We sat down this week in studio with Oklahoma's current Attorney General Mike Hunter. You'll remember that Hunter was appointed by Gov. Mary Fallin after former AG Scott Pruitt left office to join President Trump's Cabinet as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. With the primary election coming up next Tuesday, Hunter is hoping to secure the Republican nomination to continue serving in his current capacity, this time for a full term. On Monday, he spoke to us about some of the issues related to rural Oklahoma that he has been tackling since taking office and what he hopes to continue to offer Oklahomans as their Attorney General. One issue that has certainly drawn his attention as of late, is the resurrection of the controversial Waters of the US rule, thanks to a recent decision by a district court judge in South Carolina.


"Taken literally, it would have reinstated the WOTUS rule. And so, what we've done is asked Judge (Claire) Eagan of Tulsa, to issue an injunction so that the WOTUS rule isn't imposed on folks here in the State of Oklahoma," he said, remarking that other states involved are following suit. "There are actually 26 states that the decision in South Carolina could affect and I think we're all moving quickly to enjoin the WOTUS rule from going into effect."

 

Oklahoma FFA is once again among the top three states in the US, behind just Georgia and Ohio, when it comes to the number of National Proficiency Award finalists that will compete at the National FFA Convention this October in Indianapolis, Indiana.

In line with its mission to bring innovation to the dairy business, the national farmer owned cooperative, Dairy Farmers of America, announced a new opportunity this week for entrepreneurs to join the 2019 Corporate Accelerator program that helps grow startup businesses. In partnership with Sprint, DFA is sponsoring the program to recruit ag tech companies as well as early stage dairy-focused food product companies.


"At DFA, we're constantly searching for new ways to elevate and grow the dairy industry," says Monica Massey, senior vice president and chief of staff at DFA. "For this reason, we are committed to connecting, mentoring and guiding rising entrepreneurs in food and ag."


Those accepted into the Accelerator will come together in a state-of-the-art workspace in Kansas City's Crossroads Arts District. The program features targeted, strategic meetings to facilitate development, pilots and potential sponsorships; mentoring from DFA senior members and their networks, as well as from the investor, business development and entrepreneurial communities; and training sessions to assist with brand marketing and entrepreneurship.


Find additional details and applications, here.

 

 

The American Farm Bureau Federation joined the NCBA in praising the FMCSA for its action, releasing its own statement from Andrew Walmsley, director, congressional relations for AFBF.

"We are grateful for this first step to consider options for flexibility in hours-of-service rules," he said. "Farm Bureau will continue to work with our partners in industry, FMCSA and Congress to find long-term solutions that address the unique needs of transporting agricultural products, the hauling of live animals in particular."

The industry has identified four main areas within the rule that need to be addressed to ease the burden of the regulation on livestock haulers. Those areas include expanding the current 100 air-mile "short-haul" exemption; extending the current 14-hour on-duty limitation; revising the current mandatory 30-minute break for truck drivers; and reinstating the option for splitting up the required 10-hour off-duty rest break for drivers.