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The Oklahoma Senate has approved legislation calling for a statewide vote on whether the right to farm and ranch in Oklahoma shall be "forever guaranteed." HJR 1012 was debated on the Senate floor on Tuesday for an hour, before the lawmakers passed the resolution by a 39 to 6 vote. The bill now returns to the House, where lead author of Right to Farm State Representative Scott Biggs will have to decide if he will accept the amendments to the proposal and simply have the House vote on the bill as amended or if he will request a Conference with the Senate to reconcile the differences.


HJR 1012 is similar to regulations already in place in North Dakota and Missouri.

Opponents say they're concerned about unintended consequences passage could have on various agricultural operations.


Three of the lead farm groups in the state celebrated the Senate vote on Tuesday. Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Tom Buchanan of Altus says that his group is excited about the Senate passage and congratulated Senator Jason Smalley and Representative Biggs for sheparding the bill through the Oklahoma House and now Senate. Buchanan adds that "this bill has broad support support across the state. This gives more protection for Oklahoma agriculture going forward and that's what this bill is about as that we can function and be a part of the Oklahoma economy."


The Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association released a statement via email to the Oklahoma Farm Report in reaction to the passage of HJR 1012. ""With Senate passage of HJR1012-Right to Farm, Oklahoma is one step closer to continuing our strong agricultural heritage. Safe and wholesome food production is and should be a top priority for the state of Oklahoma. OCA is grateful to Senator Smalley for carrying the bill and to the Senate for passing the bill today."


Also providing comments to the Oklahoma Farm Report was Terry Detrick, President of the American Farmers & ranchers/Oklahoma Farmers Union. Detrick says of Right to Farm "AFR has been on board from the beginning with the concept of 'Right to Farm'. AFR is happy with the large majority vote in the Senate today. "

Not everyone is thrilled with Right to Farm. the Democratic Party of Oklahoma lambasted the proposal just ahead of the vote in a news release- aligning themselves with HSUS in using the same phrase that the animal rights group has used in their TV ads- referring to the measure as "Right to Harm."  Click here to read their release.

After the vote- we talked with John Collison of Oklahoma Farm Bureau, who was, obviously, very pleased with the vote- our Top Ag Story this morning on our website has our conversation with Collison- click or tap here to jump over there and take a listen to where we go next in this Right to Farm journey.

By the way- here's our graphic from that story- the screen shot of how the Senators voted on Tuesday- the six names in red are the ones who voted no.

Oklahoma Enacts Ban on Importation of Feral Swine, Felony for Violators

The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF) has enacted a ban on the movement of out of state feral swine into the State of Oklahoma. After recent violations of the Feral Swine Control Act where feral swine that were positive for pseudorabies and brucellosis were transported into Oklahoma from Texas, the agency feels it is necessary to ban importation of the swine without the express written consent of the State Veterinarian.


No person shall import feral swine into this state unless the live feral swine are going directly to a slaughter facility in a sealed trailer and accompanied by a USDA VS 1-27 permit for the movement of restricted animals. Those transporting feral swine into this state must now also have the written consent of the State Veterinarian. Illegal importation of feral swine into the state is a felony.


In addition to other statutory authority, the State Veterinarian, upon obtaining concurrence of the State Board of Agriculture, may issue emergency orders governing animals in order to protect the citizens and animals of the state from diseases and pests of animals. This includes prohibiting and or imposing conditions on the importing of animals into the state.  Click here to read more about feral swine.   

OCA's Michael Kelsey Urges Producers to Comment on Dietary Guidelines

Dietary guidelines for Americans has been around since 1980. These guidelines are reviewed and revised periodically on what a diet should contain for Americans to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Committee issued a report February 19th.


Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association Executive Vice President Michael Kelsey said most consumers would recognize these guidelines as the old food pyramid in providing recommendations for what Americans should consume in order to have a healthy diet or lifestyle. The proposed dietary guidelines were put out by an advisory committee from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services. Kelsey said this year's advisory committee threw out science in recommending there should be no red meat or processed meats in the recommended diet for Americans and all protein should come from plant-based products. He said this goes against well produced, peer-reviewed science that has shown red meat is a solid part of a healthy diet. 


OCA is calling on USDA and HHS to reject the committee's proposal and go back to the science. Kelsey said this latest recommendation is unacceptable and now there is an opportunity for the public to comment through the Federal Register until May 8th. Kelsey encourages everyone, not just cattlemen make their voice heard. This is one time where beef, pork and poultry producers will stand united together.  Click here to read more or have the opportunity to listen to this Beef Buzz feature.   

NAWG Urges Close Oversight Over Federal Grain Inspection Service

The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) sent a letter to the House Agriculture Committee concerning the Grains Standards Act that is up for reauthorization at the end of September. NAWG believes there must be a mechanism in place to ensure that the flow of trade is not disrupted and urges Congress to reject attempts that would undermine the current system of inspections.


"The sort of disruption to our export system that occurred last year at a United Grain facility in the Pacific Northwest cannot be allowed to occur again. Vessels were not loaded, barges could not deliver, the rail transportation system slowed down and our foreign customers began to question our ability to deliver on contracts," states the letter.


"Our overseas customers have come to trust the current system. It is vital that we remain the world's reliable supplier of wheat," said NAWG President Brett Blankenship, a wheat grower from Washtucna, Wash. "It is essential that we keep the federal government in charge of inspections and grant more oversight to ensure inspections are taking place when they need to be. NAWG urges Congress to maintain a close oversight role over FGIS to ensure that the agency is following appropriate statutory obligations when disruptions occur at our ports." 

Click here to read more, including the official letter sent to House Ag Committee members by NAWG.  

NCGA Urges EPA to Hold to New Timeline on RFS Volumes

When the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency earlier this month entered into a consent decree agreeing to a court-enforced timeline for establishing the Renewable Volume Obligation numbers for 2014 and 2015 for the Renewable Fuel Standard, the delayed timeline - especially for 2014 - were a reflection of the problems the EPA set up for itself by numerous delays.


"Congress created the Renewable Fuel Standard to help reduce our dependence on foreign oil and to provide cleaner domestic fuel choices for consumers," said National Corn Growers Association President Chip Bowling, "and the EPA has finally provided additional clarity about their timeline for announcing the 2014 through 2016 renewable fuel requirements. We have expressed our concerns about the continued delays to the EPA, and we will be taking them at their word that they will adhere to this new deadline. 


Under the consent decree and other commitments, the EPA will follow the following timeline: 

-- By June 1, the agency will propose volume requirements for 2015 and 2016 and will re-propose volume requirements for 2014, by June 1, that reflect the volumes of renewable fuel that were actually used in 2014.

 -- By November 30, EPA will finalize volume requirements for 2014, 2015 and 2016, and resolve a pending waiver petition for 2014.

 -- With regard to the RFS and biomass-based diesel volume requirement for 2017, EPA will propose and finalize a volume on the same schedule.


Click here to read why the RVO is a major concern for corn growers.

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.

USDA, Pine Telephone Bring Broadband Internet to Southeast Oklahoma, Choctaw Nation

Pine Telephone Company, in collaboration with USDA Rural Development, will soon complete four multi-million dollar projects to deliver affordable mobile and fiber optic broadband service to citizens in southeast Oklahoma. The service area for the projects covers nine counties in southeast Oklahoma, all of which fall within the boundaries of the tribal lands of the Choctaw Nation. For many residents, this is the first time broadband service has been made available to them.


The projects represent an expansive $56 million dollar public-private partnership. The advancements have been funded by $27.91 million in grants and $21.79 million in loans from the USDA, and $7 million of in-kind funding through Pine.


The nine counties served by the projects include: Atoka, Bryan, Choctaw, Coal, Latimer, Leflore, McCurtain, Pittsburgh, and Pushmataha. The same characteristics that make this region attractive to residents and vacationers - the beautiful, mountainous countryside with clear running streams and lakes - has meant it has been historically under-served technologically because of its rugged terrain. The investments undertaken by Pine and its partners have helped bridge this technological divide and geographic isolation.  Click here to read more about this USDA project.