On Thursday afternoon, leaders from the four groups that gather for Commodity Classic annually met here in Nashville- and they came away with what one fellow reporter called a "plain vanilla" statement on what they want to communicate to the House and Senate Ag Committees as they start to organize for a farm bill run this spring.

The joint statement says "Commodity Classic provides our organizations an opportunity to come together to discuss important policy issues facing our industry. As Congress continues work on the next farm bill, our organizations agree that an affordable crop insurance program is our No. 1 priority. We also stand ready to work with House and Senate Ag Committee leaders to create farm programs that provide risk-management tools to growers when they are facing a loss beyond their control. 

"We urge Congress to pass a new farm bill this year to provide the level of certainty in America that a short-term extension cannot.The nation is currently facing record high federal deficits and this requires difficult decisions. We stand ready to do our part to develop more efficient farm policy that will be responsive to taxpayers and effective in helping farms remain viable and productive."

We have talked to several of the leaders involved- and you can jump over to our website and hear comments from wheat, sorghum and corn- we featured Dana Peterson's comments yesterday- click here for that story to review her thoughts on crop insurance and the revenue based support that might go with it- click here for our conversation with JB Stewart, Vice Chairman of the National Sorghum Producers and the one Oklahoma producer who is in the national leadership of the four groups- and click here for our visit with National Corn Grower President Garry Niemeyer from Auburn, Illinois- talking farm and ethanol policy with us.

Herbicide-Resistant Weed Control. How Do We Go Forward? 

Herbicide resistant weeds are becoming a tremendous problem nationwide. And Andrew Wargo III sees the problem firsthand on a daily basis. Wargo is the business agent for Baxter Land Company out of Watson, Arkansas. It's an 18,000 acre operation growing cotton, rice, soybeans, corn, grain sorghum, wheat, and hybrid catfish.

Wargo spoke with yours truly at the Bayer Crop Science Ag Issues Forum in Nashville. He says weed resistance is a very serious issue and the days of easy farming are over.

While the problem may seem enormous, Wargo says it is manageable, but the solutions are far from easy. He says we first have to understand the problem. You have to understand the nature of the enemy and its strengths and weaknesses.

"You see them referred to as smart weeds or super weeds. Biologically, the weeds haven't changed. In any species in nature, there are a few items that don't follow the norm. We have selected for resistance by eliminating all those weeds that the chemical would control. The ones that are left thrive because they are very hardy and there's no competition."

You can read more of Wargo's comments or listen to our full interview by clicking here.

Lucas to Kick Off Farm Bill Field Hearings Next Week

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas announced a series of field hearings on the 2012 Farm Bill to take place throughout March and April. The first one is scheduled for upstate New York with other stops slated for Illinois, Arkansas and Kansas. The hearings will give members of the committee the opportunity to hear firsthand how U.S. farm policy is working for farmers and ranchers in advance of writing legislation.

The field hearings are the next step in the farm bill development. Last June, Chairman Lucas began the effort when the Agriculture Committee held 11 audit hearings on agriculture programs to look for ways to improve programs for farmers, increase efficiency, and reduce spending. The information gained from the audits combined with perspective from the field will serve as a useful reference for Committee Members.

"Field hearings represent one of the best parts of writing the farm bill because it gives us a chance to see the countryside and visit with folks who are directly impacted by our policy decisions in Washington. Agricultural policy affects every American; ensuring that our farmers and ranchers have the necessary tools they need to continue to produce an affordable and stable food supply is as important to our country as national defense. It's critical to all of us that we get it right. I look forward to hearing from our producers and from those who live and work in rural America," Chairman Lucas said.

For the full schedule of field hearings, click here. 

Committee Votes to Streamline Hauling Regulations for Ag Producers

Oklahoma's agriculture producers in border counties would face less red tape when hauling livestock or other products under legislation approved by a House committee earlier this week.

House Bill 1485, by state Rep. Dustin Roberts, would allow the Commissioner of Public Safety to negotiate compacts with other states to implement a system of motor vehicle law reciprocity for agriculture producers. Under those agreements, the agriculture producers would be subject only to the motor vehicle laws of the state in which they resides so long as they are within 150 miles of their residence.            

"Because each state has different size-and-weight regulations for vehicles, it creates a lot of headache and bureaucratic red tape for farmers in border counties to worry about when they transport livestock or food products," said Roberts, R-Durant. "Under House Bill 1485, they will only have to worry about one set of rules as long as they are relatively close to home."            

House Bill 1485 was approved on a 15-0 vote of the House Public Safety Committee this week. It now advances to the floor of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.  

Okeene Students Win National Dairy Council's 'Fuel Up To Play 60' Challenge

Students from Okeene Elementary School were awarded a special appearance by St. Louis Rams player and Bethany native Chris Chamberlain recently as Dairy MAX winners of Fuel Up to Play 60's local "Show Your Spirit Challenge."

The Show Your School Spirit Challenge encouraged students to get everyone excited about making healthy food choices and being physically active, then upload a video, photo or essay that demonstrated how they enacted the Challenge. Fourth grade students at Okeene Elementary created a video "Road to Success" to highlight their commitment to be healthy and to "Fuel up to Play 60."

Fuel Up to Play 60 is an in-school nutrition and physical activity program created in partnership the National Dairy Council, Dairy MAX and the National Football League in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture that encourages students to eat healthy, be active and implement positive, healthy changes at school. This program reaches more than 1,000 schools in Oklahoma with Fuel Up to Play 60 grant funds.

You can read more or see Okeene's winning video by clicking here.

Chip Flory with Pro Farmer is "comforable" with 94 million acres of corn- but adds soybeans making late pitch for acres

As March 2012 arrives, the battle for acres in the United States is in full swing- and according to Chip Flory with Pro Farmer, he believes that we will have more acres going into corn for the 2012 planting season. At Commodity Classic in Nashville, we caught him in the hallways of Opryland's Convention Center- and we talked corn, soybean and cotton acreage numbers for the upcoming planting season.


Flory believes that 94 million acres of corn, which a lot of analysts have been predicting, is very doable. He's less comfortable with a higher number of perhaps 95 million acres planted to corn this season- saying that would be a stretch. Flory adds that there has been some movement of acres in recent days- as February has seen soybean prices rally as the market is trying entice more acres into the oilseed. One area that could see this market effort succeed is where both cotton and soybeans can be grown- including in the mid south. 

Read more- and most importantly, listen to our conversation with Chip Flory from Pro Farmer on the final aspects of our 2012 battle for acres among the spring planted crops- click here for our story with the audio between Chip and I.  

The Mantel Wine Bar and Bistro Joins Legendary Restaurants of Oklahoma

The list of Legendary Restaurants of Oklahoma is enhanced this week with the inclusion of the Mantel Wine Bar and Bistro. Located at 201 E. Sheridan, it offers award-winning fine dining in the heart of the historic Bricktown Entertainment District in downtown Oklahoma City.

It has been recognized by Cornell University as one of the country's finest gourmet restaurants. It offers a wonderful culinary encounter and a casually-elegant dining experience. It joins past Cornell University honorees including New York City's Tavern on the Green, Emiril's in New Orleans, and The Ritz Carlton in San Francisco. Cornell's prestigious school of hotel administration recently sent a team to the Mantel Wine Bar and Bistro for several days to sample the restaurant's menu, observe the presentation of the food, interview the chef and staff, and document procedures. 

To buy a $50 gift certificate to the Mantel for only $25, click here. 

Cornell University then flew two representatives to Ithaca, New York, to recreate the restaurant's unique experience there as part of its Cross Country Gourmet Extravaganza. There, several thousand people were treated to a taste of Oklahoma City that is uniquely the Mantel Wine Bar and Bistro.

To learn more about the newest Oklahoma's Legendary Restaurant, click here.