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Tuesday evening proved to be a really good night for the Grand Old Party- and one of those celebrating in Oklahoma was the Chairman of the House Ag Committee, Frank Lucas. After spending the great majority of his time over the past two years in bringing home a 2014 Farm Bill, his constituents in the third Congressional District rewarded him with biggest reelection margin given any of the Republicans in the Oklahoma Congressional delegation.


Lucas defeated Frankie Robbins by almost one hundred thousand votes- with 79% of the votes cast for Incumbent Lucas in his race.

Moments after the media was declaring Lucas the winner- we talked with him at the State Republican Watchparty- click here to get his take on work still to be done in the Ag Committee, how a Pat Roberts as Senate Ag Committee Chair changes the dynamic and what is ahead for him as he looks at the Chairmanship of the Financial Services Committee.   

Oklahoma voters had two US Senate races to consider on Tuesday- and Senior Senator Jim Inhofe and new Senator Elect James Lankford bought won with 68% of the popular vote in their respective races.   

Inhofe told the supporters who had gathered last night that with the GOP securing a majority in the Senate- it would no longer be Barbara Boxer of California chairing the Environment and Public Works Committee- but "it will be ME!"

Senator Elect Lankford told us that it is all about serving people as he and I reflected on his rapid rise from being in charge of the world's largest Youth Camp at Falls Creek to hearing God's call to run for Congress and now becoming the Junior Senator from Oklahoma.  He looks forward to the challenge and you can hear our comments from Tuesday night by clicking here.  

A Laundry List of Ag Implications from the Tuesday Elections  

Where do we start when it comes to the Tuesday elections?  There are a ton of things important to farmers, ranchers and folks living in rural Oklahoma and rural America.

I guess you start at the top- which is the changing of the guard in the US Senate.  As we write this- the GOP has picked up seven seats- the eighth is very close to being called in Alaska  which would give the party 53 seats in the upper body of our Congress.  

That gives the majority to the Republicans and that changes the conversation in the Senate and means that those bills that have come from the House and have died- will have a chance to finally be seen and heard on the Senate floor.  

It also means that Senator Jim Inhofe will be the Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee- while Kansas Senator Pat Roberts is likely going to become the Chair of the Senate Ag Committee- and two ladies are shoved to the minority as a result- Barbara Boxer and Debbie Stabenow.  

Two State Questions were on the ballot in Colorado and Oregon that had to do with Food Labeling.  In Colorado, the voters told the GMO haters NO in a big way- Question 105 loses as sixty seven percent of the electorate voted it down.  The Oregon question is not yet decided- the NO votes are ahead but not  by alot- 51% of the voters say NO with 80% of the vote counted.  

In the US House- Congressman Mike Conaway won his reelection bid in the 11th District of Texas with ease (90% of the vote)- he has been regarded as the most likely person to become the next Chairman of the House Ag Committee as Frank Lucas terms out for that leadership role.  

The other name mentioned has been Steve King of Iowa- he also secured another two years with ease- 62% of the voters in his district in Iowa gave him two more years in DC.

There were a total of seven State Commissioners of Ag that were up for election- the Republicans won all seven of those races.  Details are here.

While we are on that subject- I saw Jim Reese, the Oklahoma Ag Commissioner last night.  I asked him about his continued service for Governor Fallin in her second term- he said it was her call- but that he is willing. 

More tidbits to add- but we will save them for tomorrow.  

2020 National Pork Board Strategic Plan Focused on People, Pigs and Planet

Following more than a year of planning and development, the National Pork Board Monday released its new strategic plan focused on anticipating and managing the changing world facing U.S. pork producers now and in the future. The plan, to be implemented starting in January 2015, will be in place through 2020 to guide the organization. Rooted in collaboration between industry and supply chain partners, the new National Pork Board vision is to elevate U.S. pork as the global protein of choice by continuously and cooperatively working to do what's right for people, pigs and the planet.


"It's a plan sharply focused on a vision for the future of America's pork producers. It defines in clear, customer-centered language a set of objectives focused on results," said Dale Norton, Pork Checkoff president and a pork producer from Bronson, Mich. "Our task force, which included pork producers and representatives from allied industries, defined a commitment to leverage industry and supply chain collaboration to achieve the vision."


During 2014, the task force met several times, analyzing and discussing economic forecasts and research collected from pork producers, protein processors, foodservice operators, retailers and consumers. Unlike the previous strategic plan, this new effort is more customer-centric, with a commitment to transparency and continuous improvement.   

The National Pork Board has aimed for greater transparency and collaboration with a whole new focus.  Click here to read more about the three distinct goals to connect with consumers and have dialogue about U.S. pig farming. 

Wilson Says Feedlots Remain Cautiously Optimistic

The year of 2014 has proven to be a year where feedlots have made money. Looking down the road the outlook is a lot less certain. Texas Cattle Feeders Association Chief Executive Officer and President Ross Wilson about the mood of the industry. He said the mood of the cattle industry in general is optimistic.


"It's good in the cattle feeding business these days, we have had a good past year but there is also a lot of apprehension, because as of all your listeners know, volatility has just been incredible," Wilson said. "We're at historically high prices in all segments, calves, stockers, feeders. Fed cattle traded for a record this week at $1.70 a pound or $170 a hundred weight, so that's good. A lot of it as you know is supply driven and that is the flip side of that equation is that we're needing more numbers, we're needing more cows, calves, feeders going into the feedyards and we will get there as you know people are beginning to retain heifers, not as quickly as we would like to see in this part of the world."


In the three state TCFA membership region of Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico, drought continues to weigh heavily on the minds of cattle producers. Wilson said if the region can continue to receive moisture so pasture conditions can hold along with grow winter wheat pasture. He said producers have a positive outlook but remain apprehensive.  

We have spotlighted our conversation with Ross as a Beef Buzz.  You can hear our visit with Ross by clicking here and you will learn more about the challenges with competition for railroad cars and how that impacts the movement of grain.  

Selk Address Cow Age and Cow Productivity

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


Strong cattle prices have encourage ranchers to keep any cow that might have a live calf to sell at the next weaning period. If rainfall allows forage growth to be adequate, keeping an older cow to have another calf to wean next year is tempting.


At cow culling time, producers often face some tough decisions. Optimum culling of the herd often seems to require a sharp crystal ball that could see into the future. Is she good for another year? Will she keep enough body condition through the winter to rebreed next year? Is her mouth sound so that she can harvest forage and be nutritionally strong enough to reproduce and raise a big calf? At what age do cows usually start to become less productive?


There is great variability in the longevity of beef cows. Breed may have some influence. Region of the country and soil type may affect how long the teeth remain sound and allow the cow to consume roughages such as pasture and hay.  Click here to read about some research that shows how productivity changes over the life of the beef cows.  

What is the 2014 Crop Bringing in Addition to High Yields?

While experts are forecasting a record-plus year for yields, an abundant harvest does not always indicate a problem-free crop to feed to livestock. Preliminary data conducted by Alltech's 37+TM Mycotoxin Analysis Program is now showing there might be more than meets the eye in the fields.


Late season rains have slowed harvest across the Midwest. As of Oct. 27, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimated the corn harvest at 46 percent, a 15 percent increase from last week, but 19 percent behind the five-year average. Corn conditions were estimated by the USDA at 74 percent "good" or "excellent" condition, 19 percent was considered "fair" and only 7 percent was considered "poor".


While these initial condition ratings look favorable, experts warn that seasonal conditions still might have taken a toll on the crop and left behind some masked mycotoxins.


"Cool, wet weather can be a precursor for mold growth and can lead to possible mycotoxin issues," said Dr. Max Hawkins, nutritionist with Alltech's Mycotoxin Management Team. "Fusarium graminareum can produce a variety of mycotoxins and prefers high moisture and temperatures from 59 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. This year's growing season was cool and wet and the harvest season has also been delayed by wet weather."

An early indication of the Fusarium issue was found in the wheat crop.  Click here to read more issues found in corn silage samples and samples taken from corn that was stressed and damaged by weather events.  

Craig Westfahl, son of Owen and Kerry Westfahl, was named the overall grand champion award showing his Ruby Lee variety in the 2014 Oklahoma 4-H/FFA Junior Wheat Show last night in Stillwater. Westfahl placed 2nd in production and milling and 6th in baking, earning him the title of 1st place among the FFA, FFA champion, and overall grand champion of the 4-H and FFA Junior Wheat Show. Westfahl is from the Okeene FFA chapter.  

The top 4-H entry was also Ruby Lee- developed by Dr. Brett Carver and his Wheat Breeding Team at OSU- and was shown by Damon Fisher of Lomega.

Our own Leslie Smith was there and we will have a complete story featuring the top winners on our website later today. 

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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 305 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.  

The rainfall map we showed you yesterday morning was really good- the one that shows the rain as it spread during the day yesterday is even better- and sets much of Oklahoma up with excellent moisture in the soil profile as slide towards colder weather which may arrive as early as next Tuesday or Wednesday.

Here's the map showing several places above two inches and dozens with more than an inch of gentle soaking rainfall: