This family operates a ranch in the arid high country of Nevada- owning some of their own land and then leasing land from the Federal government as well. Ranch manager Jon Griggs has worked for many years to build trust with various partners and collaborate on conservation projects. One of those key partners is the Bureau of Land Management.

 
"We have had a common vision of the watershed and what the land should look like," said Carol Evans, Fisheries Biologist, BLM. "Never mind the land boundaries, we just get to work."

Click here to read more about this partnership that is working between this ranch family and Uncle Sam.

Wednesday was a busy day for us- and you will be reading and hearing the results of that labor in the days ahead- but we have a couple of interviews that we have posted on our website that we want to call your attention to this morning. 

One is with Tracy Brunner, the incoming President of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Brunner runs a family owned cattle operation in the Flint Hills of Kansas- is a former President of the KLA and will officially become the President of the NCBA on Saturday.  

We talked with Brunner about two of the KEY issues that he will be dealing with as President over the next twelve months- TPP and WOTUS.  

Of course- the cattle organization is hoping that they won't be dealing with TPP for that long- as they are pushing hard to convince Congress that a vote on the trade deal needs to happen this spring instead of next fall after the November elections. 

Click here to listen to our visit with Brunner here in San Diego.

Another interview to check out is our Q&A with Don Close with Rabobank.  We talk with Don from time to time about cattle and beef market issues- and we lay the groundwork for the Friday USDA Cattle Inventory Report- the key number will be how many beef cows we have in the US as of January first.

Click here to get the take of this veteran cattle market watcher.

AND- after our sponsor spotlight- our second story in this email features our interview with Monsanto's Robert Fraley, who was the keynote speaker for the 2016 edition of Cattlemen's College.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of GMO's. This technology has become the mostly widely adopted technology by farmers around the world. Before the first products were launched in 1996, it took 15 years of development. Dr. Robert Fraley, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Monsanto joined the company in 1981, where he worked with a small team of scientists to develop the first Roundup Ready soybean seed. Before the first GMO product could be launched, it required the regulatory approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration. With global exports, that also required the regulatory review process of up to 70 counties. Fraley said they had talked about these products to farmers, but they missed communicating with the public. A lot has changed since the 1990's with the development of the internet and social media.


"It was pretty easy for folks who don't like GMO's or don't like production agriculture or don't like Monsanto to raise issues and create stories and myths about the technology," Fraley said. "That was our mistake."


That led Monsanto to change its communication strategy about three or four years ago. Fraley said they have taken the responsibility to communicate to the public with complete transparency. Monsanto has published thousands of scientific papers and have opened channels of communications on websites and chatrooms. Fraley is very active on Twitter, plus he participates in debates and participates in conversations with different consumer groups.


"What I find is that consumers have a huge interest in food and food security and how their food is produced and frankly I think it's our responsibility to communicate that," Fraley said. 


I interviewed Dr. Fraley at the Cattle Industry Convention in San Diego, California. Click or tap here to listen to the full interview.

The public is invited to comment on the proposed rule to eradicate feral hogs in the state of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry has released their proposed rule and will hold a public hearing next month on the control of wild hogs or feral swine. Commissioner of Agriculture Jim Reece said the state has a long way to go in order to eliminate the estimated 600,000 to 1,000,000 feral hogs in Oklahoma.


Under the proposed rule, the 19 feral hog hunt facilities that are now licensed and operating would be allowed to continue to operate. The proposal also would make the current moratorium on new licenses for sports facilities permanent. That would mean no new sports facilities would be allowed to be established in the state. The state recognizes the role the private sector has in eliminating a large number of feral hogs, but Reece said the proposal will not perpetuate the industry or the hunting of feral hogs. Additionally, the state will closely monitor the transportation of feral hogs. The proposal tightens the licensing of those who can transport live feral swine and sets up a very tight window of just 24 hours for swine to be transported, once a permit is applied for and granted.


A public hearing is planned by the ODAFF on February 17, 2016 at 1:00 pm at the ODAFF Board Room in the Ag Building at 2800 North Lincoln in Oklahoma City. The public comment period on the proposed rule will end on February 15, 2016. American Farmers and Ranchers Communications Director Sam Knipp interviewed Reece about the proposal. Click or tap here to hear the conversation.


In an earlier interview, I talked with Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture Blayne Arthur about the details of the proposed rule. Arthur said the proposal calls for a "Feral Swine Free Zone." Click or tap here to listen to the interview.

For more than 72 years, John Deere has worked hand in hand with the National FFA Organization to ensure the future of agriculture and agricultural education. Through their generous donations, John Deere has worked with FFA to provide FFA members the opportunity to grow into leaders, build their communities and strengthen agriculture.


2016 will be no exception. John Deere has pledged to donate one million dollars annually over the next five years to help FFA continue its strides in creating future leaders.


Education is one of John Deere Corporate Citizenship's primary focus areas.  This effort to inspire youth to achieve their greatest potential aligns well with the FFA mission of making a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education.  Click here to read more John

Deere's support to the National FFA Organization.  

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Microsoft officials Wednesday announced the winners of the USDA-Microsoft Innovation Challenge, in which contestants used USDA agriculture production open data to develop online tools that can help make the American food supply more resilient in the face of climate change.


"In yet another example of how public and private resources can be leveraged together to address significant global concerns, the winners of the USDA-Microsoft Innovation Challenge have used open government data to create an impressive array of innovative tools to help food producers and our communities prepare for the impacts of climate change and ensure our nation's ability to provide plentiful, affordable food," said Agriculture Secretary Vilsack. "For more than 100 years, USDA has compiled data on the farm economy, production, and the health of crops around the country, and it is exciting to see such modern, useful tools spring from these information sources."


The Challenge was created in support of the President's Climate Data Initiative, which aims to harness climate data in ways that will increase the resilience of America's food system. USDA provided contestants with more than 100 years of crop and climate data through Microsoft Azure, Microsoft's cloud computing platform.

A total of $63,000 in cash and prizes were awarded, with winners selected from more than 346 registrants and 33 submissions from around the world.  Click or tap here to read more about the award recipients and their projects.

Op-Ed Written By Tom Buchanan, Oklahoma Farm Bureau President


"Over the past several years, Oklahoma experienced a severe water drought. While it was relieved last year by heavy rains, our state now faces another crisis: an economic drought.


"Beginning Feb. 1, the Oklahoma Legislature will search for answers to the $900 million budget shortfall. But, what if I told you our state watched $4.2 billion flow out of the state last year alone


"Yes, you read that right. $4.2 billion with a B.


"With the extreme rainfall in 2015, Oklahoma released approximately 65 million acre feet of water out of its borders. Raw, agricultural water-the cheapest form of water-sells for $65 an acre foot.


"Feel free to break out your calculator. Sixty-five million acre feet multiplied times $65 equals $4,225,000,000. That's more than four times the amount of Oklahoma's budget shortfall."

Click or tap here to read more from Tom Buchanan.

This morning in San Diego- we will be tweeting and then later posting stories from the Cattlefax Market Outlook Seminar- it starts at 9:30 AM Central time- so be watching for those real time updates from our handle on Twitter- Ron_on_RON.

We have talked to several of the Oklahomans who are here in southern California for the- it is expected that Brett Morris will be moving up in the Cattlemen's Beef Board officer chairs when this meeting ends- details on that in the next day or so- it does appear that Clay Burtrum will be on the Operating Committee of the Beef Checkoff once again- from the Federation side. 

We will be posting more stories as the day goes on from this gathering of cattle producers

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