansas Wheat Crop Tour, the Oklahoma Wheat crop condition as well as two elections for Oklahoma Wheat Commissioners coming up in May.
May 4: It’s time for Farm Bill 101 with Professor Frank Lucas- as we look at the math that will drive the development of the Commodity Title of the 2007 farm bill- take a listen!
May 3: Yesterday was Day Two of the Kansas Wheat Quality Council Hard Red Winter Wheat Crop Tour- Mark Hodges has been on the tour and offers his thoughts on how the Kansas crop looks in western areas of that state.
May 2: Senator Tom Coburn says he would like to see Ag Disaster help get out to farmers that need that assistance- but that we have to pay for it instead of adding it to our mounting federal debt- Ron was in his office on Wednesday and had this conversation with Senator Coburn.
May 1: Our group met with the Secretary of Energy Sam Bodman- who says that he thinks we can find the key to success with cellulosic ethanol.
May 1: A whole group of farm broadcasters surrounded former House Ag Committee Chairman Larry Combest Tuesday night to talk about farm policy- we were one of the questioners.
May 1: Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns met with farm broadcasters on Tuesday morning- he talked about several subjects including that of Payment Limits.
April 30: One of several organization officials that we have chatted with over the last few hours was Daren Coppock, CEO of the National Association of Wheat Growers- we talked with Daren about Disaster Aid, Farm Bill and the Wheat Summit II- click and listen!
April 27: From the Oklahoma Wheat Crop Tour Report Session- we talk about the results of the size of the Oklahoma wheat crop with Dale Fain of Enid.
April 27: So- as we approach the rolling of the combines- what do we do about pricing this year’s wheat crop? Ron talks with Kim about the ups and downs of this current wheat market.
April 25: Ron talks with retiring State FFA Advisor Eddie Smith during the 81st annual convention of the Oklahoma FFA!
April 24: USDA Deputy Secretary Chuck Connor was in Oklahoma yesterday- and Ron spent a couple of minutes with him talking CREP and more...
April 23: We have two audio reports on how our Oklahoma Wheat Crop is progressing- the first comes from the opinions of a couple of wheat producers in the southern half of the state- Bob Howard in Altus and Jeff Kriehbiel out of Hydro- click here to listen. The second of our two wheat production updates is the latest from three wheat growers and industry leaders from the northern half of the state- Tom Glazier of Loyal, Keith Kisling of Burlington and Joe Shirley of Alva- click here to listen to our north wheat belt update.
April 20: We visited with Mike Kubicek of the Oklahoma Peanut Commission at the Southern Plains Farm Show and he gives us an update about a new Peanut Alliance that is being formed and will be represented next week in Washington.
April 19: Ron talks with Jim Reese of the Oklahoma FSA about the upcoming meetings the next two weeks in 5 Oklahoma counties that face losing their FSA office.
April 18: We have disease problems with this 2007 Oklahoma Hard Red Winter Wheat Crop- and it may well be worth it for you to spray to deal with leaf rust and Powdery Mildew- we talk with Dr. Bob Hunger of OSU about that.
April 18: Wheat prices have perhaps put a floor in as we head for the 2007 harvest season- and OSU Grain Economist Dr. Kim Anderson thinks that $4 wheat, basis your local elevator is a pretty safe bet as a floor- in fact that is probably a little too low. We talk with Kim about that and you can hear it all by clicking here.
April 17: We talked with State Rep Ryan McMullan about one victory that he has already helped secure for Oklahoma agriculture- and another that he is working on- an amendment to Tort Reform.
April 16: Checking into to see what condition our condition is in- we talk with Jeff Edwards- state wheat specialist who says our 2007 winter wheat crop is still chugging along very well in much of the state even after the freeze event of a couple of weekends ago.
April 16: We talked Saturday with Ray Wulf as well- and the President of the Oklahoma Farmers Union says they are now busy with rolling out the name change for their insurance company- American Farmers and Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company.
April 16: Ron Hays caught up with Senator Mike Schulz of Altus as they talked about the successful passage of SB709 which declares that manure is not a hazardous waste.
April 5: We visit with Dr. Jeff Edwards of Oklahoma State University about the expected cold weather the next couple of mornings across Oklahoma and the possible damage to the 2007 winter wheat crop.
April 3: The Chief Economist of the NCBA, Greg Doud, says it’s all about waiting to see if the Korean government is going to allow commercially viable beef trade to move forward or not. NCBA will withhold its support of the South Korea FTA until that happens- and it looks like most in Congress are of that mind as well. We offer this conversation and some commentary to boot.
April 2: Over 130 kids were involved in the Progressive Ag Farm Safety Day at the Garfield County Fairgrounds- and we talk with a couple of those who were helping teach some safety messages at the event.
March 29: We had the chance in recent days to sit down and visit for a good while with an Oklahoma ranch lady who is on the front line battling lawyers who seem to be more intent on finding a paperwork error than in protecting the environment- Bev Saunders and her husband have dealt with their lives being picked over by the lawyers representing Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson as he tries to build a case against a group of northwest Arkansas poultry companies. Click here to listen to Ron and Bev discuss this blatant fishing expedition for damaging information.
March 28: If you are looking for an indicator of the direction of wheat prices for the rest of spring into harvest- you might want to pay close attention to the Friday USDA report on Planting Intentions- of CORN! That’s the word from OSU Grain Economist Dr. Kim Anderson- as Ron visits with Kim about market outlook and strategy.
March 27: Yesterday morning, we spent a few minutes at the Will Rogers Airport with Bob Drake of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau(Current state Vice President) and talked with him about the meeting he has just left- the 130th annual meeting of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers- as well as priorities for OFB while in Washington.
March 20: The final event each year of the Oklahoma Youth Expo is the Premium Sale of the Oklahoma Youth Expo- and we have an audio overview of how the top animals did here in 2007!
March 20: It was Conservation Day at the State Capitol in OKC Monday- and we talked with Clay Pope of the OACD about their legislative priorities for the balance of the session.
March 19: The 2007 Oklahoma Youth Expo is about done- only the Premium Auction of the top animals remains. This morning, we offer you an overview of the second weekend of the show and the selection of the Grand Champion Barrow and Steer and Ag All Staters!
March 15: Last Night, the Oklahoma Youth Expo invited lawmakers to come out and show, hogs or sheep or cattle with youth from their area in the annual Legislative Celebrity Showmanship Competition. Winner of the overall competition was District 29 Representative Skye McNiel, who serves as the Vice Chair of the Natural Resources Committee- we talked with her about bringing lawmakers to interact with the youth at the Oklahoma Youth Expo.
We also talked on Wednesday with the Chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, Dale Dewitt, who helped judge the beef showmanship contest- and talked with us about the Youth, manure and more- give a listen!
March 13: The close of business this Thursday is the deadline for being able to sign up for crop insurance policies for spring planted crops- we talk about this deadline and why it’s better to over sign and have your options in place depending on which crops you elect to plant as the spring unfolds. Listen to this interview with Scott Bulling of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau.
March 10: It was a beautiful Saturday for the first weekend of the Oklahoma Youth expo- as they continued to show sheep and goats. We talked with the new Executive Director of the OYE, Jeramy Rich about how the World’s Largest Junior Livestock Show is going
March 6: We talked with Terry Detrick of the Oklahoma Farmers Union about the Animal ID discussion held by the delegates at the 105th annual meeting of the National Farmers Union in Orlando on Monday- the meeting wrapped up Monday afternoon.
March 5: One of the High Points from the Saturday session of the National Farmers Union convention in Orlando was when a Republican Congressman offered his thoughts on optimism that we are seeing in farm country-Click and listen to Kenny Hulshof!
March 3: The 105th annual meeting of the National Farmers Union is in road gear- and we have three audio features that you may want to check out. First- the U.S. Speaker of the House came and spent the entire evening with NFU during their opening banquet- Ron offers this overview of Nancy Pelosi talking ag and rural issues if you click here.
Also on hand for the NFU meeting both Friday night as well as Saturday morning was the Chairman of the House Ag Committee, Collin Peterson- before the banquet Friday evening- several farm broadcasters talked budget, WTO and Ethanol with the Chairman- you can hear his thoughts which include some fascinating insight on what he wants to do to get cellulosic ethanol going by clicking here.
On Saturday morning, Ray Wulf, President of the Oklahoma Farmers Union gave what he later tells us was his final report as NFU Secretary. Click here for Ray’s report to the NFU-including a reminder from the past that this group was not always so polarized from a political point of view.
March 2: Lots of folks are running around this 2007 Commodity Classic- I think the latest figure I saw was pushing 4,000 total attendance. One of those here is Terry Francl, Economist for American Farm Bureau. He talked with fellow farm broadcaster Jeff Nalley and we wanted to share his insights on ethanol expansion.
March 2: On March 1, Phil Seng of the USMEF told reporters that he thinks there are parts of the South Korean government that really want a Free Trade Deal with Korea- and that they are trying to overrule the Ag Ministry in that government to get that done by opening their market to US beef.
March 1: Coverage from the Commodity Classic, where we have spent some time with the former Texas lawmaker turned Consultant Charles Stenholm. We were a part of a group of farm broadcasters that performed a gaggle with this Blue Dog Democrat.
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