American Farm Bureau's Bob Stallman Calls for Tax Changes 

Farmers and ranchers need tax certainty to thrive in a modern economy, and making permanent deductions that expired in 2013 is a good first step, the American Farm Bureau Federation told the House Ways and Means Committee yesterday.

"One of the major goals of tax reform should be to provide stable, predictable rules for businesses so that they can grow and create jobs," American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman said. "Farm Bureau believes that Congress should end its practice of extending important business tax provisions for one or two years at a time. This practice makes it very difficult for farmers and ranchers to plan and adds immense confusion and complexity."

Stallman addressed the committee as part of a hearing addressing the economic disruption caused by the end of a series of tax deductions over the past several years. Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) recently introduced a discussion draft of the Tax Reform Act of 2014 in an effort to stimulate discussion of how the tax code could be simpler and fairer, while at the same time aiding economic growth, job creation and wages.

In written testimony submitted to the Committee, Stallman called for extensions of several now-expired deductions to benefit the economy as a whole, including: 

--        Section 179 expensing, which allows small businesses to write off immediately capital investments of as much as $500,000 instead of depreciating them over several years;

--        A $1.00 per-gallon tax credit for production of biodiesel and renewable diesel fuels;

You can read more of this story on our website.  Please click here to go there.

 

NCBA, NPPC Voice Concerns Over Australia-Japan Bilateral Trade Agreement 

With U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman in Japan this week and that country recently concluding a free trade agreement with Australia, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and the National Pork Producers Council yesterday again called on Japan to eliminate all tariff and non-tariff trade barriers for U.S. agricultural products as part of the ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade talks.

The TPP is a regional negotiation that includes the United States, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam, which account for nearly 40 percent of global GDP.

"The Japanese need to eliminate tariffs on pork and other U.S. farm products," said NPPC President Dr. Howard Hill, a pork producer from Cambridge, Iowa. "Japan is asking for special treatment in the form of exempting myriad tariff lines from tariff elimination, yet tariff elimination is the heart of an FTA."  (You can read more of the NPPC's response by clicking here.) 

INCBA President Bob McCan, a Victoria, Texas, cattleman said, "NCBA is deeply concerned that the Bilateral Trade Agreement between Japan and Australia does not call for full tariff elimination. This Bilateral Agreement undermines the long-standing goals and principles that are the base of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). This development only pushes the high-standing ideals of TPP further out of reach for all countries involved, and it is not a move that U.S. beef producers can support."  (Click here to read the rest of McCan's statement.)

Senator Stabenow: Advanced Biofuels to Grow Economy, Create Jobs, Lower Prices at the Pump

Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, yesterday said that advanced, non-food based biofuels are critical to growing our economy, creating jobs and lowering prices at the pump for American consumers. Stabenow noted the 2014 Farm Bill, which was signed into law in February, included a robust energy title which is helping farmers and businesses to increase production of energy from non-food sources, boost rural economies and spur continued growth of a new, domestic energy sector that will reduce the need for foreign oil.

"We've heard for years that advanced biofuels are just around the corner. Well, we're here. We're at the point where it's actually happening," Chairwoman Stabenow said. "American companies are creating jobs and growing rural economies while producing advanced biofuels, which ultimately help us become more energy independent and lower our gas prices at the pumps."

Stabenow pointed to an Iowa State University study which found that using ethanol reduced the cost of gas by 89 cents across the country, and by as much as $1.37 in the Midwest.

You can read all of Stabenow's opening comments to the Senate Agriculture Committee by clicking here.

Growth Energy's Tom Buis applauded Stabenows leadership on biofuels.  You can read his statement by clicking here.

 

Oklahoma Emergency Drought Relief Fund Helping Farmers and Ranchers

Farmers and ranchers in five Oklahoma counties are putting practices on the ground to help provide water for livestock and repair pastures damaged by the ongoing drought thanks to cost share dollars provided through the Oklahoma Emergency Drought Cost Share Program according to Kim Farber, President of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts (OACD).

"We're glad these dollars are out in the hands of agriculture producers and that they're able to get them on the ground to address this crisis," Farber said. "The drought is slowly tightening its grip across Oklahoma, but parts of Southwest Oklahoma and the Panhandle never escaped the grasp that it held on all of us a year ago. We just hope that the dollars producers are using now can help alleviate some of the damage that has taken place."

Created by the Legislature in the spring of 2013, the Oklahoma Emergency Drought Relief Fund provides funding for drought relief in the form of cost-share dollars for farmers, ranchers, and other landowners and grants and loans to communities, rural water districts, and fire departments.

Click here to read more of this story.

 

Beef Quality Assurance Training Free for Cattle Producers Through April 15

Only one week remains to become Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certified and take advantage of the free offer from Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. (BIVI). Visit www.BQA.org/team to take advantage of the open certification period through April 15, 2014. Anyone who works with cattle - whether it is beef or dairy - or transports cattle is encouraged to become certified.

BIVI will pick up the $25-50 certification fee for beef or dairy producers who are interested in becoming certified or recertified during this period. And, as an added incentive, anyone who becomes certified this week will be entered to win a personalized farm sign.

"The BQA program raises consumer confidence through offering proper management techniques and a commitment to quality within every segment of the beef industry," says Sugie Sartwelle, beef producer, livestock trucking company owner and former auction market operator from Sealy, Texas. "Producers have embraced BQA because it is the right thing to do; but they have also gained through increased profitability. As an educating program, BQA helps producers identify management processes that can be improved."

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

 

BigIron.com Revolutionizes Heavy Equipment Auctions; We Talk with Mike Wolfe

Unquestionably, technology has changed forever the way we do things. One area that might not seem too amenable to radical change would be the buying and selling of heavy equipment, right?

Nothing could be further from the truth, says Mike Wolfe, BigIron.com's district manager for Oklahoma, northern Texas and New Mexico. He took a few minutes to talk with me at the recent Oklahoma City Farm Show. 

The easiest way to describe Big Iron might be to say it is ebay on steroids. The website offers farm, transportation and construction equipment for sale each week. Wolfe says the service has smashed all expectations and now gets more than seven million hits each month on Google.

You can catch my interview with Mike or read more of this story by clicking here.

There are 773 items up for bid in today's auction which begin closing at 10 a.m.  Check out this week's auction as well as those coming up each week by clicking here.  If you'd like more information on buying or selling, give Mike a call at (580) 320-2718.

 

OSU Meats Judging Team Brings Home the Bacon!

The OSU Meats Judging Team has brought a National Championship back to Stillwater, winning the National Title at the 2014 Meat Animal Evaluation Contest in Lubbock, Texas, defeating the other 11 teams from universities all over the United States. 

The team placed 1st in the overall contest, 1st in the Market Animal Division, 1st in the Cattle Division, and 1st in the Communication Division. The team placed 2nd in Meats, 2nd in the Breeding Animal Division and 2nd in Swine. The team placed 3rd in the Sheep Division.

Team members include Kyle Wilson, Wilkinson, Ind.; Shannon White, Stillwater, Okla.; Morgan Neilson, Meeker, Colo.; Ashley Judge, San Louis Obispo, Calif.; Taylor Graham, Crossville, Tenn.; Kelly Vierck, Juneau, Wis.; Jake Bloomberg, Berwick, Ill.; Gary Agar, Santa Rosa, N.M.; Cody Johnson, Meeker, Okla.; Katie Kirsch, Fremont, Ohio; Austin Kindschi, Orlando, Okla.; Taylor Langford, Calhoun, Ga.; Mari Palacio, Bend, Ore.; Kurt Parsons, Ducor, Calif.; and Kass Pfeiffer, Orlando, Okla.


Wilson was high individual overall, placing 2nd in the Market Division, 2nd in Swine, 3rd in Meats and 5th in cattle.  

Click here for more on the contest and details of how the rest of the team placed in Lubbock.