Agriculture Keeping Eye on Prop 37 Vote in California on November 6 

California could become the first state to require labeling of any food sold in the state containing ingredients made from genetically modified crops. California voters will make that decision on November 6th and polls have shown strong support for Proposition 37. But as the vote nears - that support appears to be waning. A new survey by the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy and the California Business Roundtable shows support for the so-called Right to Know measure has dropped from 66.9-percent to 48.3-percent in just two weeks. The survey shows opposition has increased to 40.2-percent - up from 22.3-percent.

Both sides have taken to the air waves to tell their message.  The pro Prop 37 forces are relying on emotion and feeling good about what you feed your family- the "no" forces are looking at the inconsistencies in how Prop 37 is written, suggesting it would be a nightmare to enforce, very costly and would provide few benefits back to consumers.

Even if the voters of California decide against mandatory labeling - pressure is mounting on the federal government to tighten regulation of GMO crops and the foods they become. A national labeling campaign is underway. The Center for Food Safety filed a legal petition seeking mandatory labeling for GMO foods last year. The Food and Drug Administration has received more than 1.2-million comments in support of that petition. The Organic Consumers Association said last week it was delivering a petition with the backing of 200-thousand consumers calling on President Obama to require labeling. In addition - 14 states considered new bills on labeling or banning GMO foods last year. Federal regulators have repeatedly deemed any labeling or regulatory safety testing unnecessary.

Click here to go to our website where you'll find comprehensive coverage on this contentious issue.  We've posted both the pro and con commercials as well as links to both organizations, the text of the proposition itself, and an interesting op-ed piece from the Los Angeles Times.

SNAP Program Number One Offender of Government Waste in Coburn Report 

U.S. Senator Dr. Tom Coburn released a new oversight report on Tuesday, "Wastebook 2012" that highlights more than $18 billion in examples of some of the ways the Junior Senator from Oklahoma contends that taxpayer dollars were wasted in 2012.

In dollars "wasted," the number one offender identified by the Coburn report was the SNAP program(known for years as Food Stamps). The report says "the SNAP program funded by the USDA wastes $4.5 billion per year. Lax controls and mismanagement allow expenditures for food, luxury drinks, soap operas, junk food, alcohol, diapers, and guns."

Of course, the nutrition program is at the heart of the major differences between Democrats and Republicans  within the 2012 Farm Bill debate.  You could say that this divide is a key reason why we had no vote in September in the US House on the Frank Lucas authored House Ag Committee Farm Bill.  Many Democrats were very upset over the level of proposed cuts that the bi partisan House Ag Committee bill set for nutrition spending- $16 billion over ten years. They contend that's too much.  Many Democratic Senators have vowed to oppose that level if the bill passes the House and should be adopted in a Conference Report later in the process.

At the same time- you have conservative Republicans mad about the levels- saying the $16 billion is not nearly enough- demanding $32 billion in cuts over ten years.  That level would almost certainly invoke cardiac arrest with most Democrats in Congress- note that it's still not addressing the level of waste that Coburn contends is in the SNAP program- $45 billion figured over ten years. 

It's the divide over the Nutrition title of the House Ag Committee Farm Bill proposal that may prove to be the undoing of the deal worked out by Lucas with his Blue Dog Ranking member Collin Peterson of Minnesota.   

While agriculture was not mentioned in the Presidential debate on Tuesday evening- food stamps were- as Governor Romney spoke of 47 million Americans now receiving them.  He cited that number as an example of a weak economy that needs fixing.  

Back to the Coburn report- the Senator has lots of programs he singles out- click here to read our story, look at video coverage of the report nationally and link over to the report itself.   

Wheat Pasture Demand and Limited Feeder Supplies Support Stocker Prices 

Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, assesses cattle markets in the latest edition of the Cow-Calf Newsletter.

Calf prices in Oklahoma jumped as much as $10/cwt. last week with stronger stocker demand and limited supplies both contributing factors. Feeder cattle auction volumes in Oklahoma are down 26 percent over the last six weeks compared to last year. A year ago, fall stocker calf prices increased counter-seasonally into early December. Conditions are right for similar support to stocker calf prices this fall. However, given that calf prices are already at high levels and the corn price is sharply higher this year, stocker prices may move up only a bit more or hold mostly steady near current levels.   

Some parts of Oklahoma received significant rain this past weekend that will solidify stocker demand in some areas. Rain fell in a swath from central into the northeastern part of the state and across much of the southeast region. Most of the wheat is planted and some areas may have grazeable wheat by early to mid November. However, the north central, northwest and southwest areas received little rain and remain critically dry. Variable moisture conditions across the state means that wheat stocker demand will likely be spread out across the next few weeks as wheat pasture develops at different rates.

Click here to read more.

Three Million Miles Later, Ethanol Still Delivers in NASCAR

When NASCAR's top drivers began the "Chase" for the coveted Sprint Cup Championship this year, they hit a major milestone for both the sport and for American Ethanol, racing more than three million miles fueled by a 15 percent ethanol blend.

"Since the 2011 racing season, NASCAR drivers have seen a considerable increase in horsepower thanks to Sunoco Green E15," said Richard Childress Racing driver and American Ethanol spokesman Austin Dillon. "Reaching three million miles on this proven renewable fuel is yet another testament to the quality and value of ethanol for my fellow American drivers both on and off the track."

To increase awareness of the many benefits of ethanol, the National Corn Growers Association and Growth Energy formed the American Ethanol partnership with NASCAR in 2011. Over the past two seasons, every car in every NASCAR race has been powered by 15 percent ethanol. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races have all showcased the incredible reliability and performance that 15 percent ethanol fuel blends offer.

You can read more by clicking here.

OSU Students Earn Scholarships in Block and Bridle Contest

Oklahoma State University livestock judging students recently competed in the annual OSU Block and Bridle contest, October 11th.

Katie Duysen was the High Individual Overall and earned the coveted Bob Totusek award for her outstanding performance. Rounding out the top ten were, Marissa Garside who was named the 2nd High Individual Overall; Mark Sims, 3rd; Chris Hall, 4th; McKenzie Clifton, 5th; Morgan Meisenheimer, 6th; Jamie Bloomberg, 7th; Jake Warntjes, 8th; Dalton Newell, 9th; and Chastin Leggett was 10th overall.

Individual division winners included, Mark Sims as the High Individual in Sheep; Chris Hofschulte was the High Individual in Swine; Morgan Meisenheimer was named the High Individual in Cattle; and Maverick Squires was the High Individual in the Oral Reasons division.

Over $2,500 of scholarships were earned by these students at this event. The team now looks forward to its final two contests at the American Royal in Kansas City, Mo., November, 3rd and then on to the National Championship contest in Louisville, Ken., on November, 12th.

 

Taiwan, China Offer Tremendous Opportunities for U.S. Beef

U.S. Meat Export Federation President and CEO Philip Seng has just returned from the Greater China region, where he examined current market conditions for beef and pork.

His first stop was Taiwan, which had been one of the fastest-growing markets in recent years for U.S. beef exports, setting new value records every year from 2006 to 2010. Beginning in early 2011, beef trade suffered a major setback due to Taiwan's zero-tolerance policy on ractopamine use.

Recently, however, Taiwan adopted a maximum residue level (MRL) for ractopamine residues in both imported and domestic beef, similar to the policy used in many other foreign markets. Seng says this policy change has rejuvenated buyer interest in U.S. beef across several commercial sectors in Taiwan, and created a much more favorable business climate.

With regard to mainland China, Seng notes that economic growth has slowed somewhat from the torrid pace China had seen in recent years. But this shouldn't cool the U.S. meat industry's interest in the market, because China still offers tremendous opportunities.

Phil Seng joins us for the latest Beef Buzz.  Click here to go there. 

Crop Insurance Workshop Set For November 2nd in Enid

Producers, crop insurance agents, agricultural lenders, marketing consultants, educators, and other risk management service providers will all benefit from the 2012 Crop Insurance Workshop scheduled for Nov. 2 in Enid.


Presenters at the workshop will explain the common land unit acreage reporting plan and provide an update on the status of the farm bill and its implications for 2013 decision-making. They will also assess the economics of land rentals and discuss the implications of drought on grain marketing strategies.


The workshop will be conducted at the Autry Technology Center in Enid.

Click here for more details- there is a break in the price if you register on line instead of at the door.