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April rains have helped the winter wheat and canola crops in the northern half of the state- but the question remains in the very important north central Oklahoma counties- how much damage was done Easter weekend with the freeze that struck northern parts of Oklahoma. In talking with two Oklahoma crop producers- one in the northwest and one in northcentral Oklahoma- there is the expectation of harvest this year- which for many farmers of winter canola and winter wheat- is better than a year ago when abandoned acres were record large.


Don Schieber farms near Kildare in Kay County- he tells us that a lot of wheat in his country looks really good through the windshield when you are driving down the road- but you find lots of freeze damage problems when you stop the pickup, get out and walk the fields. There have been fields already assessed by Crop Insurance adjusters with yield potential as little as three bushels an acre- Schieber believes those fields will end up being planted back to sorghum or soybeans for this growing season. Schieber adds it won't be a bumper crop but as the rains have come and slowed the growth of the crop down- there is a chance to get at least a partial crop from a lot of fields compared to the thinking early in April after that freeze event.


Meanwhile, Jessica Wilcox believes that there is good potential from the winter canola they are growing- it's past the yellow bloom stage- "we have a full pod set, we'll be swthing it in about two weeks, probably- God willing." As for the wheat that she and her husband Clint have on their farm- "the wheat is headed and looks lovely- way better than expected- looking forward to running a combine through it this year."

Click or tap here to jump to our Top Ag Story of the morning- where you can hear our conversation with Jessica and Don.

USDA Wildlife Habitat Conservation Program Reaches 1 Million Acres

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Val Dolcini Friday announced that a major national conservation program that restores high-priority wildlife habitat has now surpassed 1 million acres with the recent enrollment of land in La Moure County, North Dakota.


The initiative, known as State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE), is a part of the USDA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a federally-funded voluntary program that contracts with agricultural producers so that environmentally-sensitive land is not farmed or ranched, but instead used for conservation benefits. With SAFE, wildlife that may be endangered, suffering population declines, or that provide value to the local community, is identified by nonfederal partners. Agricultural producers within an approved SAFE area then can submit offers to voluntarily enroll acres in CRP contracts for 10-15 years. In exchange, these producers receive annual CRP rental payments, incentives and cost-share assistance focused on establishing, improving, or creating higher-quality wildlife habitat.


"We're celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Conservation Reserve Program this year, so one million acres of new wildlife habitat is another a parallel milestone for the program," said Dolcini. "SAFE began in 2007 as an offshoot to focus on establishing key plant species that help not just soil and water, but also are beneficial to selected rural wildlife habitat. And as it enhances the flora and fauna of the countryside, it can also create recreational opportunities for the sportsman, which is an investment in the rural economy as well."  

Click here to read more about the Conservation Reserve Program. 

Kay Johnson Smith Previews Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit

It's the 14th Annual Stakeholders Summit of the Animal Agriculture Alliance coming up May 6th and 7th in Kansas City. It's one of the best programs around when it comes to animal agriculture.  I sat down with the Animal Agriculture Alliance President and CEO Kay Johnson Smith to talk about the summit.  


This is the first time the Animal Agriculture Alliance stakeholders summit is being held outside of the Washington D.C. area. She said they are kicking off the summit with the executive editor of the National Geographic magazine. Last year, Dennis Dimick was responsible for the 2014 "Future of Food" series. Johnson Smith said they did in-depth studies on sustainability, the environmental impact, large versus small agricultural operations. These are similar areas the Animal Agricultural Alliance has focused on. Johnson Smith said they are excited to hear from National Geographic about where society and agriculture has come from and where they have projected where society will go.


Jeff Fromm, author of "Marketing to Millennials" will address how to get inside the hearts and minds of the millennial generation.   This is the largest segment of the U.S. population today.  The summit will also offer several in depth sessions on sustainability by taking a look at what some stakeholders are doing to measure their carbon footprint and impact on the environment. Johnson Smith said they will also look at where the agricultural community is be driven by some food companies.  

There is still time to register for the 14th Annual Stakeholders Summit of the Animal Agriculture Alliance. Registration closes on Monday, May 4th(TODAY!) at 5 pm and there is no on-site registration. Find more details about the summit and how to register online by clicking here.  To read more or to listen to this Beef Buzz feature, click here.  

Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Stands Up for Farmers

Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Jim Reese recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to provide testimony to the U.S. House Subcommittee on Environment chaired by Oklahoma Congressman Jim Bridenstine of Tulsa. Reese was introduced to the committee by former U.S. House Committee Chair Frank Lucas.


In his remarks, Reese said lowering the ozone level to 60-65 parts per billion as proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would mean greater costs to Oklahoma's farmers and ranchers in retrofitting engines, increased costs for dairy barns and poultry houses and possibly curtailing pesticide and fertilizer applications.


"One of the most critical issues in agriculture today is timing," Reese said. "Planting, applying pesticides and fertilizers and harvesting are critical decisions that cannot be made timely with EPA prescribing the formula."


Reese testified that even though American agriculture has never been more efficient, it must continue that progress in order to feed a growing world. He stressed that the Clean Air Act directs that standards should be based on criteria necessary to protect public health.  Click here to read more Jim Reece's testimony.
  

National FFA President Andy Paul Shares Message to Never Give Up

To understand how someone gets to the top, you must go back to the beginning of the story to see how they got there. Andy Paul is President of the National FFA organization. He grew up in Georgia and began showing pigs by the time he was in the first grade. He got his start in agriculture through 4-H, then joined FFA when he got older. He felt that was simply something that was expected of him. He has an older sister that was a FFA chapter President and cousins that were chapter officers.


"I felt like I had to join, so I could fill their jackets," Paul said. "But I think the cool thing is that, these jackets have our names written on them for a reason because we become our own person in this organization."


Paul didn't think he would be elected National President, so when his name was called out at the National FFA Convention, he was in complete and total shock. Some of that probably stems from the fact getting to that big stage wasn't an easy battle and because of that he has found that the biggest things he has learned through FFA has been learning how to lose. 

Click here to read or have the opportunity to listen the full interview as Andy shares his story about his road to becoming National FFA President. Paul was a featured speaker at this past week's OKlahoma FFA Convention in downtown Oklahoma City.  

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.

ASA Pushes for National Food Labeling Standard

The American Soybean Association (ASA) stressed support of a consistent, science based national food labeling act in a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday.


In the letter, ASA joins more than 370 organizations in favor of the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Reps. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) and G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) that would ensure food labeling in the United States is uniform.


"Today interest groups across the country are pushing state-level labeling mandates that will exacerbate consumer confusion and drive up food prices. Instead of informing consumers, these state initiatives are filled with loopholes, exempting as much as two-thirds of foods," the letter states. "The result will be higher food prices for hard working American families."


Click here to read more about "The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act".

This N That- A Rainy Week in the Forecast- and Tons of Events to Check Out

It appears that we will have an unsettled week of weather- with chances of rain across Oklahoma present somewhere in the state for the next NINE days!   

Our friend Jed Castles with News9 posted this graphic this morning on Social Media- it shows chances each day through next Tuesday- and while it might be higher or lower on the probabilities in your immediate area- you get the idea- April showers are yielding to May showers- sandwiched around  a few days of sunny drier weather.

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There are a lot of events to remind you of this week- including several Wheat Field Tours, Frank Lucas Town Hall Meetings, the Animal Ag Alliance Meeting (see the story above featuring Kay Johnson Smith for more on it), Hard Red Winter Wheat Crop Tour, OCA Board Meeting, OFB YF&R Golf Tournament and more.  

We have all of these events listed on our Oklahoma Farm Report Calendar- you can click here to jump there and review when and where all of these things are going to be.  

One of the events starting tomorrow is the Kansas Wheat Quality Tour. Over the past couple of years this group has had a decent track record with their production estimates. Chris Kirby with the Oklahoma Wheat Commission is going to riding one of the routes- and will offer us some play by play as the tour rolls across the state.