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The United States filed an appeal Friday to the World Trade Organization's recent ruling against the nation's country-of-origin-labeling law, according to a report by Reuters.


The WTO said in October that Washington failed to bring into compliance with international trade law a revised version of the meat labeling law. After that decision, the US Trade Representative's office refused to comment on whether the US would seek an appeal or not. USDA Secretary Vilsack indicated in recent weeks that the WTO had told the US not to be in any hurry in filing an appeal, as there is currently a backlog of cases that the appeals process within the trade body is working through.


Canada, Mexico and other trading partners have fought the rules coming out of the Country of Origin language within the 2008 Farm Law for years, contending that they discriminate against their livestock. The WTO has agreed multiple times.


Proponents of COOL within the United States have cheered the decision by the Obama Administration on this day after Thanksgiving. The US Cattlemen's Association's Danni Beer offered this statement on Friday morning:


"USCA is pleased that the US is appealing from the panel's decision. This has been a long process but the panel's rulings appear to be incorrect in a number of respects. We look forward to having the Appellate Body review those matters properly appealed to it. COOL is important to consumers and to cattle producers in the United States trying to have the origin of their product communicated to the end user. We appreciate the support from the Administration and from many in Congress to defend this critical legislation and agency regulations." 

NFU also liked  the US Trade Representative's decision to file an appeal with the WTO.  Read about their comments and more by clicking here.  

Meanwhile- late Friday afternoon- we did get a response from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association current President Bob McCan who ranches in south Texas.  NCBA has no use for the appeal over this second COOL rule which has been ruled trade distorting by WTO and says: "NCBA has maintained that there is no regulatory fix to bring the COOL rule into compliance with our international trade obligations, or that will satisfy our top trading partners. The WTO was very clear in its ruling, COOL discriminates against our trading partners, and we do not see any merit for appeal.  

"An appeal only continues along the current path and brings us closer retaliatory tariffs from Canada and Mexico; a path that will damage our economy and our relationship with our largest trading partners. Congress needs to act to bring a permanent solution to this failed legislation."


 

National FFA Joins #GivingTuesday Movement to Encourage Spending with a Purpose

The National FFA Organization and the National FFA Foundation have joined #GivingTuesday, a unique effort that will harness the collective power of a global blend of partners-charities, families, businesses and individuals-to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. Coinciding with the Thanksgiving holiday and the kickoff of the holiday shopping season, #GivingTuesday will inspire people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they support and help create a better world. Taking place Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014 - the Tuesday after Thanksgiving - #GivingTuesday will harness the power of social media to create a national moment around the holidays dedicated to giving, similar to how Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become days that are, today, synonymous with holiday shopping.


"We see Giving Tuesday as a wonderful opportunity to not only raise support of FFA, but also to heighten public awareness for the organization," said Molly Ball, president of the National FFA Foundation, the fundraising arm of the National FFA Organization. "With our all-time high membership of more than 600,000, this kind of grassroots effort can lead to a greater understanding of the mission of FFA and the importance of supporting the future of agricultural education."


Seeing an opportunity to channel the generous spirit of the holiday season to inspire action around charitable giving, a group of friends and partners, led by the 92nd Street Y (92Y), came together to find ways to promote and celebrate the great American tradition of giving. Click here to read more about #GivingTuesday.   

'Finding and Keeping Talent' Webinar Slated for December 2

The American Farm Bureau Federation, together with the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business Global Social Enterprise Initiative, announces the fifth in a series of free online business training webinars for rural entrepreneurs and Farm Bureau members.


"Finding and Keeping Talent" will be presented on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 3:00 p.m. EST. The webinar will focus on growing your team by developing staff in new ways, in addition to recruiting outside expertise for legal, export or marketing assistance.


Featured presenters include Jeff Reid, founding director, Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative; Jody Keenan, state director, Virginia Small Business Development Centers Network; and Tom Mirc, senior manager, Red Hat, business strategist and investor.


If you are interested in participating in this webinar you are encouraged to RSVP by clicking here.  Find more information by clicking here.  

USMEF Uses Integrated Approach in Reaching International Customers

In working with customers around the world, US Meat Export Federation has found each customer has unique preferences and demands. USMEF has a variety of ways to promote US Beef. Assistant Vice President International Marketing & Programs Greg Hanes said its like having tools in a tool kit and USMEF uses different tools depending on the situation in the international market place. He said a lot of times it takes more than one tool to be successful in a given market to sell the sizzle of US beef.


"Just doing one type of activity or one think isn't going to work," Hanes said. "So really all of the activities we do as you say are very integrated to create that bigger bang and awareness in the market."


In working with a new buyer from a retail chain the first step is getting them interested in US beef. Hanes said that might take place at a trade show where USMEF has a booth. Then they will follow up and bring them over to the US where potential buyers could come to Oklahoma to see a ranch and see where the animals are raised and see who is raising them. Hanes said USMEF will then offer training for their employees.


"We might do a specific company seminar for them to go over all these different aspects with their employees and their sales force," Hanes said. "They may be selling to say restaurant chains, so we would work with that restaurant chain in doing promotions and activities to educate their consumes, the customer there and tie that in with media bloggers, and things like that." 


I featured Hanes on the Beef Buzz feature. Click here to listen to Hanes talk about some of the future challenges and opportunities for the beef industry.   

Arysta Life Science Offers Wheat Farmers New Products

Wheat farmers will have access to new crop protection products. Arysta Life Science has released Pre-Pare herbicide and looks for government approval for their new fungicide FORTIX. Arysta Life Science Herbicide Development Manager Chad Effertz said using Pre-Pare in wheat is a different concept in addressing brume and rescue grass species.


"We're trying to go after 'em pre-emergent," Efferents said. "So especially if you are adapted to no-till and you are burning down with glyphosate, add your Pre-Pare to that mix and that is going to give you that control in the fall."


The latest research conducted by Arysta Life Science has found that brome that comes up with winter wheat will reduce yields by 20 percent. Effertz said if the brome emerges three weeks later then there is very little effect on yields.  


Radio Oklahoma Network's Leslie Smith interviewed Effertz recently at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting Convention.  Click here to learn more about their new fungicide FORTIX.  

Farmland Documentary Released to On-Demand Digital Platforms

Academy Award®-winning filmmaker James Moll's feature length documentary, Farmland, is now available for rent and purchase via On Demand platforms - providing more people with the opportunity to view the film from their own homes and digital devices. The film's move to digital platforms takes place this month, following a successful four-week run on Hulu.com and Hulu Plus.


Farmland is available for digital download via iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Blockbuster On Demand, Sony PlayStation, Vudu.com, Xbox and YouTube. The cost to download and own the film ranges from $14.99 to $19.99 for high definition and $12.99 to $14.99 for standard definition format. Online rental will cost approximately $4.99 to $7.99 for high definition and $3.99 to $6.99 for standard definition format.


Farmland will also be available to traditional satellite and cable television subscribers via their respective Video-on-Demand or Pay-per-View platforms in December 2014. DirecTV and DISH subscribers will have access to Farmland through their Video-on-Demand or Pay-per-View channels beginning on December 2. The film is also being made available to companies that deliver Video-on-Demand (VOD) or Pay-per-View (PPV) content to ATT U-Verse, Verizon Fios, Comcast, Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable. Click here to watch the trailer for the film Farmland or to reach more about the reach of this documentary.   

Welcome to December- Lots of Events On Tap the Next Couple of Weeks

We have a bunch of events listed on our December Calendar on OklahomaFarmReport.Com.  They include a couple of Farm Shows, multiple Farm Bill Informational Meetings, OBQN Sales and more.  

The 30th Annual Amarillo Farm Show is set to begin tomorrow and runs through Thursday at the downtown Civic Center in Amarillo- we have a link to more details here.

Next week- the attention turns to the 21st annual Tulsa Farm Show- and it will be the biggest and best yet- as once again exhibitors and attendees will be welcomed by the iconic statue of the Tulsa Driller.  The inside of the River Spirit Expo will be totally filled in the upper area once again- and very close to capacity in the lower part of the building here  in 2014.  As always- admission and parking will be free- and we look forward to saying howdy to many of you at our booth inside the entrance right by the Driller.  We have a couple of giveaways planned- we'll give you more details in the next few days.

Farm Bill Informational meetings are planned at eight different locations during the month of December- including ones this week in Durant, Clinton and  Miami.  Go to our link above for the December calendar to see details on all of these meetings.

And- that's the advice for the other things planned- very little will be on the calendar once we hit mid December- as the events wind down and everyone prepares for the Christmas holidays.