NACD Supports Bipartisan Sodsaver Legislation 

The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) supports the work of Reps. Kristi Noem (R-SD) and Tim Walz (D-MN) on their recent sodsaver legislation to address crop insurance inequities and preserve habitats for game species on native sod and on grasslands producers cannot certify have ever been cropped. NACD is also supportive of an identical provision included in the Farm Bill passed by the Senate Agriculture Committee.

"It's just common sense to reduce crop insurance assistance for less productive land," said NACD President Gene Schmidt. "Decisions to bring acreage back into production should be based on the ability of the land to produce; not on whether or not you can insure it. By addressing crop insurance fairness, the sodsaver legislation will protect fragile lands, preserve habitat and ultimately save taxpayers money."

The Protect our Prairies Act would reduce crop insurance assistance for the first four years for crops grown on native sod and certain grasslands converted to cropland. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the legislation could save taxpayers nearly $200 million over 10 years. 

You can read more about this story on our website by clicking here.

As Wheat Harvest Passes the Two Thirds Line, Crop Quality and Marketing Now Take Center Stage 

Wheat harvest in Oklahoma is about two-thirds complete approaching the first weekend in June according to estimates from Plains Grains. Mark Hodges spoke with us and says things are moving about as rapidly as they can given the weather and a shortage of harvest crews.

"Historically, the reason we're early is because we've had a drought on the front end and not, at least, on the tail end and that, of course really changes things, changes the dynamics," Hodges says.

"We really didn't have enough water to finish out that crop and so we ended up with shriveled berries. We're going to end up with small berries. That's pretty uniform right now all the way from Texas through Kansas. And, of course, we aren't going to have quite as good of a crop as we thought we were going to have a couple of months ago. That third berry never filled. The plants had too many tillers and just shut down and so we ended up with smaller crops."

He says the quality of the wheat not only varies from region to region, but this year it also varies almost from field to field.

You can read more about how millers will handle the variable quality of the 2012 crop by clicking here. 

NCBA Calls Federal Mandates for Animal Production Practices the Wrong Answer

It is not a beef production issue- but the cattle industry is plenty concerned about recent moves by Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, who on Friday, May 25, 2012, introduced legislation, The Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2012 (S. 3239). Sen. Feinstein's measure is modeled after a similar bill (H.R. 3798) that was introduced by Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) in the U.S House of Representatives earlier this year. The concerns about the precedence of federally mandated production practices have been raised by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, Egg Farmers of America, National Pork Producers Council and more.

Specifically, S. 3239 and H.R. 3798 would codify a controversial agreement between the United Egg Producers and the Humane Society of the United States, which would dictate exactly how eggs can be produced. The proponents of the legislation say it will advance animal welfare standards in the egg industry.

Kristina Butts, NCBA Executive Director of Legislative Affairs, has a different take on the legislation. "We fully support any and all science-based advancements in animal welfare. However, a federal mandate is not needed to accomplish production practices that secure the wellbeing of livestock. This legislation is a one-size-fits-all approach to animal welfare and is the wrong answer. In fact, the World Organization of Animal Health (OIE) has even acknowledged mandated animal production practices are not in the best interest of promoting true animal welfare because they cannot easily be adapted or updated for different farming models," said Butts. "Prescriptive farming standards hinder efficient modifications as new science becomes available."  

Click here for more from Kristina Butts about concern over government-mandated production practices in this latest Beef Buzz. 

Working Lands for Wildlife Seeks to Preserve Lesser Prairie Chicken

Landowners in northwestern Oklahoma and southern Kansas are being targeted for inclusion in a voluntary conservation effort to preserve habitat for the lesser prairie chicken. And at the end of this past week- we talked with the USDA official who is responsible for this endangered livestock program effort.

Launched earlier this year, the $33 million Working Lands for Wildlife project is in its infancy. USDA Under Secretary Harris Sherman said the purpose of the program is to "help recover certain species at risk or threatened and endangered species that occur at various places across the U.S. And we try to do that while protecting ongoing farming and ranching operations where these species live."

The project focused on preserving the lesser prairie chicken in this area is also targeting six other species in different areas of the country. Its aim is to prevent those species from being placed on the list of endangered species which would result in mandatory sanctions from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Efforts to aid the lesser prairie chicken have taken on greater urgency with the lifting of the bird to second place from eighth on the list of species to be added to the most-endangered listing.

Click here to read more and to hear the full interview with Harris Sherman. 

Round House Overalls Made in Shawnee With Oklahoma-Grown Cotton

Robbie Robbins grows what he wears. Robbins wears Round House overalls which have been made in Shawnee, Oklahoma, since 1903. Round House buys cotton denim fabric for its garments from the American Cotton Growers denim mill at Littlefield, Texas.

The mill is owned by the Plains Cotton Cooperative Association at Lubbock, Texas.

Farming in Jackson County, Oklahoma, near Altus, Robbins sells his cotton each year through farmer-owned cooperatives which also are members of the PCCA. Robbins is also a member of the PCCA board of directors.

Robbins, 74, has grown cotton since he was 18 years old. Now one of the major cotton producers in the Rolling Plains of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas with more than 6,000 acres planted each year, Robbins remembers his early start growing the crop.

Read more about Round House and Oklahoma-grown cotton by clicking here.

USDA Targeting Six Additional Strains of E coli in Raw Beef Trim Starting Today

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) this week will begin instituting a zero-tolerance policy for six additional strains of E. coli that are responsible for human illness. Beginning today, FSIS will routinely test raw beef manufacturing trim, which is a major component of ground beef, for the six additional strains of E. coli. Trim found to be contaminated with these pathogens will not be allowed into commerce and will be subject to recall.

Illnesses due to E. coli serogroups other than O157:H7, which caused a high-profile illness outbreak in 1993, outnumber those attributed to O157:H7. FSIS declared O157:H7 an adulterant in 1994.

"These strains of E. coli are an emerging threat to human health and the steps we are taking today are entirely focused on preventing Americans from suffering foodborne illnesses," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "We cannot ignore the evidence that these pathogens are a threat in our nation's food supply."

Click here for more on this new testing for E coli.

This N That- Ag Chat Foundation Application Due Today, Harvest and the Oklahoma Junior Cattleman Show    

The third-annual Agvocacy 2.0 application for the 2012 social media training conference is now available. The two-day event will explore how farmers can effectively share agriculture's message using social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, blogs and mobile applications,  The event is August 23-24 in Kansas City- but the deadline to apply for a slot at this year's event is 11:59 PM tonight- June 4, 2012.

Up to 75 people representing all sectors of agriculture will be invited to participate, with priority given to farmers and ranchers- click here if you want to read more and have even a remote interest in applying.   

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Rain has continued to hamper the 2012 Oklahoma hard red winter wheat harvest- and has since the middle of this past week. According to the Oklahoma Mesonet- the heavier rains over the past three days have fallen from the Oklahoma City metro north and west into Garfield, Major, Alfalfa, Woods and Harper counties- only light rainfall has been recorded in Grant and Kay counties.  One thing we will be watching today is how the number that Mark Hodges advanced with Plains Grains this past Thursday afternoon of Oklahoma being 65% complete matches up with the number that will be released this afternoon by NASS and USDA.  

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The Oklahoma Junior Cattlemen's Association will host their annual Preview Show this week on June 7, 8 & 9.  This annual event is once again at the Payne County Expo Center east of Stillwater- and we look forward to joining the OJCA and the Oklahoma Cattlewomen as they host the 2012 Beef Ambassador Contest- we will once again be helping with the media interviews for the contestants- conducting an interview with each young person in the contest while the judges rate how the young folks do in telling the beef industry story.  There are lots of activities that make up the Junior Preview- click here to learn more about those events and the 2012 schedule.