"Black Sunday" Dust Storm Struck Oklahoma 80 Years Ago Today

April 14, 1935- Eighty Years ago- was Black Sunday. It's said that a radio reporter gave what proved to be the single worst dust storm to blow through the southern plains in the 1930's the name Black Sunday. One of the survivors of Black Sunday was Pauline Hodges. She was among about two dozen who were sharing their story at the Oklahoma State Capitol Tuesday as Conservation groups came together to commemorate the anniversary.


As a little girl living in the Panhandle, she remembers April 14, 1935 was a different kind of day. She was almost six years old and she recalls there was dust storms every day, but none like that "black cloud" that came in that Sunday. She remembers how everything turned totally dark.


"You couldn't see anything," Hodges said. "It was the only day that I remember it was ever that bad."


In remembering Black Sunday, she said her father was convinced the dust storms were caused by plowing of the land. Two months after Black Sunday, Hodges said they lost their farm to bank foreclosure. They lost their farm, their house, all of the machinery and they had to move.    


"It changed us forever though, in what we did, how we felt and how we had to live and our attitudes," Hodges said. "It probably made better people out of us, but we didn't think that at the time." 

I interviewed Hodges about that unforgettable day. Click or tap here to read or have the opportunity to listen to the full interview.

There are lots of resources regarding Black Sunday- the written word- interviews of those who were there and picture and some video collections.  A good place to start is an overview offered by the Oklahoma Climatological Survey- available here. 

Right to Farm Supporters and Opponents Ramp Up Efforts For Their Side to Win Battle- The Latest Overview 

On the surface, HJR 1012 seems relatively straight forward- but several opponents of the proposed ballot initiative are throwing verbal "rocks" and raising a variety of issues that they say would result if the language of this "Right to Farm" measure became a part of the Oklahoma Constitution. At the same time, most Oklahoma Ag Groups are saying they want to see the measure that came out of the Senate Rules Committee last week move forward and be passed by the Senate before the April 23rd deadline- which is when action on the Senate floor must be complete in order for a bill to still be alive here for the 2015 part of this current session.


When the Senate Rules Committee offered a "do pass" of the measure by an eight to four vote about a week ago, it came with an amendment pertaining to mineral rights. So, if the Senate passes the proposal in its current form, the Oklahoma Farm Report has been told it is likely that the House Author, Scott Biggs, will request a Conference with the Senate over the amendment added by the Senate.

In-state supporters of Right to Farm have had an out of state "white knight" ride in and produce a TV commercial that calls for public support of Right to Farm, asking voters to contact their lawmakers and support the Right to Farm. In the case of this video- the White Knight is the group "Protect the Harvest."

We have seen two different spots- one that mentions no specific farm group and one that mentions Oklahoma Farm Bureau.   

In our complete overview that we published on our website last night- we have one of the Protect the Harvest videos embedded in the story- a link back to the interview we did a couple of weeks ago with Forrest Lucas of Lucas Oil regarding Protect the Harvest, a look at the opposition and their arguments against Right to Farm and a "What If" conclusion of what the price tag might be if Ag Interests carry the day and this proposal lands on the November 2016 General Election ballot.  

Our complete overview of Right to Farm can be seen and read by clicking or tapping here.

Ag Committee Chairman Conaway Supports Legislation to Stop EPA Powergrab

House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (R-TX) announced he is an original sponsor of legislation introduced Tuesday by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) and the Transportation Committee's Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Bob Gibbs (R-OH) to stop the Environmental Protection Agency's "waters of the United States" proposed rule. On March 17th, the Agriculture Committee's Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee heard testimony on the devastating impact this rule would have on rural America.


"The United States Supreme Court twice rebuked EPA for overstepping its bounds but, unfortunately, the Obama Administration's response was to double down," Chairman Conaway said. "In its current form, this rule continues EPA's massive overreach, leading to exorbitant permitting costs, red tape, and even effective loss of property use for landowners. This could happen even when the land or water in question has no impact on navigable or interstate waters meant to be protected under the law, including virtually every farm ditch and pond in this country. I'm proud to be a cosponsor of The Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015 to stop EPA's power grab."   


Click here to read testimony on the devastating impact of 'WOTUS' on rural America. 

Digital Marketing Key Ingredient for Beef Checkoff to Reach Millennial Generation

The strategic shift moving from print advertising to digital promotion by the national beef checkoff goes hand-in-hand with targeting millennials. Cattlemen's Beef Board Chief Executive Officer Polly Ruhland said this an essential generation to target when it comes to the future of beef demand.


With a shrinking U.S. cowherd and checkoff resources, Ruhland said the producer leadership had to decide a couple of years ago if they would continue to advertise to the masses or focus on a single audience. In looking at market research, she said millennials. were the generation of choice. Ruhland said they are the biggest generation, they are parents that are raising future food consumers and millennials are five times as likely to share their eating experiences, than generation "x" or the baby boomers.


"We know millennials are on social media, they are taking pictures of their meals, they are enthusiastic about food, Ruhland said. "All of those things are factors that made us decide to focus on the millennials as far as beef marketing goes."


While consumers of all ages enjoy a good steak, the beef industry is working to get millennials to think about beef as an ingredient. Click here to read or to listen to this Beef Buzz feature on how beef checkoff is working to get the millennials to think about beef.  

Oklahoma City Farm Show This Week Thursday Through Saturday

The Oklahoma City Farm Show gets underway this week. The show April 16, 17, & 18 at State Fair Park with show hours are 9AM - 5PM on Thursday and Friday, and 9AM to 4PM Saturday. Launched in 2005 as the Southern Plains Farm Show, the event has focused on creating a premier farm and ranch event and expo serving the Oklahoma City and southern plains area. In 2010 the event name was changed to the Oklahoma City Farm Show to take advantage of the city's name recognition as an agricultural hub in the region and to further reinforce the long-term partnership with the Event and State Fair Park.


"We have approximately 300 exhibitors for the eleventh annual event, and a full schedule of events for three big days," said show manager, Ron Bormaster. "Whether its Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, the schedule is full of demonstrations, events, and opportunities to enjoy good food and even win prizes," continued Bormaster.


Exhibitors at the event will feature machinery, equipment, technology, and services from approximately 300 exhibitors representing more than 1000 products and services. Attendees can stay up to date on the event and view the interactive show floor plan at the dedicated event website, OklahomaCityFarmShow.com. The interactive floor plan provides the most up-to-date exhibitor information, along with contact information and exhibit location. Social media users can also stay informed of daily event announcements and interact with fellow attendees and exhibitors by following the show on Facebook at facebook.comOklahomaCityFarmShow. 

Scott Daily returns this year providing gentle horse training clinics each day at 11:00AM and 2:00PM.  Radio Oklahoma Network's Leslie Smith caught up with Scott Daily.  Click here to listen to the interview.

Attendees also have the opportunity to win the 40 foot Priefert round pen used in his training clinics.  Click here to read more about other drawings held with the 2015 Oklahoma City Farm Show.  

CFTC Commissioners Testify Before House Ag Subcommittee

The House Agriculture Committee completed its series of four hearings Tuesday in advance of writing legislation to reauthorize the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Led by Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA), the Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit held a public hearing with Commissioner Sharon Bowen, Commissioner Christopher Giancarlo and Commissioner Mark Wetjen.


"I appreciate Commissioners Bowen, Giancarlo, and Wetjen taking the time to share their priorities, issues, and challenges in overseeing the commodity markets," Chairman Austin Scott said. "Their input is vital for us to have a better understanding of how to improve the CFTC. Since February, we have heard from the full range of stakeholders, starting with Chairman Massad, then onto end-users and financial intermediaries, and finally from the commissioners. Guided by our principles that regulatory requirements be both minimized and justified and that regulations provide clarity and certainty, we hope to illuminate areas in which we can help make the Commission function better through this reauthorization process. The success of these markets benefits consumers, the economy, and businesses around the globe, including many in my home state of Georgia, as companies protect themselves from uncertainty."


"Hearing the commissioners' views on current rulemakings, issues that warrant the committee's attention, and priorities for us to consider during reauthorization is an important step before the committee drafts its legislation," Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway said. "As we move towards reauthorizing the CFTC, Chairman Austin Scott and members of the Agriculture Committee will incorporate what we have learned from this hearing series into our legislation. Our overarching goal is to ensure that derivatives markets can meet the needs of hedgers and do not become overly or needlessly regulated to the detriment of all market participants. Our economy, both here and around the world, depends on these robust financial markets to allow participants to effectively manage risk." 

Click here to read the written testimony provided by the witnesses from the hearing. 

This N That - Canola Tours Rolling, Big Iron Today and A Week of Rain in the Forecast- Oh My!

There are a lot of things on our calendar right now- including the Winter Canola Tours that are being offered by OSU Extension and canola industry supporters- three locations are planned for today- two tomorrow and two more on Friday- CLICK HERE for our Oklahoma Farm Report calendar and take a look at the April part of the calendar for these meetings and a bunch of other things that are ont eh list!

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It's Wednesday- and that means the Big Iron folks will be busy closing out this week's auction items - all 1,043 items consigned.  Bidding will start at 10 AM central time.                 

Click Here for the complete rundown of what is being sold on this no reserve online sale this week.

If you'd like more information on buying and selling with Big Iron, call District Manager Mike Wolfe at 580-320-2718 and he can give you the full scoop.  You can also reach Mike via email by clicking or tapping here.  

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How unusual is it to see a seven day forecast in Oklahoma with rain chances mentioned for ALL SEVEN DAYS?  That is a rare sighting- don't tell the Fish and Wildlife folks or they may want to put it on the endangered species list.  

I know it does not include the Panhandle region- but the forecast I am seeing for the Panhandle counties also shows chances for most of the next seven days- altho the chances are lower than in the Norman office forecast area- there are also rain chances for all seven days for much of Green County- which is served by the Tulsa Forecast office.

If you wanted to bet on one day being rainy across almost the entire state- I would pick Friday.