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A bill sponsored by Freshman Rep. Kristi Noem (R-SD) to prohibit any further regulation of rural dust by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) passed the U.S. House with bipartisan support. The bipartisan bill, H.R. 1633, was approved by a vote of 268 to 150.

"This is a huge win for farmers and ranchers in South Dakota and across the country," said Noem. "The regulation of farm dust is not a partisan issue. It is a rural issue. And it's a real issue. My bill received support from Democrats here in the House, and the companion bill in the Senate also has Democratic support. Additionally, over 190 agriculture organizations have written in supporting the bill, including the Cattlemen, Stockgrowers, Wheat Growers, Farm Bureau and many others."

"Regulatory uncertainty harms small businesses across America, including those in agriculture. This bill helps stop that uncertainty in one important area - the regulation of dust. As an experienced farmer and rancher myself, I know firsthand the struggles and uncertainty associated with production agriculture.   This bill is a strong step in the right direction to reduce regulatory uncertainty," Noem continued.   

Click here for more from Rep. Noem on this bill and to watch a video of her statement on the House Floor. 

National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) President Bill Donald calls the vote on H.R. 1633 a win for regulatory certainty for cattlemen and women.

"Unfortunately, taking EPA's word that farm dust will not be further regulated provides absolutely no relief to those cattle producers already faced with dust regulations. We saw legislation as the only option to give all ranchers across the country any sort of peace of mind," said Donald, who is a rancher from Melville, Mont. "Cattlemen and women worried about being fined for moving cattle, tilling a field or even driving down a dirt road should rest assured knowing that will not be allowed to happen on our watch. The bill provides much-needed certainty for cattlemen."

Click here for more from NCBA and their reaction to the vote by the House of Representatives. 

USDA Publishes Final Rule from 2008 Farm Bill Under GIPSA Proposal  

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced USDA has published the Final Rule implementing the 2008 Farm Bill provisions to better protect livestock producers and poultry growers under the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA).


The provisions being finalized by the Department were required by the 2008 Farm Bill and have been modified from the June 22, 2010 proposed rule. These sections include criteria the Secretary may consider when determining whether a live poultry dealer has provided reasonable notice to poultry growers of any suspension of the delivery of birds, when determining whether a requirement of additional capital investments over the life of a poultry growing arrangement or swine production contract constitutes a violation of the Packers and Stockyards Act and when determining if a packer, swine contractor, or live poultry dealer has provided a reasonable period of time for a grower to remedy a breach of contract that could lead to termination of a production contract. 

Click here for more from USDA Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack on the Final Rule for GIPSA. 

One group that sees the glass half empty when it comes to the limited changes offered by this rule change is the National Farmers Union. Their President Roger Johnson issued the following statement after U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that the USDA has published the Final Rule that has come out of the GIPSA proposals that have been kicked around since last June:

"While the Final Rule is a good first step, it is certainly not a last step. We are disappointed that Congress passed a Fiscal Year 2012 appropriations bill that prevents additional portions of the rule from advancing. In particular, it is critical that the competitive injury portion of the rule be implemented. Currently, a producer must prove that a packer's anti-competitive practices damaged the entire marketplace. Clarification of competitive injury is needed so that the producer would only have to prove that his or her operation was hurt by such actions, a much more reasonable standard. In choosing to prevent the competitive injury portion of the rule from moving forward, Congress has clearly chosen to put the interests of large packers ahead of family farmers and ranchers."

Click here for more from NFU President Roger Johnson and their statement on the Final Rule.

Prepare for Spring Calving Season Now Before It Begins

Although the spring calving season is still a couple of months away, now is a good time to make the necessary preparations that will come in handy when the first heifer needs help in the middle of the night. According to Dr. Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University Emeritus Extension Animal Scientist and Dr. Dave Sparks, DVM, Area Food Animal Quality and Health Specialist, here are some tasks that should be easier to do now when the there is ample time to get the job done.    

-Equipment: Before calving season starts do a "walk-through" of pens, chutes, and calving stalls. Make sure that all are clean, dry, strong, safe, and functioning correctly. This is a lot easier to do on a sunny afternoon than on a cold dark night when you need them.

- Protocol: Before calving season starts develop a plan of what to do, when to do it, who to call for help (along with phone numbers), and how to know when you need help. Make sure all family members or helpers are familiar with the plan. It may help to write it out and post copies in convenient places. Talk to the local livestock veterinarian about the protocol and incorporate his/her suggestions. Your veterinarian will be a lot more helpful when you have an emergency during the kids' school program if you have talked a few times during regular hours.   

Click here for more tips and helpful information from Dr. Selk and Dr. Sparks on preparing for spring calving. 

Miss Rodeo Oklahoma Teen 2011 and Livestock Equipment Demonstrations at the Tulsa Farm Show

One of the prettiest sights to be seen at the 2011 Tulsa Farm Show is located near the horse training arena in the northwest corner of the Quik Trip Center on the Tulsa State Fairgrounds. That sight is Miss Rodeo Oklahoma Teen 2011, Bayleigh Warren of Claremore.

Bayleigh is a junior at Adair High School in northeast Oklahoma- and was selected in July 2010 to her title as Miss Rodeo Oklahoma Teen for this year. She is at the 2011 Tulsa Farm Show, promoting the sales of raffle tickets that will give a lucky winner their choice of a horse shed materials package or the round pen being used by Craig Cameron during his twice a day horse training sessions. Each raffle ticket is $5, and the winning ticket will be selected on Saturday afternoon at the Farm Show at 3 PM- you don't have to be present to win.

Proceeds of the raffle will be used to support the scholarships awarded to FFA students involved in the annual Livestock Skills Contest that is held each December as a part of the Tulsa Farm Show.

Click here to listen to our conversation with Bayleigh, Miss Rodeo Oklahoma Teen for 2011.  

Another event at the Tulsa Farm Show is the Livestock Equipment Demonstrations, which showcases different livestock equipment and allows potential buyers to see the equipment in action before making a purchase.

Tim Fuller, Rodeo Announcer and Emcee for the Tulsa Farm Show, says the equipment demonstrations really shows producers how the equipment works, how they can vaccinate their cattle with the equipment and shows easy access to the neck of the cattle. Overall, Fuller says it really just gives the producer the opportunity to see which squeeze shoot is going to work best for them.

Click here to listen to our conversation with Tim Fuller on the livestock equipment demonstrations. 

U.S. Wheat Has Tough Competition in Exports - and we have your SUNUP preview

Dr. Kim Anderson, Grain Marketing Specialist, takes a look at the export market for wheat and corn and how it will affect the U.S. wheat market. When it comes to the export market for wheat, Anderson says the competition for the U.S. is actually pretty stiff this year.

With countries like Russia and Ukraine having relatively good crops this year, Anderson says these countries and others in the former Soviet Union are taking their wheat to the Northern Africa and Eastern Asia markets. Also, Australia currently has a record wheat crop coming in this year despite recent rainfalls.

The Australian market is seeking out the export markets of China and Japan. Anderson adds that because of these rains, Australia is likely to see an increase in the amount of feed wheat in their crop, which in turn will reduce the export demand for corn. 

Click here to listen to Lyndall Stout and Dr. Anderson's conversation and for your SUNUP preview. 

House Ag Committee Questions Former MF Global Executive Jon Corzine in First of Three Hearings

Former MF Global chief executive Jon Corzine told Members of the House Agriculture Committee on Thursday he does not know where missing customer money from his company is, and he does not have more information about how much is missing than what anyone can read in the press.

In his first Congressional testimony on the matter, Corzine said he, too, has questions about what happened at the company and without records and documents he no longer has access to, he can't provide much help to investigators.

Corzine appeared at the hearing under a subpoena, the first of three issued so far by Congressional committees.

In his opening statement, he accepted responsibility for trades involving European sovereign debt, saying he "strongly advocated" the strategy. He also said, however, that MF Global's board members were "independent and sophisticated" and while he ultimately had overall responsibility for the firm, he didn't have day-to-day oversight and is not an expert on all relevant regulations. 

Click here for more on the series of hearings with MF Global Exec Jon Corzine. 

Livestock Ahead for this Weekend- Wheat and Cows 

The Oklahoma Wheat Commission has their regular monthly meeting set for later this morning in Oklahoma City- start time is 9 AM at their offices on Classen in Oklahoma City. Click here for the final agenda for that meeting.

Attending his first meeting as a Commissioner is David Gammill. Gammill, a wheat producer from Chattanooga, will fill the partial term left vacant by the death of Jeff Krehbiel. Gammill will represent District IV, which consists of Caddo, Comanche, Cotton, Greer, Harmon, Jackson, Kiowa and Tillman counties. Click here to read more details of his appointment in recent days by Governor Mary Fallin.

The wheat theme continues on Saturday, as the Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association will take place at the Express Event Center in northwest Oklahoma City. They start at 10 AM Saturday morning with a welcome from Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Jim Reese. Featured speaker at noon time is Tom Sell, who is a long time associate of former Congressman Larry Combest, who served as Chairman of the House Ag Committee during the writing of the 2008 farm law. As you might expect- he'll offer some commentary on where he sees the direction of farm policy in early 2012 now that we are back to writing the next farm bill in "regular order."  Click here for the final agenda for the OWGA meeting set for tomorrow.    

We also promised you COWS- and the folks at the McAlester Union Stockyards have got them- 900 cows and about 40 bulls are expected to be up for sale during their final special Stock Cow sale of 2011.  Sale time in McAlester tomorrow is 12 noon- and you can click here for the complete consignment list of this Special Stock Cow sale at the McAlester Union Stockyards.

Get a Taste of Authentic Italian Cuisine at GiaComo's in McAlester

GiaComo's Italian Cuisine in McAlester, Okla., continues the Legendary Restaurants of Oklahoma this week. A family owned restaurant since 1959, GiaComo's Italian Cuisine is still using the recipes that have been used since the beginning and handed down from generation to generation. While GiaComo's serves up some of the best and most authentic Italian dishes around, they are also well known for their steaks. GiaComo's steaks are hand-cut, cooked to order and never frozen, which Brewer says makes for the most delicious steak. But if you are interested in something a little more traditional Italian, GiaComo's Italian Cuisine has plenty to choose from. With dishes like Veal Parmigiana, Chicken Florentine, and Seafood Scampi, customers at GiaComo's will be able to find any meal to satisfy their appetite.

Click here to purchase your two $25 vouchers to GiaComo's Italian Cuisine for only $25! 

Our very own Karolyn Bolay talked with Dora Lea Brewer, owner of GiaComo's Italian Cuisine about their history and authentic menu.

Click here to listen to their conversation and for more on GiaComo's.