HHS, USDA Now Begin Process of Developing Updated Guidelines; Public Comments Sought

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, a group of prestigious outside experts, submitted its recommendations to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, in order to inform the 2015 edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Today, the Secretaries have released the advisory committee's recommendations report online, making it available for public review and comment. The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA) will consider this report, along with input from other federal agencies and comments from the public as they develop the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015, to be released later this year.


"For decades, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans have been at the core of our efforts to promote the health and well-being of American families," said Secretaries Burwell and Vilsack in a joint statement. "Now that the advisory committee has completed its recommendations, HHS and USDA will review this advisory report, along with comments from the public-including other experts-and input from other federal agencies as we begin the process of updating the guidelines."


The public is encouraged to view the independent advisory group's report and provide written comments by clicking here  for a period of 45 days after publication in the Federal Register. The public will also have an opportunity to offer oral comments at a public meeting in Bethesda, Maryland, on March 24, 2015. Those interested in providing oral comments at the March 24, 2015, public meeting can register by clicking here. Capacity is limited, so participants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.


The 14 outside experts who made up the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee are nationally recognized in the fields of nutrition, medicine and public health. The committee held seven public meetings over the past two years. The recommendations of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee are non-binding and advisory to HHS and USDA as they draft the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015.  To read more, click here.   

Livestock Groups Urge USDA, HHS Secretaries To Reject Recommendations On Meat 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Thursday released the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee's report. This report is a recommendation to the Secretaries as they develop the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans that will be released later this year. Unfortunately, the report is inconsistent, and if adopted will lead to conflicting dietary advice. On one hand, the Committee has endorsed the Mediterranean style diet, which has higher red meat levels than currently consumed in the U.S.; and on the other hand, they have left lean meat out of what they consider to be a healthy dietary pattern.


Dr. Shalene McNeill, Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Scientist with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association said the recommendation that a healthy dietary pattern should be lower in red meat is not consistent with scientific evidence and would be unsound dietary advice.


"Lean meat is red meat. Today's beef supply is leaner than ever before with more than 30 cuts of beef recognized as lean by government standards," said McNeill. "The protein foods category, which includes meat, is the only category currently consumed within the current guidelines, and it is misleading to conclude that a healthy dietary pattern should be lower in red meat."


I interviewed McNeill about the release of the Advisory Committee's Report.  You can hear our full conversation by clicking here.

The Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association released the following statement:  "OCA is disappointed that the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee would ignore both science and common sense. They went way out of bounds to include other factors like sustainability, pricing, labeling and taxes which have no place in the nutritional guidelines.   Our military, schools and health care institutions need wholesome and safe foods like beef that are nutrient dense," said Richard Gebhart, OCA President 

"We think the advisory committee has taken the wrong approach," said National Pork Producers Council President Dr. Howard Hill, a veterinarian and pork producer from Cambridge, Iowa. "Science recognizes that meat is, and should be, a part of a healthful diet, and NPPC urges the USDA and HHS secretaries to keep meat in the center of America's plate."  Click here to read more from NPPC.

The National Pork Board reminds Americans that meat, including pork, is a nutrient-dense food that is not over consumed on average in America. More than 60 percent of the U.S. population is consuming the Protein Food Group at or below recommended intake levels.  Scientific evidence shows that eating lean, high-quality protein like pork can help people lose or maintain weight by contributing to feeling full and by preserving lean muscle.  Click here to read more from NPB.

Support Remains Strong for Oklahoma's Canola Industry

A large crowd of about 300 farmers were on hand for Canola College in Enid Thursday. In the event's third year, this was one of the largest attendance of farmers learning more about this oilseed crop from the best experts in the region.


Oklahoma Oilseed Commission and Great Plains Canola Association Executive Director Ron Sholar said he is feeling pretty good about the 2015 crop.


"We still feel good about where we are," Sholar said. "We're not wet out there right now. The crop looks good, it's photo synthesizing."


The sunny days in the 40s and 50s are helping the canola crop. Sholar said the crop is poised to take off as the temperatures warm up, but it's in need of moisture. Overall the crop looks better than a year ago.


"We've got better stands, we have not had as much winter kill," Sholar said. "Now we have had some, we've lost some plants, but the crop has a great ability to compensate. We certainly want farmers to look at their fields very carefully and not throw in the towel early, because a lot of these that may look a little bit ragged now, as they begin to fill in, they have plenty of plants out there to make a crop." 


 I interviewed Sholar at Canola College.  To read or have the opportunity to listen to our full conversation by clicking here.   

Good Time To Reclaim Pastures from Eastern Redcedar Trees

Throughout the Southern Plains you will find eastern redcedar trees and in many locations a lot of them. These trees aren't just taking up pastureland, many times they are also competing for resources, especially water. Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Market Economist Dr. Derrell Peel said if landowners cleaned up the eastern redcedar tree problem, pastures would have a lot better carrying capacity. 


While Oklahoma has several million acres that are severely encroached with redcedar trees, there has not been a widespread effort to control the invasive species. Peel has found producers can have 100 percent grazing loss to cedar trees, when those acres become full encroached.


Unfortunately,  the incentives have not been strong enough for landowners to control these trees. Peel said controlling redcedars offers more benefits than just to the private landowner, as there is a public benefit in reducing wildfire risk to other landowners and homeowners, along with reducing public health issues, such as allergies.  

I also talked with Peel about why now is a good time for cattle producers to control cedar trees.  To read or have the opportunity to listen to our latest Beef Buzz segment with Peel, click here.  

You can also hear our entire interview that we conducted with Derrell earlier this month at the Cattle Industry Convention- it was one of several Podcasts we posted while in San Antonio.  Click here to take a listen.

RFA Chief Unveils Detailed 10-Point Industry Plan for Biofuels

Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Bob Dinneen Thursday discussed a 10-point plan for the future of the ethanol industry during his annual State of the Industry address at the National Ethanol Conference in Grapevine, Texas.


Dinneen began by declaring, "...as I contemplate the state of the U.S. ethanol industry, it is without hesitation or hyperbole that I conclude it is brimming with the confidence of an industry that has seen tough times and thrived, good times and prepared, and turbulent times and never wavered. The state of the ethanol industry is strong."


Dinneen detailed the maturity of the industry, noting last year's success despite the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) indecision and proposed cuts to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), pointing to the expansion of the ethanol market globally, and highlighting the emergence of cellulosic ethanol.
  

To read more about RFA's 10-point plan, by clicking here.

Award winning broadcast journalist Jerry Bohnen has spent years learning and understanding how to cover the energy business here in the southern plains- Click here to subscribe to his daily update of top Energy News.

OSU's Kim Anderson Breaks Down USDA Ag Outlook Estimates

The U.S. Department of Agriculture provided a grim outlook for agriculture in 2015. This week the agency released its first unofficial estimates for 2015 - 2016 at the Agricultural Outlook Forum in Washington, D.C. On this weekend's edition of SUNUP, Oklahoma State University Grain Marketing Specialist Kim Anderson breaks down the estimates on farm income, planted acres and commodity prices. 


USDA estimated the nation's farm income at $73.6 billion dollars. Anderson said that is the lowest farm income since 2007.


In looking at acres, USDA is projecting lower planted acres for wheat and corn, while soybeans are projected to be nearly unchanged from a year ago. Anderson said all wheat acres were estimated to be down 1.3 million acres and corn is projected to decline by 1.6 million acres. USDA will update their projected acreage outlook for corn and soybeans on March 31st.


Lower commodity prices means tighter margins for that nation's ag producers.   Anderson said last year wheat averaged $6 a bushel. In this outlook, USDA is project the wheat price at $5.10. USDA projects a similar trend for soybeans. Anderson said soybean prices are projected to drop $1.20, from $10.20 to average $9 a bushel this year. The price of corn is forecast to be down 15 cents over a year ago in averaging $3.50 a bushel this year.  

To read or to listen to the full interview with Anderson, click here.   

Coming Up- McAlester Cow Sale Saturday, OACD Meeting Starting Sunday and Commodity Classic Next Week 

The McAlester Union Stockyards will be having a special Cow Sale tomorrow- starting at 12 noon.

Several hundred head of replacement females will be offered- as well as 40 bulls that are currently consigned.

Click here for their listing on the Auction page of our website- or call the folks at McAlester at 918-423-2834.

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The 2015 Annual meeting of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts gets underway this weekend and extends into Monday and Tuesday of next week. The meeting will take place at the Reed Center in Midwest City.



"This is a great time for the state's leaders in conservation to get together and chart our course forward for the coming year," said Kim Farber, OACD President. "The meeting theme is "Back to the Future" to honor our rich history of accomplishments, while also bringing attention to pressing conservation needs in Oklahoma."

More details are available here.  

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It's the 20th year for Commodity Classic- and the 2015 edition of the event looks like it will be outstanding.  

Commodity Classic is the joint gathering of the National Sorghum Producers, National Association of Wheat Growers, the National Corn Growers Association and the American Soybean Association.  

Together, they have a General Session, shared Trade Show and other educational events- separately- they have business meetings, commodity specific forums and a lot more.

We will be covering Commodity Classic again here in 2015 in Phoenix- and ahead of the Classic- we will be at the Bayer Crop Science gathering that has grown into a huge media event- the Ag Issues Forum.  The Forum begins Tuesday- our coverage will be starting Wednesday morning here in the email as well as on our radio broadcasts and of course in our Twitter feed.

To learn more about Commodity Classic- click here for their website.