Anti-GMO Proposal Rejected at Safeway Shareholder Meeting

At the annual meeting of Safeway shareholders this past Friday in Pleasanton, California, the overwhelming majority of shareholders followed the advice of the National Center for Public Policy Research and rejected an anti-scientific shareholder proposal that would have forced the grocery store chain to brand products containing genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) with labels.


The purpose of the mandatory-labeling campaign is to deter the sale of products containing GMOs by frightening consumers unnecessarily.


"Safeway's shareholders sent a loud message to the GMO activists and lobbyists that represent them - science trumps baseless fear-mongering campaigns," said National Center Free Enterprise Project Director Justin Danhof, Esq.


Danhof spoke out against a proposal submitted by the Green Century Equity Fund that sought to require the company to identify and label all of its products that "may contain genetically engineered ingredients."


"In the face of all of the uncontroverted scientific evidence that GMOs are safe, the proponent of the GMO-labeling proposal had the temerity to tell Safeway's shareholders that no long-term scientific evidence exists to show that GMO foods are safe," noted Danhof. "This is beyond willful ignorance. Some anti-GMO activists are shameless in their attempt to advance their agenda."


Danhof countered the proposal by noting, in part:  This proposal is unscientific, unnecessary for Safeway's business purposes and would increase food prices, disproportionately harming lower-income customers. 

Click Here to read the rest of the article, including Danhof's full statement against the proposal.

Hot, Dry Conditions Stressing Crops in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas 

Summer heat returned to Oklahoma last week, with heat indices of 100 degrees or more.  Late planted sorghum and soybeans in the Southwest were showing signs of stress due to the drought.  Overall, row crops continued to be rated mostly good to fair and were progressing nicely.  Corn silking reached 82 percent complete by Sunday, 37 percent of the corn has reached the dough stage.  Corn development is ahead of last year, but remain behind the five-year average. Sorghum headed has reached 40 percent complete and soybean blooming has reached 13 percent complete, which is behind last year and 34 percent behind normal.  Peanut pegging reached 77 percent complete.  Cotton squaring reached 79 percent complete, while 56 percent of the crop was setting bolls.  Second cutting of alfalfa hay was 91 percent complete and third cutting was 33 percent complete.  Pasture and range conditions are rated in mostly good to fair condition with 27 percent rated in fair condition. Click here for the full Oklahoma report.  

Much of Texas remained hot and dry this past week.   Winter wheat harvest for this season reached completion statewide. Corn continued to mature ahead of normal with 97 percent of the crop silking, 80 percent in dough stage, 72 percent dented and 38 percent mature.  Sorghum has 89 percent headed and 33 percent of the crop has been harvested.  Soybeans remain behind last year and the five year average with 66 percent blooming.  Cotton fields were blooming and setting bolls in the Trans-Pecos, Edwards Plateau, and the Upper Coast.  Peanuts are behind with pegging at 51 percent.  Pasture and range land continued to green across the state, though a few producers in South Central Texas and the Trans-Pecos reported deteriorating conditions due to a lack of rainfall.  Producers in the Edwards Plateau and Lower Valley continued to provide supplemental feed.  Click here for the full Texas report.

Triple digit temperatures returned to Kansas this past week.  Corn silking advanced to 86 percent, which is equal to the five year average.  Corn in the dough stage is at 36 percent.  Sorghum headed was 14 percent.  Soybeans setting pods was 24 percent, ahead of 10 last year and 15 average.  Cotton squaring was at 54 percent, behind 69 last year and 82 average. Cotton setting bolls was at eight percent, near last year but well behind the average of 22.  Alfalfa hay second cutting was 94 percent complete, equal to last year and alfalfa hay third cutting was 29 percent complete, ahead of 15 last year, but behind 39 average. Pasture and range conditions are mostly rated in good to fair condition.  Top soil and sub soil readings showed a drastic deterioration of moisture available.  Topsoil moisture rated 12 percent very short, 32 percent short, 53 percent adequate, and 3 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture rated 16 percent very short, 32 percent short, 51 percent adequate, and 1 percent surplus.  Click Here for the full Kansas report. 

Nation's Corn and Soybean Crop Looking Superior to 2013 

The nation's corn crop continues to remain in great shape. In the latest crop progress report released Monday by the US Department of Agriculture, 78 percent of the crop was silking, 17 percent in the dough stage and overall condition is showing little deterioration.   

The report indicates the overall condition of the US corn crop remained strong with 75 percent in good or excellent condition.

The 2014 corn crop condition estimate showed a one point drop in good condition and a one point increase in poor condition. At this point in 2013, only 63 percent of the total crop was rated in good or excellent condition. Currently the nation's overall crop condition remains to be 12 points a head of last year's crop in the good to excellent category.

The nation's soybean crop is maturing ahead of normal. This week USDA reports 76 percent of the crop is blooming, ahead of the five year average of 72 and 38 percent of the nation's crop is setting pods. That's seven points ahead of the average of 31. The overall condition of the crop is showing little change with 71 percent of the crop in good to excellent condition. That's eight points ahead of last year's crop at this time.

Click Here for State-By-State Details. 

Peel Says Herd Rebuilding Will Be a Slow Process

Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, writes in the latest Cow/Calf Corner newsletter

The latest USDA data provides some indication that herd expansion may be beginning but more clearly shows that herd rebuilding will be a long process and a slow one, at least initially. Not surprisingly, the July Cattle report shows estimates of herd inventories that are down in most all categories compared to the last report in 2012. Since no 2013 report is available for comparison, it is not clear whether inventories are higher or lower than last year for the various categories but it is likely that most are lower. However, it does seem that the beef cow herd is stabilizing and is likely only slightly lower than last year.


The July 1 estimate of beef replacement heifers was down from July 2012 despite the fact that January 1 estimates of beef replacement heifers increased each of the past three years. The ratio of the July 1 beef replacement heifers to the January inventory of replacement heifers is the lowest since the July estimates began in 1973. This ratio typically rises during herd expansion and decreases during liquidations. This indication of additional herd liquidation is somewhat in contrast to the heifers on feed in the July Cattle on Feed report which is down 4.6 percent from year earlier levels. The year over year decrease in July 1 heifers on feed is consistent with modest levels of initial herd expansion. Quarterly estimates of heifers on feed have posted year over year decreases for the past 8 quarters with an average decrease of 6.8 percent.


So far this year, heifer slaughter is down 7.9 percent; a significantly larger decrease than steer slaughter, which is down 2.9 percent for the year to date. Beef cow slaughter is down 16.4 percent so far this year compared to the same period last year. These decreases in female slaughter strongly suggest that herd expansion is beginning. Aggregate herd balance numbers suggest that the capacity for herd expansion is greater than what is observed thus far. 

Click Here to read Peel's view of the factors that may be limiting herd expansion.

'Duster' Worthy of Consideration After Solid 2014 Performance

As wheat planting plans come into focus, the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and Oklahoma Farm Report.com want to help you consider how the genetics developed by Dr. Brett Carver and his Wheat Improvement Team may fit into your wheat production system. A profile of several of the major wheat varieties that have come from the Oklahoma State University program will be offered for the next few weeks. Today, our initial installment considers Duster.


The 'Duster' germplasm forms a lot of the base of the OSU breeding program. Carver this variety took the longest to get right. This line originally came from Pioneer and testing at OSU began in 1993. The experimental line went through three reconstruction phases from 1993 until the line was released in 2006. Carver says the experimental line had some good yield potential, but it had some flaws.


"The earliest flaws were trying to purify some of the disease reactions of Duster for soil borne mosaic, for leaf rust, those were the primary flaws," Carver said. "There was not a homogenous or more uniform type of reaction in that variety."


In 1995 Dr. Bob Hunger identified single plants that display leaf rust and soilborne mosaic virus resistance. Several other reselections during the next ten years lead to the advanced line. Carver says there was a lot of crossing with the experimental line long before variety was released and today Duster is a pillar in the OSU breeding program. Duster is able to perform well in a wide range of conditions across the entire state of Oklahoma as well as Kansas and Texas. 
 

Click Here to read more about how Duster performed in the 2014 OSU Wheat Variety Trial.  You can also hear an audio version of this story.   

2014 Tipping Point for Cattle Markets and Herd Rebuilding

Record cattle and beef prices can be attributed to the nation's shrinking cattle herd, but beef demand is also key factor influencing prices. Speaking at the recent Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association Annual Convention in Midwest City, Okla., Livestock Marketing Information Center Director Jim Robb says international beef demand for US beef is growing.


"We look at these consumers overseas and depends on the world economy, but some of our strongest markets recently have been somewhat Japan, Mexico, Canada," Robb said. "These are pretty favorable markets at this point and time, so as the world economy is really driving that and beef is still a rather preferred item around the world, but those international consumers many of them are more price sensitive than US consumers are, so there is a little more risk in that market place."


Currently the US is also seeing a growing amount of international beef imports. Robb says that can be attributed to the strong US beef prices. Additionally the drought in Australia, he says that is allowing some of the imports to be at these levels.


"Some of it is drought related, but with our cow kill pulling back as dramatically it had recently, we need that lean product to come into our manufactured beef markets and our hamburger markets," Robb said. "We're really pulling that product in and we're see cutter cow values record high, so I think this whole puzzle really does fit together and it really is being driven by this demand profile."  

Click Here to read or to listen to today's Beef Buzz on why Robb feels the nation is really at a transition point this summer where,  producers are starting to hold back heifers. 

This N That- Last Call for Wheat Show Entries, Last Call for No Till Bus Tour and Bountiful Rains Forecast by End of the Week

The 2014 Oklahoma Wheat Show judging will be taking place at the Payne County Fairgrounds in Stillwater on Wednesday, July 30th.  While many of you have mailed your wheat samples in to be judged- you do have a final opportunity to hand deliver a sample of wheat and enter the 2014 contest.

Mike Schulte, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission, tells us that registration at the Fairgrounds will be open at 8:00 AM tomorrow morning (Wednesday, July 30th) with the actual judging to begin at 8:30 AM.  NO ENTRIES will be accepted after judging begins at 8:30 in the morning.  

The complete rules of the contest can be seen here- and the scholarships available are significant, as the Oklahoma Wheat Commission has placed a priority on helping young 4-H and FFA members to learn about wheat production and wheat quality by rewarding those involved in the competition.

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Final deadline for getting a seat on the No Till on the Plains Bus Tour that they are calling their "Points South" tour is Thursday, July 31st.   

The tour will be happening August 5th through the 8th.  If you are serious about learning more about No Till for your operation- this is an investment in your education that will be worth every penny.

Farm stops in Oklahoma include Randy Lanie farms near Manchester, Marty Williams farms near Red Rock, Matt Alig's farms near Kingfisher, Jimmy Kinder's farm near Walters, and Alan Mindemann's farm near Apache. Stops are also planned at Oklahoma State University's cover crop plots near Stillwater and the Noble Foundation in Ardmore.

Get details here or call No Till on the Plains at  888-330-5142.

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The rain is coming- and it appears for many locations- a lot of it(two to four inches fairly quickly in many locations seems to be possible). A northwest flow aloft along with a moist upslope easterly surface flow will prevail for much of this week. Showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop and move east and southeast off the higher terrain of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. These showers and thunderstorms will move across the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles- and then down into the body of the state of Oklahoma.

Flash flood watches are in place for the Oklahoma Panhandle and 22 counties in northwest, north central, west central and central parts of the state of Oklahoma.  Get the latest  Flood Watch for the Oklahoma City NWS office here.  

The Tulsa National Weather Service office is talking about some areas getting heavy rainfall- but no flash flood watches are in place for eastern counties covered by that office at this time.

For the complete Tulsa area forecast, get the News on 6 forecast here- and for central and western Oklahoma-

You can also get Alan Crone's take on the weather for the balance of the week by tapping here.