Featured Story:

The Oklahoma State House of Representatives will vote on the Senate amended version of HJR 1012- the "Right to Farm" ballot initiative on Tuesday afternoon. After being available to be considered as early as Monday- House leaders shifted the vote by one day. The House has already approved the measure once by a 90 to 6 vote- and expectations are that the members will vote to accept the Senate amendments.

The Oklahoma Farm Report has been told the vote will occur after the Oklahoma State FFA Chorus will perform for the lawmakers at the Capitol- which ties that vote in the House to the future farmers and ranchers of the state- who supporters have said that this law is intended to protect.


The most vocal opponent to Right to Farm is the Humane Society of the US- and the group sent another round of targeted emails to Oklahomans on their fundraising list under the signature of their President, Wayne Pacelle. The latest email acknowledges that this is a final vote in the Legislature before being readied for a vote of the people in November 2016.


The email reads, in part: "Unfortunately, the Oklahoma Senate just voted in favor of a constitutional amendment that would block future legal reforms of puppy mills and factory farms. Thankfully, you and your fellow animal advocates across the state can still stop this dangerous measure!"

One group that is supportive of Right to Farm is the Oklahoma Pork Council- and we have talked in recent days with Roy Lee Lindsey about the proposal and what it means for future generations of farmers and ranchers in the state.  His comments and more from that HSUS email can be seen and in the case of Roy Lee- heard- by clicking or tapping here.

American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman Says Congress on Deadline to Pass TPA

With negotiations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) underway, American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman is pleased to see Congress is making headway on Trade Promotion Authority (TPA). Once the log jam got cleared between Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Senate, he said that was a good indication TPA would be addressed.


"There are still some hurdles to get over, but we really need to get this finished in May," Stallman said.


The finalization of the Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations are hanging on to what the U.S. Congress does. Stallman said the best deals are still waiting to occur, as our negotiating partners want to be sure the U.S. passes TPA. Stallman said this ensures negotiators that the agreement will be voted by Congress with a up or down vote on the whole agreement. He said it's been a tough negotiation as this is the first significant attempt to address sensitive products.


Trade agreements, such as the TPP are designed to reduce tariffs over time and increase tariff free quotas.  Stallman said this will lead to more free and open trade, which will benefit U.S. farmers and ranchers.

I caught up with Bob Stallman in Washington D.C. during the National Association of Farm Broadcasting annual Washington Watch fly-in. Click or tap here to read more or to listen to the full conversation.

Curt Pate Addresses Realistic Expectations for Producers, Consumers and Cattle

Curt Pate is one of the leading cattle handling trainers in North America. He hails from Wyoming and this past week he was in Oklahoma training some folks both young and old on effective stockmanship. Along the way, he said producers need to make sure what they are doing is also acceptable to the consumer.


"People really think about what they eat and if we can't look 'em in the eye and tell 'em that we are giving them what they require and what they want, I don't believe it's going to work, they are going to go other places to find something to eat," Pate said. "So, as a beef producer, I want to be able to go to church or to a football game and I want to be able to look my friends in the eye and shake their hands and say I'm doing everything I can to ensure these animals are raised in a way that you think is all right."


The term "properly treated" is very subjective. That's a challenge as often today's consumer will look at cattle or livestock like how they look at their dog or cat, so a lot of their expectations doesn't match the reality of raising livestock. 


This also involves teaching cattle the right expectations.   Click here to read or to listen to listen to this Beef Buzz feature.  

OSU and City of Chickasha Exploring Opportunities of Recycling Water for Irrigation

Water is a limited resource and Oklahoma State University is looking at ways to better prepare agricultural producers for future water challenges. OSU has established a partnership with the city of Chickasha to utilize recycled water from the city's waste water treatment plant. OSU Dean and Vice President of the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Dr. Tom Coon said OSU's South Central Research Station will utilize the city's waste water affluent for an irrigation research project.


"We hope to take it right from the waste water treatment plant, after it has been treated, and bring it out to use it in center pivot irrigation system and a lateral system, so we can look at different ways of using that water," Coon said. "Study - does it have an effect on soil quality, does it have any effect on crop production."


The goal is to have that information made available to farmers the next time Oklahoma is in a drought. Coon said in the future farmers might work with municipalities to use treated waste water for irrigation. 


I caught up with Dr. Coon about the project as the University and other officials celebrated the announcement. Click or tap here to read or to have the opportunity to listen to the full interview. 

NCGA and AFBF Submit Comments to Federal Agencies Regarding Use of Unmanned Aerial Systems

Last week, the National Corn Growers Association submitted comments to both the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration about proposed rules regarding the commercial usage and privacy best practices of unmanned aerial systems (UAS).


In the letter to DOT, NCGA notes that unmanned aerial systems have widespread potential applications for farmers, and will ultimately reduce costs, improve efficiency, and make farming operations more sustainable. For example, when scouting fields, an unmanned aerial system could provide real-time snapshots, taken from better vantage points that allow farmers to better spot and treat irregularities - all at a fraction of the cost and time it would take to do so on foot.  Click here to read more from NCGA.


The American Farm Bureau Federation told the FAA in comments that farmers and ranchers are eager to use airborne drones to improve their businesses, but they need flexibility to use these tools to their full potential.

"Drones are the next evolution in American agriculture," said Dale Moore, AFBF executive director of public policy. "Used properly they let us grow more food on available land using less water and fewer pesticides. High-tech cameras and other airborne sensors give us important tools with which to reduce erosion and keep agricultural runoff to the absolute minimum. This is important not just for farmers but for anyone else who cares deeply about the environment. These tools won't do anyone any good if they're grounded by restrictions that make them too cumbersome to use." 

Click here to read more from AFBF.  

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.

Filing Period for 86 Local Conservation District Positions Opens May 1

Citizens interested in running for the position of conservation district board member may file from May 1-14, 2015. Eligible candidates must complete a Notification and Declaration of Candidacy form found on the Oklahoma Conservation Commission's (OCC) website by clicking here or at their local conservation district office. A listing of conservation district offices is available by clicking here.


An eligible candidate is a registered voter within the boundaries of the conservation district and has entered or will enter into a Cooperator Agreement with the conservation district. Local elections will be held on June 2, 2015 in every district where two or more candidates have filed. Polling places will be determined at the close of filing period.


Conservation district boards are made up of five directors responsible for setting the conservation priorities within their district. Three members are elected by registered votes within the district boundaries and two are appointed by OCC upon recommendation by the district board.


For further information about conservation district board member elections, please contact OCC at 405-521-4826 or your local conservation district office.

This N That - Day 2 of Oklahoma FFA Convention; Big Iron Wednesday and Tyson Plans to Eliminate Human Antibiotics from Broilers by 2017   

Day two of the Oklahoma FFA State Convention is underway- and there are several highlights that we will be covering- and reporting on for you.  

They include the naming of the Stars of Oklahoma- the Star Farmer, Star in Agribusiness, Star in Ag Placement and Star in AgriScience. Once again, we have produced brief videos to introduce the audience in the general session this afternoon to the Star's program- and we will be sharing those with you online later today.

The final session of the 2015 convention is this evening- and featured in that session will be the announcement of the new State Officer team for 2015-2016.  

By the way- you can check out our earlier stories of the outgoing State President Garrett Reed, State Reporter Megan DeVuyst and State Reporter Gatlin Squires by clicking on their names. 

As we mentioned earlier- the State FFA Chorus will be singing at the State Capitol- and that is always one of the highlights for the choir- and for lawmakers.  Many of those lawmakers will be making their way to a special banquet in their honor (along with other VIPs) this evening ahead of the final general session.

More details about the 2015 State Convention can be checked out at the Oklahoma FFA website- click here to jump there.

********** 

It's Wednesday- and that means the Big Iron folks will be busy closing out this week's auction items - all 447 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. 

**********   

Tyson Foods, Inc.said yesterday that it is striving to eliminate the use of human antibiotics from its U.S. broiler chicken flocks by the end of September 2017. 

The company said it will report annually on its progress, beginning with its fiscal 2015 Sustainability Report. 

Tyson Foods has already stopped using all antibiotics in its 35 broiler hatcheries, requires a veterinary prescription for antibiotics used on broiler farms and has reduced human antibiotics used to treat broiler chickens by more than 80% since 2011.

"Antibiotic resistant infections are a global health concern," said Donnie Smith, president and CEO of Tyson Foods. "We're confident our meat and poultry products are safe**, but want to do our part to responsibly reduce human antibiotics on the farm so these medicines can continue working when they're needed to treat illness."

"Given the progress we've already made reducing antibiotics in our broilers, we believe it's realistic to shoot for zero by the end of our 2017 fiscal year. But we won't jeopardize animal well-being just to get there. We'll use the best available treatments to keep our chickens healthy, under veterinary supervision," Smith said.

Click here for the full release from Tyson on the Antibiotic issue.