House Ag Committee Chair Frank Lucas Addresses Farm Bill Rollout After Winning GOP Bid  

Oklahoma Third District Congressman Frank Lucas says passing a new Farm Bill into law was one the key reasons he garnished 83 percent of the vote in the primary election Tuesday. And its not just Lucas, other federal delegates who voted for the Farm Bill also received the majority of the votes in their district with Congressman Tom Cole receiving 84 percent and Congressman Markwayne Mullin receiving 79 percent of the primary election votes.


"That was endorsement by the folks in rural Oklahoma that the 2014 Farm Bill really was in their best interest and was really in the best interest of all farmers and ranchers," Lucas said. "I am particularly pleased with that."


In a interview with Radio Oklahoma Network Farm Director Ron Hays, Lucas addressed the rollout of the Farm Bill. In April the first part of the 2014 Agriculture Act to be rolled out was the Livestock Disaster Assistance programs for cattle producers who have suffered from severe drought and wildfires. Lucas says the program language that came out of conference committee closely resembles the 2008 legislation in order to minimize the amount of rule making and implementation problems USDA has had in the past. He says slowness in getting applications processed are three different software platforms not working together.


"What it amounts to is because everything won't speak to everything else in their computer system, they have had to mechanically do it, to manually fill out the forms," Lucas said.


In talking with US Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, Lucas has been assured the best minds at IBM are working on the problem. Lucas encourages producers to be patient, get an appointment with their local Farm Service Agency office, have the necessary documentation and be prompt in filling out the paperwork. He says it is worth producers time


"For now if its paper and pencil, you still need to do it," Lucas said.   "That's what I tell my neighbors, you still need to go in and do it cause it is just too important to help you overcome what we've been going through in the last three and half years."
 

Hays and Lucas also talked about the rollout of the commodity safety net and potential for additional cuts to nutrition programs. 


Click Here to read or listen to the full interview.  

Lucas Address House Passage of CFTC Re-authorization  

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 4413 - the Customer Protection and End-User Relief Act of 2014 - by a vote of 265 to 144. House Ag Chair Frank Lucas says the legislation reauthorizes the Commodity Futures Trading Commission through 2018 and ensures the agency is working in the most efficient and effective way.


The CFTC is under the jurisdiction of the House Agriculture Committee and it is the organization that has regulatory responsibility for the futures market and derivatives market.


"The Ag Committee in response to some of the I think mistakes made at the commission in recent years, some of the mistakes done in the Dodd-Frank so-called financial reform act, the ag committee has responded in a bipartisan way with a bill that had overwhelming bipartisan support yesterday to try and address those," Lucas said.


"Things like making it easier for folks who use these products to electronically access the activities of the firms that are handling their money, Lucas said. "Trying to make it harder to have another MF Global."  

Click Here to read more about the CFTC Re-authorization.   

US Chicken Producers: Trade Agreements Should Provide Both Access and Enforcement

With the Obama administration actively negotiating new free trade agreements with Asia and Europe, National Chicken Council adviser Kevin Brosch testified before the Senate Committee on Finance today about the effectiveness of the enforcement of any new agreements and the trade agreements the United States already has on the books.


"We are generally supportive of all major initiatives to promote free trade, but we must make sure both our existing agreements and new agreements provide not only strong market access but also adequate means to enforce that access," Brosch said in testimony before the Senate Committee on Finance at today's hearing: Trade Enforcement: Using Trade Rules to Level the Playing Field for U.S. Companies and Workers.


"In our view, the prosecution of the China antidumping case before the World Trade Organization (WTO) represents U.S. trade policy at its best; enforcing those trade rights for which we already have negotiated," Brosch said. 

Current Conservation Stewardship Program Contracts Can Be Extended

Producers with expiring U.S. Department of Agriculture Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) contracts have from July 11 until Sept. 12, 2014 to renew and add conservation activities that will support their natural resource improvement activities and fine-tune their conservation plans.


"CSP farmers are conservation leaders and go the extra mile to conserve our nation's resources," said Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Jason Weller. "The 2014 Farm Bill continued that strong commitment and heightened the program's focus on generating conservation benefits. This program allows landowners to reach the next level of conservation and opens the door to trying new conservation activities."


About 20,000 CSP contracts are reaching the end of their initial five-year contract period and may be renewed for an additional five years when participants agree to take additional conservation actions.  The program provides opportunities for farmers and ranchers who are already established conservation stewards, helping them improve water quality and quantity, soil health and wildlife habitat. Renewal applications will be accepted beginning on July 11, 2014. There will also be another signup in fiscal year 2015. 

For more about CSP Click Here.  

OSU Economist Derrell Peel Talks About Optimism in Cattle Country and How That Impacts Herd Rebuilding

With the rains in June- cattle producers are saying that they have gone from wondering which animals they would have to send to market because they were running out of pond water and grass the first of May to now thinking they have more grass and water than cattle- and now wondering where they can buy a few more animals as we approach the end of June.


Rain brings optimism to cattle producers- especially if it raises the levels of their ponds and allows the grass to grow.


Extension livestock market economist Derrell Peel of OSU says he is hearing the same thing and he will be very surprised if the next government mama cow inventory report at the first of next year does not show we are growing the cow herd for the first time in many years across Oklahoma and the US. Derrell and I  discuss this on today's Beef Buzz.

Click here for the rest of our story and a chance to hear Dr. Peel's comments about herd rebuilding as well as his thoughts on the importance of Hong Kong opening fully to US Beef in recent days. 

Soil Renaissance Plan a Framework to Advance Soil Health

Goals and strategies for advancing soil health were announced today with the release of the Soil Renaissance Strategic Plan. The plan was released today at the World Congress of Conservation Agriculture in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.


Developed with input from thought leaders working in production agriculture, agribusiness, the academic community, NGOs and government agencies, the Soil Renaissance Strategic Plan outlines goals and strategies in four key areas: Measurement, Economics, Research and Education.


"This Strategic Plan is a starting point that will evolve and expand as work is completed, new challenges are identified and more individuals and groups join the Soil Renaissance," said Neil Conklin, President of Farm Foundation, NFP. Farm Foundation and the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation are leading the Soil Renaissance but collaboration among diverse stakeholders will be key to its success.


"For the Soil Renaissance to meet its full potential, it will require multiple individuals and organizations," says Noble Foundation President and CEO Bill Buckner. "Many groups already are working in specific areas of soil health. The Soil Renaissance is a central hub through which people can learn what's now being done, gaps to be filled and ways they can help."  

Click Here to learn more about the Soil Renaissance Strategic Plan.  

Good People to Know- Blaine Lotz, Jessica Wilcox and Kyle Hilbert

In another month, Blaine Lotz will turn twenty one- but he is already celebrating after being declared the best in the world this past Saturday in Iowa.  Blaine won the 2014 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship and says he is ready and excited to be soon heading out on the road to represent the livestock markets of this country (as well as the beef industry) as he makes public appearances over the next twelve months.

While Blaine claims Edna, Kansas as home, he regularly hops across the state line into Oklahoma where he sells cattle for both the South Coffeyville livestock market as well as the Tulsa Stockyards.   

Click here to read more about Blaine winning it all in the 2014 WLAC.

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Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the appointment of seven members to serve on the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Grain Inspection Advisory Committee. The appointees will serve a 3-year term. Among those named to a new three year term is Fairview, Oklahoma farmer and crop insurance agent Jessica Wilcox.

The Grain Inspection Advisory Committee is comprised of 15 members, appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture , who represent all facets of the grain industry. The Grain Inspection Advisory Committee meets annually to advise USDA on the establishment of programs and services under the United States Grain Standards Act.

Click here for more on these appointments by Secretary Vilsack.

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The FFA organization gives birth to a variety of dreams in the young men and ladies who wear the Blue corduroy jacket- to win a livestock show, be the best in a speech contest, develop and run their own successful business, be a world class scientist- the list goes on and on.  For many FFA members- the dream as a Greenhand is to be standing someday on that National Convention stage as one of the National officers of the Blue and Gold.  

Well, Oklahoma has had a great tradition in the National officers that have come from our state- and the dreams of at least one young man towards this goal have a chance to become reality this coming October. Kyle Hilbert of Depew was named a few weeks ago to be the official National FFA Officer Candidate from the state of Oklahoma for 2014- and he will take his best shot at becoming one of six national officers for the coming year in Louisville, Ky the last few days of October.

Kyle served as Northeast District Vice President for the Oklahoma FFA in 2012-2013- and he hopes that his name will be added to a list of twenty FFA members from Oklahoma that have served as a National Officer.  The most recent of those is Riley Pagett from Woodward who served as National President in 2010-2011.  If you want to see the full list of former National officers from the state, click here.