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As part of an effort to resolve ongoing litigation over water rights among the State of Oklahoma, the Chickasaw Nation, and the Choctaw Nation, a new Task Force was assembled today in order to discuss and consider possible solutions. The Task Force was convened by Court appointed mediator, Francis E. McGovern, and includes 19 geographically, politically and demographically diverse Oklahomans.

In researching each of the 19 Task Force members, there are several Native American representatives; at least three oil and gas heavy hitters representing Chesapeake, Devon and Continental Resources; Municipal, Utility and Consumer advocates. It appears only two of the Task Force members have more than a passing understanding and appreciation for Agriculture, Jason Hitch of Hitch Enterprises in Guymon and Mike Cawley, former President of the Noble Foundation. And only Hitch offers any real world understanding of how important water is to the production of food and fiber in the state. He has been nominated to serve on the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, pending confirmation by the State Senate.

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby, and Choctaw Nation Chief Gregory Pyle issued the following joint statement:

"Water rights and water security are linked to both economic and quality of life issues. Our hope is that this new Task Force will help to pave the way toward an agreement that is fair and beneficial to all relevant parties."

McGovern will report periodically to the court concerning the progress of the discussions of the task force.

Click here to read more about the Water Task Force and to see a full list of the members. 

Humane Society Says Undercover Video Documents Animal Cruelty at Wyoming Pork Facility

The Humane Society of the United States announced it has asked Platte County authorities to investigate allegations of animal abuse at a pork production facility in Wheatland, Wyoming.

In a press conference, Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the HSUS released undercover video footage showing cruel treatment of animals allegedly taken at Wyoming Premium Farm, a supplier for Tyson Foods. The production facility is owned by Itoham America, Inc.

The video, which Pacelle said was shot in April 2012, shows workers kicking living piglets like soccer balls, swinging sick piglets in circles by their hind legs, striking mother pigs with their fists and repeatedly and forcefully kicking them as they resisted leaving their young.

Pacelle said, "We were so deeply concerned about this that we turned this footage over to the Platte County Sheriff's Office last Wednesday and presented this investigative evidence urging that office to pursue filing criminal charges."

You can find a link to the video and more of this story by clicking here. 

National Pork Producers Council and Tyson Foods Respond to HSUS Undercover Video 

Undercover video from a Wyoming hog farm released by an animal rights group shows practices that are abhorrent to U.S. pork producers. The National Pork Producers Council condemns such actions, which are not in accord with the U.S. pork industry's best practices that are exemplified in its Pork Quality Assurance Plus program.

Click here for the brief statement released by NPPC after the HSUS news conference held Tuesday morning.

Tyson Foods also weighed in on the charges made by HSUS that this Wyoming sow farm was a supplier to Tyson and that this tie somehow made Tyson responsible for the abuse seen on the video. It also somehow justified the demands of the HSUS to Tyson in regards to gestation crates, which HSUS has decided unilaterally need to be eliminated in modern pork production.  

Tyson disputes the HSUS claims about the tie back to this Wyoming pig farm, saying "Contrary to the impression left by HSUS, there is no connection between this Wyoming farm and the pork that we process. Tyson Foods does not buy any of the hogs raised on this farm for our pork processing plants.


"We do have a small, but separate hog buying business that buys aged sows; however, these animals are subsequently sold to other companies and are not used in Tyson's pork processing business."  Tyson went on to say that they had seen the video and that it was unacceptable for treatment like this to happen.  They also talked about the producers that they do buy pigs from-

Connors State College Student Accused of Stealing School's Cattle

A Connors State College student was arrested for allegedly stealing and selling 5 head of cattle from the school's agriculture program.

Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) Special Rangers Bart Perrier and John Cummings arrested Artrell Mark Carmouche, 23, of Humble, Texas, after information surfaced that Carmouche, who attended the school on a rodeo scholarship, allegedly took five stolen cows to a sale barn in Bristow, Okla., where he sold them for approximately $5,400.

"Connors State College has been great to work with during this investigation and steps have already been taken to prevent these types of crimes in the future," said Perrier.   

Carmouche is currently being held in the Muskogee County jail charged with larceny of domestic animals. Bond is set at $5,000.
 

Demand for Certified Angus Beef Keeps Growing, Providing More Opportunities for Producers

The Certified Angus Beef brand continues to enjoy growing success despite an economy that remains sluggish.   John Stika, president of Certified Angus Beef, spoke with us recently and said there's nothing magic about the results. They are simply due to decades of efforts by thousands of people from Angus producers all the way down the chain to retailers who are focused on one thing: quality.   

"This brand, first and foremost, is really all about quality. Quality beyond just marbling alone which is what we're the most known for as those little white flecks of flavor of fat that are in the product that make it so special. It's about quality at every level. It's about quality in the product, quality in the people who associate with the product from the producer clear to the end user that represents it to the consumer."

Oftentimes when people think of the term "brand" they think of focus groups, slick logos, jingles, packaging and advertisements designed to entice people to try an inferior product or service. While marketing tools have their part to play, Stika said that's not the centerpiece of the Certified Angus Beef brand.

He says that, at its heart, the Certified Angus Brand is "really a quality or level of integrity that when a consumer sees that brand logo, they've established a loyalty and a trust in that brand, that Certified Angus Beef brand, that means they are going to have an enjoyable experience every time, not just once in a while but every time."

Stika had a lot more to say and you can hear our interview or read more by clicking here.

New CAST Commentary Examines the Connections Between Animal Health and Food Safety

Many groups in society, including politicians, activists, scientists, and stakeholders, are advocating significant changes to livestock production practices. These changes include modification of stocking densities, limitations on antimicrobial use, and requirements for outdoor "experiences."

Such changes may indeed affect animal health, but not always for the better according to a new commentary by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) in Ames, Iowa. It calls on those clamoring for change to understand the complex relationship between animal health and food safety before mandating changes that may undermine a safe food supply.

The commentary looks at the pressures to change livestock rearing methods, evidence to support the direct public health impact on human illness days, and food safety and inspection service regulations. The authors use indirect evidence, diagrams, and graphs to deliver their findings about the ways that healthy animals result in safer food.

Click here to learn more and to find a link to the full commentary.

This N That- Former Senate Ag Committee Chair Dick Lugar Loses, Crop Production Numbers Thursday AM and Oklahoma Wheat Commission Election on Tap 

Longtime Republican Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana is now a lame duck- after losing the GOP Primary to a favorite of the Tea Party in Indiana- Richard Mourdock, currently the State Treasurer. Lugar was perceived as being out of touch, having moved some years back to Virginia and having to fight to even prove he was eligible to vote in the Indiana primary.  He won that fight, but lost the battle to run for a seventh term as a US Senator.  Lugar is a former Chairman of the Senate Ag Committee and has been one of the key players in helping develop the shallow loss program that is a part of the Senate Ag Committee's just passed farm bill.  According to our friend  and fellow farm broadcaster Max Armstrong who is seen regularly on RFD TV these days, Lugar said late last night in his concession speech that he still had work to do in the next eight months- and that included the passage of a good farm bill.  

Thursday morning, the USDA will release its first guess on the size of the 2012 winter wheat crop- and for folks in Oklahoma and Kansas, it will be a chance to see how the crop scouts of last week line up with the wheat head counters at USDA.  The Oklahoma estimate by the crop district reporters totaled 164.7 million bushels, while the Kansas wheat crop estimate stood at 403 million bushels at the end of the three day journey across the Sunflower State. Both of those numbers may be the high water mark for the crop this season- as many believe both numbers don't figure in disease pressure to the crop that could reduce yields at least a little before the combines finish their work. That report, along with the monthly supply-demand estimates, will be released at 7:30 AM central time.

Finally- a quick reminder that the Oklahoma Wheat Commission has their monthly meeting set for tomorrow morning in Guymon, to be followed by a District 2 election, seeking three names to submit to the Governor for her to then select a board member.  Current board member in that seat is Tom Stephens of Guymon.  Click here for the complete agenda of the Board meeting which has details about the election process that starts at 2 PM.