House Ag Committee Chairman Lucas Easily Defeats Primary Opponent- Cole Advances, Sullivan Ousted- Both Parties Looking at Runoff for Dan Boren's Seat in Eastern Oklahoma

Both Congressmen Frank Lucas and Tom Cole garnered about 88% of the vote in their Congressional District Primaries on Tuesday- advancing easily as the GOP standard bearer for the 3rd and 4th District races in November. Both are heavily favored to easily win in the general election in November in their respective bids to return to Washington. 

That was not the case for First District Incumbent John Sullivan, who was beaten soundly by political newcomer and Naval Reserve Pilot Jim Bridenstine of Jenks.  Bridenstine campaigned as an aggressive conservative, painting Sullivan as an underachiver. In winning the GOP Primary, he now will face Democrat John Olson and independent Craig Allen in the Nov. 6 general election.

In the second Congressional District- Democrat Dan Boren decided not to seek reelection earlier this year- and it appears both the Democrats and the Republicans will have to advance the two highest vote getters to a runoff election this summer. In the Republican race, Markwayne Mullin picked up just over 42% of the vote, while in second place of the field of six is George Faught. Faught has about 23% of the GOP votes.  In the Democratic race- Rob Wallace has captured 46% of the vote and Wayne Herriman has just over 42% of the Second District vote.

In a couple of State Representative faces where incumbents faced a challenge- Mike Sanders has easily won with about 95% of the vote in Distict 59, while Don Armes has won with 79% of the vote in the Southwest Oklahoma District 63- beating Cock Fighting Advocate B.L. Cozad handily.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission GOP Primary saw incumbent Bob Anthony hold serve over Brooks Mitchell- 65% to 35% in this one single statewide race of the day.

House Ag Committee Chairman Lucas Still Focused On Ultimate Farm Bill Conclusion

Work continues on the House version of the 2012 Farm Bill, and House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas took some time to speak with us about the progress that has been made to date and how the process will continue.

Lucas says that he has had the opportunity to read the version recently passed in the Senate. He says there are major differences in approach between the Senate and House versions.

"They have a bill that is very focused on crop insurance. It is very heavy on the crop revenue side which my economists on the House Agriculture Committee assure me will be good for the folks in corn and bean country in the Midwest. They've got a bill that is very frugal in its savings on the nutrition side. They save about $4 billion through reforms. The nutrition programs are about 80 percent of all farm bill spending. They have a bill that imposes a variety of other things, some conservation requirements on crop insurance and things like that."

Lucas said he was happy the bill got passed by the Senate, "but we've got to have a more comprehensive bill. We've got to have a bill that achieves more savings across the board through reforms, not just the commodity title. We're going to have a different bill. I think it will be more balanced and more equitable. Thank goodness the Senate passed something so we'll now get our work done in the House and go to conference and have the ultimate farm bill."

Click here to read more or hear our full interview with Chairman Lucas.

USFRA Project Seeks to Identify 'Faces of Farming and Ranching'

When it comes to today's agriculture, there are many great farmers and ranchers all over the country doing wonderful things to bring food to the table for those around the world. But few of those farmers and ranchers are recognizable by consumers, mainstream media and influencers. In fact, the pictures and perceptions of farmers and ranchers often do not match reality.

That's why the United States Farmers and Ranchers Alliance announced at its recent Food Dialogues event in Los Angeles that it has launched a project to identify the "Faces of Farming and Ranching." The group hopes the project will help put a real face on agriculture and shine a light on the heart, personalities and values that are behind today's food.

"We really feel that that's important because of all of our research and our data tells us that consumers do not have that ability to connect with the real person that's producing their food," says Forrest Roberts, CEO of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. He is also chairman of the USFRA's communications advisory council. 

You can click here to read more about this project and how you can participate.

Canola TV: Croplan Canola Products Perform Well For Producers

With the winter canola season over for this year, planning for next year takes center stage. Justin Stejskal of Croplan recently assessed the performance of his company's products and talked about what producers could expect next year.

"We've got four varieties right now that we feel are very strong varieties. Two of those are SU tolerant varieties which are very important in Oklahoma soils. And also we feel like we have the best genetic diversity and also the maturity diversity of any other company out there as far as Round-Up ready varieties go. From earlier varieties to later maturing varieties, it's somewhere in the neighborhood of maybe a ten- to 14-day difference as far as maturity goes. We have a lot that we can offer growers out there depending on their unique situations."

Stejskal says he's had good reports from producers about the performance of Croplan varieties this past season.

"Overall, the results we have heard have been very, very exciting. Producers are very happy with it, especially in situations where they were fortunate enough to get timely rainfalls and get a good stand last fall and get the crop off to a good start. We're very, very happy with those results."

Click here to watch the latest edition of Canola TV.

Nitrate Toxicity Potential Means Producers Should Test Forage Before They Cut, Selk Says

In his most recent column for the Cow-Calf newsletter, Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University Extension animal scientist emeritus says drought conditions have made it imperative that forage producers test for excessive concentrations of nitrogen:

Summer has definitely arrived in Oklahoma! Hot dry summer weather brings about heat and drought stress on summer annuals. Stressed plants such as the forage sorghums can occasionally accumulate dangerous concentrations of nitrates. These high nitrate plants, either standing in the field, or fed as hay, can cause abortion in pregnant cattle, or death if consumed in great enough quantities. Nitrates do not dissipate from sun-cured hay (in contrast to prussic acid), therefore once the hay is cut the nitrate levels remain constant. Therefore, producers should test hay fields before they cut them for hay. Stop by any OSU County Extension office for testing details. Testing the forage before cutting gives the producer an additional option of waiting and allowing for the nitrate to lower in concentration before harvesting the hay. The major sources of nitrate toxicity in Oklahoma will be summer annual sorghum type plants, including sudan hybrids, sorgo-sudans, sorghum-sudans, millets, and Johnsongrass.   

Drought-stressed corn plants were tested last summer in North Central Oklahoma and were reported to test well above the 10000 ppm nitrate concentration that is considered potentially lethal to cattle. Other plants also may accumulate nitrates. See OSU Fact Sheet PSS-2903.   

Click here for recommendations from Glenn Selk and to access a link to the OSU Fact Sheet.

Poll: Farmers Value Conservation Programs and Reject Cutting Farm Bill Conservation Funding

American farmers believe conservation programs and environmental stewardship are key components of the Farm Bill and critical to their bottom line, according to a poll released today by National Farmers Union.

The bipartisan poll, conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research - a Democratic polling firm -- and Public Opinion Strategies - a Republican polling firm - surveyed 502 American farmers across 13 Midwestern and Great Plains states on their views regarding farm bill conservation programs. The results show that farmers view conservation programs and environmental stewardship as key components to the farm bill and critical to their future and bottom line.


"The findings of this survey demonstrate the deep commitment to conservation that farmers have across the heartland," said NFU President Roger Johnson. "As Congress moves forward crafting the farm bill, we would emphasize the importance conservation programs play for farmers both for environmental stewardship and continued productivity."

You can read the poll results by clicking here.

Former Oklahoma Game Warden Joins TSCRA as Special Ranger

Former Oklahoma Game Warden Paul Cornett has joined the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) as a special ranger for District 3 in Oklahoma.

District 3 includes Caddo, Canadian, Carter, Cleveland, Comanche, Custer, Garvin, Grady, Hughes, Johnston, Kiowa, Love, Marshall, McClain, Murray, Oklahoma, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Seminole, Stephens, and Washita Counties.

"Paul has a strong record of effective law enforcement," said Larry Gray, TSCRA executive director of law enforcement and theft prevention. "His contacts throughout Oklahoma and his good working relationships with those in the law enforcement community, as well as his knowledge of the livestock and ranching industries, make him a great asset to our organization. I welcome him to TSCRA and look forward to working with him."

Read more about Paul Cornett's new career with the TSCRA by clicking here.