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There are a lot of signals that have come "on background" as well as have been reported by Roll Call, Politico, DTN and others- and virtually all of those signals point to a likely release of a Farm Bill Conference Report later today, with the hope to allow the House Leadership to schedule a vote on Wednesday of this week.  Senate action could follow in the next couple of weeks.  

David Rogers with Politico explains the mood of the ship- "

"Going into Sunday night, disputes continued over livestock regulations. But afternoon staff briefings were already being held on the proposed agreement, and the hope was to call the conferees together for their signatures on Monday.

"Indeed, the mood was such that no one believed any longer that more time would help; instead, it was judged better to grab the opportunity for House action this week. And if the farm bill is filed Monday night, the leadership is proposing to call it up as early as Wednesday, a fast turnaround for a measure given up as dead by many just months ago."

Phillip Brasher with Roll Call and CQ tweeted Sunday evening that "Farm Bill Conference Report due Monday evening- BUT COOL, King and GIPSA not settled yet."  The reference to King is the Steve King amendment that would prohibit states from  issuing regulations on how ag products may be produced in other states in order to be sold in their own state- if that regulation is at odds with federal regs.  This measure is in response to the California law that will dictate how the chicken industry may produce eggs that extends to processors outside of California.  

If the Conference Report is released later today- it will be historic as it will be a major reform in the federal farm safety net, it will greatly consolidate and streamline conservation programs and it will rein in the huge runup in nutrition spending seen in the first term of the Obama Administration.  

Keith Good with Farm Policy.Com has a good overview on this Monday morning- click here to read- and be watching our tweets as well  as our website during the day to see what develops- if something breaks- we hope to be visiting with Chairman Frank Lucas and will be posting him comments assuming a conference report is issued.

A couple of late issues that seen to be sensitive- one is payment limits, which apparently could be higher than some of the earlier numbers that have been considered- and that has the National Sustainable Ag Coalition firing off a statement over the weekend calling payment limits in the 2008 Farm Law "fake" and that its time they be made "real."  Click here to read their concerns and last minute appeal to lawmakers.

AND- down in our seventh story of this email- you have supporters of COOL as it now is screaming about opposition to the Farm Bill Conference Report if COOL is messed with- the group in his case is the US Cattlemen- but you also have the National Farmers Union and R-Calf USA making the same noises.  

Senate Candidate Lankford Wants to Be Seen as a Solver of Government Problems 

Less than a week after announcing his candidacy to serve the last two years of Tom Coburn's Senate seat, Congressman James Lankford sat down and talked with me about why he is running for the US Senate- and what the guiding principles will be if he is selected as the GOP candidate in June and wins the November general election. 

Lankford was elected as the fifth district Oklahoma Congressman a little over three years ago- and he says his entrance onto the political stage was really a "total life interuption." Before running for Congress, Lankford had served in the ministry for 22 years until he felt God's Call on his life to enter politics. After serving one full two year term and the first half of a second term, Lankford feels that call again- this time to move from the House to the Senate. He see the Senate as a place to make a difference in several areas, including confirmation of Judges, oversight of Cabinet Officials as well as oversight of the regulators and the regulations that many believe are choking America's way of life. 

Lankford says he is not against government, but believes in limited government and believes that his conservative ideas line up with most Oklahoma citizens and the concerns they have about how they live their life and want government to function. The Congressman said that he wants to not be seen as one who just complains about the issues, but as one who rolls up his sleeves and finds ways to solve the problems facing government. 

Click here for my interview with Congressman Lankford.

Feedlot Numbers Five Percent Smaller Than at Start of 2013

The first USDA Cattle on Feed Report of 2014 shows a five percent smaller set of cattle in US Feedlots as of January first of this year versus January 1, 2013. While that shows the tightness of the US beef supply, it may still not be enough of a reduction to satisfy the trade, since analysts were looking for a six percent cut in feedlot numbers on Friday.

Placements were also higher than what the pre report guesses were indicating- with the USDA number one percent larger than a year ago (December 2013 versus December 2012) while the analysts had an average guess of two percent less than a year ago.

According to the official text of the Friday report: Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 10.6 million head on January 1, 2014. The inventory was 5 percent below January 1, 2013. The inventory included 6.78 million steers and steer calves, down 4 percent from the previous year. This group accounted for 64 percent of the total inventory. Heifers and heifer calves accounted for 3.73 million head, down 8 percent from 2013.

I talked with Tom Leffler about this latest report and you can catch our conversation in the latest Beef Buzz by clicking here.  

Milo May Replace Corn in 2014 Spring Planting Mix Across Oklahoma- Rick Kochenower Says

As grain producers in the state's drier areas seek to maximize their profitability with minimal water, OSU Extension Agronomist Rick Kochenower says more and more farmers are looking toward grain sorghum. 

Kochenower and other grain sorghum experts will be presenting their annual northwest Oklahoma grain sorghum meetings and tours beginning January 27 and running through January 31.

Grain sorghum has struggled recently to maintain acreage in Oklahoma, but has been getting a second look by producers because it is a water-efficient crop, Kochenower said.

"It is very water efficient. The last couple of years kind of demonstrated that. We had some outstanding yields in the state last year kind of in a line from Enid to Lawton. East of that line of heard of some 170-bushel yields that producers had on their fields. I had plots that made 140s and 160s, so I had some really good sorghum... So, everything I'm hearing, grain sorghum acres are going to go up dramatically in north central and northwestern Oklahoma. Corn acres are going to drop. How much? I don't know."  

4-Her Baylor Bonham Hits $132,500 Payday for His Grand Champion Steer, Slugger, in Denver  

The 2014 Auction of the Junior Livestock Champions brought in record numbers with the top eight animals total sales exceeding last year's total by $43,500- commanding $322.000. The highest bids went to the Grand Champion Steer owned by Baylor Bonham, which sold for an all-time record of $132,500 and the Reserve Grand Champion Steer, which sold for $71,000.  

Destinee Johnson of Frederick had the Grand Lamb- selling for $30,000 while Beau Davis of Guthrie had the Reserve Grand Lamb which sold for $13,500. 

These three young people from Oklahoma grabbed over half of the total proceeds bid on the top eight animals, as 4-H and FFA members from the state were the owners of the Grand Champion Steer, the Grand Champion Lamb and the Reserve Grand Champion Lamb. Traditionally, Oklahoma youth have done well at the National Western, as you have to go back to 2007 to find the last time that no one from Oklahoma had either one of the Grand Champions or Reserve Grand Champions in the junior market show.


In the case of the Grand Champion Steer, it was second time in three years that young Baylor Bonham had the very best steer at the National Western. At the age of 11, Baylor showed the Grand Champion Steer at the 2012 National Western and had a $106,000 payday two years ago.  

Click here to read more and to see a picture of Baylor with his steer, Slugger.  

On our App, we have this story in our 4-H/FFA section and we have included pics of all three winners from Oklahoma 

Farm Bureau Reiterates Opposition to EPA's Lowered RFS Proposal

The American Farm Bureau Federation this week stated its opposition to the Environmental Protection Agency's 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard requirements, which would scale back the total amount of biofuels that must be blended into the nation's gasoline supply. AFBF responded to EPA's Federal Register notice for public comment.

The proposal lowers the mandate to 15.2 billion gallons of renewable fuels. Of the 15.2 billion gallons, 13.01 billion gallons would come from conventional ethanol and 2.2 billion gallons from advanced biofuels. EPA is proposing that 1.28 billion gallons of the advanced biofuel target be biodiesel.

"This decision strikes a blow to conventional ethanol production and dampens the prospects for the further development of advanced biofuels," said AFBF Executive Director of Public Policy Dale Moore. "EPA's proposal will severely move away from achieving the goals that were set by Congress to create a more robust renewable fuels industry as well as a pathway to achieving energy independence from unstable regions of the world."

You can read more of this story by clicking here. 

USCA Hints at Farm Bill Opposition if Changes Made to COOL

United States Cattlemen's Association (USCA) President Jon Wooster issued the following statement Friday regarding the ongoing farm bill conference negotiations:

"USCA remains steadfast in its support of the U.S. country of origin labeling (COOL) as implemented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on November 23, 2013. Any action by Congress to alter or repeal COOL in the farm bill currently being negotiated will affect USCA's support for the overall bill. COOL will reduce consumer confusion at the point of retail and it provides U.S. ranchers with a label that differentiates their product. These are goals that consumers and ranchers overwhelmingly support.

"USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) continue to relay that the revised COOL regulations implemented on November 23, 2013 bring the U.S. into compliance with a ruling by the World Trade Organization (WTO). Congressional intervention in COOL is unwarranted and would only disrupt the WTO process that is currently underway. We urge Congress to support U.S. producers and consumers by rejecting any amendments to the farm bill that would alter or repeal the program."

You can read the rest of this story on our website by clicking here.