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The Chairman of the House Ag Committee, Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas, says that a lot was accomplished in the attempt to write a farm bill that could have been attached to the Super Committee recommendations- if that group of 12 lawmakers had been able to get their job done last month in finding $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction over a ten year period. Lucas agreed that it was an opportunity lost for agriculture to have gotten five years of spending assurances in place for the federal farm safety net- as well as for conservation and other titles that will make up the 2012 Farm Bill. Congressman Lucas made these comments in an exclusive conversation with us.

He brushed aside criticism of the Title One language that was developed by he and Chairlady Debbie Stabenow of Michigan by Ranking Member on the Senate Ag Committee Pat Roberts- saying that the job of a Ranking Member is different from that of a Committee Chairman.

Chairman Lucas does believe that now that the farm bill returns to "regular order" in 2012- it will be difficult to escape without having to face deeper budget cuts than the $23 billion over ten years that the Ag Leadership had offered the Super Committee. He also is concerned about the budget baseline shrinking in 2012 as CBO reworks their numbers in the first few months of the new year.

The Congressman noted that the Senate Ag Committee Chairman has called for an aggressive schedule of hearings early in 2012 which should lead to marking up new policy. He made no commitments to doing something similar- in fact, mentioned that we could have to do some sort of short term extension of the 2008 farm law to get us past the election season which is when the current law begins to expire. Chairman Lucas does indicate he prefers to get a farm bill done on time in the first half of 2012.

Click here to listen to our conversation with Ag Chairman Frank Lucas on all these topics and more. 

Farm Dust Bill on the House Floor This Morning- 8 Amendments to be Offered- White House Calls Whole Exercise Unneeded and Promises Veto
 

First thing this morning- 8 AM Central- the House will convene and according to Majority Leader Eric Cantor- the first order of business will be HR 1633- the Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act.  Cantor indicates there will be an hour assigned for debate on this measure- and there are a total of 8 amendements that also will be given time for consideration as well.  Votes on the amendments and the actual bill could come as early as 9 AM central- but that seems awfully optimistic. GOP lawmakers are generally supportive- House Democrats and the White House call it unneeded and say it takes away authority from EPA to protect society.

Yesterday afternoon- the White House issued a strong statement denouncing the proposal- saying "this bill would create serious problems for implementing Clean Air Act (CAA) public health protections that have been in place for years while adding uncertainty for businesses and States. The bill therefore, goes far beyond its stated intent of prohibiting the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from tightening national standards for coarse particles, which the Administration has repeatedly explained that it has no intention of doing."

You can read the full text of the White House statement- click here to do so.

The festivities on the House can be seen on C-Span- either on cable, satellite or by clicking here for their website.

Livestock, Poultry Coalition Requests Hearing on Renewable Fuel Standard's Impact on Economy 

In a letter to the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, a coalition of the U.S. livestock and poultry industry associations, including the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, the American Meat Institute, the National Chicken Council, the National Meat Association, the National Pork Producers Council and the National Turkey Federation, requested a hearing to discuss the Renewable Fuel Standard's (RFS) impact on the economy. The groups cited ongoing pressure on domestic feed grain supplies and a discovery of $9 million of fraudulent renewable identification numbers as justifications for a hearing.

"In light of the ongoing pressures that the RFS is placing on the domestic feed grain supplies, something must be done to protect livestock and poultry producers from excessively high corn prices because of the rigid RFS compliance system," the groups told Committee Chair Barbara Boxer (D- Calif.) and Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-Okla.). "Therefore, we request that the Senate hold a hearing to examine the continued pressure on grain supplies and the impact that it is having on the bottom line of livestock and poultry producers."

The letter noted that a 2011 National Academy of Sciences study found that since 2007, the diversion of portions of the corn crop to ethanol production has been a contributing factor to the increased strain on livestock and poultry producers. While other factors play a role, the RFS mandate is the sole area the U.S. government can control, the groups said. 

Click here for more from these organizations on the RFS and the requested hearing. 

Farm Credit Supports 25x'25 Alliance with Renewable Energy Grant 

The National 25x'25 Alliance announced that Farm Credit has committed $50,000 to help the alliance promote the energy solutions offered by our nation's farms, ranches and forestlands, and work to build consensus on stable, comprehensive and long-term energy policies that make use of those solutions.

"The Farm Credit System's financial performance will be directly impacted by the degree to which agricultural- and forestry- based energy solutions are integrated into America's energy future," said Ernie Shea, 25x'25 project coordinator. "The Alliance is extremely grateful for this financial support. Farm Credit is helping to maximize the role of the agriculture and forest sectors in our nation's evolving clean energy future."

"Farm Credit's mission is to support agriculture and rural America, and the 25 x '25 mission aligns with that in many ways," said Christina Bowen, national contributions director for Farm Credit.

Click here for more from Farm Credit on their committment to renewable energy.

Auction Market Research Could Be Changing the Use of Value Added Management

CattleFax Market Analyst Lance Zimmerman has taken auction market research to a new level by focusing on video auction markets and the premiums and discounts producers receive for cattle raised using value added management practices. He'll share the findings of that research with producers at Cattlemen's College in February. Zimmerman says producers need to be aware of the return on investment they can see from these management practices. He says the information will help producers as they assess different practices and participation in value added programs.

Zimmerman also says that producers need to look back on their cost of participating in these programs in their own ranches and try to figure out essentially what program offers them the best return on their investment and their time. The overall goal Zimmerman says is for the producer to be more profitable going into the next year.

Zimmerman will be one of the presenters at the 2012 Cattlemen's College on February 1, 2012 in Nashville, at the start of the Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show and says his presentation will give producers a lot of new information.

Click here to listen to our Beef Buzz segment with Lance Zimmerman.  

USDA Awards Grants to Oklahoma and Others to Improve Food Safety

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan visited Michigan State University to announce that USDA has awarded 17 grants to improve the safety of the food supply in the United States through research, education and extension. USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded the grants, totaling $10.4 million, to universities in 13 states to help address a broad spectrum of food safety issues. Michigan State University was awarded three grants in total.

"With millions of Americans contracting food-borne illnesses each year, USDA is committed to supporting research that improves the safety of our nation's food supply," said Merrigan. "Primarily, we expect that the research and education spurred by these grants will find solutions to some pressing food safety issues. Additionally, we want to help American consumers, restaurant employees, and teachers put new food safety principles into practice. Ensuring the safety of food is a top priority for USDA, and we will continue to work with our public and private sector partners on developing solutions to decrease potential risks."

Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla., was awarded a grant of $543,000 to help with researchers, extension faculty and industry leaders working together with the University of Arkansas to develop and implement an Internet-based, stakeholder driven traceability and marketing system for agriculture commodities utilizing RFID technology and GS1 item-level labeling.

Click here for a complete list of recepients and a link to more detailed information on each.  

Former Senator Jon Corzine to Appear Before House Ag Committee Midday Today

The House Ag Committee meet this morning- as Chairman Lucas will hold a hearing on the fall out of the MF Global bankruptcy and the huge amount of money that is missing- shaking the foundation of the US Futures industry.

Headliner for the hearing this morning is former Senator and Governor Jon Corzine- who will testify- his testimony will likely come around midday today as he is lone witness in the second panel of this hearing. Click here for his testimony as released this morning on the House Ag Committee website.

Congressman Lucas released the following statement yesterday evening in advance of the hearing that starts at 8:30 AM Central this morning:

"On October 31, 2011, MF Global Holdings filed for bankruptcy, after revealing that a substantial amount of customer funds were missing.  There are now reports that as much as much as $1.2 billion may have disappeared.  

"Dozens of my constituents have been left not only without their property, but also without answers about why and how this happened.  I know my colleagues have all heard similar stories from constituents who now lack confidence in the system that has served them well for years.

"Today, this Committee will examine the bankruptcy of MF Global.   From the start, I'd like to make it clear that our intent is not to sensationalize the events that have unfolded.  And we are not here today to simply or haphazardly point fingers and place blame. 

"We take seriously that we have asked both the Trustee and the relevant regulatory organizations to appear before us.  And we realize that this inevitably diverts their time and resources from the most critical objective at this time: to recover and return to customers the property that belongs to them. 

"However, it is critical that this Committee shed light on the circumstances surrounding the bankruptcy, to insert additional facts and information into the public domain and to dispel much of the confusion and misinformation that exists. 

"A deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the facts will put us all in a better position to address this situation and begin to restore confidence in the futures markets.  This is the objective of the hearing today."

Click here for the full list of witnesses and the texts of the testimonyas submitted to the Committee as of this morning.

Tulsa Farm Show Kicks Off Today- Runs Through Saturday

The 18th annual Tulsa Farm Show is ready to begin its three day run at 9 AM Thursday morning at the Quik Trip Center on the Tulsa Fairgrounds. This December tradition has evolved into one of the largest all indoor farm shows in the country- Midwest Farm Shows Marketing Manager John Sampson calls it the third largest all indoor farm show in the country- and will feature 300 exhibitors offering a wide variety of goods and services that can make the farm or ranch a better place to live and work on.

 

We talked with John Sampson yesterday afternoon as exhibitors continued to work on setting up their displays for you to check out. Click here for our story that features that conversation- and be sure to stop by and say howdy over the next three days at the 18th annual Tulsa Farm Show!