USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack Offers APH to 2015 Spring Crops- Denies Coverage for Winter Wheat

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Tuesday announced the implementation of a 2014 Farm Bill initiative that will provide relief to farmers affected by severe weather, including drought. The Actual Production History (APH) Yield Exclusion, available nationwide for farmers of select crops starting next spring, allows eligible producers who have been hit with severe weather to receive a higher approved yield on their insurance policies through the federal crop insurance program. I covered the USDA teleconference with Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack and RMA Administrator Brandon Willis and you can hear some of the key points made by the Secretary in our audio report- click on the link at the bottom of this story.


Lawmakers and farm groups have repeatedly called on the Secretary to follow the language of the 2014 Farm Law and have RMA offer the APH option in the 2015 crop year- including for winter wheat producers that have now largely planted their crop for 2015. The Crop Insurance signup deadline for winter wheat was September 30, 2014 for much of the southern Great Plains- and the Secretary told reporters today that they could not go backwards in time now to offer these calculations for policies that have already been committed to. Vilsack said that "would create serious actuarial concerns that would result in a bit of chaos in the market, which frankly, we don't think is appropriate and not the precedent that we want to set."


2015 Spring crops eligible for APH Yield Exclusion include corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, grain sorghum, rice, barley, canola, sunflowers, peanuts, and popcorn. Nearly three-fourths of all acres and liability in the federal crop insurance program will be covered under APH Yield Exclusion.  

Click here read more or to listen to the conference call with reporters on how USDA will implement APH Yield Exclusion earlier than expected.

Ag Committee Chair Lucas Commends USDA for APH Work- Urges Winter Wheat to Be Included

Tuesday, Chairman Frank Lucas issued the following statement welcoming the news that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will move forward with implementing the Actual Production History (APH) adjustment for 2015 spring-planted crops. This crop insurance provision in the Agricultural Act of 2014 allows yield adjustments when losses are widespread and beyond the control of producers.


"I commend Secretary Vilsack and his team on their efforts to implement this critical provision in the farm bill. The APH adjustment means everything to farmers all across the country who have suffered through year after year of devastating drought conditions. It is the difference between having viable crop insurance for the coming year or not. It is for these reasons that I worked to include the APH adjustment in the farm bill and why I am pleased the Secretary redoubled his efforts to get it done this year. I remain hopeful that USDA will also work to make the same relief available to winter wheat producers."   

**********  

NCBA Not Backing Down From 'WOTUS' Proposal

Monday was supposed to be the deadline for submitting comments to the Environmental Protection Agency over their 'Waters of the US' proposed rule as well as the US Army Corps of Engineers. For the second time the comment period has been extended until November 14th. This allows more time for the government agencies to finalize and release their report on connectivity of streams and wetlands. EPA has sited this report many times in the 'WOTUS' proposed rule and have sited the report in justifying the expansion of regulation by EPA through the Clean Water Act. According to National Cattlemen's Beef Association Environmental Counsel Ashley McDonald this is a long-term battle that agriculture has been fighting EPA over the expansion of regulation and control through this 42 year old law. She said the biggest unknown with the proposal is the extent of the federal government's authority over water.


"The Supreme Court has weighed in a number of times and said the US Army Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency have gone too far in their regulatory definition and here we are again the EPA and the Corps just trying to take more control of more water across the country, again," McDonald said. "This time they aren't even going to Congress for it, they are just doing it through regulation, which is inappropriate and there is absolutely no articulated limit to the federal government's jurisdiction if you read this proposed rule."


 I interviewed McDonald on the impact of the proposed 'Waters of the US' proposal. McDonald said cattle producers across this country should be outraged at this proposal and the way to fight back of course against this proposal is to send in your comments to the agencies.  

The comment period has been extended for an additional 25 days until November 14th.  Click here to read or to listen to my interview with McDonald as she explains how this rule would expand EPA regulatory jurisdiction.   

USDA Awards $18 Million in Small Business Research and Development Grants

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has awarded more than $18 million in grants to small businesses for high quality, advanced research and development that will lead to technological innovations and solutions for American agriculture. NIFA awarded 100 grants through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.


Three Oklahoma small businesses will receive around $300 thousand in grants. Recipients include Hill Manufacturing, Inc., of Broken Arrow will receive $100,000, SolidTech Animal Health, Inc. of Newcastle, Okla. will receive $99,716 and XploSafe LLC, of Stillwater, will receive $99,999.


"Small businesses are adept at finding solutions that can advance agriculture, create new jobs and grow our economy. These grants will provide resources so small businesses can innovate and create new breakthroughs," said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. "The SBIR program has provided hundreds of small businesses with the ability to explore new ideas that have led to cutting-edge solutions to pressing challenges and helped keep American agricultural innovative and strong." 

Click here to read more on how these grants will stimulate technological innovations in the private sector. 

Selk Recommends Using Ionophores in Replacement Heifer Diets

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


Interest in cow herd expansion has created added incentives to keep and breed replacement heifers. Some producers are attempting to rebuild their own herd that was downsized during drought. Others are attempting to meet the strong demand for bred heifers occurring at livestock markets in many parts of the country.


In an effort to insure more replacement heifers are bred to calve early in their first calving season, ranchers should consider using a supplement containing an ionophore in the growing diet of the heifers. "Ionophore" is the generalized name for the feed additives monensin (Rumensin®) and lasalocid (Bovatec®). Both have been approved for use with growing programs for replacement beef heifers.


Research conducted in Texas and Wyoming (Moseley, 1977; Moseley, 1982) indicated that growing heifers fed 200 mg monensin per head per day reached puberty at an earlier age than did similar heifers fed similar diets containing no monensin. This is important because it should translate to a higher percentage of heifers cycling at the normal time of the start of the breeding season.  Click here to read more about ionophores and how they can help with weight gain and how they can be effective in preventing coccidiosis in young growing cattle. 

Tulsa Farm Show Continues to Expand Into Lower Reaches of River Spirit Expo for 2014 

Oklahoma's largest indoor farm show will return to Tulsa this December. For the 21st year the Tulsa Farm Show will return to the Expo Square. The 2014 Tulsa Farm Show will be held December 11,12 and 13th at the River Spirit Expo. I recently caught up with Farm Show Manager Ron Bormaster of Midwest Farm Shows at the Tulsa State Fair earlier this month. Bormaster said he is looking forward to the event.


"We have more vendors than we have ever had at this time of year, show is looking great, added some new things to the show and we hope everybody is going to come and it will be a great show this year," Bormaster said. "I think we have something new and spectacular for them."


The farm show features over 400 - thousand square feet of exhibits. The upper level area is completely full and they growing in the number of exhibitors in the lower level. In comparison to other farm shows, Bormaster said the Tulsa Farm Show caters to the livestock industry.  Click here to read or to listen to my full interview to hear more about the 2014 Tulsa Farm Show.   

In conjunction with "Sustainability: Challenges and Opportunities," Cameron University's triennial academic festival, the School of Science and Technology will present "Moving Towards A More Sustainable Agriculture," by Dr. Doug Rushing, Director of Global Industry Affairs with Monsanto. The presentation will take place tonight at 7 p.m. in the Shepler Ballroom and is open to the public at no charge. 

Rushing did his Masters and PHD work at Oklahoma State University in Crop Science and went to work for Monsanto back in the 1980s.  

More details on his presentation tonight can be had by clicking or tapping here. 

********** 

It's Wednesday- and that means the Big Iron folks will be busy closing out this week's auction items- all 383 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 or tapping here. 

**********