House Members Request Report on Cost of Lesser Prairie Chicken Conservation 

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (OK-03), House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04), and 12 Members of Congress recently sent a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack asking for a copy of a report, as required by law, on the cost and effectiveness of the Department's conservation measures for the lesser prairie chicken.


The Agricultural Act Conference Report, passed by the House in January and signed by the President in February (P.L. 113-79), requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture to submit the report within 90 days. More than 150 days have elapsed, and the Department has not provided a copy of the report to Congress.


"This report is perhaps even more important now, following the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) decision in March 2014 to list the lesser prairie chicken as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In our view, it is unfortunate that this listing, driven by the Department of the Interior's settlement deadline negotiated with certain groups, proceeded despite the FWS' approval last fall of a comprehensive five-state rangewide plan that is already demonstrating positive results for the lesser prairie chicken," wrote the Members in the letter. "We request that your Department provide this report immediately to appropriate Committees as required by the law, so that millions of private landowners, states and other stakeholders that are investing significant resources for conservation of this species can ensure that the cost and effectiveness of federal programs are being properly accounted for, and to provide Congress information it requested prior to the listing."


Click here to read a full copy of the letter.

US Ethanol Industry Claim They Produce Lowest Cost Motor Fuel  

Ethanol produced in the United States has been the most economically competitive motor fuel in the world over the past four years and has played an important role in reducing consumer fuel costs, according to a new analysis released this week by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA).


The analysis, conducted by ABF Economics, examined actual wholesale prices paid for ethanol, gasoline, and alternative octane sources in several key U.S. and world markets in the 2010-2013 timeframe. Based on the market data, the report concludes that "...U.S.-produced ethanol is an exceptionally competitive additive and fuel source..." and that "...U.S. ethanol has emerged as the lowest cost transportation fuel and octane source in the world over the past several years."


Commenting on the analysis, RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen said, "As proven by the recent boom in exports, American-made ethanol has evolved into the most cost competitive transportation fuel and octane source in the world. Through rapid technology adoption and innovation, U.S. producers have proudly earned the distinction of being the global leader and low-cost producer of clean-burning, renewable ethanol."

Click Here to read more about ethanol's impact on gas prices.  

Soil Health Supports Human Health

Participating today on a panel addressing the topic of soil health at the annual summer conference of the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), Jay Vroom, the president and CEO of CropLife America (CLA), stressed the importance of soil health to the health of human beings. "The health of one of our most precious natural resource, soil for farming, directly correlates to the overall health of the human population," stated Vroom. "Human nutrition, which is better-supplied today than ever before by U.S. farmers and ranchers, is directly reliant on healthy soils. The environmental outcomes of farming are likewise at their best when our soils are healthy.


As more attention is paid to soil health, the direct linkage to human health is an important message to convey to the public, Vroom noted. "The vast majority of the U.S. population is so far removed from the farm that it results in frequent misconceptions about farming practices. Yet since the 1985 Farm Bill, the public has greatly benefited from consistent and effective public policy designed to advance soil conservation. Forward-thinking farm policy designed to improve soil health and 'on the ground' conservation practices have contributed far more to the public good than many other grand, federal-level initiatives."


Vroom suggested that the collective voice of modern agriculture take the message of soil health advancement to the public and directly tie it to parallel improvements in human health. "We've certainly had great innovation in soil conservation during the last 30 years, and more is coming. Now, as we see greater attention paid to the entirety of the soil profile, including more specific focus on the full spectrum of soil microbes and the interaction of the organic and mineral composition of soil, we will have even more amazing stories to tell the public," Vroom commented.

Conference Empowers Women in Ag and Business

The 2014 Oklahoma Women in Agriculture and Small Business Conference aims to empower women to solve issues and concerns of importance to them, their families and communities. This year's conference will be taking place August 7 - 8 at the Moore-Norman Technology Center in Oklahoma City. Sara Siems is an Extension Assistant for Risk Management Education at Oklahoma State University and she serves as the state coordinator for the event says this conference offers women a well-rounded educational experience. We talked with her as final preparations are being made for the 2014 Conference.


"I think this conference is great for women in agriculture in Oklahoma because the topics really span the gamut," Siems said. "We have traditional agriculture topics, we have alternative enterprise topics so people interested in honey bees or herb production, we also have business and finance topics for women that want to learn more in that area as well."


This year's keynote speakers are Jane Jenkins-Herlong, a professional speaker, Amazon "best-selling" author and humorist, and Matt Rush, a fourth-generation farmer and cattle rancher and professional speaker who conducts leadership and motivational seminars. A number of concurrent sessions will be offered during the conference. Siems says the sessions set out to build awareness and skills.

Click here to hear my conversation with Sara and to read more about the conference.  For registration forms you can click here by calling the OSU Department of Agricultural Economics at 405-744-9826.    

Selk Says Stockpiled Bermudagrass Can Reduce Winter Feed Costs

Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University Emeritus Extension Animal Scientist, writes in the latest Cow-Calf Newsletter.


Harvested forage costs are a large part of the production costs associated with cow-calf enterprises. An Oklahoma State University trial had the objective to economically evaluate stockpiled bermudagrass. The research found that this practice can reduce cow-wintering costs. Forage accumulation during the late summer and fall is variable from year to year depending on moisture, temperatures, date of first frost and fertility. The OSU research has found that 50 to 100 pounds of actual nitrogen fertilizer per acre applied in the late summer has produced 1,000 - 2,000 pounds of forage per acre. In some ideal situations even more forage has been produced.


Studies between 1997 and 2000 found stockpiled bermudagrass protein concentrations were quite impressive, even after frost. In November, the range of protein content of the standing forage was 13.1% to 15.2% crude protein. The protein held up in December and ranged from 12.5% to 14.7% crude protein and declined to 10.9% to 11.6% crude protein in January.


To make best use of the stockpiled forage, supplementation with 2 pounds per head per day of 14% to 25% protein feed beginning in early December is recommended.  

Click here for a list of recommendations for stockpiling bermudagrass pastures for best results and reducing winter feed bills.

This N That - Danger Zone for Cattle Comfort Index, Big Iron Auction and See Ya in Midwest City!

The Oklahoma Mesonet produces several crop and livestock specific decision making products to help farmers and ranchers work with the ever changing weather conditions of our state.  One of the best of these products is the Cattle Comfort Index- which is a bright red for this July 23rd- well up into the Danger Zone for cattle exposed to the heat and the sunshine expected today.   

A reading of 100 is in the Danger Zone for cattle- and we have lots of readings that are 112, 113, 114 and even 115.  Click here for the Mesonet location where you can navigate the Cattle Comfort Index- you can get information at the state level or right on down to the local level based on your closest Mesonet site.

And- here is today's graphic- a good reason to pay heed to what Dr. Michelle Calvo-Lorenzo was telling us yesterday on the Beef Buzz.  

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It's Wednesday- and that means the Big Iron folks will be busy closing out this week's auction items- all 245 of them- starting at 10 AM central time.     

Click Here for the complete rundown of what is being sold on this no reserve online sale this week.

If you'd like more information on buying and selling with Big Iron, call District Manager Mike Wolfe at 580-320-2718 and he can give you the full scoop.  You can also reach Mike via email by clicking here.  

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We are one day away from the 2014 edition of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association Convention and Trade Show- set for Midwest City at the Reed Center Thursday through Saturday.  We will be covering the event from start to finish- and will be including stories here in our email, on our website, on our statewide Radio Network, our Facebook page and of course via Twitter.  Click here for our Twitter feed- the hashtag to follow for the 2014 Convention is simply #OCA14.

If you want to see a schedule of the events for the meeting- click here.