House Ag Committee Chair Lucas Talks Farm Bill Implementation, Waters of the US 

Rollout of the new Farm Bill will continue to be a gradual process. The first program to be rolled out was the Livestock Disaster Assistance program that begin in April. House Ag Chairman and Oklahoma Third District Congressman Frank Lucas says the program was set up with a lot of language from the 2008 Farm Bill to minimize complications of implementing the new program, but so far signup has been very challenging to date. We talked with Chairman Lucas on Wednesday morning and you can get the full conversation with Lucas here.


"When it came time to actually implement, USDA told me essentially as they told producers across the country, that they have three different platforms of computer software that do not work together, that they have been working nonstop with IBM and other folks to try and perfect that, but what it amounts is producers have been obligated to set down with pencil and paper and work with local FSA office folks," Lucas said.   "It's a slow process, but its worth your time."

Recently wheat growers from Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and Colorado asked the Risk Management Agency to implement actual production history adjustment provisions of the Agricultural Act of 2014 in time for the 2015 crop year. Lucas says representatives from the US Department of Agriculture have said they can't implement APH the process because they have so much going on with implementing the Farm Bill.   Lucas has recommended USDA at least look at the hardest hit areas impacted by drought.


"If you can't implement it for the whole country for this coming crop year, at least look at Oklahoma and Texas, Colorado, California, New Mexico, Kansas, the places that have suffered from the drought," Lucas said. "If you can't implement the whole thing at least consider doing a partial implementation in the hardest hit areas."


Click here to read more or to listen to my conversation with Congressman Lucas about implementation of the farm safety net, the watershed rehabilitation project and EPA's 'Waters of the US' proposal.

First Gentleman Christensen Highlights Agriculture at Governors' Spouses Meeting 

Oklahoma First Gentleman Wade Christensen has served as the Chairman of the Spouses Leadership Committee (SLC) over the last year in conjunction with Governor Mary Fallin's chairmanship of the National Governors Association (NGA) and led the spouses Summer Meeting program last week in Tennessee.


As chair, Christensen focused a number of the spouses' business programs on the topic of agriculture, including a session titled "Agriculture and America's Youth: Strengthening Communities." During the sessions, spouses heard from several guest speakers and students on how agriculture has impacted their lives and empowered them to get involved in their communities.


First Gentleman Christensen is a fourth-generation farmer from Thomas, OK. His goal as chair of the SLC was to highlight the important role that farmers and ranchers play in not only feeding America, but also in strengthening the national economy, fighting obesity, impacting world hunger, and even influencing today's youth to grow into strong leaders.   

Click Here to read more about Christensen's effort to promote agriculture.

Heat Stress Reaches Dangerous Levels Across Oklahoma

The dog days of summer can be really dangerous for your beef cattle herds. Heat stress is a serious problem, if you don't have your cattle in the right situation. Temperatures in the 90's, humidity and triple digit heat indexes are a recipe for disaster if you don't have shade for your cattle, if you don't some air moving over them, if you don't have plenty of clean fresh water available for them. On today's Beef Buzz, Oklahoma State University Animal Welfare Specialist Dr. Michelle Calvo-Lorenzo says another thing producers need to watch is the time of day you work your cattle.


"Working animals and getting them out of their home pens or home pastures and putting them through a walk or a hike to a working facility, it stresses them out," Calvo-Lorenzo said. "Just that alone can elevate their temperature one to three degrees, which is a lot."


Dr. Calvo-Lorenzo is with the Animal Science Department at Oklahoma State University and she talked in recent days with Dave Deken of the OSU Ag Communications Department about how you can help your cattle cope with the heat. If producers have to work animals, she recommends getting them worked as early as possible in the day. In putting cattle into working or holding facilities, Calvo-Lorenzo recommends keeping that limited to a maximum of 30 minutes.   

We have two Beef Buzz shows featuring Dr. Calvo-Lorenzo- get Beef Buzz number one on cattle and heat stress here and the followup Beef Buzz on the subject of heat stress and cattle- including details on Apps and Cattle Comfort can be heard here.

Webinars Highlight Entrepreneurship for Rural America

The American Farm Bureau Federation, together with the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business Global Social Enterprise Initiative, today announced a new online business training resource for rural entrepreneurs and Farm Bureau members. The series, launching with five webinars in 2014, is a key component of the Rural Entrepreneurship Initiative, a joint effort between AFBF and GSEI.


"The webinar series has been developed to meet the needs of our members who are already involved in rural entrepreneurship enterprises as well as those preparing to launch a business in their local communities," said Dr. Lisa Benson, AFBF's director of rural development. "This continuing education initiative will connect rural residents with cutting-edge innovations, business development training and resources that will yield immediate benefits."


An orientation workshop will kick off the webinar series at the end of July. Featured presenter Dan Durheim, AFBF's director of industry affairs, will provide a comprehensive overview of the national Rural Entrepreneurship Initiative. Interested Farm Bureau members and others can RSVP online by clicking here.


The educational series was created to address the major challenges that rural entrepreneurs are likely to face. Workshops are scheduled throughout the year, with topics including:


Introducing AFBF's Rural Entrepreneurship Initiative on Tuesday, July 29 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern


Finding and Using Business Information on Tuesday, Aug. 26 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern


Telling Your Business Story on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern


Finding Money To Grow on Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern


Finding and Keeping Talent on Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern 

Oklahoma Companies Shine At Fancy Food Show in New York

Made in Oklahoma food companies shined in The Big Apple as they participated in the largest marketplace devoted exclusively to specialty foods and beverages in North America.


The Fancy Food Show, held June 29-July 1, 2014, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, attracted record participation with 2,730 specialty food makers, importers and entrepreneurs representing the latest new products and trends from across the U.S. and around the globe.


"The Fancy Food Show is an amazing opportunity for up-and-coming food companies to participate in," said Andrea Graves, business and marketing specialist for Oklahoma State University's Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center. "The contacts that these companies make during the show is incredible and the goal is that these contacts turn into future sales."


Nine Oklahoma food companies participated in the Fancy Food Show and showcased their products to about 28,000 buyers in specialty retailing, restaurants and foodservice. The Made in Oklahoma companies included Stonegate Gourmet, Toasted Wine Fruit Spreads and Kratos Beef Bars of Tulsa; Gourmet Specialty Foods and Pepper Creek Farms of Lawton; Diane's Signature Products and Southern Okie Gourmet Spreads of Edmond; Griffin Foods of Muskogee; and Leonard Mountain of Leonard. 

Click Here to read more about Oklahoma companies participating in The Fancy Food Show.

Ag Secretary Vilsack Proclaims August 3-9 National Farmers Market Week

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has declared August 3 through 9, 2014, "National Farmers Market Week". Throughout the week, USDA will celebrate our nation's thousands of farmers markets, farmers who make them possible and the communities that host them. The declaration was made via an official proclamation signed by Secretary Vilsack. This year marks the 15th Annual National Farmers Market Week recognizing the important role that farmers markets play in the agricultural and food economy. The U.S. Department of Agriculture began declaring National Farmers Market Week in 2000.


"National Farmers Market Week is a great opportunity for farmers markets across the country to host special events to showcase all the tremendous services they provide," said Secretary Vilsack. "Farmers markets play a key role in developing local and regional food systems that support family farms, and help grow rural economies. They bring communities together, connecting cities with the farms that support them and provide Americans across the country with fresh, healthy food."

Thousands of farmers markets across the country offer consumers fresh, affordable, convenient, and healthful products sold directly from the farm. They also offer additional market opportunities for local producers, especially smaller or newer operations. Farmers markets increasingly offer electronic benefits transfer technology that can be used by recipients of USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - as well as low-income women, infants, and children and seniors participating in the WIC and Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Programs - to get fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Click Here to learn more about the USDA's Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative. 

Cattle on Feed Expected to Show Seven Percent Drop in June Placements  

Allendale's Rich Nelson says in advance of the Friday USDA Cattle on Feed report that June Placements are expected to be 7.2% lower than last year. USDA's cattle feeding margin ended the month with $174 per head profits on outgoing cattle (nine months in a row). While feedlots are still bullish for live cattle prices they are seeing tightening feeder supplies and pricing to be a challenge. Corn averaged $4.68 in Western Kansas in June ($4.97 in May, $7.17 in June 2013). June placements help supply the November through February slaughter period.

Allendale anticipates a Marketing total 0.4% higher than June 2013. There was a one more weekday and one less Saturday in June of 2014 which skewed numbers higher.

Total Cattle on Feed as of July 1 now totals 2.8% under last year- if Allendale's numbers line up with the USDA number released on Friday.

Allendale projects a 541 million lb. total pork stock level for the end of June. The five year average is 529 million lbs. for the end of June. Our estimate represents a decrease of 34 million lb. from the previous month. The five year average month to month change for June is a 46 million lb. decrease. Beef stocks, at 372 million lbs., are below the five year average of 438. This month's number represents a 7 million lb. drawdown from the previous month. The five year average change is a 3 million lb. decrease.