Governors of North Carolina and Arkansas Say Ethanol Mandate is Causing Severe Economic Harm in Petitions to EPA 

North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue and Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe petitioned the EPA to grant a waiver from the ethanol quotas mandated by the federal Renewable Fuels Standard.   

"It is now beyond dispute that our nation is undergoing a severe, prolonged drought that is of historic proportions and is causing widespread damage to many of the most productive agricultural regions in the country," Perdue noted in her petition. The direct harm, she added, was "caused by the RFS requirement to utilize ever-increasing amounts of corn and soybeans for transportation fuel."

"The higher feed costs following the passage of RFS1 in 2005 and RFS2 in 2007 have resulted in a long-term shortage of grain in our nation, especially corn, and are clearly taking a terrible toll on Arkansas' poultry and animal agriculture, potentially forcing reduced production and job losses and increasing food prices for consumers worldwide,"  Beebe said.

Perdue and Beebe joined a long list of recent requests to waive the RFS, including calls from 156 U.S. House members, 26 U.S. Senators, poultry and livestock producers, the United Nations, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and Delaware Governor Jack Markell.  Click here for more on the story and links to their requests.

Mitt Romney Announces 'Farmers and Ranchers for Romney' Coalition 

Mitt Romney has announced his Farmers and Ranchers for Romney coalition. Among his co-chairs is Oklahoma rancher and House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas.

"I'm honored to have so many farmers and ranchers standing with my campaign," said Romney. "They are the backbone of America and play a critical role in ensuring Americans across the country have access to safe and affordable food. The fruit of their labor nourishes the world, and I admire their hard work in harvesting our country's bountiful resources. Our farmers and ranchers also have a critical role in the health of our economy, employing millions of Americans. I'm grateful to have their support in my efforts to turn around the economy and strengthen the middle class."

Commissioner Adam Putnam said, "As Florida's Agriculture Commissioner, I'm proud to be supporting Governor Romney's campaign to get this country moving in the right direction again. While agriculture in America has its own set of unique challenges, farmers are looking for a leader in the White House who knows how the private sector works."

Click here to read more and the see the full list of politcians and national ag leaders supporting Governor Romney. 

USMEF President Invites Coburn to Examine MAP Program More Deeply

It's no secret that U.S. Senator Tom Coburn is a strong critic of the Market Access Program. Under the program, the USDA matches dollars put up by the private sector to promote U.S. agricultural products.  Coburn would like to see the federal matching dollars cut out of the equation. He drew fire earlier this year after offering a report critical of MAP, and authoring an amendment to cut the program's funding from the Senate's 2012 farm bill.

In a recent interview with us, Phil Seng, president and CEO of the U.S. Meat Export Federation, discussed the challenge presented by Dr. Coburn's position.

Seng said he thinks Sen. Coburn is misperceiving the value of MAP. He said he would love the opportunity to go over the program in minute detail with the senator to demonstrate how MAP helps Oklahoma cattle and hog producers.

"I invite Senator Coburn and anybody from his staff that would like to come and see our programs and what they mean to the American producer and the Oklahoma producer in particular-it's significant."

You'll find the full story and our audio interview with Phil Seng by clicking here.  

Senator Coburn and staff- sounds like the ball is in your court on this one. 

Farm Income Expectations Shrivel Under Drought Conditions

After early spring rains, emerging drought conditions wilted Tenth District farm income expectations during the second quarter, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's quarterly Survey of Agricultural Credit Conditions.

At the beginning of the quarter, participation in the southern portions of the District led to a rebound in winter wheat production and farm incomes. Yet, by the end of the quarter, intensifying drought conditions were cutting bankers' expectations for farm income during the third quarter.

Bankers reported that livestock producers were bearing the biggest burden from the drought. Higher feed costs and lower cattle prices from forced herd liquidations were cutting livestock profits. Several survey respondents noted that high crop prices would support crop incomes for producers able to harvest a crop and those that have crop insurance.

Click here to read more on this story, and to access a link to the full KC Fed quarterly report.

Ground Beef Prices Outpace Overall Inflation Rate Over Last Three Years

The price of ground beef broke into record-high territory in July. The average price of lean ground beef in July cost $3.08 per pound, up from $3.01 in June according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's the highest price posted for ground beef since the Bureau began tracking it in 1984.

The price of ground beef had never topped the $3.00 mark until this summer.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics' first report recorded a price of $1.29 per pound in 1984. The increase in ground beef prices over the years has been a little lower than the overall inflation rate, and hit $2.36 in 2009. Since that time, ground beef prices have significantly outstripped the reported inflation rate.

Had ground beef been tracking the reported rate of inflation since 2009, it would now cost $2.52 per pound instead of $3.08.

The price of ground chuck also hit a high in July, at $3.45 per pound. The price of chuck also grew more slowly prior to 2009, then made up for lost time after that.

It took 18 years for the price of lean and extra lean ground beef to climb from $2.18 per pound in 1991 to $3.43 per pound in 2009. Since that time it has tacked on an extra 68 cents per pound and now sells for $4.11 per pound.
 

Oklahoma 4-H Foundation Hosts 50th Anniversary Homecoming Celebration

The Oklahoma 4-H Foundation is turning 50! On Sept. 22, past and present 4-H'ers will be invited back to Oklahoma State University to honor the Foundation at its 50th Anniversary Homecoming Celebration and to enjoy a fun-filled, casual celebration that will feature a barbecue lunch with time to reminisce with friends, educators and mentors. Attendees also will have an opportunity to tour the brand new, multi-million-dollar OSU athletics facilities.

"Oklahoma 4-H has such a rich history, and we have some of the best alumni in the country," said Jim Rutledge, the executive director of the Oklahoma 4-H Foundation. "The purpose of the Foundation has always been to support 4-H, and we would like to invite all former 4-H'ers back to reconnect with each other and with this amazing organization that has helped so many of us succeed."

When the Oklahoma 4-H Foundation was founded in 1962, it listed less than $14,000 in assets. Today, the Foundation has more than $6 million to devote to promoting 4-H, sending 4-H'ers and volunteers to conferences, and giving awards and scholarships to deserving members and alumni. Each year the Foundation gives $50,000 in college scholarships alone. 

There's more to this story on our website.  Click here to go there. 

Dates to Remember- Tomorrow for COF, August 24 for Range Roundup and September 8 for Diamond Hats 

One year ago- there was a significant surge of cattle placed into US feedlots because of drought conditions here in the southern plains of the US- and with that as a number to compare with- it is expected that the placements number in this week's USDA Cattle on Feed report will be substantially under that of 2011- average pre report guess is eight to nine percent fewer cattle were placed into feedlots in July of this year versus July 2011.  Dow Jones has also polled analysts on marketings and on feed totals- the average pre report guess comes in around one percent larger than a year ago on marketings- and total on feed numbers as of August first to be unchanged to perhaps one percent bigger than last year.  The USDA will release their numbers on Friday afternoon at 2 PM central time.

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The 28th Annual Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association Range Roundup is about a week away- set for August 24 and 25 at the State Fair Arena in Oklahoma City.  Sixteen of the great historical ranches across Oklahoma will be competing this year- real cowboys competing in real-world events for recognition, pride and bragging rights!  Click here for more details about this tremendous event that is just around the corner.  

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If you don't have your tickets as of yet for the 2012 edition of the Diamond Hats Ball- you need to call the Oklahoma Youth Expo RIGHT AWAY and get er done. This year's event is quite a bit earlier than the 2011 event that was held in November- but it's the same great event- as these ladies will be recognizing the Agriculture Academic All Staters as well as awarding honors to several outstanding women involved in agriculture in the State of Oklahoma.   

Please note the venue has changed for this year- the Ball has been moved over to Midwest City and the Reed Convention Center- which has attached to it the Sheraton Hotel.  If you want to come into OKC for the Ball- you can make reservations at the Sheraton- enjoy the Ball and not have to worry about driving anywhere at the end of the evening.   

If you have a last minute item that you want to donate for the silent auction- or if you want to buy tickets- call the OYE office at 405-235-0404.