Whitson Era at OSU's Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Draws to a Close 

Dr. Bob Whitson's seven-year tenure as Dean and Vice President of the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resouces at Oklahoma State University draws to a close with his retirement effective July 31st. He has served in that position and as vice president/director of the two state agencies administered through the division: the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station and the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service.

Whitson recently spoke with us about his time at OSU and the legacy he will leave behind. He said one of the most important achievements is the broad-based communication the university enjoys with a variety of agricultural groups, industries and organizations.

"I think our folks have become more and more aware of these great organizations and groups that we need to listen to. We've got a dean's advisory council that provides a lot of input to us and they've been marvelous across the state to bring issues, to talk about things, 'Bob, here's some things you need to look at.' So, I think communications between what's going on in the state, looking at our land grant mission, and saying 'How do we do the best job with that?'"

Whitson said he is also pleased with the breadth of the whole division which now deals with agriculture and natural resources.

"We put a new department out there dealing with wildlife issues, range issues, certainly fisheries and forestry. Those things are all natural resource oriented and when you look at, certainly the spread of the red cedar and fire dangers, and the fire problems, and the impact of potential endangered species on what it might do to wind energy, for example. There were just so many things out there that needed to be in one department to help focus, to help address them and we've got some great faculty brought into that area."

Click here to read more or to listen to the full interview with Bob Whitson. 

Oklahoma Crop Conditions Continue to Deteriorate Due to Drought 

Temperatures continued to soar across Oklahoma last week with average highs from 99 to 104 degrees. Heat continued to take its toll on pasture land and livestock water sources, with 64 percent of pastures in poor or very poor condition in this week's Oklahoma Crop Weather Report.

Thirty-five percent corn across the state was in poor or very poor condition. Thirty-four percent was good and 30 percent was fair.

Fifty-four percent of soybeans were in poor or very poor condition with 32 percent in fair condition and 14 percent in good condition.

Fourty-two percent of the sorghum crop was listed in poor or very poor condition with 38 percent listed as fair and 20 percent in good condition.

Peanuts were the only bright spot in this week's report with 71 percent in good to excellent condition.  Click here for the Oklahoma Crop Weather Report.

Conditions in Kansas continued very dry, with two percent of the corn acreage harvested for grain by Sunday, the earliest corn harvest in Kansas history.  Click here for the Kansas report.

Corn and Soybean Crop Ratings Continue to Fall- As Do Pasture Ratings Across the Heartland

The downward path of corn and soybean condition ratings continued Monday with 48% of the nation's corn and 37% of the soybeans now rated poor to very poor. Last week 45% of the corn was rated poor to very poor, compared to this week's 48%. Reports are streaming in from the midwest daily of dead and dying fields, fields being zeroed out for crop insurance purposes, fields being chopped for silage where possible. And in some cases, it's not.

Missouri remains the worst state in the country of the major corn producing states in the condition of its crop- eighty three percent of the Missouri corn crop is now rated poor to very poor. Indiana actually improved two percentage points in the latest week- climbing up from 71% poor to very poor to 69% poor to very poor this week. The Illinois corn crop looks very rough at 71% poor to very poor, while hot dry weather in Iowa even pushing hard on their corn crop condition, which slipped eight percentage points in the last week- now standing at 46% poor to very poor.  

Pasture and range conditions show no sign of slowing the ratings decline- with another two percentage point increase in the poor to very poor category. The latest readings nationally show 57% of the US pasture and ranges are in poor to very poor shape. Missouri is on the verge of being universally awful- now at 98% Poor to very poor versus 96% in the week ago report, while Kansas slides further in the pasture and range ratings- up another two percentage points from a week ago to 88% poor to very poor. Arkansas saw a two percentage point improvement because of recent rains- but remains at 84% poor to very poor rating. By the way- the flash drought of very dry and extremely hot across Oklahoma has slammed our pasture ratings- a week ago we had pasture range ratings of 52% poor to very poor- this week they are at 64% poor to very poor.  

You can read more about current crop conditions as well as find a link to the full USDA report by clicking here. 

Ag, Conservation Groups Oppose Extension to Current Farm Bill As Chairman Lucas and GOP Leadership Face Uphill Battle

The fate of the one year extension to the 2008 Farm Law is very much in doubt this morning- as House and Senate Ag leaders (Frank Lucas, Collin Peterson, Debbie Stabenow and Pat Roberts) will meet today to look at the possibility of proposing Disaster Assistance for Livestock Producers as a stand alone package- as opposition has mounted to the one year extension has surfaced from all directions. David Rogers with Politico.com wrote about that meeting that is planned for this morning- adding  "Lucas himself wants to move ahead with a five-year bill and has been put in a difficult spot by his leadership."   

One of the articles from earlier in the day yesterday on the Roll Call website suggests that GOP leaders may be forced to withdraw the one year extension.  Keith Good with FarmPolicy.Com has a good overview of the latest from several news sources with boots on the ground in DC- click here for his latest update which details the uncertainty of getting anything done before Congress bails out of Washington for the next several weeks- leaving the fate of a Five Year 2012 Farm Bill very much in doubt.   

The American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union, and several conservation groups including the National Association of Conservation Districts, and American Farmland Trust came out against the extension tied to Disaster Aid for Livestock producers, preferring instead the five year plan already developed and approved in the House Ag Committee.

"A one-year extension offers our farm and ranch families nothing in the way of long-term policy certainty," said AFBF President Bob Stallman. You can read more from the AFBF by clicking here.

The coalition of conservation groups opposes the extension measure because it takes funds from the conservation title to pay for drought assistance.

"Of course we understand the need to respond to the drought and to the challenges and hardships it poses to farm families, but it makes little sense to pay for the emergency program almost entirely with cuts to the Conservation Title which represents a small proportion of the overall bill," stated the groups. You'll find more from the conservation groups, including a link to their letter to House Speaker John Boehner by clicking here. 

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson said his organization "would support an extension only if the next step is to conference a comprehensive five-year farm bill before the Sept. 30 expiration date."  You can read more of his comments here. 

Pork, Poultry, Beef Coalition Petitions EPA to Waive RFS Because Of Drought

As drought conditions become the worst in 50 years and corn yields are expected to drop significantly, a coalition of meat and poultry organizations asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to waive the federal mandate for the production of corn ethanol."

In a petition delivered to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, the coalition asked for a waiver "in whole or in substantial part" of the amount of renewable fuel that must be produced under the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) for the remainder of this year and for the portion of 2013 that is one year from the time the waiver becomes effective.

In a news conference, representatives of the National Pork Producers Council, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, the National Turkey Federation, and the National Chicken Council detailed their request for the EPA waiver.

You can read more from the coalition and listen to their comments from the news conference by clicking here.

Ethanol Supporters Push Back Against Livestock Producers' Call for RFS Waivers

Ethanol supporters were quick to push back against a petition from livestock producers asking the EPA to waive Renewable Fuel Standards requirements and free up more corn for feed.

Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy, said, "Higher corn prices facing livestock and poultry users is a result of Mother Nature, not ethanol. To try and blame the ethanol industry is disingenuous and absurd. We have never run out of corn and this year will be no different. While there is no doubt this year's crop yield will be reduced, it is premature and irresponsible to blame ethanol for a lack of rain." You can read more from Tom Buis by clicking here.

National Corn Growers Association President Garry Niemeyer said his group stands ready to fight to maintain the RFS obligations.

"NCGA stands firm in its support of the Renewable Fuel Standard and will strongly oppose legislation to alter or repeal the RFS. Likewise, we believe it is premature for a waiver of the RFS provisions at this point. With the crop still in the field, it is too early to determine this year's final corn supply.

"However, we recognize the severe impact of the drought on our farmers and our customers, here and abroad, with livestock, poultry, ethanol and other processing facilities, and we believe the flexibility of the RFS does work, and will work." Click here for more from Garry Niemeyer.

Cornyn, Grassley Celebrate 'Meaty Monday'

The offices of U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) celebrated 'Meaty Monday' with barbeque beef brisket, ribs, and sausage from Hill Country BBQ restaurant. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees our nation's ranchers and farmers, recently encouraged its employees to boycott meat on Mondays:

"In some of the toughest times they've seen in recent memory, Texas cattle ranchers and farmers deserve an Administration who works with them, not one who undermines them with boneheaded decisions from bureaucrats in Washington," said Sen. Cornyn.

"This is a reminder to USDA that it's supposed to advocate for American agriculture, not against it," Sen. Grassley said.