FSA Administrator Val Docini on Final Day to Adjust Base Acres and Yields- Get on the LIST!

TODAY is the day when crop producers must have their decisions completed on acreage reallocation or updating yields- that is UNLESS you call FSA and get your name on the "register" and make a reservation to go into the office in the next few weeks.  That was the message that we got from the Administrator of the Farm Service Agency, Val Dolcini as we talked with him on the Trade Show floor at Commodity Classic yesterday.

Farmers have just over a month to make their farm safety net decision in choosing between Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) programs. With about five weeks to go until the March 31st deadline, Dolcini said that gives farmers time to make that decision, but USDA will be monitoring the enrollment process. If USDA feels more time is needed, they could use a register for that as well. Dolcini said when they get closer to the deadline they will determine if an extension is needed.  

We also talked with the Administrator about the success in getting so many ranchers money through the Livestock Disaster Assistance Program- and he indicated that the reservation process worked well with this program- and that the FSA is still working with ranchers who were on the list and have not yet had their name called as of yet.

In the interview, Dolcini addresses implementation of the 2014 Farm Bill and updates to USDA's technology.  To read or to listen to our full interview, click here.

Oklahoma Wheat Farmer Jimmy Musick Elected Secretary of the National Association of Wheat Growers

Former Oklahoma Wheat Grower Association President Jimmy Musick of Sentinel has been elected by the National Association of Wheat Growers' Board of Directors as the group's Secretary for the coming year. Musick steps into the National Officer Chair Rotation for the group, which will place him in the national leadership of the organization for the next five years. Musick currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Wheat Foundation, and has spent time as Chairman for that group.


I spoke with Musick at the end of the NAWG Board meeting in Phoenix that was being held in conjunction with the 20th Annual Commodity Classic. Musick told me that "it's going to be an honor to serve the wheat growers across not only the state of Oklahoma but also across the nation- I'm looking forward to that opportunity." He added that "wheat is a great crop- a great commodity and we're looking forward to building those relationships with millers and bakers and maybe our relations with Cuba and perhaps some other countries to increase exports- and the bottom line is to increase the profitability of our wheat growers across the country."


One priority that Musick has for NAWG to be a part of in the next few years is wave of technology that is rolling across all of agriculture. "We really do think that there is going to be some great things done in wheat research and technology and looking forward to those improvements."


Click here to listen to our full conversation held Thursday morning in Phoenix at the 2015 Commodity Classic. 

Commercial Grading Contest Postponed, Aquaculture Conference Rescheduled but Pork Congress is a GO

As we finish up our email this Friday morning, we continue to expect a lot of challenging weather this weekend- and at least a couple of events have decided to step aside and not battle mother nature.

First of all, Dede Haynes shares with us that  "The Rick Jones Memorial Scholarship Commercial cattle grading contest scheduled for today- Friday February 27, 2015 at OKC West has been postponed due to the chance of hazardous weather. This was a hard call as we all know the weather in OK can be so unpredictable. As soon as a new date has been decided it will be made available."

Then, there is the Aquaculture Workshop at Langston that was scheduled for tomorrow- it was been rescheduled for April- here are details of that calendar move.

Finally- in checking with Roy Lee Lindsey of the Oklahoma Pork Council- the annual Pork Congress set for today will be held as scheduled- it is happening at the Embassy Suites in Norman. Details are available here.

RFA and Corn Growers Fired Up Over Corn Ethanol Mandate Elimination Act

Senators Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) and Pat Toomey (Pa.) Thursday introduced the Corn Ethanol Mandate Elimination Act in an attempt to undercut the Renewable Fuel Standard. Bob Dinneen, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, released the following statement:


"Senators Feinstein and Toomey continue to operate under the misguided assumption that the RFS is driving food prices higher. It is not. Corn is less expensive today than when the RFS was passed! As the World Bank recently concluded, 'most of the contribution to food price changes from 1997-2004 and 2005-2012 comes from the price of oil.'


"The RFS has been a tremendous success and the resulting production of ethanol has many value added benefits. For instance, every $1.00 worth of feedstock that goes into the production of ethanol results in $1.83 in fuel and animal feed. Moreover, the RFS has created jobs, helped reduce the amount of oil the United States must import from foreign countries, significantly lowered greenhouse gas emissions and helped bolster rural communities.


"The sad irony of the Feinstein-Toomey effort is that, if passed, the sector most likely to be harmed would be the advanced and cellulosic technologies that are just now realizing commercial success. This bill would desolate investment in that nascent sector by crushing the foundation upon which those new technologies hope to build." 

National Corn Growers Association board member Keith Alverson of South Dakota issued the following statement:


"Every year, corn ethanol gets cleaner and more efficient, and oil gets dirtier. Congress should not turn its back on the success we have seen in renewable fuels. The Renewable Fuel Standard is working. We are growing renewable, clean energy right here in America. Corn ethanol is better for the environment and has historically lowered the cost of filling our tanks by nearly a dollar.


"With a second consecutive record crop, there is more than enough corn to meet all demands for food, fuel, feed, and fiber. Corn farmers have more than met our commitment on the RFS. There are many good reasons to continue this policy, and we look forward to working with Congress to support it." 

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.

Comment Opens for Agricultural Conservation Easement Program Interim Final Rule

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Thursday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is accepting public comments on its interim final rule for the new Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), designed to help producers protect working agricultural lands and wetlands. The 2014 Farm Bill consolidated three previous conservation easement programs into ACEP to make it easier for diverse agricultural landowners to fully benefit from conservation initiatives.


"Since 2009, USDA has worked with producers and private landowners to enroll a record number of acres in conservation programs. This interim final rule takes into account recommendations from agricultural landowners and conservation stakeholders about how to better streamline and enhance conservation easement processes," Vilsack said.


USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) administers ACEP, a voluntary program created in the 2014 Farm bill to protect and restore critical wetlands on private and tribal lands through the wetland reserve easement component. ACEP also encourages farmers, ranchers and non-industrial private forest landowners to keep their private and tribal land in agricultural use through the agricultural land easement component. ACEP also conserves grasslands, including rangeland, pastureland and shrubland.

 

To read more about Under ACEP's agricultural land component, click here.