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Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Featured Story:

Oklahoma Pork Council Calls Proposed Feral Swine Rule a Good Place to Start Working Toward Complete Eradication of Wild Hogs in Oklahoma  

 
The public comment period for the proposed rule on Feral Swine ends TODAY- and a public hearing on the proposed rule will happen at 1:00 PM this afternoon. According to the language published, the Agency says that the rule is to implement the Feral Swine Control Act and (in new proposed language) "to adopt aggressive measures for the eradication of all feral swine in the State of Oklahoma." The purpose goes on to state that "Feral swine pose a health risk to humans, livestock, companion animals and native wildlife. The Department's goal is to render the State of Oklahoma free of feral swine."

One of the agricultural organization submitting comments at the end of the comment period is the Oklahoma Pork Council. In a letter that expresses their comments,. the Pork Council signals that "okPORK generally supports the proposed rules in Subchapter 34- Feral Swine." After offering comments about several sections of the proposed rule- the Pork Council offers the following summary statement:


"In summary- the Oklahoma Pork Council supports the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry's proposed rules regarding Feral Swine. We agree with the stated purpose of the rules and we encourage the Department to work toward a goal of complete eradication of feral swine in Oklahoma."

We talked with Roy Lee Lindsay of the Pork Council about their comments on the Rule- you can hear that conversation by clicking here.

 

Extreme Fire Danger Present Across Oklahoma 

 

Oklahoma Forestry Services is alerting the public of extreme fire danger that is present across most of Oklahoma.


"The conditions predicted this week have the potential for extreme wildfire behavior," said George Geissler, Oklahoma State Forester. "We are urging people not to do any burning. We also ask that you report any fire or smoke you see to your nearest fire department. Time is of the essence under these types of conditions as any new fire will spread rapidly. "


Low relative humidity, combined with very dry fuels and sustained winds at 15-20 mph, with some gusts possible near 20 mph, are creating the dangerous conditions. Fire danger is expected to increase this week, with Thursday looking to be the most critical day.

According to Jed Castles with News9 KWTV- we are looking at nightmarish conditions on Thursday when you start thinking about Fire Danger- temps in the upper 70s and winds blowing from the south from 20 to 45 miles per hour!

Here is Jed's Nine Day as posted this morning on Twitter:

Ag Super PAC Calls on Presidential Candidates to Support Three Principles to Benefit the Future of Agriculture

 
On Tuesday, Ag America, a national coalition of agricultural leaders dedicated to electing candidates with proven records of supporting American agriculture, called on the 2016 Republican and Democratic U.S. presidential candidates to commit to publicly support the "Principles for Our Ag Future". The principles, developed by Ag America, outline the path forward to ensure that American agriculture continues to be the envy and leader throughout the world.

This Super Ag PAC has membership that includes politicians and leadership from many of the major ag organizations in the country.

The three principles they are urging support for include:

Enhance economic development opportunities that would improve access to existing and emerging agriculture markets.

Advance the science of agriculture by supporting common sense regulations to protect our environment and energy resources.

Support the education of the next generation of America's farmers through emphasis on science, technology, engineering, agriculture, and math.

You can read more about this effort to inject agricultural issues into the national debate by clicking here.

Accuracy of EPDs Soaring Higher- Powered by Beef Genomics

 
Beef Genomics offers EPD information to today's cattle producer with more accuracy than we have ever seen- so says Ryan Ruppert with the American Angus Association. Ruppert was with Neogen when I talked with him last month at the Cattle Industry Convention in San Diego.


Ruppert says the seedstock producer has a better chance than ever before to offer cow calf producers exactly what they say they need to improve their beef herd. "I can now start delivering what that cow calf producer wants on a much more consistent basis, making my reputation such that the producer will want to come back to me- to rely on me to provide the best bulls or heifers possible. It's like writing a contract that I have never been able to write before."


Ruppert says that now with the Genomic enhancements- a commercial producer can afford a bull that gives him a 60% chance of delivering exactly what he wants- which has been the same level of predictability that traditional EPDs have offered for the best AI sires. He calls that a huge step forward from where we were just two or three years ago.

You can read more- and hear Ryan's comments on these fast forward improvements in beef breeding by clicking or tapping here- and that includes what is next that will enable beef producers to be even more responsive to what consumers want as they make breeding decisions.

 

USDA Proposes to Mandate Stores Who Accept SNAP to Stock a Broader Variety of Healthy Food Choices

 

USDA is releasing new rule language that is in response to the 2014 Farm Law that will require retailers who accept SNAP (Food Stamps) stock and have available for those buying food with federal money handouts a wider variety of healthy food choices.

According to the USDA news release from Tuesday- "SNAP retailers would be required to offer seven varieties of qualifying foods in four staple food groups for sale on a continuous basis, along with perishable foods in at least three of the four staple food groups. The staple foods groups are dairy products; breads and cereals; meats, poultry and fish; and fruits and vegetables. In addition, the proposal calls for retailers to stock at least six units within each variety, leading to a total of at least 168 required food items per store."

We have more from USDA on what they want from retailers who take SNAP dollars- including a link where you can access the complete rule that is being published today in the Federal Register- click or tap here for more.

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

Bob Dinneen Calls Ethanol an Industry Confident, Defiant and Prepared to Weather Any Storm

 

Speaking before more than 1,000 attendees at the National Ethanol Conference (NEC) in New Orleans today, Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Bob Dinneen declared that the domestic ethanol industry remains strong and touted its ability to successfully navigate the vagaries of the markets and overcome the perils of policy uncertainty.


"The strength of the U.S. ethanol industry is seen in its record production - 14.7 billion gallons, its record blending demand - 13.75 billion gallons, record feed production - 40 million metric tons, and record greenhouse gas reductions - 41.2 metric tons," said Dinneen. "Those aren't the stats of an industry in retreat, that's an industry confident, defiant, and prepared to weather any storm."


Dinneen called the U.S. ethanol industry the "cornerstone" of the rural economy, noting that it added $44 billion to the nation's Gross Domestic Product and paid $10 billion in taxes last year. He drew a sharp contrast with what he characterized as the "boom and bust cycles" of oil extraction which, he said, can wreak havoc on economically-vulnerable communities.


More about the Dinneen address can be read- and we have the audio of his "State of the Ethanol Industry" address on our website available here.

 

We continue to keep tabs on Class XVII of the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program- and in central Vietnam, the group got a first hand encounter with water buffalo and rice paddies- as seen in this photo from OSU's Craig Woods:



They have been moving today from central Vietnam southward- ending up in Ho Chi Minh City- which is Saigon to my generation. Tomorrow- the group will be spending some time with Gerald Smith, the Senior Ag Attache for the FAS/USDA in Vietnam.

The Vietnam study experience is the Capstone for Class XVII of the OALP.

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We invite you to check out details of three events happening tomorrow into the weekend- click on each event to jump over to our calendar page of OklahomaFarmReport.Com to learn more about each activity:

Redlands Community Soil Health Field Day- Thursday, Feb. 17 north of El Reno.

Fourth Annual Canola College- Thursday Feb. 17 at the Chisholm Trail Expo Center in Enid.

111th Annual Meeting of the American Farmers & Ranchers/Oklahoma Farmers Union- Embassy Suites, Norman.

Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K Equipment,  American Farmers & Ranchers, Stillwater Milling Company, Oklahoma AgCredit,  the Oklahoma Cattlemens Association, Pioneer Cellular, Farm Assure 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!

 

 

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