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USDA has pulled inspectors and shut down a central California slaughterhouse that processes cull dairy cows- after an animal welfare group provided video to the agency that showed a very abusive atmosphere for these cows.   

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association released a statement Tuesday evening condemning the treatment of the animals that was shown in the video- Dr. Dave Daley of California State University calling the treatment "disgraceful and not representative of the cattle community." The NCBA statement offers their support to the USDA for suspending the operation of that plant tp allow them to sort out what has been going on in this cull cow processing plant. Click here for the NCBA statement as released.  

Meanwhile, USDA's Al  Almanza, the Administrator of the FSIS, says in an agency news release that  "Our top priority is to ensure the safety of the food Americans feed their families. We have reviewed the video and determined that, while some of the footage provided shows unacceptable treatment of cattle, it does not show anything that would compromise food safety."  He adds an aggressive investigation continues.

Click here for more on the USDA statement about their investigation, as well as a link back to the Compassion over Killing website which has the video that is very disturbing. 

Cotton Condition Continues to Decline Without Adequate Moisture 

The OSU Cotton Comments newsletter reports drought continues to take its toll on the 2012 cotton crop. Significant chances of rainfall were forecasted over the past weekend, but little if any materialized over much of the cotton growing area. Based on Mesonet data, some parts of Caddo and Harmon Counties picked up some beneficial rainfall. Triple digit heat has finally disappeared from the forecast and a few rain chances are still noted for several days for the next week. Based on 30-year "normal" temperatures, we have passed the date (around August 10th) when high temperatures have peaked and begin to decline.

Results from IPM Extension Assistant Jerry Goodson's monitoring of 25 program fields indicate that as of this week, all have encountered "hard cutout" (bloomed through the terminal). Recall that the "Jackson County irrigated" sites (in the Lugert-Altus Irrigation District) were actually "dryland" as no water was available this year. Many irrigated fields had a bloom period of about 4 weeks. Dryland fields crashed rapidly toward hard cutout. This indicates that for many locations, yields will be disappointing.

For a link to the Cotton Comments newsletter, click here.

Clock Begins Ticking On EPA Decision Regarding RFS Waivers; Georgia Governor Files Waiver Request 

Ethanol industry advocates say the clock requiring the EPA to consider requests for a waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard will begin ticking today. The Renewable Fuels Association said the EPA has acknowledged the receipt of petitions from governors in Arkansas and North Carolina. Once that acknowledgement is published in the Federal Register, the EPA has 90 days in which to rule on the request.

The Renewable Fuels Association maintains the RFS program is working and no waiver is needed. The association says about 2.5 billion RFS credits have accumulated of the past two years as a result of ethanol blending above RFS requirements to provide extraordinary flexibility for oil refiners to meet RFS targets. Together with ample ethanol supplies and slower than expected gasoline consumption, these credits make the RFS workable through the 2012/2013 corn marketing year according to the RFA.  (You can read more about RFA's position by clicking here.)

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal applied to the EPA for a waiver Monday saying, "Georgia is experiencing severe economic harm during this crisis, and important economic sectors in the state are in serious economic jeopardy. This harm is precisely of the type, character and extent that Congress envisioned when it granted EPA authority to waive Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) applicable volumes..."

Deal becomes the fifth governor, and first Republican, to request that EPA waive the RFS, joining the governors of Maryland, Delaware, North Carolina and Arkansas.  (Click here for more from Gov. Deal.)
 

As Food Prices Rise, NRDC Offers Tips to Cut Food Waste from Farm to Table

Americans are throwing away 40 percent of food in the U.S., the equivalent of $165 billion in uneaten food each year, according to a new analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council. In a time of drought and skyrocketing food prices, NRDC outlines opportunities to reduce wasted food and money on the farm, in the grocery store and at home.

"As a country, we're essentially tossing every other piece of food that crosses our path - that's money and precious resources down the drain," said Dana Gunders, NRDC project scientist with the food and agriculture program. "With the price of food continuing to grow, and drought jeopardizing farmers nationwide, now is the time to embrace all the tremendous untapped opportunities to get more out of our food system. We can do better."   

NRDC's issue brief - Wasted: How America is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm To Fork to Landfill - analyzes the latest case studies and government data on the causes and extent of food losses at every level of the U.S. food supply chain. It also provides examples and recommendations for reducing this waste.

Click here for more.

Korean, Japanese Markets Continue to Grow for U.S. Meat Exporters

Two southeast Asian countries are turning out to be very good customers for U.S. meat exports says Phil Seng, president and CEO of the U.S. Meat Export Federation. Seng recently spoke with us at the Summer Cattle Industry Conference in Denver.

"In Korea right now they're very concerned about food inflation. We're just seeing today that as far as wheat and as far as beans they've gone down to zero duties in that regard.

"We did very well last year in Korea because, number one, they had this terrible effect from foot and mouth disease. It really affected their pork herd. They lost over 30 percent of their pork herd, so they were really short of protein, period. So we ramped up very heavily in Korea both from the beef and the pork side. But the numbers are down a little bit this year because we did so well last year."

"But that market still is a growth market. We deal with a lot of people in the trade there. They want our product, so we see the Korean market on the ascent as far as our exports.   We're doing very well in Korea." 

Catch more of Phil Seng on the Beef Buzz by clicking here.

Canola TV-Seed Availability and Selection with John Stotts

As the planting window for winter canola draws ever closer, John Stotts, seed and agronomy advisor for Winfield Solutions and Croplan, says it's time for producers to be selecting their seed and booking their orders.

He says producers have been pleased with three canola varieties offered by his company:   HyClass 115W, HyClass 125W and HyClass154W.

"One-fifteen is probably the best for the first-time canola grower. It's really forgiving. It tolerates low pHs where guys can't afford to lime on rent ground, that kind of thing. You're going to give up a little bit of yield potential."

Stotts estimated that the number of canola acres in Oklahoma may be double the number from last year. So far, he said, seed supplies are holding out, but stocks of Croplan's HyClass115 are starting to get a little tight. 

Click here for the latest installment of Canola TV.   CanolaTV is a service of PCOM- Producers Cooperative Oil Mill and is an effort to get information out to wheat producers and others about making canola a part of a rotation with wheat here in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas.  

This and That- ProFarmer Crop Tour Confirms Poor Crop, Pollard Farms 15th Annual Female Sale Cometh and AFR Meetings Going Well 

Chip Flory, in his review of Day 2 of the Western Leg of the Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour- sums it up pretty well- "Unfortunately, we found exactly what we feared would. A poor corn and soybean crop in Nebraska." Flory adds that USDA has already told us that we have a much reduced 2012 crop in their August Crop Production report. "Honestly, this is all we really need to know about the 2012 crops: They're too small. We're not going to produce enough corn or soybeans to meet all the potential demand."  Click here to read more from Chip after his Tuesday tour in Nebraska.    And-  We also have a link to Brian Grete's review of Day 2 from the eastern corn belt- click here for that- a day that saw a calculation of 113 bushels per acre for the 2012 Indiana corn crop. 

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The 15th Annual Pollard Farms Female Sale kicks off this Sunday, August 26, at noon at the ranch in Waukomis.  The sale will feature 120 Angus lots featuring donor dams and Elite Genetic Matings, Fall ET yearling heifers, Spring ET Heifer calves. Spring pairs, Spring Bred Heifers, and Fall Bred Cows and Heifers.  Click here for more on the 2012 Female Production sale at Pollard Farms that happens this coming Sunday.   

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The American Farmers & Ranchers have had great August area meetings thus far- three down and three to go- with attendance very strong in Elk City, Chickasha and Fairview.  Three more meetings are planned for the balance of this month- August 23rd in Wilburton, August 27 in Perkins and August 30th in Tishomingo.  AFR President Terry Detrick says the crowds have been great and lots of ideas have been flowing at each meeting- to learn more about this grassroots process with this oldest of farm organizations here in our state- click here.