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The Obama administration's chief environmental watchdog, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, is stepping down after a nearly four-year tenure marked by high-profile brawls over global warming pollution, the Keystone XL oil pipeline, new controls on coal-fired plants, Farm Dust and Clean Water regulations that could cripple modern ag production in the US.

Jackson constantly found herself caught between administration pledges to solve controversial environmental problems and steady resistance from Republicans and industrial and agricultural groups who complained that the agency's rules destroyed jobs and made it harder for American companies to compete internationally.


"I will leave the EPA confident the ship is sailing in the right direction, and ready in my own life for new challenges, time with my family and by new opportunities to make a difference," she said in a statement. Jackson gave no exact date for her departure, but will leave after Obama's State of the Union address in late January.

Read more about the departure planned by Jackson by clicking here and look down to the second story in this email for reaction to her decision.

You may notice in our second story that I do not have any official reaction from the livestock industry on word from Lisa Jackson that she is quitting- that's because there does not seem to be any- I guess the lesson I learned from my Mom that "If you don't have anything nice to say- keep your mouth shut" is being applied here.  I did notice one livestock industry official speaking for himself on social media- making reference to the email alias scandal where Jackson apparently used the name Richard Windsor in cyberspace in the so called war on coal. The comment that from person was "good riddance." 

Ethanol Advocates Praise Lisa Jackson While Senator Inhofe Calls Her a "Truth Teller"   

Growth Energy, the Renewable Fuels Association and the National Corn Growers all had nice things to say about the outgoing EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.  In each case, they were appreciative of her support of renewable fuels, her agency's moving E15 forward and their defense of the Renewable Fuel Standard as several states earlier this year called on EPA to do a waiver because of a short corn crop here in 2012. Click on the name of each group listed above to see their comments about Ms. Jackson.

We also have her official statement and the statement then released by the White House from President Obama- click here to read those statements. 

And then there is the ranking minority member of the Environment and Public Works Committee,  Oklahoma's Senior Senator, Jim Inhofe.  Senator Inhofe states:

"Lisa Jackson and I disagreed on many issues and regulations while she headed the EPA, however, I have always appreciated her receptivity to my concerns, her accessibility and her honesty. She was one of the few at the EPA that was honest with me. She stated that the endangerment finding would be based on the U.N. IPCC, a science which was totally discredited in Climategate. She also had the courage to answer honestly when I asked her if passing Cap-and-Trade in the United States would lower world wide CO2 emission, and of course she answered no. While so many other Obama Administration appointees don't tell the truth, she did, and I hope that is not the reason for her departure."

For Senator Inhofe, hope springs eternal- he adds that he is hopeful that the Obama Administration might change course on environmental issues as they name a replacement for Lisa Jackson. Read all of the Inhofe statement and his fears of a Regulatory Cliff that may be facing us in 2013- click here for that. 

Looking Back at 2012- Pork Producers Fight High Grain Prices as Well as HSUS 

Looking back at 2012- we had the chance to sit down and discuss the past twelve months and how the the US and Oklahoma pork industry has fared with Roy Lee Lindsey, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Pork Council. Top of mind for pork producers has been the struggle much of the year with high feed grain costs. Lindsey says that most hogs were making money as 2012 began, but when drought showed up in the US corn belt this past spring and summer- grain prices skyrocketed- and that ended any hope of being profitable for the balance of the year.

2013 shows an opportunity to be better from a profit perspective, if it rains in the US corn belt and grain prices ease from 2012 levels. Long term- Lindsey believes that prospects are good for US pork production with strong pork exports continuing to lead the way. He points out that exports are especially important for Oklahoma with the Seaboard Plant in Guymon the leading export processing plant in the US to destinations like Japan and Korea.

We also talked about a variety of other issues with Roy Lee- including a discussion with him about the battle between animal agriculture and the HSUS. Click here to read more as well as the chance to listen to our full conversation. Roy Lee will also be our guest this Saturday morning for our In The Field segment that is seen on KWTV News9 at about 6:40 AM.  

Oklahoma Ending 2012 With 95 Percent Extreme to Exceptional Drought

Oklahoma will ring in 2013 with 37% of the state covered by Exceptional (D4) drought, up 3% from last week and 34% from this time last year. The amount of Extreme (D3) to Exceptional drought is also up slightly from last week to 95%. That matches the extent from the height of the current back in September. Just over 27% of the state was in Extreme to Exceptional Drought at the beginning of calendar year 2012.

The good news is that the state was just blanketed with snow, which should provide a nice dose of moisture for those folks that got a bit more. The Mesonet rainfall map is a bit slow on the amounts, since it only measures liquid moisture (and therefore the snow has to melt before it will register). The radar estimated overlay, however, shows that much of southern Oklahoma received from a quarter-inch to more than two inches of liquid equivalent from the snow (much of it fell as rain down in the southeast). 

You can read more about our drought situation- see a video that Craig Day at News on 6 produced on drought conditions in Pawnee County as well take a look at the latest Drought Monitor graphic released Thursday morning- all of that can be had by clicking here.  

By the way- the most amazing stat that Gary McManus offered up in his update on the Drought situation was about the Hooker mesonet station.  Hooker has received a total of 19 inches of rain TOTAL over the last two years! Brothers and Sisters- that's Biblically Dry! 

Ag Futurist Dr. Lowell Catlett to Keynote Cattlemen's College in Tampa

Cattlemen and women planning to attend the 20th anniversary of Cattlemen's College can expect an innovative and educational program during the sessions which will take place Feb. 5-6 in Tampa, Fla. Sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health, the 2013 edition of Cattlemen's College offers a wide range of informative, one of a kind hands-on workshops and classes designed for cattle operations of every size and sector.


All Cattlemen's College attendees should look forward to the keynote address on Feb. 6, which will be given by internationally respected futurist Dr. Lowell Catlett, who will educate the audience with his predictions for the long range outlook for the agricultural industry and factors that influence profitability and sustainability of beef cattle production. Catlett is a regent's professor in agricultural economics, agricultural business and extension economics, and is the Dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at New Mexico State University (NMSU). His areas of expertise include marketing economics, futures markets and production economics.

Catlett is with us for our latest Beef Buzz- you can hear his thoughts about the future of the beef business and get a hint of what he will be saying in Tampa by clicking here.

SUNUP 2012 Finale

Tomorrow morning will be the final SUNUP for 2012 on OETA- and here is a rundown of their special end of the year program:

Their year-end economic roundtable recaps 2012 and looks ahead to 2013 trends with Larry Sanders, Kim Anderson and Derrell Peel.  

In Shop Stop, Randy Taylor and Wayne Kiner show viewers helpful smartphone apps to use in the shop.

In Cow-Calf Corner, Glenn Selk discusses ways to improve a herd's market value.

Dwayne Elmore has tips on managing a forest area to attract wildlife, in Naturally Speaking.

Looking Ahead to Next Week

We will have a final email for 2012 on Monday morning- December 31st- and in that update- we will look at 2012 from several different angles.   

After a day off for New Year's Day- we will return with our first email for the new year on January 2, 2013.  Among other things- we will be highlighting some of the big events coming up in January.

As far as the markets go- our Ag Futures will trade for a half day on the 31st- then take New Year's Eve evening off as well as all day January first.  

Auction barns have been closed over most iof the second half of December- and they will start cranking back up next week- one of the first to reopen for the new year is the Stockman Oklahoma Apache Market on Thursday January 3rd- and then Woodward will have their first sale of the year on Friday January 4th.  The following week will find everyone selling cattle on their normal days.

As the old year winds down- let me say thank you for your tremendous support- we appreciate your interest in what we write up on a daily basis- and it is our hope that it is of value to you in whatever role you may have in agriculture here in our state or across the country.  We always appreciate your feedback- it helps us do a better job for you- and remember, if you have an event that we need to include in our calendar listings and tell our email family about- PLEASE email it to me- I always love to hear from you.