U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Administrator Stan Meiburg Wednesday announced the United States' first-ever national food waste reduction goal, calling for a 50-percent reduction by 2030. As part of the effort, the federal government will lead a new partnership with charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, the private sector and local, state and tribal governments to reduce food loss and waste in order to improve overall food security and conserve our nation's natural resources. The announcement occurs just one week before world leaders gather at the United Nations General Assembly in New York to address sustainable development practices, including sustainable production and consumption. As the global population continues to grow, so does the need for food waste reduction.


"The United States enjoys the most productive and abundant food supply on earth, but too much of this food goes to waste," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "An average family of four leaves more than two million calories, worth nearly $1500, uneaten each year. Our new reduction goal demonstrates America's leadership on a global level in in getting wholesome food to people who need it, protecting our natural resources, cutting environmental pollution and promoting innovative approaches for reducing food loss and waste."


Food loss and waste in the United States accounts for approximately 31 percent-or 133 billion pounds-of the overall food supply available to retailers and consumers and has far-reaching impacts on food security, resource conservation and climate change. Food loss and waste is single largest component of disposed U.S. municipal solid waste, and accounts for a significant portion of U.S. methane emissions.

"Let's feed people, not landfills. By reducing wasted food in landfills, we cut harmful methane emissions that fuel climate change, conserve our natural resources, and protect our planet for future generations" said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. "Today's announcement presents a major environmental, social and public health opportunity for the U.S., and we're proud to be part of a national effort to reduce the food that goes into landfills."


Click here to read more about USDA's food loss reduction initiatives.

The Environmental Protection Agency has begun to implement the Waters of the US rule in at least 37 states. National Cattlemen's Beef Association Environmental Counsel Scott Yager reminds all of us that the rule from EPA became effective August 28, 2015. For landowners, he urges them to take a close look at their land to see if there is something that might be regulated under WOTUS, because there's going to be repercussions.


"If you're managing your land that would impact that, there could be an issue and you might need to be permitted for that," Yager said. "So this is a big issue for our members obviously. So what NCBA is doing, we're engaged in a lawsuit, actually suing the EPA and Army Corps to get judicial review of this rule, which we believe is regulatory overreach."


The litigation that has gotten the most attention was a lawsuit that was filed in North Dakota, where Chief Judge Ralph Erickson granted an injunction against EPA for the 13 states that were represented in the litigation.


There are a number of coalition lawsuits that are going through their procedural motions, including a lawsuit filed by NCBA. Yager said by the end of this fall they will have a better idea which is the best court to hear this lawsuit, then they will get to the merits of the briefings.


Opponents of WOTUS have several different ways to take on EPA in an effort to "Ditch the Rule".  Click here to hear today's Beef Buzz featuring Yager and to learn more about why NCBA contends they need help from the countryside to stop WOTUS.

James Robb Taylor, who owns Perkins Livestock Sales, was arrested Tuesday and charged with two felony charges of embezzlement of livestock.


Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) Special Rangers Brett Wellden and Bart Perrier led the investigation.


Last month, the suspect called Superior Livestock Auction and placed two orders for cattle to be shipped.


The cattle were not delivered to Taylor's sale barn, but were instead taken to other properties and quickly moved to conceal their location. When contacted for payment, Taylor denied purchasing the loads of cattle and claimed his identity had been stolen by an unknown person.


TSCRA's investigation revealed that the suspect took deliberate steps to conceal the fact that he ordered the cattle and then took additional steps to move the cattle and conceal them in Noble County, Okla.


The suspect then shipped the cattle to various feedlots in the Oklahoma Panhandle in an attempt to turn the cattle into cash. The first load consisted of 80 heifers and sold for $110,000, and the second load included 242 head of cattle that sold for $346,582.


Wellden and Perrier arrested Taylor Tuesday, and the suspect is being held at the Oklahoma County jail on a $10,000 bond. This is an ongoing investigation and additional charges are possible.

It's Day One for the 2015 edition of the State Fair of Oklahoma. We have a daily look at the livestock related events at the State Fair in OKC in our calendar pages- here's the Thursday 9/17 entry for you to check out.

You'll notice that the one and only livestock related activity today is the annual Oklahoma Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Rancher Junior Livestock Judging Contest.  It starts this year at 1:00 PM- and will be winding down around 5:00 PM.  Tyler Norvell with the YF&R tells us that about 1,100 young people have registered for the contest- and he expects around 800 to show up and compete.  We'll have details and introduce you to the winners over the next day or so on our website in the Blue Green Gazette.

If you are headed to the fair over the next eleven days- be sure and stop by the Oklahoma Pork Council Pork Chop Shop- to be located once again on the big circle right in the middle of the fairgrounds.

Roy Lee Lindsey says there will be a fourth item that can be bought from the pork producers this year- a Chop Stick.  It's a pork chop on a stick- wrapped in BACON!  Oh. My. Goodness!

They will also have their pork chop sandwiches, pulled pork and pork burgers as well.

Roy Lee reminds me that getting your pork chop sandwich is exclusive this fall to the State Fair in OKC- they have dropped their participation at the Tulsa State Fair here in 2015 because of cost considerations.

Finally- this Sunday afternoon- we head to the Fair and will be helping Susan Allen and the DairyMAX folks with their annual homemade Ice Cream Contest- yeah- somebody has got to do it.

Top executives from the advanced and cellulosic biofuels industry released a letter to President Obama on his Administration's Renewable Fuel Standard proposal, showing how it represents a broken promise that undercuts investment in advanced biofuels, sends innovation and jobs overseas and flies in the face of the President's statements in support of clean energy and climate change policy. 

 This follows remarks by USDA Secretary Vilsack and EPA Administrator McCarthy Tuesday about the climate impact of biofuels and the RFS - with Administrator McCarthy asserting that the RFS is a crucial part of America's efforts to combat climate change.


The proposal has been devastating for the development of advanced and cellulosic biofuels. Already, $13.7 billion in investments have been frozen, threatening to send American innovation and investment overseas to countries like China and Brazil.


As President Obama heads into the climate talks in Paris at the end of this year, he will have to answer for how the U.S. can be a world leader on combatting climate change when he has gutted the only law directly aimed at addressing climate and clean energy back at home.  Click here to read more, where you see the letter sent to President Obama and you can listen to the conference call.

 

The Tuttle FFA Livestock Judging Team just returned from Austin, MN where they participated in the national swine judging contest at the National Barrow Show. The squad from Oklahoma is the 2015 Champion Judging Team in the 4/H and FFA division!

Tuttle FFA was selected to represent Oklahoma after winning the OSU Swine Field Day in July.  The team judged 7 classes of swine on Monday including 4 classes of market hogs, 2 classes of gilts, and a carload class consisting of 4 sets of 6 hogs.  Members of the teamalso answered 5 questions on one of the market hog classes.

Team members included  Gunnar Norvell, Tristan Gambill, Brayden Johnson and Chase Shifflett.  Tristan Gambill was named the high individual.



Congrats! (our thanks to the Ag Ed Instructor at Tuttle- C.L. McGill- for sharing details of the team's efforts in Minnesota with us)

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The House Ag Committee has concluded two days of hearings as the lawmakers heard from a wide variety of USDA officials on issues ranging from sequestration of farm program payments to Bird Flu to Nutrition programs to the decision to allow fresh beef in from Brazil and Argentina.

On this last issue- Kevin Shea, head of APHIS, defended the decision by USDA- something that has been criticized by about every cattle industry group you can imagine- from NCBA to R-Calf. 

Shea was questioned by Congressman Randy Neugebauer of Texas- here's the YouTube of Day two of the hearings where this dialogue happened- scroll out to about the 3 hour and 5 minute mark to catch the Texas lawmaker and Shea on this subject.


Full details about Day Two of these hearings can be read about here.