Presented by

 

Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update. 
 

Featured Story:

GMO Labeling Bill Compromise Headed to the President After Passing House 306 to 117 

The U.S. House Thursday passed the Senate version of GMO labeling, sending the bill on to the White House and the expected signature of President Obama. The legislation, which was the result of a compromise between Republican Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas and Senate Democrat Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, passed the house on a 306-117 vote. The House action follows last week's action in the Senate, which voted 63 to 30 for passing the bill. 

The legislation mandates GMO labeling either on package or through smart labels. It also preempts state laws, such as the Vermont labeling law that went into effect July first. The House last year passed a voluntary labeling bill 242-185, but a similar measure failed to gain traction in the Senate earlier this year. A spokeswoman for President Barack Obama said this week the President will sign the compromise GMO labeling bill.

Ag Groups were quick to give two thumbs up to this vote. Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Tom Buchanan said in a statement released on Thursday afternoon "Although Oklahoma Farm Bureau policy does not support a mandatory label, individual state labeling laws would only confuse consumers and increase food prices. This legislation, which prevents a patchwork of state-by-state labeling laws, benefits farmers, businesses, consumers and the overall American economy. 

"We appreciate the support of Oklahoma Reps. Tom Cole, Frank Lucas, Markwayne Mullin and Steve Russell, as well as Sens. Jim Inhofe and James Lankford, and look forward to President Obama's approval."

You can go and take a look at some of the other comments released on Thursday by clicking on the name of the group as we have them listed here:

American Farm Bureau

National Council of Farmer Coops

National Corn Growers Association

American Soybean Association

It's great to have one of the premiere businesses in the cattle business partner with us in helping bring you our daily Farm and Ranch News Email- National Livestock Credit Corporation.  National Livestock has been around since 1932- and they have worked with livestock producers to help them secure credit and to buy or sell cattle through the National Livestock Commission Company.  They also own and operate the Southern Oklahoma Livestock Market in Ada, Superior Livestock, which continues to operate independently and have a major stake in OKC West in El Reno. To learn more about how these folks can help you succeed in the cattle business, click here for their website or call the Oklahoma City office at 1-800-310-0220.
 

VEEPstakes- Trump Expected to Pick Mike Pence- Clinton Has Tom Vilsack on Her Shortlist 

National Media Outlets Reported Thursday morning that expected GOP Presidential Nominee Donald Trump has offered the Vice Presidential Slot to Indiana Governor Mike Pence- and that the Governor has accepted.  It was expected that Trump would make that official today- but after the massive loss of life from the terrorist attack in France yesterday- that announcement has been postponed.

Pence served in Congress- including time on the House Ag Committee- and it was his time there that Ag Groups are talking about- here in Denver, we asked Colin Woodall to talk about how the Cattle industry got along with Pence when he was on the Ag Committee- "when you look at the cattle issues we brought to him- we had good relationships with him. He was very engaged and willing to help us on several things so we're encouraged it's somebody their hand on the pulse of agriculture and understands agriculture and really probably knows what end of the cow does what."

Now, let's talk Hilary Clinton and Tom Vilsack.  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is on the short list of vice president candidate's to join Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail. Vilsack has declined to answer questions on whether or not he's being vetted by Clinton, a move the Washington Post calls "a surefire indicator that he's being considered." 

Vilsack has been a long-time supporter of Clinton, dropping his brief campaign for President in 2007 to support Clinton's campaign. The report calls Vilsack a well-known figure across rural America, where Democrats and Clinton have struggled. Vilsack is the only cabinet member for President Barack Obama who has served through his entire tenure in office. Vilsack is also perceived as well-liked by both parties in Congress.

Stand Tough - NCBA's Kent Bacus Defends TPP Despite Criticism From the Presidential Contenders

With a presidential election approaching, trade has become subject to criticism from both sides of the aisle as candidates and their respective parties attempt to dodge backlash from the opposition. Especially when it comes to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Kent Bacus of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association's (NCBA) D.C. office says that despite the bold claims by our political contenders, agriculture must stand tough in support of TPP.


Bacus says that it is discouraging for the industry to see the kind of uncooperative behavior taking place in Congress. He says though that as our political leaders begin their races to seek reelection, hosting town halls and public forums, the industry will be there to voice its opinion.


"We need them to see the merits of TPP," Bacus said, "and vote independently without fear of repercussions politically. Without TPP we will continue to lose a tremendous amount of the market share in our markets, especially in Japan."

Click here to read more- and to listen to our conversation with Kent from here in Denver- it's featured in this Beef Buzz, as heard on great radio stations across the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network.

For nearly a century, Stillwater Milling has been providing ranchers with the highest quality feeds made from the highest quality ingredients.  Their full line of A&M Feeds can be delivered to your farm, found at their agri-center stores in Stillwater, Davis, Claremore and Perry or at more than 100 dealers in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Texas.  We appreciate Stillwater Milling's long time support of the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and we encourage you to click here to learn more about their products and services.

We Have Hit Bottom in the Wheat Market- Kim Anderson Talks Wheat on SUNUP

Oklahoma State University Extension Grain Marketing Specialist Dr. Kim Anderson says after the beat down in wheat and corn prices- he is semi optimistic about having some upside in the grain market. Anderson tells Lyndall Stout of SUNUP for the upcoming program that airs on OETA this weekend that he sees the chance of getting at least a small run higher in wheat prices. He says that what was once the floor for KC September wheat- $4.30 is now a resistance point over the current price- but he sees a move higher if that resistance point can be crossed.


Asked if we have seen the bottom in wheat prices this harvest season- Kim Anderson says "I do think they(meaning wheat prices) have bottomed out. I just can't see much coming down the pike to surprise us."

Click here to take a listen to Kim's analysis of the wheat market- and what strategies wheat farmers might take in marketing this bumper 2016 crop.

Are We Any Closer to a Ruling? NCBA's Scott Yager Has the Latest on WOTUS

Want to Have the Latest Energy News Delivered to Your Inbox Daily?

Alfalfa's Secrets Unlocked in Genetic Research Conducted by Noble Foundation

Alfalfa, the queen of forages, has held secrets for centuries. Now, those genetic mysteries are being unlocked for plant breeders seeking to make the forage crop hardier and higher quality.


Researchers from the Noble Foundation, University of Minnesota and the National Center for Genome Resources revealed their advancements in sequencing the alfalfa genome on July 13 at the North American Alfalfa Improvement Conference in Madison, Wisconsin. Alfalfa, a commonly used food for livestock, is worth more than $8 billion annually.


"The alfalfa breeding community has been clamoring for the alfalfa genome, and it has proven to be one of the most complex plant genomes to sequence," said Maria Monteros, Ph.D., Noble Foundation associate professor in legume breeding. "We have completed most of the alfalfa genome sequence after years of research to advance forage legume genomics with our collaborators."

Click here to read more about this research and the involvement of the Noble Foundation in these efforts.

Wheat Harvest 2016- Latest Plains Grains Report Out- and We Talk Harvest with Mike Schulte In The Field 

**********

Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K Equipment, Oklahoma Genetics Inc., American Farmers & Ranchers, Stillwater Milling Company, Oklahoma AgCredit,  the Oklahoma Cattlemens Association and  KIS Futures 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!

We also invite you to check out our website at the link below to check out an archive of these daily emails, audio reports and top farm news story links from around the globe.   

 Click here to check out WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com  

God Bless! You can reach us at the following:  

Oklahoma Farm Bureau is Proud to be the Presenting Sponsor of the Ron Hays Daily Farm and Ranch News Email