Last Chance to Submit Comments on Importation of Beef from Argentina 

Should the US government allow fresh beef from South America to come into the United States?  Many American cattle organizations in this country say no. A proposed rule from the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) would allow for the importation of fresh and frozen beef from northern Argentina where Food and Mouth Disease (FMD) has been a problem.   The public comment period ENDS TODAY- December 29th.


Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association Executive Vice President Michael Kelsey said they are strongly opposed to the importation of beef from Argentina because the country has not demonstrated the ability to secure their borders and to follow risk mitigation strategies specifically involving FMD.


"We just can't afford to have that disease in the United States in terms of our herd health," Kelsey said.   

Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association President Pete Bonds said TSCRA is extremely concerned with the APHIS rule proposal to allow the importation of live cattle and fresh or frozen beef from northern Argentina. Earlier this week, Bonds released the following statement after TSCRA submitted comments in opposition of the rule proposal by USDA - APHIS.


"Protecting the U.S. cattle industry from a catastrophic foreign animal disease, such as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a major priority for TSCRA." Bonds said. "FMD could cause a widespread quarantine and possible massive depopulation of the cattle herd in the U.S., thus compromising national security, jeopardizing our beef supply and costing our industry hundreds of millions of dollars."

Nationally- Kristina Butts with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association's Washington office has also weighed in- saying that US cattle producers need to express their comments about this APHIS proposal- saying that South American cattle producers are commenting to our government about allowing Argentine beef into the US- Butts says in Friday's Beef Buzz that US cattlemen need to counter their input- you can hear her thoughts by clicking here. 

USDA Extends Public Comment Period for Conservation Stewardship Program Rule 

USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is extending the public comment period on the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) interim rule. Public comments will be accepted through January 20, 2015.


"This extension will provide stakeholders with additional time to comment on the CSP interim rule," Chief Jason Weller said. "At nearly 70 million acres, CSP is the nation's largest conservation program. Input through the public comment process will help NRCS finalize a CSP rule that works for participants and continues to deliver greater conservation benefits for our Nation."


Official notice of the change can be found in the Federal Register. Electronic comments must be submitted through regulations.gov. Click here for additional details on where to submit comments.  

Rabobank has issued a new report on the global beef industry, looking at continued tight global supply of cattle and beef in Q4 2014.  In the report, published by Rabobank's Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory group, Rabobank says that despite tight global cattle and beef supplies, prices tempered from their Q3 highs. The U.S. remains the major global driver, with import demand affecting prices and volumes for other countries.


Rabobank says that a big question heading into 2015 with such a finely balanced market is: if Australian export rates decrease and herds in Mexico and Canada continue to be run down by the U.S., have prices reached a new norm or do they still have room to rise?


"The U.S. continues to be the driver in the global beef market with constrained supply and strong demand keeping prices high. A recent strengthening in the U.S. economy and dollar will support continued imports to the U.S., however we are watching a drop in the oil price and depreciation of the Russian ruble given Russia's status as the world' largest beef importer," explains Razorback analyst Angus Gidley-Baird.   

Click here to read more about the outlook for beef from Rabobank's point of view.  

USDA Report Confirms US Food Safe of Pesticides

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has posted data from the 2013 Pesticide Data Program (PDP) Annual Summary. The PDP summary confirms that overall pesticide chemical residues found on the foods tested are at levels below the tolerances established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and do not pose a safety concern. This information, along with an explanatory guide for consumers, can be found by clicking here.


The 2013 PDP Annual Summary shows that over 99 percent of the products sampled through PDP had residues below the EPA tolerances. Residues exceeding the tolerance were detected in 0.23 percent of the samples tested. The PDP pesticide residue results are reported to FDA and EPA through monthly reports. In instances where a PDP finding is extraordinary and may pose a safety risk, FDA and EPA are immediately notified. EPA has determined the extremely low levels of those residues are not a food safety risk, and the presence of such residues does not pose a safety concern.


Each year, USDA and EPA work together to identify foods to be tested on a rotating basis. In 2013, surveys were conducted on a variety of foods including fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, infant formula, butter, salmon, groundwater, and drinking water. AMS partners with cooperating state agencies to collect and analyze pesticide chemical residue levels on selected foods. The EPA uses data from PDP to enhance its programs for food safety and help evaluate dietary exposure to pesticides. 

Click here to read more from USDA, FDA and EPA about the program results.

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


Does the severity (coldness or mildness) of the winter have an impact on spring-born calf birth weights? Ranchers have asked that question during many springs and veterinarians have speculated for years. The debate rages on!   This is obviously a difficult subject to research because you cannot have a "control" group of cows to compare to a "treatment" group that is exposed to a cold winter while still running on the same pasture. Therefore research data on this subject is limited.


University of Nebraska researchers (Colburn and co-workers) have done the next best thing. They have monitored the birth weights of genetically similar calves across three different winters and have related average winter temperatures to birth weights. A 3-year study was conducted to evaluate effects of high and low air temperatures and wind chills during winter months on subsequent calf birth weights and calving difficulty of spring-born calves. Records on approximately 400 2-year-old heifers and their calves were used. Heifer and calf genetics were the same each year. Heifers were fed similar quality hay free-choice each year before calving. High temperatures during the 1994-95 winter were 9 degrees higher than during the 1992-93 winter. The low temperatures were five degrees higher for 1994-95 compared to 1992-93. The greatest differences in monthly temperatures between years were found during December, January and February. Average temperatures for these three months increased 11 degrees F over the three years. Average calf birth weights decreased 11 pounds (81 to 70) from 1993 to 1995. A 1:1 ratio was observed. Although calving difficulty was high due to the research design, it also decreased from 57% to 35% from 1993 to 1995.  

Results indicate that cold temperatures influenced calf birth weight. Weather cannot be controlled; however, if we have below average winter temperatures, larger birth weight calves and more calving difficulty may be expected in the spring. 

Click here to read more from Dr. Selk on this winter weather factor as it relates to birth weights.

Information presented by the National Cotton Council (NCC) during the organization's 25 STAX/Farm Bill workshops and four regional webinars is now accessible online.


Key elements of The Agricultural Act of 2014 covered in those sessions included an in-depth look at the new Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX) and the Supplemental Coverage Option, along with regional examples of insurance premium rates and county yields.


That information - as well as the audio and video webinar presentations - is now available on the NCC website.


NCC President and CEO Mark Lange said cotton producers, other industry members and agribusiness personnel unable to attend any of the NCC workshops or participate in the just completed webinars will benefit from accessing this information.


"Even those unable to attend a workshop and/or take part in one of the webinars will find this information helpful as important decisions must be made to participate in this new farm law," Lange said.


Click here to find the information regarding STAX and the 2014 Farm Bill.   

Recapping Our Visits With Industry Leaders Reviewing 2014 and Looking Into 2015

We have had several of our ag industry leaders in the state of Oklahoma join us the last several weeks of 2014- reviewing the year just concluding- and looking into 2015.  

These gentlemen have been our guests for our In the Field segment as seen on KWTV News9 in Oklahoma City- and we have also done more extensive radio interviews with them as well-  

In you would like a chance to go back and see what these folks have said about the year behind and the year ahead- You can click on the person's name below to jump to either the audio and/or the video story with them.

One note- we have at least one more in this series that will be seen/heard- as we will be welcoming Terry Detrick of AFR  as our first guest in the new year this coming Saturday.

Now- here's the lineup-

Roy Lee Lindsey of the Oklahoma Pork Council highlighted record hog prices, falling feedgrain prices and concern about PEDv- he also talked about the continued change in the makeup of the Oklahoma pork industry. 

Tom Buchanan of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau talked about 2014 being a great year at the state legislature for the general farm organization- and expects water issues to continue to be a hot topic for farmers and ranchers in the new year.   

Mike Schulte of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission reviewed the poorest wheat crop since the 1950s that Oklahoma wheat producers had to deal with in 2014- and expressed hope for the better 2015.

Oklahoma Secretary of Ag Jim Reese spoke of the rains in June and July of this year that were a blessing to spring crop producers- and talked of goals he and the Department of Ag are working on for 2015 as Governor Fallin begins her second term as the Chief Executive of our state.

Michael Kelsey of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association spoke of record cattle prices- rebuilding the mama cow herd and regulatory challenges ahead in the new year.

In an audio conversation from Washington- we also talked this month with Colin Woodall of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association about 2014 wins and losses for the cattle business and what 2015 may hold.

One other audio conversation that you may want to listen to again was with our friend Travis Meyer of the News on 6- we talked with him about 2014 weather and what 2015 may hold as we caught up with him at the 2014 Tulsa Farm Show earlier this month.