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George Huggins says the Lord told him to figure out a way to feed the troops. And because he followed through on his dream- troops overseas that are a part of the Oklahoma National Guard- including the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team which is serving in Afghanistan- will be receiving regular shipments of Beef Sticks produced by the Beef 4 Battle Coalition. Huggins, a retired engineer from Blanchard, talked with us at the news conference on Tuesday where all of the coalitions members gathered along with officials from the Oklahoma National Guard. A symbolic first box of Beef Sticks was presented to Myles Deering, Adjutant General of the Oklahoma Army and Air National Guard. Huggins says it's his hope that the first shipments will reach the troops by Thanksgiving.

Click on the LINK below to hear from George Huggins as well as from Thad Doye, who is directing the project for the Oklahoma FARM Foundation and the Oklahoma Farm Bureau.

The Beef for Battle Coalition is a group of entities that share in a cooperative effort to donate beef sticks to the Oklahoma Military Department for shipment to soldiers in active duty.

With its convenient packaging and nutritional values high in Zinc, Iron and Protein, beef sticks give soldiers an extra boost as they defend America on the battlefield.

Coalition members include the Oklahoma FARM (Farming and Ranching Matters) Foundation, George Huggins, Chickasha Meat Co., Schwab and Co., and Oklahoma State University's Robert M. Kerr Food & Ag Products Center (FAPC).

Click here to listen to our conversation with Huggins and Doye on Beef for Battle Coalition.  

Conference Report on Ag Appropriations to Be Voted on This Week- Includes Restriction on GIPSA Rule

The FY2012 Agricultural Appropriations Bill has now gone through the Conference process- and is coming back to the House and Senate for a final vote- along with two other Agency budgets and a Continuing Resolution that will keep the Federal Government open until December 16.   

Total dollar amount that has been allocated for the Ag Approps bill is $136.6 billion.  

Notably, the restrictions on USDA having money to implement and work further on the GIPSA marketing rule for livestock is a part of the Conference Report. According to the overview provided by the Chairman of the Appropriation's Committee Hal Rogers of Kentucky- "The bill places restrictions on the implementation of a Grain Inspection and Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) proposed rule that would have allowed harmful government interference in the private market for livestock and poultry." This is similar to the language from the House version of the Ag Appropriations bill- the Senate did not specifically address the issue so the House restriction prevails.

Click here for more on the "mini-bus" conference report that will likely be voted on Thursday by the House- and with the CR included in the package- the Senate will be pressured to vote on the measure this week as well.  The current CR expires Friday.

 

Water Quality Monitoring in Grand Lake Watershed Shows Success of Conservation Practices

New monitoring data from the Grand Lake Watershed shows that the efforts undertaken by farmers, ranchers and other landowners to address non-point source pollution through best management practices are starting to bear fruit according to Joe Parker, President of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts (OACD).   Parker said this initial success shows once again that voluntary, locally-led conservation works.

"We are proud to see that the work that has been done on the ground is resulting in this initial reduction in nutrients and bacteria in the Grand Lake Watershed," Parker said. "The fact that this is being done, not through regulations, but through voluntary, locally-led, cooperative efforts designed to address the problem while protecting private property rights shows we can work together to address this critical issue."

According to Parker, four years ago the Oklahoma Conservation Commission in cooperation with local conservation districts and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) began working on an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Water Act Section 319 (319) program in the Honey Creek sub-watershed of the Grand Lake Watershed. 

Click here for more from OACD on the Grand Lake Watershed.

Cropland Values Reach Record Highs According to Kansas City Federal Ag Credit Survey

Third quarter Survey of Tenth District Agricultural Credit Conditions have been released.

Tenth District farmland values surged to a record high in the third quarter, with stronger gains in the northern Plains, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's quarterly Survey of Agricultural Credit Conditions.

District cropland values rose more than 25 percent over the past year, and ranchland values increased 14 percent. A quarter of the 243 survey respondents felt that cropland values had yet to peak.

Nebraska posted the strongest gains with irrigated and nonirrigated land values rising approximately 40 percent above year-ago levels. Record gains in the northern Plains were fueled by another bumper crop this harvest season that raised farm income expectations despite the recent slide in crop prices.

Click here for a link to a copy of the complete survey.

U.S. Not in a Land Bubble At This Point says Vice President at Rabobank International

The U.S. agriculture land prices have been increasing steadily over the past five to ten years, which has left farmers and ranchers wondering if these high land values are really sustainable. We talked with Sterling Liddell, Vice President for the Food and Agribusiness Research and Advisory department of Rabobank International, recently at the National Association of Farm Broadcasters annual convention in Kansas City about the possibility of a land value bubble and China's impact on U.S. agriculture.

When it comes right down to it, Liddell simply states that we are not in a land value bubble, which Rabobank defines as a commodity or an asset that is not supported by its fundamental value. One reason for this Liddell explains is because of the high commodity prices and low interest rates, which he says fundamentally suppport the value of the land where it is.

Another reason Liddell says they are hesitant to call this a land bubble is that the land value has been strengthened and is very strong in areas that have experienced the highest commodity prices, such as the Midwest, North and South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois. Corn is very prevalent in these areas and has been leading the commodity charts over the past five years says Liddell. 

Click here to listen to our conversation with Sterling Liddell on land values and China's impact.

USDA Designates 8 Counties in Oklahoma as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated eight counties in Oklahoma as natural disaster areas due to losses caused by drought and excessive heat that began May 1, 2011, and continues.


Those counties are: Craig, Mayes, Ottawa, Tulsa, Delaware, Nowata, Rogers, Washington.

"Assistance at this point and time is critically important for producers in Oklahoma, especially in helping them keep their farmland healthy for the remainder of the year," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "President Obama and I realize that during this time of disaster, federal assistance will be needed until conditions improve as farmers strive to recover their losses."

Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in Oklahoma also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous: Adair, Creek, Osage, Wagoner, Cherokee, Okmulgee, Pawnee.

Click here for more specific information on assistance that is provided.

Coming Thursday- Unwanted Pesticide Collection and on Friday- Cattle on Feed Numbers 

Oklahoma homeowners, agricultural producers, greenhouse and nursery operators, certified applicators and pesticide dealers can get rid of unwanted pesticides at the second of two locations planned for this week.  

Yesterday- the Unwanted Pesticide Collection site was in Ada- tomorrow- Thursday Nov. 17 the collection will be happening at the  Apache Farmers Co-op in the Caddo County town of Apache. The collections will take only pesticides; no other types of hazardous waste such as oil, paint or antifreeze will be accepted. All pesticides will be taken, no matter the size. Collection time will be 8 AM until 1 PM. Click here for the website that has all the answers about this ongoing program offered by OSU, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture in cooperation with the Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association and the Oklahoma Agri Retailers.  

Then- Friday afternoon will find the USDA dishing up the latest Cattle on Feed numbers.  Allendale believes that we will continue to have more cattle on feed this month compared to one year ago.  

Rich Nelson with Allendale says that October Placements are expected to be 3.9% smaller than last year. He expects smaller supplies of medium and heavy feeders to offset continued calf liquidation in the South. Cattle placed in October will be marketed from March to August.

Allendale anticipates a Marketing total 1.1% lower than October of 2010. There was no adjustment made due to days on the calendar this month. We have adjusted our estimate to reflect the discrepancy between USDA's COF marketing number and actual steer and heifer slaughter over the past eight months.

Total Cattle on Feed as of November 1 will be 2.9% larger than last year.