USDA Implements Stacked Income Protection Plan for Cotton Growers 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency (RMA) Wednesday announced that the Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX) will be available to upland cotton producers through the federal crop insurance program beginning with the 2015 crop year. STAX is one of several new risk management options created by the 2014 Farm Bill that will help protect farmers from events beyond their control such as weather disasters.


"The 2014 Farm Bill provides more options for farmers and ranchers to manage risks to their businesses and makes crop insurance more affordable for beginning farmers," said RMA Administrator Brandon Willis. "STAX will provide upland cotton producers with an additional tool beginning with the 2015 crop year. We want to make as much information available now to assist with farmers' risk management planning."


STAX is an area-based revenue policy that may be purchased on its own, or in conjunction with another companion upland cotton crop insurance policy. As a general matter, STAX may begin paying when revenue drops below 90 percent of the expected revenue for the area and a full indemnity may be payable when area revenue falls below 70 percent of the expected level. The amount of actual coverage and indemnity received by a producer will depend on the producer's choice of a trigger yield, coverage range and other elections made under the STAX and companion policy. Producers should consult with their crop insurance agents to find the coverage that best suits their needs. Producers may not cover the same acres in both STAX and the new Supplemental Coverage Option. 

NCC Chairman Wally Darneille said, "We appreciate RMA's timely implementation of STAX and for making it available for upland cotton in all counties where federal crop insurance coverage for upland cotton is currently offered. This will provide our nation's cotton farmers with a solid risk management mechanism so they can continue producing safe, abundant, and affordable food and fiber."

Click Here to read more about the implementation of STAX.  Click Here for more reaction from the National Cotton Council.  

NCBA Shows Scope of WOTUS Rule

The battle over the 'Waters of the US' continues. WOTUS is a proposed regulatory rule from the Environmental Protection Agency and US Army Corps of Engineers that is currently open for public comment through Federal Register. This proposal is getting "push back" from a lot of agricultural groups including the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and American Farm Bureau Federation and they have been instrumental in coming up with a campaign called "Ditch The Rule".  NCBA Environmental Counsel Ashley McDonald said there is a new tool in the effort to battle the WOTUS proposal.


"We partnered with other ag groups here in town to develop some maps which we think really highlight the extent of EPA's proposed regulation and exactly how far it goes and how many acres it covers and how many stream miles it really covers," McDonald said. "Now these maps they are really impressive, they show different states and exactly show the difference between stream mileage when you add in those ephemeral streams, which are those ditches and smaller waterways that only hold water during a rainfall event."


"When you add those in, you can have states that increase their regulated stream mileage by 100 thousand miles, so that clearly shows you where EPA intends to go with this regulation and from looking at the states you can tell that there is virtually going to be no land area that isn't within a hop, skip and jump from a regulated 'Water of the US', which means land activities are going to be highly regulated, more so than they have ever been before," she said. 


Click Here to read or to listen to today's Beef Buzz with McDonald about how NCBA will be using the maps on Capital Hill.     

Quail Symposium and Fundraiser August 23 in Oklahoma City

Quail have been few and far between throughout the past few years. However, an upcoming event has been scheduled for land managers and quail hunters interested in having more of the birds on their property.


Oklahoma State University has partnered with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) and Quail Forever to host the Oklahoma Quail Symposium Aug. 23. The daylong event will begin with registration at 9:30 a.m. and will continue at the Crowne Plaza hotel by Northwest Expressway and May Avenue in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.


"The symposium will cover topics such as quail habitat management, cost share opportunities for landowners, an update on the latest research in Oklahoma and information about quail management activities on wildlife management areas," said Dwayne Elmore, OSU Cooperative Extension wildlife specialist.

Click Here to read more about the upcoming Oklahoma Quail Symposium.

Prepare a "Calving Kit" Before Fall Calving Begins

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


More and more Oklahoma producers are breeding cattle to calve in the fall. Some producers are planning to "calve out" more replacement heifers than normal to take advantage of high cattle prices. Before the hustle and bustle of the fall calving season, now is a good time to put together the supplies and equipment that will be needed to assist heifers and cows that need help at calving time.


Equipment: Before calving season starts, do a "walk-through" of pens, chutes, and calving stalls. Make sure that all are clean dry, strong, safe, and functioning correctly. This is a lot easier to do on a sunny afternoon than a dark night when you need them.


Protocol: Before calving season starts develop a plan of what to do, when to do it, who to call for help (along with phone numbers), and how to know when you need help. Make sure all family members or helpers are familiar with the plan. It may help to write it out and post copies in convenient places. Talk to your local veterinarian about your protocol and incorporate his/her suggestions. Encourage everyone that will be watching and helping cows and heifers this calving season to read Oklahoma State University Extension Circular E-1006, "Calving Time Management for Beef Cows and Heifers".  

Click Here to read more from Dr. Selk on what producers need in their calving kit.

Kansas Angus Producer Keeps Balanced Approach to Genetics

Whether you are selling a calf crop, finished cattle to a packing house or a chef cooking a steak for the consumer, the beef industry is built upon personal relationships.  Frank Hinkson, a seedstock producer from Cottonwood Falls, Kansas understands that and he knows his service must be just as high in quality as the Angus genetics he sells.


"For customer service I think that's the most important thing we can do is offer them a good product that they will want to come back and buy more bulls from us in the future," Hinkson said.


Creating that good product starts with setting a foundation based on traits customer want most like calving ease and docility, then Hinkson adds superior carcass traits to create high quality beef.


"Cattle in the end they all wind up in the feedlot sooner or later, so you need an animal that will not only perform but will grade and hang up a good carcass so they need to be efficient as far as how they gain but also a good quality animal at the same time," Hinkson said. 


Click Here to read more or to watch a video featuring Hinkson and his cattle operation.  

Op-Ed: We Can Have Food Security and a Healthy Environment

The Environmental Defense Fund is launching a new blog called Growing Returns, which will feature posts from EDF experts on how they can meet growing demands for food in ways that improve the natural systems that sustain us. The following post is from EDF Vice President David Festa.

"The way we produce food is getting a lot of attention these days, and for good reason. If current projections hold, we'll have 9 billion mouths to feed by 2050 - 2 billion more than we have today.


"Throughout history, when we've needed to expand food production, we've gone to nature's vast storehouse and made withdrawals. In doing so, we've filled wetlands, dried up rivers, degraded habitat, and polluted our air and water.


"We've already drawn down nature's account to dangerously low levels, and we still need to produce more.


"If we're going to meet growing needs for food and water, we're going to have to do it in ways that not only stop harming the environment, but actually improve the ecosystems that serve us. Business as usual just isn't going to cut it. "

Click Here to read more from the Environmental Defense Fund and how they say say they view agriculture.

A Shout Out to Dr. Wade Brorsen by His Peers

Wade Brorsen of Oklahoma State University's Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources has been named a 2014 Fellow by the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.



"Receiving the title of AAEA Fellow is the highest honor given by our profession," said Mike Woods, head of the OSU Department of Agricultural Economics. "Dr. Brorsen is very deserving given his contributions to the advancement of agricultural and applied economics. We're most fortunate to have him as a member of our faculty."


Brorsen is the department's first AAEA Fellow in 30 years. He has been on the faculty at OSU since 1991.

Go here for more on Dr. Brorsen's career at Oklahoma State and his impact on the ag economics work at the University.