NFU President Says House of Representatives Abandons Rural America 

National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement after U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Eric Cantor's announced that the 2012 Farm Bill will not be brought to the floor before the November elections:

"The 2008 Farm Bill expires on Sept. 30. Congress is well aware of its expiration, and sadly leadership has succumbed to political pressure and will leave with unfinished business. Aside from politics, there is no reason that the House doesn't bring the farm bill to a floor vote. Leadership has chosen to cancel all votes in October.

"The farm bill is a critical piece of legislation to all Americans. It affects 16 million jobs and is the single largest investment in rural America. It is disappointing that leadership has chosen to leave us hanging because of political games.

"Not passing a farm bill now will make it more difficult to get something done in the lame duck session. Farmers need certainty, and without a farm bill in place, we lose that certainty. The agriculture sector is willing to do its fair share, however we need certainty in order to make business and planting decisions for the coming year.

"Other unfinished business includes reforms to the U.S. postal service and issues related to the sequestration process or 'fiscal cliff,' which will result in severe cuts to many non-defense programs."   

One additional farm bill note- check out our Tuesday morning Farm News as heard on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network- we have comments from the top Democrat on the House Ag Committee, Collin Peterson,  who sees Speaker John Boehner as a likely ally in the Lame Duck(if it happens) when it comes to getting floor time for a five year farm bill- which of course, has been the goal of Congressman Frank Lucas of Oklahoma- Chairman of the House Ag Committee.  

Oklahoma Hog Farm Wins 2012 Pork Industry Environmental Steward Award 

An Oklahoma hog farm was one of four pork farms honored with a 2012 Pork Industry Environmental Steward Award by the Pork Checkoff and National Hog Farmer Magazine.   

This year's award recipients are:
* Trail's End Sow Farm, Ames, Okla.
* Future View Farm, Willow Street, Pa.
* Reed Family Farms, Ottumwa, Iowa
* Dahl Family Farm, Dawson, Minn.

The award, now in its 18th year, recognizes producers who demonstrate a firm commitment to safeguarding the environment and their local communities.

The Environmental Steward award winners were selected by a panel represented by pork producers and environmental organizations. The committee reviewed applications from pork producers who are committed to upholding the ideal relationship between pork production and the environment. The applicants' farms were evaluated on their manure management systems, water and soil conservation practices, odor-control strategies, farm aesthetics and neighbor relations, wildlife habitat promotion, innovative ideas used to protect the environment and an essay on environmental stewardship. 

Click here to read more. 

Gluten Free Diets- Not The Best Plan for Most Adults

Research published in the latest issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics indicates there is no benefit for the average healthy adult to follow the gluten-free diet. It also disputes the perception that going gluten-free is an effective way to lose weight.

The paper, "Gluten-Free Diet: Imprudent Dietary Advice for the General Population?" authored by Arizona State University professor and researcher Glenn Gaesser, PhD, addresses common misperceptions about the gluten-free diet and explores the scientific support for following it.

The term gluten refers to protein found in the grains wheat, rye and barley. People affected by celiac disease and gluten sensitivity must avoid all foods containing gluten; currently, the gluten free diet is the only treatment for these conditions. Approximately 1 percent of Americans have celiac disease and another 6 percent are estimated to suffer from gluten sensitivity, yet many others believe going gluten-free leads to good health. 

NCBA Educates Capitol Hill on Devastating Estate Tax Effects

Representatives from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) gave an overview to congressional staff members on the devastating impact of the estate tax on cattlemen and cattlewomen as part of NCBA's "Beef 101" educational series.

"Tackling the death tax is the top priority for NCBA," said NCBA Associate Director of Legislative Affairs Kent Bacus. "The tax directly affects family-owned small businesses, such as farms and ranches, because of the burden it places on families hoping to pass their business on to the next generation."

"Beef 101" is an educational series for members of Congress and their staff. The program was developed to bridge the knowledge gap between elected officials and the beef industry. The session featured a presentation by Bacus, who stressed to attendees that there must be permanency in the tax code. For now, estates worth more than $5 million per individual and $10 million per couple are taxed at a rate of 35 percent.

According to Bacus, 97 percent of American farms and ranches are owned and operated by families, and eliminating the death tax is an important step in stimulating the nation's economy.

Click here to read more about the devastating effects of the estate tax.

Timely Rains Good for Sowing, Insufficient to Ease Drought

In the latest OSU Extension Cow-Calf Newsletter, Livestock Marketing Specialist Derrell Peel says recent rains are certainly welcome, but drought conditions continue across the state.

Drought conditions in Oklahoma remain very severe. The latest Drought Monitor shows that, while a smaller portion of the state is in the worst drought category D4 (40 percent versus 69 percent last year), a larger portion of the state, 95 percent is in combined D3 and D4 categories, compared to 85 percent last year. The water level in stock ponds is decreasing rapidly and lack of water may force destocking soon in some areas. However, much of state received some rain in the last week with total ranging from less than one half inch to over one inch in some areas. A few counties in the northeast corner of Oklahoma received over two inches of rain. This rain will be reflected in the new Drought Monitor but may not change overall drought conditions much.

The rain is, however, very timely for winter wheat planting and will likely get wheat drills running across much of the state. The recent rains provide some topsoil moisture to plant and germinate a crop but subsoil moisture is still very limited. Wheat planted now for grazing will be vulnerable and will require additional timely moisture to continue development and provide fall forage.

Click here for more from Derrell Peel.

Widespread Rains Jump Start Wheat Planting Across Oklahoma

Topsoil moisture improved with rains reported at all Oklahoma Mesonet stations last week and many wheat producers used the opportunity to begin planting. Wheat seedbed preparation was 63 percent complete by the end of last week with eight percent planted. That's slightly behind the five year average. You can check out the full Oklahoma Crop Progress and Condition report by clicking here.

This N That- Burn Ban Removed in 22 Counties, Fat Cattle & Beef Prices Rise and Calendar Reminders

Governor Mary Fallin has pulled the state issued burn ban from 22 Oklahoma Counties.  Those counties removed are from central Oklahoma down into the southeastern corner of the state- plus a couple of far northeastern counties and three in the west central part of Oklahoma.  

Fifty five counties remain under a state-issued burn ban. The change in the burn ban is due to improving wildland fire conditions and comes at the request of Oklahoma Forestry Services, a division of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.

Click here for the map and list of counties impacted by this move by Governor Fallin.

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Our weekly audio analysis provided by Ed Czerwein from the USDA Market News office in Amarillo is up on our website- wholesale boxed beef prices improved slightly this past week while cash feedlot trade occurred midweek and was $2 to $3 better than the week before. Click here to check the numbers and the story behind the numbers provided by Ed.

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Lots of stuff happening right now - and we have a bunch of those items captured on our Calendar page found on our website, OklahomaFarmReport.Com.  For example, the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association is kicking off their Fall Gatherings this week- had one last night in Findley- another one planned for tonight in Dickson and yet another set for Thursday evening in Hobart.   The Oklahoma Nursery and Landscape Association is holding their annual meeting this week in Tulsa- and beef cattle shows are on the docket for the State Fair of Oklahoma. Also at the State Fair- our friends at Monsanto will have their America's Farmers Mobile Experience set up starting this Wednesday through this weekend in Oklahoma City.  This 53 foot trailer turns into an exciting 1000 square feet of interactive opportunity to experience the life of the American farmer.   

There's a LOT of other stuff on our calendar as well- click on the link above to see the full calendar and drop me an email if you have other events that we need to include on our calendar for this fall!