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Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Featured Story:

OCA's Michael Kelsey Talks Legislative Priorities for Cattlemen- and Offers a State Question 777 Update  

 

Oklahoma Cattlemen are promoting three bills at the Oklahoma State Capitol as the 2016 legislative session continues. According to OCA Executive Vice President Michael Kelsey, the top priority for the organization this session has been and continues to be the Cattle Theft bill, HB 2504. This measure has passed the house and is awaiting action on the Senate floor, probably in the next two weeks. OCA is also very interested in the Prescribed Burn proposal, HB 2646, which continues to be worked on with several amendments having been offered as this bill works its way through the legislative process, with both the Senate and House versions of this legislation still alive.


OCA and several other Ag Groups are also supporting HB 2446, which would define water issues as a compelling state interest for Oklahoma. This measure is proposed to allay the fears of those who believe that State Question 777, if approved this coming November by a vote of the people, would keep the state legislature from being able to deal with future rules for water in the state, as they might pertain to Oklahoma agriculture. Kelsey says OCA fully agrees that water should be a compelling state interest- and is hopeful that this measure, once passed, will removed one of the most prominent objections being raised by opponents of the Right to Farm Constitutional Amendment.

Speaking of State Question 777- we talked with Michael not only about these three bills- but also where we are on the Yes Campaign for State Question 777.

You can hear our conversation on these bills and on Right to Farm by clicking here.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Tom Buchanan Testifies on Capitol Hill Tuesday 

 
Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Tom Buchanan will testify on Tuesday before the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Management and Regulatory Oversight.


The hearing, entitled American Small Business's Perspectives on Environmental Protection Agency Regulatory Actions, will investigate the impact of EPA regulations on small business in America.


"EPA's burdensome regulations have drastically affected many Oklahoma farmers and ranchers," Buchanan said. "Our country's decision makers must understand the impact of these regulations on agriculture in Oklahoma and across the nation. I'm honored to represent Oklahoma farmers and ranchers by testifying before the EPW subcommittee." More details on his appearance are available here.


Buchanan is appearing before the EPW subcommittee even as he and other Oklahoma Farm Bureau members are in DC for their annual Congressional Action Tour, where they are meeting with lawmakers and regulators in Washington.  The Farm Bureau folks will be in DC through Thursday.

Dr. Bob Hunger Reports Foliar Disease in a Holding Pattern in Oklahoma Wheat Fields- Big Problem is Drought Stress

 
Oklahoma State University's Dr. Bob Hunger, Extension Wheat Pathologist in the Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology has released his latest wheat disease findings- released via email on Saturday, April 9th.


Hunger says more and more of the state's wheat crop is now at the flag leaf stage- and Also, more wheat is showing or starting to show drought stress across much of the state.


As for disease- "stripe rust remains the most prevalent disease with actively sporulating pustules still quite evident. I don't believe there has been much movement/increase in stripe rust because the weather has not been conducive (no free moisture on leaves)."


You can read Bob's complete report and see updates from neighboring states as well by clicking here.

Rainfall Addresses Drought Stress for Some- But Not in the Northwest

 

Much of the state that is now in Moderate Drought (D1 Drought) was bypassed by the rain that rolled across Oklahoma in the last 24 hours or so.

There were some excellent rains that stretched from Altus and Mangum all the way from the southwest to the northeast and Miami and Vinita of more than an inch of rainfall. Some locations in north central and the near northwest got as much as a half inch- Fairview, for example, got .6 inches.

You can see the haves and havenots from this state map from the Oklahoma Mesonet as of early this morning.  The realtime link to this map is here.



The south central and southeastern counties have the best chance of additional rainfall as the day wears on.

After that it may be next weekend before another widespread rain making system happens by.

 

It's Almost Here! 

 

Make Plans to attend the Oklahoma City Farm Show, happening this week-  April 14, 15 and 16, 2016.  Admission and Parking are free.

Exhibits include all of the latest in agriculture with a full line of displays, including tractor, sprayer, tillage, harvest equipment, cattle management products, and more.  In addition to indoor and outdoor exhibits, daily horse training seminars, cattle chute demonstrations, cattle grading competitions, and prize drawings make the Oklahoma City Farm Show a don't-miss event. 

NCBA's Tracy Brunner Talks Checkoff Dollars and TPP During TSCRA Convention

 
NCBA President Tracy Brunner was on hand for the annual TSCRA Convention in Ft. Worth this weekend. He talked with me about the work he does with both the Federation of State Beef Councils and the implementation of NCBA policy.


The Kansas Flint Hills cattleman said beef checkoff dollars are used in part to fund issues management and market research, which can both affect the perceived value of beef.


"The National Cattlemen's Beef Association is the voice of beef globally. We are the expert on beef and all things beef," Brunner said. "When there are challenges for beef, there is no stronger advocate than NCBA through the Federation of State Beef Councils."


When it comes to policy, Brunner said the Trans-Pacific Partnership is one of the most important issues facing cattle producers. He said the U.S. beef industry has lost more than $100 million since changes were made to the Japanese tariffs just over a year ago in the deal they made with the Aussies. The U.S. currently pays 38 percent on American beef exported to Japan. The passage of the TPP would mean an immediate reduction to 25 percent and an eventual decrease to 9 percent over the next 16 years.

Click here to read more and for a chance to hear our conversation with the new President of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Tracy Brunner.

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GeoFencing and UAVs- Two Technologies May Become Valuable to Cattle Producers 

 

At the recent Texoma Cattlemen's Conference in Ardmore, the Noble Foundation's Bryan Nichols offered a couple of technologies that are just now starting to be looked at by cattle producers as tools that could become more and more valuable in the next few years.

Nichols, who is also a cattle producer in southern Oklahoma, says geofencing - a system very similar to what some might use to keep a dog in a yard - would allow a producer to plug in coordinates on a map to determine boundaries and then equip cattle with a device that trains them to not cross over that border. Although the technology is still in early development, he says it could be a valuable tool in improving rotational grazing and reducing fencing costs.

Unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, are already gaining popularity with producers across the state. Nichols says this technology could be especially helpful in capturing more data on grassland to make management decisions like when to provide supplemental nutrition or when to move cattle.

We feature Bryan's comments from a conversation that we had with him in Ardmore on these technologies in this latest edition of the Beef Buzz.  Click or tap here and read more and take a listen.

This N That- 350 Complex Fire, Dr. Richard Thorpe and 2025 Outlook

 

The latest word we got on the 57,000 acre 350 Complex Fire comes from Sunday afternoon- the Oklahoma Department of Ag news released suggests that this fire is now seventy percent contained.

More on this fire and one that authorities was able to get under control quickly is available here.

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The TSCRA has a new President- he is a cattle producer from Winters, Texas and he also happens to be an Emergency Room Doctor.  Dr. Richard Thorpe has already polished his media skills ahead of taking the Presidency of the TSCRA by being a spokesman for the NCBA on the Dietary Guidelines controversy a year ago. 

We talked with Richard earlier this year as the Dietary Guidelines came down from the federal agencies responsible for them- HHS and USDA.  They kept lean red meat- including beef- as an integral part of a healthy lifestyle diet. His comments as a Doctor and as a cattleman were featured in a Beef Buzz from back then- which you can go and listen to by clicking here.

We did talk with Richard Thorpe at the TSCRA meeting on Saturday- just ahead of his elevation to the Presidency of the group on Sunday.  We will be featuring our visit with him on this week's Beef Buzz shows- so be listening for our fresh interview with him about a variety of subjects.

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Finally, in case you missed it- the USDA's Economic Research Service released a few days ago outlook for the year 2025 for production agriculture.

Uncle Sam says "Over the next several years, the agricultural sector will continue to adjust to lower prices for most farm commodities and reduced energy prices. Reduced prices for crude oil and natural gas have decreased agricultural production costs- costs for fuel and fertilizer have fallen the most.

You can read the executive summary of this long range outlook by clicking here.

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