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Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update. 
 

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EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy Puts "Government Knows Best" Attitude on Display Before House Ag Committee  

It was a rough day being the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency- as Gina McCarthy spent over two hours seated in front of the House Ag Committee on Thursday, while lawmakers vented frustration over multiple issues.

The focus was clearly WOTUS, the Clean Water Rule that was finalized last August and is currently under a nationwide injunction while the Federal District Court in Cincinnati decides jurisdiction over the multiple lawsuits against the rule.

It was a Democratic Lawmaker who perhaps was the most blunt.  Georgia Congressman David Scott told McCarthy "You broke the law- you broke the law" with the use of social media in promoting a positive perception of WOTUS during the comment period.  The GAO has issued an opinion that the EPA acted illegally in using taxpayer money to urge support for the Rule via social media in 2014 and 2015. 

We have Scott's complete scolding of McCarthy that you can hear on our website- and we have the opening statement of the Administrator and the initial Q&A she had  with the Chairman of the Committee Mike Conaway- that's in this story found on our website.

Oklahoma Farmland Values Rise, Despite Significant Downturn in Farm Income 

Oklahoma farmland values have held stronger than other states across the region, but the state is also looking at much lower farm income. That's according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's quarterly survey of the seven-state region. These numbers are based on the fourth quarter of 2015.  


Oklahoma was the only state in the Tenth District where bankers reported increases in average cropland values over the previous year. Oklahoma farmland values rose modestly with non-irrigated and irrigated cropland increasing three percent. According to survey respondents, district wide values of non-irrigated and irrigated cropland decreased four percent and two percent, respectively, from a year ago.


Oklahoma ranchland values also continued to rise, in addition to the Mountain States. Oklahoma's ranchland values increased four percent over last year. For the rest of the Midwest region, growth in the value of ranchland stalled in the fourth quarter alongside sharp declines in cattle prices that persisted to the end of the year. From January 2015 through December, feeder cattle prices plunged more than 25 percent, causing profit margins in the cattle sector to deteriorate significantly. Alongside these price declines, year-over-year growth in the value of ranchland dropped from an average of eight percent in the first three quarters of 2015 to zero in the fourth quarter.


Farm credit conditions in the Tenth District also deteriorated alongside lower farm income.  Click or tap here to read more about the expected farm income outlook.

Public Notice by Oklahoma Pork Council And the National Pork Board

The election of pork producer delegate candidates for the 2017 National Pork Producers (Pork Act) Delegate Body will take place at 3 p.m. on Friday, February 26, 2016 in conjunction with the Oklahoma Pork Congress and Annual Meeting which will be held at the Embassy Suites Norman Hotel & Conference Center in Norman, Okla. All Oklahoma pork producers are invited to attend.


Any producer age 18 or older who is a resident of Oklahoma and has paid all assessments due may be considered as a delegate candidate and/or participate in the election. All eligible producers are encouraged to bring with them a sales receipt proving that hogs were sold in their name and the checkoff deducted.


If you are interested in being a candidate, please prepare a short (1/2 page) biography telling about yourself and send it to the Oklahoma Pork Council, ATTN: Election Committee, 901 N. Lincoln Blvd., Suite 380, Oklahoma City, OK 73104 to arrive by February 22, 2014. Nominations will also be accepted from the floor.


For more information, contact the Oklahoma Pork Council. Telephone: 888-SAY-PORK (729-7675) or 405-232-3781.

Conservation Reserve Program Enrollment Deadline February 26

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is reminding farmers and ranchers that the competitive sign-up deadline for its most popular voluntary conservation program, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), is Feb. 26, 2016. This will be one of the most competitive general sign-up periods in history, in part due a statutory limit on the number of acres that can be enrolled in the program. The most competitive applications will be those that combine multiple conservation benefits, such as water quality and wildlife habitat.


For the past thirty years, CRP has provided financial incentives to farmers and ranchers to remove environmentally sensitive agricultural land from production to be planted with certain grasses, shrubs and trees that improve water quality, prevent soil erosion and increase wildlife habitat. Since 1985, CRP has sequestered an annual average of 49 million tons of greenhouse gases, equal to taking 9 million cars off the road; prevented 9 billion tons of soil from erosion, enough to fill 600 million dump trucks; and reduced nitrogen and phosphorous runoff by 95 and 85 percent, respectively.  CRP also protects more than 170,000 stream miles with forests and grasses, enough to go around the world seven times. The program has allowed for the restoration of 2.7 million acres of wetland and protects more than 170,000 stream miles with forests and grasses, enough to go around the world seven times.


"Since the start of this Administration, USDA has invested more than $29 billion to help producers make conservation improvements, working with as many as 500,000 farmers, ranchers and landowners to protect land and water on over 400 million acres nationwide," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "The Conservation Reserve Program has been and continues to be a key piece of USDA's conservation strategy, and with this competitive sign-up we are encouraging applications that offer the greatest environmental protection." 


Click or tap here to read more about the Conservation Reserve Program. 

OSU's Kim Anderson Cautiously Optimistic In Wheat Price Outlook

Wheat prices continued to move lower this week, despite a number of factors globally that could result in lower production. In this weekend's edition of SUNUP, Oklahoma State University Grain Marketing Specialist Kim Anderson said the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate (WASDE) report came out this week. WASDE reported lower exports for wheat by 25 million metric ton and increased ending stocks. Anderson said the adjustments were anticipated by traders, so the report wasn't a surprise.


Traders continue to watch events in Egypt. The country has rejected their last two tenders because sellers are adding a risk premium of $10 to $20 a metric ton. Anderson said Egypt may not have the financial ability to pay for wheat with the added premium, so they are rejecting loads.


For wheat harvest prices, Anderson is predicting prices around $4.50 - $4.75, which is below the cost of production. He said wheat contracts between now and September are offering a ten to 20 cent price premium. In looking at July 2017 wheat prices, Anderson said that shows indications the market will come back above the cost of production.

SUNUP host Dave Deken talks with Dr. Anderson for this weekend's show.  Click or tap here to listen to the full interview and take a look at the SUNUP show lineup for this weekend. 

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Certified Angus Beef Continues to Grow, Bringing Profitability Back to Cattlemen

The Certified Angus Beef (CAB) program is all about bringing economic value back to Angus cattle producers. That's according to CAB Board Chairman and Angus producer John Pfeiffer from Mulhall, Oklahoma. He said the original purpose of the branded beef program was to increase the value of registered Angus cattle, primarily Angus bulls. Pfeiffer feels CAB has fundamentally changed the beef industry because it has been able to return premiums back to producers.


CAB is considered the gold standard when it comes to branded beef programs in this country. The CAB lineup continues to grow with new value-added products. CAB continues to grow domestically along with expanding into markets globally. Pfeiffer said CAB looks to open a certification plant in Russia in the next 30 days.


CAB has made a huge impact on how cattle producers manage their herd. Pfeiffer said the program has changed how cattlemen look at genetic selection and make herd mating decisions. Since attending a Certified Angus meeting in the early 1980's, he said their breeding program completely changed in aiming to produce cattle that will meet CAB specifications.

I caught up with Pfeiffer at the Cattle Industry Convention in San Diego held last week. Click or tap here to listen to our conversation, which we have featured on our latest Beef Buzz.

Names to Know- Jarold Callahan, Amber Bales, Mike Thralls and Dr. Bob Totusek

 

Governor Mary Fallin announced Thursday she is appointing Jarold Callahan to the Board of Regents for Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges. He will replace Andy Lester, who resigned after being appointed to the Oklahoma Regents for Higher Education.

"Jarold is a lifelong rancher with experience in education at the university level, so he will be a valuable addition to the Board of Regents for Oklahoma A&M Colleges," said Fallin.

Callahan has been a Professor at OSU, an EVP with the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association and currently serves as the President of Express Ranches.

Read more about the appointment by clicking or tapping here.

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The 2016 Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year is Morrison Third Grade Teacher Amber Bales. She was recently surprised by the state AITC coordinators during a school assembly with the news- and will be honored at the end of March at the Ag Day celebration at the Oklahoma State Capitol.

Details about Amber and this Ag in the Classroom honor are available here.

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The names of Mike Thralls and Dr. Bob Totusek remind us that today is the LAST DAY for nominations for the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture's Excellence in Ag Awards.  These two legends were honored last year with two of the new awards that were started last year by the ODAFF and Governor Fallin's office to help spotlight some of the tremendous leaders we have had in the state when it comes to agriculture.

Thralls was named as the first recipient of the Agriculture Environmental Stewardship Award while Dr. Tot received the Outstanding Legacy in Agriculture Award in 2015. The third of the new awards started last year went to Leland Walker- who picked up the Outstanding Public Service in Agriculture Award

The newest member of the Oklahoma Ag Hall of Fame- who won the Governor's Outstanding Achievement Award in Agriculture last year was Panhandle producer Joe Mayer.

If you or your group are going to nominate someone for one of these four awards- you have to get your nominations in by the close of business TODAY. Click here for more details- the next set of award winners will be announced March 30th during Ag Day at the State Capitol.

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