Almost Two-Thirds of Oklahoma Now in Severe to Extreme Drought 

Drought in Oklahoma continued to expand with all but a tiny sliver of southern Love County now being designated as Moderate Drought or worse. The percentages for severe to extreme drought in the state has jumped dramatically in the last seven days from just over 38% to more than 64% in those two categories of the dryness ranking. This latest Drought Monitor update- as seen above- shows that none of Oklahoma is considered to be in exceptional drought- compared to almost 43% of Oklahoma that was in that worst drought category one year ago.

Nationally- the July 17, 2012, U.S. Drought Monitor map showed increases in the area of the United States in all categories of drought, setting a record for the third consecutive week for the total area of the country in drought during the 12-year history of the map. As of July 17, 53.17 percent of the country was in moderate drought or worse, up from 50.92 percent a week earlier. You can see the latest National Drought Monitor Map at the bottom of this story.

"We continue to see drought spreading and intensifying," said Brian Fuchs, climatologist and U.S. Drought Monitor author at the National Drought Mitigation Center, based at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. "Even though we've made improvements in places like Texas where they've had rain, drought has expanded in other areas, like eastern Iowa."

Click here to see the latest Oklahoma drought map, and to read more details on this story. 

Noem and Welch Lead Bipartisan Group of 62 Urging Vote on Farm Bill- Still No Decision on Floor Time Made by the Speaker   

Reps. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) are leading a bipartisan group of 62 House members urging House leaders to bring the Farm Bill (H.R. 6083) to a vote before August. The House Agriculture Committee passed the Farm Bill by a strong bipartisan vote of 35 to 11 on July 12th.

In a letter to Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Noem, Welch and their colleagues are requesting floor time to consider the bill so that it can be debated, conferenced, and ultimately passed into law before the current Farm Bill expires on September 30th. The letter is signed by 38 Republicans and 24 Democrats.    

In their letter, the members write, "The message from our constituents and rural America is clear: we need a farm bill now. We ask that you bring a farm bill up before the August District Work Period so that the House will have the opportunity to work its will. We ask that you make this legislation a priority of the House as it is critically important to rural and urban Americans alike."

You'll find the full text of the letter and a full list of the signers on our website.  Go there by clicking here.  

The late word as of Thursday evening was that there is still no decision on floor time for the 2012 FARRM bill as passed by the House Ag Committee a week ago.  In the weekly National Association of Wheat Growers newsletter released Thursday afternoon- NAWG says  "As of Thursday afternoon, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), who effectively controls the floor schedule along with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), had not made a decision about floor time."   

Besides the letter we mentioned, NAWG says other pressure continues to be applied- "Calls for House consideration of the bill this summer, which is necessary to finalize new farm and food policy by the time current law expires on Sept. 30, also continue to come from farmers and rural constituents through Hill visits and calls, media interviews and social media using the hashtag #farmbillnow. 

House Version of Farm Bill Has Advantages Over Senate Version, AFR President Says

Terry Detrick, a farmer from Ames, Oklahoma, and the president of the American Farmers and Ranchers Insurance, has been keeping an eye on the 2012 farm bill as it makes its way through Congress. He recently spoke with Ron us about how his members see the debate shaping up.

"We like the House version much better than we do the Senate version. And one of the primary reasons we do is because the House version includes some target prices. You know, so many times it's easy for us to get lured into the thoughts that oil prices are pretty good now and we'll never see low prices again. That's never been the case. And we will see low prices again. The House version recognizes that."

Though farmers and ranchers may prefer the House bill here in Oklahoma, it is not very popular with liberals in Washington, Detrick says.

"One of the things that's unpopular about with it in Washington , D.C., is how many cuts they gave to the nutritional programs, that they gave a lot more in the House than the Senate did, but there's absolutely zero intent to deprive anyone of food to eat. All that the House bill does is to try its best to close some abuse loopholes. And there have been abuses. And they have addressed those extensively." 

Terry Detrick has a lot more to say about the drought and the upcoming AFR state meetings.  You can hear our conversation by clicking here.  Terry will also be my guest on "In the Field" this Saturday morning about 6:40 on News 9.

Study Supports Need To Reform Ethanol Production Mandate, Livestock and Poultry Groups Say

In response to a new economic study on the impact of corn ethanol production on food prices and commodity price volatility, a coalition of livestock and poultry groups is urging Congress to reform the federal Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), which mandates the amount of ethanol that must be produced annually.

Conducted by Thomas Elam, Ph.D., president of FarmEcon LLC, an Indiana agricultural and food industry consulting firm, the study found that federal ethanol policy has increased and destabilized corn, soybean and wheat prices to the detriment of food and fuel producers and consumers.

The RFS, first imposed in 2005 and revised in 2007, this year requires 15.2 billion gallons of ethanol to be produced. Most of that amount is blended into gasoline at 10 percent. 

"The increases we've seen in commodity prices are strongly associated with the RFS mandate," said Elam. "At the same time, we haven't seen the promised benefits on oil imports or gasoline prices. This means that while Americans are forced to pay more for food, they're also not seeing lower prices at the pump; it's a lose-lose situation." 

Click here for more on this story and to find a link to the full study.

Ethanol Producers, Corn Growers Take Exception to Livestock Groups' Stand Against RFS

Corn growers and ethanol producers responded to livestock industry groups testifying in Congress about the Renewable Fuels Standard.

Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis was extremely critical of the poultry and livestock lobbyists who tied higher grain prices to the government's mandate for increasing amounts of biofuels.

"While farmers across the country are dealing with a severe drought, the livestock lobby is spreading misinformation and taking advantage of this crisis by playing on people's fears during a time of economic turmoil. This is nothing more than an orchestrated attempt to place blame on American ethanol producers for rising food prices."

(You can read more from Growth Energy by clicking here.)

"When it comes to the Renewable Fuel Standard for ethanol and other biofuels, now is not the time for changes. It's working. The RFS is revitalizing rural America, reducing our dependence on foreign fuel and reducing the cost of gasoline. Making changes to the RFS now would only ensure that consumers suffer due to significantly higher fuel prices."

(Click here for more from Garry Niemeyer.)

Anderson Says Corn, Wheat May Become Uncoupled in Grain Markets

Kim Anderson, Oklahoma State University grain marketing specialist, says conditions are right for corn and wheat to come uncoupled in the markets. He says the deepening drought and decreasing stocks may have a long-term impact.

"The drought has been responsible for a couple-dollar increase in corn prices and wheat prices, but I think that drought impact is slackening now. I think the market is starting to look at more demand issues, things that are going on in the market, and some supply.

"If you look at corn, they're talking about not having enough corn either to meet our feeding needs or export needs or the ethanol needs. So, something's got to give there. The EPA said that we're not going to reduce EPA standards." 

Anderson said the price of wheat could come uncoupled from the corn price if we lose a little more wheat production.

"I think wheat stocks are tight enough that wheat could divorce itself from the corn price and no longer be a follower and wheat prices could go on up irrespective of what corn does." 

Click here for more of Kim Anderson's analysis of the grain markets.  You'll also find the full lineup for this weekend's SUNUP program on OETA stations. 

'Master of Beef Advantages' Program Increases Sales Through Education

When customers know more about a particular product, sales tend to go up. That's the driving principle behind the Certified Angus Beef "Master of Beef Advantages" program. It is a hands-on effort to educate professionals all along the food chain.

The course includes ranch, feed lot and lab visits and a sales sessions. The 2012 summer class is currently underway.

Instructors have found it hard to convey a ranchers' passion without being there in person. They've also found it difficult to describe cutting techniques from a Powerpoint presentation, so they give the students actual hands-on experiences all along the way.

Check out the video coverage of CAB's MBA program by clicking here.