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It was the next step forward for the "Right to Farm" proposal that is being championed by several agricultural groups, including the Oklahoma Farm Bureau.  On Wednesday afternoon, the State Senate Rules Committee, chaired by Senator Ron Justice, approved HJR 1012 by an eight to four vote.  Senator Jason Smalley of Stroud is the lead author in the Senate.  

With that vote- the next stop for the bill is the floor of the State Senate.  We have been told that a vote could happen either next week or the week after- but likely before April 23rd.  

We canvased a number of ag groups ahead of the Rules Committee vote- and all pointed to the Rules vote as very important in making sure the measure stays on track for possible passage this year- setting up a vote of the people to add language to the state constitution that would read "The Legislature shall pass no law which abridges the right of

Eleven Land-Grant Institutions, Including OSU Help Protect Pecan Yield

More than 75% of the world's pecan crop is produced in the United States, and researchers and extension specialists from 11 land-grant universities are working together to ensure that pests don't affect crop yield. The project, titled S-1049 Integrated Management of Pecan Arthropod Pests in the Southern U.S., is a multistate research project that helps pecan growers learn more about affordable, environmentally friendly, and sustainable pecan pest management options. The project was the 2014 Southern Region nominee for the Experiment Station Section Excellence in Multistate Research Award and was recently selected as the region's 2015 nominee.


"Since 1972, S-1049 members have conducted experiments on over 300 acres of test fields across the country and collaborated with horticulturists and plant pathologists to develop best production practices to improve pecan nut quality and yields. This field data is critical to developing pest monitoring protocols and tools, like traps, treatments, and biological control options," said Dr. Donn Johnson, former chair of S-1049 and Entomology Professor at the University of Arkansas.


Pests that are not managed can severely damage harvests of marketable nuts. For instance, in Arkansas, the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, administered through the Arkansas Agriculture Department, funded S-1049 members so that they could issue a survey to pecan growers and visit 16 pecan groves. The survey and site visits enabled the members to identify production problems that required additional research. The S-1049 researchers noted that insects and disease in unmanaged groves caused more than 30% nut damage. However, several groves were following pest management recommendations and had reduced damage to nuts to less than 5%. 

Click here to read more about this project to help pecan growers.  

Peel Says Herd Rebuilding Could Go Either Way in 2015

Herd rebuilding got underway aggressively in 2014 for the Southern Plains region of Texas and Oklahoma. That's according to the nation's cattle inventory report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in late January. Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Market Economist Dr. Derrell Peel said the region could have another good year of expansion in 2015, but a lot hinges on the weather conditions over the next 60 - 90 days. 


The Southern Plains region had the biggest deficit of cattle numbers during the peak of the drought. In looking at the big picture, Peel said it was surprising the beef cow herd number grew by two percent last year, but he isn't confident that will be repeated in 2015.


"I'm not so sure we have as good as chance to maintain that this year, even if we continue forward with herd expansion," Peel said.  "Because of the limited forage conditions, even if we have decent rains from here on in the southern plains, we need some time to recover." 

I featured Peel on the Beef Buzz feature. Click or tap here to listen to today's Beef Buzz, as Peel explains why he anticipates there will be less herd growth in 2015.

Canola Crop Blooming, Needs Moisture to Reach Yield Potential in Oklahoma and Kansas

The following Canola Crop overview is provided by Heath Sanders, Canola Field Specialist with the Great Plains Canola Association.


Crop Conditions:
Southern TX - Canola is in full bloom with adequate soil moisture. The crop was relatively tall before it began bolting and blooming, overall crop height will be tall as well. The crop looks really good.


Northern TX and Southern OK - Canola is blooming with some soil moisture. The crop has good height and appears that it will be taller in size when compared to past years. The area received some moisture the past week which will continue to aid with flowering and pod development.


Central OK - Soil moisture conditions remain adequate. The canola crop has bolted and is in the early stages of blooming. The area did receive some moisture last week but distribution was erratic. The much appreciated moisture will assist in blooming progress.


Northern OK - Southern KS - Soil moisture conditions continue to be extremely dry. The canola crop is stressed due to the lack of plant available water. The crop is bolting and also at the early stages of blooming. The crop at this point appears that it will be short in stature. This area has not received much or if any moisture this winter and spring. 
 

Click here for more on the status of the 2015 Canola crop, including details on the canola field tours - April 14-17th.  

Protein Packed Peanuts Perfect Match for Today's Healthy Consumer

Healthy living has become a big motivator for consumers. As Americans look to eat healthier, the National Peanut Board is promoting the health and wellness benefits of eating peanuts. Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications Ryan Lepicier said in every meal consumers are moving toward a more plant-based diet, while focusing on protein.


"So peanuts fit the bill perfectly," Lepicier said. "We have more protein than any nut. Peanuts have more than 30 essential vitamins and nutrients. Peanuts are just a wonderful overall nutrient-dense food."


Peanuts offer a easy solution to eating healthier and it's an easy transition as 94 percent of Americans have at least one jar of peanut butter in their pantry. The grocery store shelf used to only offer creamy and crunchy peanut butter, but that is changing. Lepicier said peanut butter sales are growing incrementally with new specialty peanut butter varieties like salted caramel, chocolate peanut butter or cinnamon raisin peanut butter.


I caught up with Lepicier at the recent Oklahoma Peanut Expo. Click or tap here to listen to full interview on how the National Peanut Board is also aiming to get more Americans to think about peanut butter outside of lunch time.  

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.

Unwanted Pesticide Disposal Set for April 22 in Purcell

The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF) announced that unwanted pesticides will be collected on April 22 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the McClain County Fairgrounds in Purcell. This collection is open to anyone who uses pesticides such as homeowners, farmers, ranchers, nurseries, greenhouses, commercial and non-commercial certified applicators and dealers. Herbicides, insecticides and fungicides are allowed.


Unwanted pesticides become unusable as originally intended for various reasons. They may be leftover pesticides, pesticides no longer registered in the state of Oklahoma or no longer have labels or be identifiable. There is no cost for the first 2,500 pounds of pesticides brought in by a participant. Liquid pesticide weighs about 10 pounds per gallon. Some transportation tips can be found by clicking here.


The disposal program is a service designed to remove unusable pesticides from storage and reduce the potential threat to public health and the environment. It has properly disposed of approximately 750,000 pounds of pesticide material since December 2006. Participants in this program will not be prosecuted for illegal management practices. All participants will remain anonymous.


This collection will take only pesticides.  Click here to read more about this offering.  

This n That- WASDE This Morning- Superior Tomorrow Morning and OKC Farm Show Next Week- Any More Horses????

USDA will release its latest Crop Production and World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) reports at 11 a.m. CDT this morning.   

Old Crop Numbers will be given one final look- before the regular reports all turn their attention more and more to the new crop numbers of 2015-2016.   

DTN's Darin Newsome says that old crop corn stocks may be higher in this report compared to March, while soybeans may be slightly smaller.  Click here to read his full pre report analysis.

After the report is out at 11 AM- we will be posting comments from Tom Leffler with his take on the numbers after the trade has had time to react to them- and we anticipate that Kim Anderson will weigh in during his SUNUP conversation this week with Lyndall Stout. All of that will be on our website in the afternoon and featured in our Friday morning email.

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Superior Livestock has a big sale planned for this week- 39,000 expected to be sold on live TV and via the internet on Friday, April 10- that's tomorrow.

The sale starts at 8:00 AM Central time- you can see more details and have more links to help you get ready for the sale- just click here and we'll get you lined up for this every other week sale.

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We are a week away from the 2015 Oklahoma City Farm Show- which runs April 16-18 at State Fair Park in OKC.  We will be at the show and hope you will stop by and say howdy- and you can register for the Priefert Round Pen that we will be giving away on Saturday afternoon.

In conjunction with that give away- we are looking for at least one more horse that Scott Daily may perform his training magic on- give me a call at 405-841-3675 if you have a horse that you could bring to Oklahoma City for the horse training that would be free to you.  

You can also send me details via email by clicking here.  

Details about the OKC Farm Show itself are available here.