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President Elect Donald Trump Officially Announces his Intention to Appoint Scott Pruitt to Lead EPA- Oklahoma Senators Cheer!

Early this morning, the news release from the Trump Transition Team landed in our inbox- signaling President Elect Trump's intentions to nominate Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to serve as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, a cabinet-level position.

According to the release- "For too long, the Environmental Protection Agency has spent taxpayer dollars on an out-of-control anti-energy agenda that has destroyed millions of jobs, while also undermining our incredible farmers and many other businesses and industries at every turn. As my EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt, the highly respected Attorney General from the state of Oklahoma, will reverse this trend and restore the EPA's essential mission of keeping our air and our water clean and safe," said President-elect Donald Trump. "My administration strongly believes in environmental protection, and Scott Pruitt will be a powerful advocate for that mission while promoting jobs, safety and opportunity."

Click or tap here to read the complete release coming from Trump Tower on AG Pruitt.

It was mid afternoon yesterday  when the news surfaced that Pruitt had been selected- and quickly the praise from our part of the world rolled in.

Senators James Lankford and Jim Inhofe released a statement Wednesday in support of President-elect Trump's expected announcement of his intention to nominate Oklahoma Attorney General E. Scott Pruitt as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: 


"I applaud President-elect Trump and his team for choosing Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency," said Lankford. "Pruitt has served Oklahoma as a tireless defender of justice and law, and I am confident that he will serve America well. I look forward to working with him to restore a balanced approach to regulations and governance that fosters economic growth, advances energy independence and ensures stewardship for the environment. Scott Pruitt knows the difference between a state responsibility and a federal responsibility."


"Scott Pruitt has been a leader and a partner on environmental issues for many years," said Inhofe. "Pruitt has fought back against unconstitutional and overzealous environmental regulations like Waters of the U.S. and the Clean Power Plan; he has proven that being a good steward of the environment does not mean burdening tax payers and businesses with red tape. In his appearances before the Environment and Public Works committee, Pruitt has demonstrated that he is an expert on environmental laws and a champion of states' roles in implementing those laws. Scott is thoughtful, experienced and a natural pick for this role. I am pleased with President-elect Trump's selection and I look forward to working with my fellow Oklahoman in his new capacity." 

Oklahoma Ag Groups Giddy Over Pruitt's Appointment to EPA

As I drove from Oklahoma City to Tulsa yesterday afternoon- news broke on the intentions of Donald Trump to name Scott Pruitt as his EPA Administrator. Our Associate Farm Director Carson Horn did a great job in helping us pull together early reaction to the announcement- and the three Oklahoma Ag Leaders we initially contacted were all ecstatic over the news- OCA's Michael Kelsey used the word "Giddy."  Here are some of the comments and links to the audio for all three of these fans of former University of Kentucky baseball player Scott Pruitt. 

Radio Oklahoma Network Associate Farm Director Carson Horn reached out to Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Tom Buchanan for his reaction to news. 


"Pruitt's selection as EPA administrator is a win for farmers and ranchers across the country," Buchanan said. "As Oklahoma attorney general, Pruitt has been a staunch advocate of agriculture and Oklahoma Farm Bureau. He continuously has defended farmers and ranchers against the EPA and has led the charge in suing the agency over its burdensome regulations such as the Waters of the United States rule and the Clean Power Plan."


Listen Buchanan talk more about the appointment.

Horn spoke with American Farmers & Ranchers President Terry Detrick today regarding the announcement. Derrick told us that he is sorry Oklahoma is losing our Attorney General- but feels that the President Elect has made a great choice in Pruitt.  Listen to Detrick's remarks by clicking or tapping here.

Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association Executive Vice President Michael Kelsey also commented on the appointment and released the following statement.


"The appointment of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is fantastic news for agriculture and the environment. Mr. Pruitt has demonstrated a keen understanding and support for science based, common sense oriented environmental policy that protects natural resources while promoting efficient and effective agriculture production. He knows full well that farmers and ranchers are the original stewards of the land with the chief goal to pass their farm/ranch to the next generation. We look forward to working with him and his staff."


Listen to Kelsey's full remarks.

BLM Final Planning Rule a Mixed Bag for Local Participation

Last week, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published its final planning rule, commonly referred to as "Planning 2.0," in the Federal Register. The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) submitted comments on the proposed version of the planning rule in May 2016, and while it recognizes the agency has made improvements to the rule in its final form, it is still concerned the regulation inadequately acknowledges the critical importance of local involvement in the planning process.


"We commend the BLM for rising to the challenge and taking on a tremendously important topic: local participation in the management of public lands," NACD President Lee McDaniel said. "That said, we are still concerned the final Planning 2.0 rule does not adequately foster local stakeholder participation in the planning process."


"For one, the BLM's rule would require that all land management plans used in the agency's planning process be approved by local, state, or tribal governments. As an organization that represents thousands of local entities, we know just how resource-intensive and time consuming developing and approving these plans can be, and fear this provision could disincentivize local participation," McDaniel continued. "In the past, local governments with policies and programs for public lands management were included in the BLM's planning process, but now, unless they have an 'official' plan, these entities won't be able to participate at the same level."


NACD was also disappointed the final rule will not undergo a National Environmental Policy Act assessment, and it did not include a comprehensive update to the protest procedures.

Click here to read more about NACD's reaction to the BLM's final planning rule and find a link to the complete text of the rule.

Ag In The Classroom Lessons Add Meaning to Holidays

A corn cob doll, a cotton boll angel and an okra pod Santa are some of the simple toys kids can make with agricultural products. Ideas for these holiday crafts and many more are found in December's lessons on the Ag In The Classroom website.


Oklahoma teachers who use this agriculture-based curriculum help their students learn about the diversity of agriculture from our state's Christmas tree farms to the annual cotton harvest. They also learn that sorghum molasses gives gingerbread men their special flavor and can enjoy making their own paper to wrap gifts.


Training in using this curriculum is offered free of charge to Oklahoma teachers by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. Math, science and reading skills are enhanced with fun activities that engage students in learning where their food and clothing come from. Various activities from the PreK-12 curriculum are featured each month on the website to add meaning to special holidays and seasons while improving students' understanding of plants, soil and the importance of agriculture to the state's economy.


"Most kids today are not exposed to agriculture, and they do not make connections to agriculture on a daily basis," said AITC coordinator Cheri Long. "They often just think their food comes from the grocery store. Ag In The Classroom is an essential part of a well-rounded education and helps to ensure students learn how they are connected to agriculture and the vital role it plays in their lives."

Click here to read more about how teachers are incorporating AITC lessons in their classrooms and find a link to the AITC website.

Stockers Beware - Potential Issues to Stay Aprised of as Spring Markets Adjusts to the Fall Recovery

The situation cattle producers found themselves in this fall, dealing with rather strange markets conditions, caused many people to do things a bit differently than they normally would on their operations. In many cases, folks were holding back females that normally would have gone to the feedlot, and at the same time others were buying stockers to put out on pasture. Extension Livestock Market Economist Dr. Derrell Peel says this detour from normal operating procedure, so to speak, ended up affecting the cattle on feed numbers, at least to some extent.


"Producers should be aware that we've had a recovery," Peel said. That means we're keeping those cattle out in the country."


Peel reports that there are some indications currently that show we are not moving as many cattle into the feedlot as quickly as we might have, which has its implications.


In the grand scheme of things, Peel says issues could arise from all of this, but doesn't think there is any cause for alarm at this point. He advises producers though, that retained calves or that will have stockers grazing through the winter to pay close attention.


"You want to watch this spring market pretty carefully," Peel recommends. "I don't think it's necessarily a problem, but I think it's a potential one you want to stay on top of."


Listen to Dr. Peel explain his thoughts on the potential issues the cattle market may present this spring during the latest Beef Buzz.

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Agriculture has always been an industry rooted in science, but more and more it seems the advancement of technology is exploding in the number of applications that improve the way we grow food and fiber today.One of the companies riding the wave of technological movement is the Farmers Business Network. Established only two years ago, it is the fastest growing company in agriculture right now. RON's Associate Farm Director Carson Horn had the chance to speak with FBN Co-Founder and Vice President of Products Charles Baron who says FBN can save farmers tens of thousands of dollars on their inputs and significantly increase their bottom line.


"Farmers Business Network is a network of farms and it allows farmers to share information with each other about agronomics - all anonymous, using hard data coming off precision equipment and also we do online buying," Baron said. "So, basically, farmers can participate with thousands of other growers in an online commerce system."


FBN can save participating farmers upwards of 50 percent on major inputs, simply by working directly with manufacturers for products including agrochemicals, seed treatments and even fertilizers and ships the product directly to the buyer. The online community built through FBN essentially creates a national price system so a producer in Oklahoma can expect to pay the same price as a grower in Illinois or North Dakota for whatever product they buy.


Listen to Horn's full conversation with Baron about Farmers Business Network and the benefits farmers can take advantage of as members.

NOW- the rest of the story- this story generated a lot of comments on Twitter after being posted on our website. One of our Oklahoma farmer friends said "Tried FBN this year. Lots of promise, not enough users in Oklahoma yet to get benchmarks. Wheat/cattle is not their forte."

A couple of our other Twitter followers were less complimentary about the company. One farmer who also used FBN this past year said savings on ag chemicals were more like 25%- and one follower who works for an ag chemical company questioned the quality of their data- especially for the southern plains.

Besides Scott Pruitt- Ag Also Seems to Like Ambassador to China Signals from Trump Team

Yesterday afternoon, President-elect Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Governor Terry Branstad of Iowa, the longest-serving governor in American history, to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to China.
 
According to the release from Trump Tower- Gov. Branstad's relationship with President Xi Jinping dates back to the mid-1980s, when President Xi was a young county official seeking a closer relationship with Iowa's robust agriculture sector.

After that word was out- the American Soybean Association was quick to cheer.

Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K Equipment, American Farmers & Ranchers, Livestock Exchange at the Oklahoma National Stockyards, Stillwater Milling Company, Oklahoma AgCredit,  the Oklahoma Cattlemens Association 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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