EPA Says New Clean Water Rule Does Not Create Permitting Requirements, Maintains Exemptions

Click here to read more specifics regarding the Clean Water Rule. 

The White House also issued a statement from President Obama- also wrapping the WOTUS proposal around the need to protect drinking water for millions of Americans- his statement can be by clicking here.

Ag Groups Review and React to Final WOTUS Rule

Most ag groups responded to Wednesday's announcement from the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers by saying they would have to review the finalized clean water rule. State, regional and national groups all doubt EPA's ability to full review a million comments in six months and make meaningful changes to the original rule that would address concerns raised by the farm and ranch community.

For example- here's the brief statement provided to us on Wednesday afternoon by Michael Kelsey of the OCA- "OCA is deeply disappointed to see EPA issue the finalized Waters of the US (WOTUS) rule today without regard for the hard working stewards of the land like our own Oklahoma cattle ranching families.  This rule is the largest private land grab in the history of our country.  Oklahoma is a model state for clean water through our conservation practices, best management strategies and our cooperation between private, public and shared resources.  We thank our congressional delegation for actively opposing this rule and we look forward to working with them to stop this rule through any means in order to preserve Oklahoma's family ranching heritage."

Also weighing in at the state level was Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Tom Buchanan- he called the quick release of a final rule very disappointing- "we feel the time and effort farmers and ranchers put into the comment process was largely ignored, or at best, not fully considered."  Click here to read his full statement.

At the National level- American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman said, "Based on EPA's aggressive advocacy campaign in support of its original proposed rule-and the agency's numerous misstatements about the content and impact of that proposal-we find little comfort in the agency's assurances that our concerns have been addressed in any meaningful way."  Click here to read more AFBF.  
 

National Cattlemen's Beef Association president Philip Ellis

said this is a clear indication there is no intention of considering the concerns of those most impacted by the rule.  It shouldn't be a surprise, however, that a flawed rule would come from a flawed process. Not only did the EPA write the proposal expanding the reach of the Clean Water Act without input from agriculture, the Agency implemented their own grassroots lobbying campaign to drown out the concerns of private property owners. The tax-payer funded campaign was promoted through social media channels and called for people to share EPA's oversimplified and misleading talking points.  Click here to read more from NCBA.

We also have first reactions from the National Corn Growers Association and the American Soybean Association on our website. And the National Farmers Union also weighed in- expressing concerns as well- their comments are available here.

Peel Gives Green Light for Herd Expansion for Next Three Plus Years

Beef cowherd expansion continues across much of the U.S. The drought of 2011 and 2012 impacted cow numbers nationally as well across the southern plains. Cow herd expansion began this past year according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's cattle inventory report released in January. The spring rains have helped the drought conditions substantially, so herd expansion is on track to continue this year. Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Market Economist Dr. Derrell Peel said increasing herd numbers will be a gradual rebuilding process.


It's been about 20 years since the U.S. experienced herd expansion like this. Over a four year period, Peel said the U.S. averaged about a two percent herd increase annually. It can go higher than that in any one year, but it's hard to sustain a rate much higher than that. He was surprised to see a two percent increase in the beef cow herd in 2014 and he wouldn't be surprised that we could see a three percent gain this year, but doesn't think the industry can sustain a three percent increase over multiple years. Even with increases of two percent annually, he said herd expansion will continue for another two to three years to get back to a herd level that is being demanded by the market.


The commodity market continues to give producers the green light in encouraging herd expansion in needing more beef in the pipeline. That means more calves and more cows are needed. Peel isn't sure if the market will move past the peak calf prices seen in the fall of 2014, but prices will remain near record levels through 2015 and through most of 2016. He looks for prices to remain relatively strong until 2018 and possibly longer. 

Click here to have the opportunity to listen to the Beef Buzz- as heard on great radio stations across the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network. 
 

Farm Bureau asks Congress to Repeal Country of Origin Labeling for Beef, Chicken and Pork

The American Farm Bureau Federation Wednesday announced support for efforts in Congress to repeal a law that forces food distributors to label beef, chicken and pork products as to their country of origin. The request comes on the heels of a World Trade Organization ruling that grants Canada and Mexico the right to retaliate against the United States if it fails to stop the program by mid-November.


"While we were hopeful that WTO would have found COOL to be legal, it is now clear that we are far better off with no mandatory labeling for beef, pork and chicken, which should end threats of retaliation by our two closest trading partners," said AFBF President Bob Stallman.


The House Agriculture Committee, under the leadership of Chairman Mike Conaway (R-Texas), last week passed a bill to remove the language from current law. A vote by the full House could happen within days.  Click here to read more.  
  

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.

New USDA Portal Enables Farmers, Ranchers to Request Conservation Assistance Online

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that farmers, ranchers and private forest landowners can now do business with U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) through a new online portal. With today's launch of Conservation Client Gateway, producers will have the ability to work with conservation planners online to access Farm Bill programs, request assistance and track payments for their conservation activities.


"What used to require a trip to a USDA service center can now be done from a home computer through Conservation Client Gateway," Vilsack said. "USDA is committed to providing effective, efficient assistance to its clients, and Conservation Client Gateway is one way to improve customer service."


Conservation Client Gateway is entirely voluntary, giving producers a choice between conducting business online or traveling to a USDA service center.  Click here to read more about the  Conservation Client Gateway.

This N That- NBAF Ground Breaking and Prayers for Richard

Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on Wednesday broke ground to officially begin construction of the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility main laboratory structure in Manhattan, Kansas.  Secretary Johnson and Secretary Vilsack were joined by a whole host of Kansas politicians- but huge among those present was Kansas Senator Pat Roberts who led the charge in the Kansas delegation over the years to make sure that the NBAF would be built and would be built in Manhattan- just a few hundred yards from the KSU football stadium. 

"The NBAF laboratory will provide the nation with cutting edge, state-of-the-art, lab capabilities and help protect our food supply and the nation's public health," said Secretary Johnson. "NBAF addresses a serious vulnerability. The economic impact of a bio agricultural threat - deliberate or natural - could have a substantial effect on the food supply of this Nation and have serious human health consequences. We will soon be able to ensure availability of vaccines and other rapid response capabilities to curb an outbreak. With the NBAF, our Nation will have the first Bio Level 4 lab facility of its kind - a state-of-the-art bio-containment facility for the study of foreign animal and emerging diseases."

When completed and fully operational in 2022, the $1.25 billion NBAF will be a 570,000 sq.ft, biocontainment facility for the study of foreign animal and emerging zoonotic (transmitted from animals to humans) diseases that threaten animal agriculture and public health in the United States. It is the replacement for the aging Plum Island, New York facility that has been the primary animal disease lab in the United States for decades.

Our friends at the Kansas Ag Network- specifically fellow farm broadcaster Greg Akagi spent the day at the ground breaking and has this report from the site- including pictures and the audio of the ceremony- available here.

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One final thought this morning- we have mentioned Richard Gebhart several times over the past few months- and his continuing medical battles- Richard had a three hour surgery yesterday and is now in recovery from that event- I would ask for your thoughts and prayers for Richard and his family as they have been told the next couple of days will be critical in the recovery process. He remains hospitalized in Tulsa. 

Even as Richard was undergoing surgery yesterday morning- the EPA was releasing their finalized version of the WOTUS rule- and that has been one of the subjects that Richard has been most passionate about.  He read the full proposed rule and educated thousands of cattlemen and others about the government overreach that was built into the language- and oh how I am looking forward to Richard feeling up to reading the "final" rule and getting his insights on that one day soon.  Selfishly- that's one of the things I pray for in his recovery in the days ahead.