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Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Agriculture Applauds Administration's Support for Science-Based Food Policy

 

Several agricultural and biotechnology groups have expressed support for a guidance issued last week by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that establishes guidelines for the uniform, voluntary labeling for non-GMO foods.  The effort was applauded by American Farm Bureau, the American Soybean Association and the Biotechnology Industry Organization.

 

"Thanks to these decisions announced today, consumers will continue to benefit from access to a variety of nutritious foods in the marketplace," AFB President Bob Stallman.  "Consumers have a right to know what's in their food, but they should be given the facts - facts grounded in science. New voluntary guidance on labeling from the FDA will help companies provide more helpful information for those consumers looking to make the best choices for their families."  Click here to read more from AFB.


"We have consistently said that explicit labeling should be reserved for health or safety concerns, and science has time and time again proven that these concerns don't apply to GMOs," said ASA President and Texas farmer Wade Cowan.  "Slapping a warning label on the front of a food product when no such warning is warranted will only serve to steer people away from the safe and affordable food they need to feed their families. The White House has chosen science over rhetoric today, and we applaud them for it."  Click here to read more from ASA.

 

 

"BIO appreciates the several actions taken by the FDA this week which highlight the Administration's support for commonsense, science-based food policy," BIO Executive Vice President of Food and Agriculture Brian Baenig.  "Notably the FDA reaffirmed its longstanding policy that foods containing biotech ingredients are compositionally the same and as safe and nutritious as conventionally produced foods; thus distinguishing them with a mandatory label would mislead consumers by falsely implying they are different."  Click here to read more from BIO.

NCBA Looks for Good Things in December- Dietary Guidelines and COOL Resolution

 

The Nation's Dietary Guidelines for 2015 have been a hot topic for nearly a year. In February, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture released the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee's report. This report ignited a firestorm of protest from the beef industry over the possible elimination of red meat as a part of the diet recommended by the US government.  National Cattlemen's Beef Association Vice President of Government Affairs Colin Woodall said the guidelines should be more favorable than what the advisory committee had in mind earlier this year. Woodall credits the House Agriculture committee hearing that was held in October that consisted of testimony from Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack and HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell.


"They proactively announced that environmental and sustainably concerns would no longer be a part of these guidelines," Woodall said. "That was one of our biggest issues. So by taking that out of the equation, I do believe ultimately we will have guidelines that include lean beef into the overall statement on a healthy dietary pattern."


In addition to the Dietary Guidelines for 2015 being released next month- it is expected that the WTO will be releasing the dollar amount that the Organization will permit Canada and Mexico to use as the level of annual retaliation against the US because of the US COOL program.  If that number is reasonably close to the level requested by the two countries- that will likely push the US Senate to pass legislation eliminating mandatory COOL.


 I caught up with Woodall at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting in Kansas City, Missouri last week- and his comments about the Dietary Guidelines and COOL are featured in our latest edition of the Beef Buzz.  Click or tap here to read more or to listen to Woodall's comments.

United States Cattle on Feed Up 2 Percent, Tom Leffler Calls Report Neutral

 

The latest cattle on feed numbers were in line with trade expectations. On Friday afternoon, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported the number of cattle and calves on feed totaled 10.8 million head on November 1, 2015. The inventory was two percent above last November. The latest on feed numbers were 3.3 percent below the five year average. Market Analyst Tom Leffler of Leffler Commodities called the latest report "neutral". He said this makes eight straight months that cattle on feed numbers were larger than the previous year.


Placements in feedlots during October totaled 2.28 million head, four percent below 2014. Net placements were 2.21 million head. This was the largest placement number of the past 12 months. Leffler said placements haven't been over two million head since October 2014. During October, placements of cattle and calves weighing less than 800 pounds were under that of a year ago- but the 800 plus pound category was up 5.5 percent versus a year ago. Leffler said the 800 pound and larger placements number has been larger than the previous year 13 of the past 14 months.


Marketings of fed cattle during October totaled 1.63 million head, three percent below 2014. Marketings were the lowest for October since the series began in 1996. Leffler said marketings were a little better than trade expectations.


 Our Leslie Smith interviewed Leffler Friday afternoon for analysis of the latest cattle on feed numbers. Click or tap here to listen to the full interview.

Two Oklahoma Farm Credit Associations Invest $20,000 Into Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom Program

 

The positive influences organizations or individuals can have on others are seemingly endless. Take for example Friday's gift to the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry's (ODAFF) Ag in the Classroom program.


Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom received gifts from Chisholm Trail Farm Credit, Farm Credit of East Central Oklahoma and CoBank totaling $20,000. The Friday presentation of the financial gifts was held at the ODAFF building, 2800 N Lincoln Blvd. Chisholm Trail Farm Credit gave $5,000 to Ag in the Classroom, Farm Credit of East Central Oklahoma provided $5,000 and CoBank matched those gifts, with a $10,000 gift.


Butch McComas, Chief Executive Officer of Chisholm Trail Farm Credit and Farm Credit of East Central Oklahoma, and representatives of ODAFF participated in the presentation. After the check presentation, McComas talked with us about the investment into the program that is designed to raise ag literacy among school age children across the state.  You can hear his comments and read more about the presentation by clicking here.

  

  

U.S. Custom Harvesters Hopeful for Fuel Rule Changes as Part of Transportation Bill

 

After more than 20 years, Congress is getting closer to eliminating one regulatory hurdle that impacts the nation's farmers. Since the early 1990's, farmers and custom harvesters have been limited to carrying 119 gallons of diesel fuel in an individual tank. That's challenging for an industry that works in rural areas and uses a lot of fuel to harvest the nation's crops. A provision to change that regulation has been included in House and Senate version of the six-year transportation funding bills. If the provision is signed into law, U.S. Custom Harvesters Executive Director Tracy Zeorian said this is going to be a change for efficiency.


"It's going to allow us to haul up 1,000 gallons from the service station to our equipment, rather than up to 119 (gallons)," Zeorian said. "So it's going to be more efficient and more beneficial to our American farmers."


The provision was been included in both the House and Senate version of the transportation funding bills. Zeorian said U.S. Custom Harvester are hoping the conference committee can reach an agreement on the measure, so it can be signed into law. Funding for the transportation bill was set to expire on Friday, November 20th. President Obama signed into law a bill that extends federal transportation funding through December 4th.  The extension gives Congress time to reach an agreement on the transportation funding bill. 

 

Our Leslie Smith interviewed Zeorian at the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting Convention in Kansas City. 

Click or tap here to hear the full interview.

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OSU Researchers Using Cosmic Rays to Measure Soil Moisture

 

Researchers at Oklahoma State University are working with cutting-edge technology that provides high-quality soil moisture data that may prove useful to help predict floods and wildfires.


"It's a revolutionary kind of technology that has not existed until just a few years ago," said Tyson Ochsner, Sarkeys professor in OSU's Department of Plant and Soil Sciences.


Oschner has labeled this new instrument a Cosmic Ray Neutron Rover. The Rover uses cosmic ray technology first developed by Marek Zreda, hydrology and water resources professor at the University of Arizona, who created a network of stationary probes around the country called the COsmic-ray Soil Moisture Observing System.


"The Rover uses cosmic rays as a way of inferring soil moisture over a large area by counting neutrons above the ground," Ochsner said. "High energy cosmic rays are constantly coming in at the top of our atmosphere. These are mostly high-speed protons, and they collide with atoms and molecules in our atmosphere and eject neutrons, which travel at a very high rate of speed. Those continue down through the atmosphere and then start to interact with molecules near the land surface." 


Click here to read more about this technology and its potential benefits.

Welcome to Thanksgiving Holiday Week- and We Check the Week After Turkey Day

 

It's hard to believe- but we have arrived at the Monday before Thanksgiving.  It's a week that is filled with plans for family, shopping, Bedlam(in Oklahoma anyway) and not much in the way of agricultural activities.

Our livestock markets that normally have cattle auctions on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are, for the most part, closed to celebrate Thanksgiving.  Definitely make a call before loading up the goose neck trailer.

Ag Futures will be closed on Thursday and will trade a shortened day on Friday. 

We will be providing our radio stations reports all week long- but will be on a three day schedule this week for the daily email- today, tomorrow and Wednesday- then will take a few days off and return on Monday, November 29th.

NEXT WEEK- three things we want to remind you about. 

First- the 2015 edition of the Amarillo Farm Show will be happening December 1-3.  This is one of the shows bought by the American Farm Bureau- and it is once again downtown at the Amarillo Convention Center.  They are asking for a $2 donation that they say will be going to local FFA Chapters. Click here for more details.

Also next week- the Noble Foundation is planning three field days to look at how their fall planted small grain varieties are doing- click here for details of the three stops in Cookietown, Chickasha and Apache December 2 and 3- we are talking about wheat, rye, oats and triticale.

Finally- the American Farmers and Ranchers have held their district speech contests- and the top finishers in each district head for Stillwater on December 5th for the 2015 State Finals of the AFR-OFU State Speech Contest. This is their 71st annual speech contest- and you can click or tap here to read more- and they have links on this page where you can see details of who won in all five district contests.

Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K Equipment, American Farmers & Ranchers, CROPLAN by Winfield, KIS Futures, Stillwater Milling Company, Farm Assure.  Pioneer Cellular, National Livestock Credit Corporation and the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association for their support of our daily Farm News Update. For your convenience, we have our sponsors' websites linked here- just click on their name to jump to their website- check their sites out and let these folks know you appreciate the support of this daily email, as their sponsorship helps us keep this arriving in your inbox on a regular basis- at NO Charge!

 

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