Governor Mary Fallin Appoints New Secretary of Energy and Environment 

Governor Mary Fallin today announced the appointment of Col. Michael Teague to the position of secretary of energy and environment. Teague will begin in his new role on September 3 of this year.  

The position of secretary of energy and environment is new, combining the positions of secretary of energy, previously held by Michael Ming, and secretary of environment, previously held by Gary Sherrer.  

Fallin said the two policy areas are linked, making it practical to combine them under one cabinet post.   

"Strong energy policy is strong environmental policy," said Fallin. "In Col. Teague's new role, his mission will be to help develop policies that encourage energy exploration and production as well as responsible environmental stewardship. His years of experience dealing with energy production and distribution, infrastructure development, and water management will serve him well as Oklahoma's first secretary of energy and environment. I am proud to have him on my team."   

You can read more of this story by clicking here.

Higher Water Quality Means Greater Profitability

The Field to Market alliance is preparing to release a water quality metric to its Fieldprint Calculator. This update includes the integration of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service Water Quality Index and can help growers better understand how their farming systems and practices affect the quality of water flowing off their fields.

"The time, landscape and community in which farmers grow their crops, along with their management decisions and skills regarding inputs and production practices, all play a part in the profitability of a farming operation," said Keith Alverson, NCGA's board representative to Field to Market. "No farmer wants to leave dollars on the field, and the water quality metric in the Fieldprint Calculator will help determine if we are boosting yields enough to cover things like extra fertilizer costs or soil loss. While profitability is import, longevity is a greater priority."

NCGA is involved in proactively addressing potential water quality concerns to avoid a one-size-fits-all regulation that will inhibit the ability of farmers to have adequate flexibility in managing issues unique to their operation. In addition to working with Field to Market, NCGA's Production and Stewardship Action Team participates in the Ag Nutrient Policy Council and Waters Advocacy Coalition, two broad-based coalitions working to ensure the Clean Water Act works for American agriculture.

Click here to read more.     

Texas Cattle Feeders Tackle Price Discovery Problem

One of the growing problems in today's feedlot industry is price discovery. Fewer and fewer cattle are going on the cash market to be priced.  I recently spoke with Ross Wilson, the chief executive officer and president of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, and asked him about how to solve this problem.

"This is an issue that has been cussed and discussed in this industry for years, if not decades. As we have continued to evolve in the way that we produce and market our cattle. There's an interesting situation here: we talk mainly about price discovery, but let's not forget that a lot of this is also about value discovery and those two are very closely related. And some will argue that until you take the hide off and you transact that trade, that exchange with the packer and the beef, do you really know what the true value is?"

He said the NCBA has commissioned a study to determine how low negotiated cash trade can go before you lose true price discovery and what might the alternatives be to live cash trade.

"No one is expecting a silver bullet to come from this, but we're hopeful. I'm optimistic there will be some information and some light shed on this that we will-at some point in the next year or two-be pursuing some different ideas in marketing."

Ross joins me on the latest Beef Buzz.  Click here to go there.

Effective Ag Communications Need to Connect Producers and Consumers Ethically and Morally 

According to Kevin Murphy, owner and founder of Food Chain Communications, agricultural producers are losing the battle. They are losing the battle for the hearts and minds of Americans. Murphy was in Oklahoma City Friday to speak to the International Leadership Alumni Conference. He spoke with me after his presentation.

 He says the communications world has changed dramatically and the agricultural industry needs to change with it. While such campaigns as "Beef. It's what's for dinner" may have worked in the past, they aren't working now. Opponents of the modern food industry have understood the change in the communications paradigm and have been using that knowledge successfully to turn the public against such practices as gestation crates in the pork sector and genetically-modified grains in the farming sector.   

Even before those more recent attacks, Murphy saw an opportunity to help agricultural producers.

"I started Food-Chain Communications in 2007 with the idea of helping people in food communicate. Now, the reason I did that was there was a study done in the late 1990s by Phillip Morris Corporation and it had a graph that showed everybody in our food system communicated to the person they sold to. And then, after that, all communication ceased. My job was to then seize that opportunity and to see that there was now a chance for me to connect farmers to, say, grocers because those people are not speaking to each other in our normal food system enough."

In 2009, Murphy launched Truth in Food www.truthinfood.com a web site devoted to addressing the political, social, philosophical and theological issues that often cascade around food. And that was just the beginning. From building bridges where there were none to fighting misinformation, Murphy has been engaged in helping the food industry stand up and deliver the truth.

Click here to read more or to listen to my interview with Kevin.

Saluting Farm Leader and Friend Jimmy Kinder

We lost a good one this past Friday- and I was sad to receive the news that James Kinder of Walters had passed away this past Friday, just one day after his 79th birthday.   

I met him very soon after I came to Oklahoma back in 1977- he was involved in the group that preceded the formation of US Wheat Associates- Western Wheat- and a member of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission.  I knew him as Jimmy down through the years- and he was one of those folks that I would always keep my eye out for when I went to a wheat meeting, or cattle meeting or Farm Bureau event.  

He always had a word for me about the weather- or how the crops were doing- or his opinions on farm policy.  And he always had a smile and a "come see us" before the conversation would end.  

It's folks like Jimmy Kinder that have made my journey across almost 35 years of being a farm radio journalist here in Oklahoma so enjoyable and I will miss seeing him.

Please pray for the Kinder family, including his wife Trudie and son Jimmy Wayne as services are held later today at the St John Lutheran Church in Lawton.  

Click here for the Obituary from the Hart-Wyatt Funeral Home.