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Tom Sell has had a lot of experience with the Farm Bill and agricultural policy process over the years. Currently with Combest, Sell and Associates, Sell has also worked with the former Chairman of the House Ag Committee, Larry Combest, on the 2002 Farm Bill and also served as his Chief of Staff.

Sell says that agricultural policy is always difficult to pass and Chairman Frank Lucas has a very difficult proposition in sheparding a bill that is going to be good for producers through the House of Representatives. However, Sell adds that Chairman Lucas has done an excellent job in dealing with the process of the Super Committee, which ultimately wasn't a process chosen by Chairman Lucas or Senator Debbie Stabenow.

As we move forward in the Farm Bill process, Sell says that he expects a new round of hearings to begin to look at what has been done already and to see what could be improved. While the dynamics are the same, Sell also says that the committee is going to keep developing.

As far as a timeline of the next Farm Bill, Sell says that there is a push to get a new Farm Bill established because if it is not done before the other expires, the law automatically reverts to the 1949 law, which he says no one wants to see happen. If the new Farm Bill is not completed by then, Sell says an extension will have to be considered. 

Click here to listen to our conversation with Tom Sell on the Farm Bill.

Chairwoman Stabenow Questions MF Global Executives on $1.2 Billion in Missing Customer Funds 

Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture Nutrition and Forestry, questioned MF Global executives over the circumstances that led to the collapse of the financial firm and the estimated $1.2 billion in missing customer funds during a Committee hearing. Stabenow probed former MF Global CEO Jon Corzine, other MF Global executives, and regulators who oversee the commodities markets.

Stabenow also had MF Global customers describe how the firm's bankruptcy has impacted their lives, and questioned the trustee charged with attempting to find and return customer money to them. In a break with traditional Senate protocol, which would normally have MF Global executives open the hearing, Senator Stabenow gave customers the opportunity to be heard first.

"This hearing is about three things: getting the customer's money back, holding anyone engaged in wrongdoing accountable, and ensuring that proper customer protections are in place so that something like this doesn't happen again," Chairwoman Stabenow said. "Our farmers and ranchers have lost trust in the system. They believed that there were safeguards in place to protect their money in exactly this situation. A fundamental principle of futures trading is that customer money must always be kept separate from the firm's money." 

Click here for more from Chairwoman Stabenow on this hearing. 

Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association Approve a Variety of Resolutions

Wheat producers attending the 2011 Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association Annual Meeting approved resolutions for the organization to use as their policy positions on a variety of subjects. Everything from the Farm Bill to Tax policy and more was covered in the document okayed Saturday by members.


On the Farm Bill- the OWGA states that they "support ideas for the Farm Bill that meet the goals of: 1) providing a safety net for the farm operator; 2) a safe environment; 3) the production of a safe and adequate food, feed, fuel, and fiber supply; and 4) continuing to support conservation programs.

"Government farm programs should focus on providing farmers with downside risk protection.

"We support a policy tool that continues to provide a fixed share of the federal budget allocation; as a safety net such as direct payments, revenue assurance programs and crop insurance for all crops including graze out."

Click here for more approved resolutions by the Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association. 

Over 50 Thousand Oklahoma Acres Enrolled in Carbon Credit Program

Over 50 thousand acres of Oklahoma farm and ranch land has now been enrolled in a voluntary program that rewards landowners for good natural resource stewardship that sequesters carbon in the soil while providing additional conservation benefits, according to Joe Parker, President of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts (OACD).

"We are extremely excited about the response we have seen from agriculture producers to this unique, one-of-a-kind program," Parker said. "By helping landowners sell the carbon credits generated on their land when they practice good conservation, we are rewarding them not just for the carbon they are sequestering, but also for the other benefits the practices they are undertaking on their land generate, including controlling soil erosion, improving wildlife habitat and protecting water. This is a great way to help address numerous natural resource issues while putting a little money in producer's pockets."

Started as a pilot project on the North Canadian River system, the Oklahoma Carbon Initiative has now grown to a state-wide program with acres under contract in all parts of Oklahoma.   Farmers, ranchers and other landowners throughout the state are now receiving per acre payments on conservation practices ranging from conversion of conventional till crop production practices to no-till cropping, improved pasture management, conversion of marginal crop land to grass and improved range management based on the amount of carbon these practices store in the soil.  

Click here for more information from OACD on the carbon program.

Clean Line Energy Signs Agreement with Fluor to Support Transmission Line Project

Plains and Eastern Clean Line LLC (Plains & Eastern Clean Line), an affiliate of Clean Line Energy Partners LLC (Clean Line) of Houston, Texas, is pleased to announce a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR). Under the MOU, Fluor will provide development support, preliminary engineering, procurement and construction services (EPC) for the first phase of the Plains & Eastern Clean Line transmission line project. The Plains & Eastern Clean Line will connect thousands of megawatts of clean energy generation from western Oklahoma, southwest Kansas, and the Texas Panhandle to Tennessee, Arkansas, and other markets in the Mid-South and Southeast.

"We are excited about the momentum building around the Plains & Eastern Clean Line project. Clean Line is committed to working with local businesses and vendors and our agreement with Fluor will help us build the supply chain around this project that will benefit the communities in our project area," said Michael Skelly, President of Clean Line Energy. "Fluor's experience and expertise building large infrastructure projects will help us fulfill our mission of tapping Oklahoma's energy resources."

As part of the MOU, Fluor-with Pike Electric Corporation as a subcontractor to Fluor-will provide initial permitting and development support services for the Plains & Eastern Clean Line. 

Click here for more on this transmission line project from Clean Line. 

National FFA Foundation Receives Record $16 Million in Donations in 2011

Two months ago, the National FFA Organization announced a new record membership of 540,379 students thanks to more than 17,000 students in the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands signing up during the 2010-11 school year.

The organization's fundraising arm, the National FFA Foundation, announced it raised a record $16 million through corporate and private financial contributions to support FFA in 2011.

The foundation welcomed 40 new corporate sponsors in 2011, raising the total number to 1,212. Three new corporations combined for a $3 million gift to FFA. The foundation also drew more than 80 new companies and organizations as exhibitors at the 2011 National FFA Convention & Expo, the nation's largest gathering of students. More than 53,350 FFA members, teachers and school administrators attended the 2011 event.

Click here for more from the National FFA Foundation on their donations over the past year. 

Vote Miss Oklahoma Betty Thompson as America's Choice

The 2012 Miss America Pageant is bringing back a public voting aspect for the upcoming pageant! The public can vote on the videos that the contestants have made to determine who will be America's Choice and automatically be placed in the top 15.

Of course, Miss Betty Thompson is representing Oklahoma as Miss Oklahoma with her platform of "Milk, It Really Does a Body Good."

Miss Thompson has been working with the Fuel Up to Play 60 campaign to help promote the dairy industry and healthy lifestyles to youth across the state of Oklahoma. Click here to listen to our interview with her at a recent Fuel Up to Play 60 event in Guthrie.

You can vote for Miss Betty Thompson two different ways. You can click here to go to the Miss America website and vote for Betty's video.

Or you can visit the Video Contest page for the Miss America Organization through Facebook.

Go cast your vote for Miss Oklahoma - Betty Thompson!