It's the Eve of New Year's Eve- and our final market trading day of 2011.  This year has been one of the toughest as far back as even our oldest living citizens can remember.  No rain- way too much heat- and the problems just seemed to pile up whether you were a wheat farmer, cotton producer, cattleman or pecan grower.  

We will get to the Drought as one of our Big Five Stories of Impact for 2011 in just a second.

First, though- let's talk about kicking 2011 to the curb- the ag futures markets will be open with their open outcry session regular hours today- and that will wrap up 2011 trade.  There will be no electronic trade or open outcry session on Monday, January 2, 2012 to give you time to practice writing 2012 in and around watching all the New Year's Day Bowl Games- since NFL games will be front and center on Sunday January first. Of course, the game that matters is Monday night in Arizona as the Oklahoma State Cowboys play in their first BCS Bowl Against the Dirty Birds from Stanford.  

We understand that the first Feeder Cattle auction of the new year in our region will be up in Joplin, Missouri on Monday, January 2- other major Monday markets like the Oklahoma National Stockyards and the Tulsa Stockyards will wait an extra week before they begin on Monday, January 9. 

On Monday- the Federal and State Governments are closed as are banks and all equity markets- to celebrate the New Year.  Tuesday, January third will see the start of official business happening in the new year as well as market action in the futures and equities.  

We will NOT have an Email on Monday- but will kick off the 2012 with a bang on Tuesday, January 3.

In the meantime- while we are not doing a Top Ten Farm News Story list- we do want to pay tribute to five stories of note from 2011- and we have links to some of the coverage of these five events that helped shape 2011 agriculture here in the Southern Plains- those five events as headlined with a single word follow. 

This one single word proved to be the ugly truth of 2011.  Drought arrived with a major attitude as early as January first of last year- as conditions were dry in a lot of the state from October 2010 onward.   

Evidence of that was reported in a story earlier this week about Hooker in position to grab the record for the location in the state with lowest amount of rainfall for a calendar year- EVER. Click here to take a look at the graphics of that story.

Drought devastated much of the Oklahoma Hard Red Winter Wheat Crop- with many fields zeroed out (or as close to zero as the insurance adjusters were allowed to take it) in the April through June time period this year- southwest Oklahoma was especially bad but the northwest also suffered big time. Harvest in southwestern Oklahoma was a couple of weeks early- and yields were poor- click here to check out one of the early reports released by Plains Grains and our friend Mark Hodges.   

There was some rain that fell as we tried harvest wheat in western Oklahoma- but that rainfall barely made a dent in the drought- and then things got REALLY hot.  Hot temps arrived by late June and July in Oklahoma turned out to be the hottest month EVER in the Continental United States- Click here to take a look at the Drought Monitor in early August after that incredible July we all endured. 

The Drought has likely changed the Oklahoma Cattle Industry for several years- we talked in August with Jim Robb of the Livestock Market Information Center- click here for that report as Robb says that a lot of cattle came off the pastures of Oklahoma and Texas and ended up in the feedlots late summer. We also talked with State Secretary of Agriculture Jim Reese- click here-  as we worried together about the loss of priceless genetics as mama cow herds were liquidated.    

As we moved through September- some areas started getting rain- mostly in northeast Oklahoma but also on a scattered basis in north central counties as wheat that was dusted in was able to sprout. Click here for a look at the drought monitor as we ended September- from this point on the exceptional drought has shrank to where it's just three percent of the state (and all in the Panhandle as we end 2011.  

However, we are not out of the woods on drought as of yet- 78% of Oklahoma remains in Moderate drought or worse as drop the curtain on 2011. Our winter wheat crop looks pretty good- but subsoil moisture is limited- and timely rains will determine the fate of the 2012 crop- and we will be covering it for you- Click here for our Flickr set of pictures of the 2012 wheat crop to this point at several locations in the state.  

Lucas!!!

Oklahoma Third District Congressman won reelection in November 2010- and with the GOP grabbing control of the House- stepped into the Chairmanship of US House Agriculture Committee.  The Ag Economics Graduate from Oklahoma State University became the first Oklahoma lawmaker to hold that position.  

Click here for the statement released by Frank Lucas as his role as Chairman became official.  

One of our early conversations with Congressman Lucas after becoming Chairman came after the State of the Union Address by President Obama.  Click here to listen to this January visitwith Chairman Lucas as we began to discuss how Lucas wanted to write the 2012 Farm Bill.   

In April, we caught up with Chairman Lucas in El Reno- and after a Town Hall Meeting there- we talked Farm Policy and his ideas on writing the 2012 Farm Bill in 2012- this was well before the idea of a Behind Closed Doors Hurry Up Farm Bill developed in the fall- click here to jump to our story from late April and listen to that conversation with Mr. Lucas.  

We have had regular conversations through 2011 with Chairman Lucas- one more from early fall came in September- and we talked farm policy, regulations and more- click to hear that conversation which was one of our Ag Perspectives Podcasts.   

Secret!!!  (as in Farm Bill)

Our conversation with Chairman Frank Lucas (click here) in late October really dialed up the idea of using the so called Super Committee as a vehicle to get a comprehensive 2012 Farm Bill through both the House and Senate and signed into law as a part of the grand scheme that would have had the Group of 12 lawmakers offering a 1.25 trillion dollar deficit reduction plan for an up or down vote in Congress just before Christmas.

Those who were outside the room and did not like the idea of having a farm bill handed to them as a done deal blasted the process- calling it the Secret Farm Bill. Ken Cook and the Environmental Working Group were lead cheerleaders in the cries against this concept.  At first, it seemed that there were four lawmakers involved- House Ag Chair Frank Lucas and Ranking member Colin Peterson and Senate Ag Chair Debbie Stabenow and ranking member Pat Roberts.  That group seemed to agree on a budget number- Agriculture promising to cut $23 Billion over a ten year period from farm bill spending- mostly from the Commodity and Conservation Titles. Lucas told us several times that this group seemingly had the blessing of the Super Committee on that number- with no further cuts to Crop Insurance as part of the deal- and that number was to be backed up with Farm Bill details. Agriculture seemed to be the only group that seemed to have Democrats and Republicans working together.  

Later in the fall, as the time was running short- it seemed that only Lucas and Stabenow remained in the room.  About the time of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau convention- we had word of several ideas being floated- including maybe some farm bill stuff moving on with the Super Committee plan and the rest to be finished in 2012- click here for details of that along with the OFB position on farm policy.  

At the end of the day- the Super Committee was a non starter- Senator Pat Roberts cried "good riddance" and called for regular order to write a farm bill in 2012- click here for that. Chairmen Lucas and Stabenow also weighed in- here's their statement of disappointment.   

The first week of December we talked at length with Congressman Lucas about the aborted process- and what he sees ahead in the new year on getting a farm bill done- you can listen to that interview by clicking here. 

Regulators!!!

The onslaught of regulations really was seen throughout 2011- as it seemed the Obama Administration wanted to weigh down farmers and ranchers with as many rules as they could possibly think of.   

They came from multiple agencies- USDA on the GIPSA Rule that began in 2010 and ended late in 2011- click here for the ending saga of that story- this the USDA announcement on the well watered down final rule.

There is an element of uncertainty about what USDA might do in the future on this subject- those concerns were voiced to us by NCBA's Colin Woodall and here's the Beef Buzz show we did to highlight those worries. 

EPA was a prime player in this game- as Dust Regulations were talked about much of the year- and as the year unfolded EPA Queen Lisa Jackson promised not to regulate Farm Dust this go round- which meant not now- but maybe in five years or sooner. Click here to see the assurances in mid October from Jackson to Senator Amy Klocubar of Minnesota.   

That opened the door for Freshman Congresswoman Kristi Noem of South Dakota- who pushed and pushed and finally got House passage of her bill forbidding EPA for a year to regulate fugitive Rural Dust.  Click here for the details of the early December vote in the House on Fugitive Dust- and a repudiation of EPA on the issue. 

Of course in November, the Department of Labor decided that young people under 16 should not be working on the farm or ranch or with livestock- and the ag community has responded with outrage. Click here for the story of the DOL wanting teens to not learn about work ethic and how to successfully produce food and fiber for the world. The Public Comment period ended December one on this zany proposal- and 2012 will bring word on whether the Labor Department will back away or push onward on this quest.    

Riley!!!

Our last story of note for 2011 is not a huge mountain mover like "Drought" was over the last twelve months- but rather, it's a tip of the hat to a remarkable young man from Woodward, who was persistent and did not take no for an answer.  In October 2009, Riley Pagett went to Indianapolis seeking a national office of the FFA organization.  He was not selected.  

He came back home to Oklahoma and OSU- and took inventory of who he was- and what he wanted and how badly he wanted it. In the summer of 2010- he won the right to take another swing at the Blue and Gold Pinata that held the six officer positions for 2010-2011 of the half million member youth organization. Riley went back to Indy in October 2010- seeking one of those six jackets.  He went back, comfortable with who he was and what was in his future.  I like to call it- being comfortable in your skin.  

On that final Saturday of October in 2010- Riley achieved his goal- and then some.  He was not just on team- his was the LAST name called as the National President of the FFA. He lived that dream throughout most of 2011- click here for a visit we had with him in May 2011 at the Oklahoma FFA Convention- it culminated in October of 2011 as he led the 50,000 members and guests at the 2011 National Convention.  We were there- here's our conversation with Riley as everything was poised to kick off in Indy.   

We also have Riley's Farewell Address on the convention stage in Conseco FieldHouse- click here to read our wrapup story with him and to listen to his final comments in a Blue and Gold jacket- proudly representing Woodward and Oklahoma FFA.      

A Final Word on 2011- By Former Ag Secretary John Block 

For this final email of the year- we have for you some words from the USDA Secretary during the Ronald Reagan years in Washington- Illinois farmer John Block.  Secretary Block provides us a weekly commentary that we post on our website Friday mornings- today we have it posted early to allow us to link it to today's email- so click here and enjoy his review of the year that is just about gone.