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After easily passing the Oklahoma House last week by a 84 to 6 vote, next stop for HJR-1006 is the state Senate- and State Representative Scott Biggs has high hopes it will be quickly heard in Committee and then approved by the full Senate.

According to the language in the measure passed by the House this past week- the Resolution would take to the vote of the people this fall a proposed constitutional amendment that "protects the rights of farmers and ranchers to engage in modern farming and ranching practices. It prohibits the Legislature from passing laws that would take away the right to employ agricultural technology and modern livestock production." Click here for the latest version of the legislation. 

The principle Senate sponsor is Senate Ag Committee Chairman Eddie Fields.  

This past week- State Representative Biggs talked with Sam Knipp of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau about the measure- Here's the link to the You Tube Video. 

Diamond Hats Step Up to Support Exhibitors at the Oklahoma Youth Expo 

All during the Oklahoma Youth Expo--and long before it begins each year-there is a group of women from all walks of agriculture that dedicate their efforts to supporting the young people who exhibit their livestock at the OYE. They are known as the Diamond Hats.

Lacey Dale Gracia, an executive board member with the Diamond Hats, tells Radio Oklahoma Network's Farm Director Ron Hays that the group had its beginning in 2005. 

"It was the brain-child of Marilyn Harrel, Bob Funk, and the late Justin Whitefield. They really wanted to create an organization that ladies could step up and find lots of creative ways to financially raise the funds and support the kids in and out of the show ring."

They do that in a big way each year with a gala in the fall. In concert with the OYE each spring, they hold a silent auction during the Sale of Champions. Gracia says they raise several thousand dollars during the auction that they immediately spend on the exhibitors that night at the sale.

Click here to listen to my interview with Lacey, or to read more of this story.

Our 2014 Multi Platform coverage of the OYE is powered by Devon Energy and by the 2014 Title Sponsor of the Expo, McDonald's.   

There's more coverage of the OYE below and can also be found on our Blue Green Gazette page- plus you can jump over to the Flickr set of pictures we are building- already more than 200 pictures from the opening three days of competition! Click here for our set of pictures on Flickr.

Kim Anderson Points to Basic Supply and Demand to Explain Rising Wheat Prices

Wheat prices continued to climb this week, capping a $1.50 upward move since February. Kim Anderson, Oklahoma State University Extension Grain Marketing Specialist, tells SUNUP's Lyndall Stout there are several factors impacting those rising prices.

"Of the underlying factors, the first thing is the tight wheat stocks. You've got hard red winter wheat stocks about 28 percent below the five-year average on the ending stocks. You've got total wheat well above 20 percent below average on the stocks. Then you've got dry conditions throughout the hard red winter wheat area. We're hearing more and more about a potential drought. We do have moderate drought throughout Oklahoma and it keeps moving east."

He says other factors include a report out this week showing a moderate drop in soft winter wheat acres this year, concerns over spring planting difficulties in Australia, and difficulties with the crop in Ukraine. 

Click here to read more and to listen to Kim Anderson's analysis. 

Strong Cattle Profits A Feature of the FAPRI Look at the Decade Ahead for Agriculture

A report from the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri looks ahead to the next decade based on the market information available in January of this year. It also incorporates several key provisions of the new farm bill - though it is noted that the analysis required some assumptions about how the bill would be implemented and how farmers would respond to the new options provided. 

The figures reported in the baseline briefing represent the average of 500 alternative outcomes based on different assumptions about the weather, oil prices and other factors. Among the results - prices for most crops are likely to remain below recent peaks - with projected corn prices over the next ten years at about four-dollars per bushel under average market conditions and soybean prices around 10-dollars per bushel. 

The report also projects a four-million acre decline in planted corn area for 2014 - with the area devoted to soybeans and several other crops increasing. While lower prices discourage producing on marginal acres - the FAPRI analysis says more normal weather conditions this spring could allow land not planted in 2013 to return to crop production.

Click here to read more.  

Oklahoma 4-H Foundation Announces Clover Day Fund Drive

The Oklahoma 4-H Foundation is hosting its first-ever Clovers for the Clover Day 24-hour fundraising event on March 17, St. Patrick's Day.

Donations raised through the event will be used to support 4-H programs across the state.

The campaign will be conducted online.  You can go to the foundation website by clicking here.  Donors can then click on the "Donate to 4-H" tab and choose to pay by credit card or PayPal.

The first $2,000 raised will be matched by SJB Linings and Dave and Lori Mathena. Donors can also find other matching opportunities on the website.

 

Global Roundtable Aims to Nail Down 'Sustainable Beef' Concept

Sustainability means different things to different people. 

"If we're not sustainable in what we do, we're out of business," said Nebraska cattleman Bill Rishel. "Many of us in the cattle business grew up thinking of sustainability as making enough money to keep ranching the next year. Of course that meant we had to care for our natural resources and manage them in a responsible way.

"That's not as obvious to today's consumer," he said, "so we need to be part of this movement to redefine the concept." 

To some, it's about increasing efficiency, to others it centers on land management. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCAB) did an assessment on the topic, and issued a comprehensive report last year. 

You can read more about this sustainability initiative on our website by clicking here.

This N That- OYE 2014- Purebred and Commercial Breeding Gilt Results, Weekend Rain and Monday Fire Danger and We NEED Horses!!!!

We were busy well into the evening hours on Friday and again on Saturday in covering the breeding gilt show of the 2014 Oklahoma Youth Expo.  Both divisions had just under a thousand females competing for top honors.

In the Purebred Breeding Gilt competition- the Supreme Champion of the Purebreds was the Champion Hampshire- shown by Gavin Seibold of Cement 4-H, while the Reserve Purebred Champion was shown by Cobey McLemore of Anadarko FFA- winning with his Champion Yorkshire. Click here for our full story on the Purebred breeding gilts. 

The Supreme Champion Commercial Breeding Gilt was shown by Haley Traxler of Tuttle FFA, while the Reserve Supreme Commercial Breeding gilt was shown by Noah Irwin of Hartshorne FFA.  Click here for the full results and listing of all 60 commercial  gilts that qualified for the gilt sale on Wednesday evening.  

Our Coverage of the 2014 OYE is powered by Devon Energy and Title Sponsor of the 2014 OYE- McDonald's.

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If you live in southeastern Oklahoma- good for you as you likely got an inch of rain or more over the weekend- both Ada and McAlester topped three inches!  Northwestern Oklahoma rainfall totals in the tenths and for some folks- only in the hundreths.  

AND- for western Oklahoma- there is the worry and concern of EXTREME Fire Danger for today- click here to review the maps and graphics of both the rainfall and the Fire Danger for this St Patrick's Day.  

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The Oklahoma City Farm Show is just around the corner- April 3rd thru the 5th at State Fair Park- and we need a couple of horses for the training sessions that will be part of the daily schedule- offered once again by horse trainer Scott Dailey.   

If you have a horse that has some attitude problems- has not been fully broke or otherwise is in need of some training by one of the best in this part of the world- drop me an email by clicking here or give me a call and leave details about your horse- your name and phone number and we will have Scott make contact with you and he will see if your horse might be one of those he will be working at the 2014 OKC Farm Show- in that round pen that we plan to once again give away on Saturday afternoon at State Fair Park.  To enter- you have to either go by the horse training sessions or by our booth in the Cox Building.  Phone number to call me is 405-841-3675.