NCGA, ASA: Pesticide Findings Create Confusion, Fear Among Consumers

National Corn Growers Association President Chip Bowling and American Soybean Association Chairman Ray Gaesser issued the following statement in anticipation of a second finding by the International Agency for Research on Cancer that would classify another safe, important pesticide as a probable carcinogen (in this case- 2,4 D):


"Like anyone who creates something, farmers need tools to produce a safe and healthy crop. Today, many consumers have questions and concerns about how food is produced. That's why it is important to us to share information with consumers so they have a better understanding of why and how we use the different seeds and crop protection chemicals. We are concerned, however, that a pending announcement from the U.N. World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer will only lead to more confusion and concern about two widely-used herbicides that have been mainstays for farmers for decades. These two substances play an especially important role in corn and soybean farming as they allow us to manage weeds in a sustainable way.


"The IARC exists to review health and safety data to decide whether something could (not will or is even likely to) be carcinogenic. IARC creates confusion and unnecessary fear amongst the public by using narrowly-focused data removed from real-world situations to find almost everything that it reviews as potentially carcinogenic, including drinking coffee, using aloe vera, or working the late shift.


"IARC does not take the regulations and use patterns around herbicides that allow them to be implemented safely into consideration.


"While IARC may be fulfilling its narrow charge, its findings are easily misrepresented and misunderstood. 

Click here to read more about IARC's review of the herbicide glyphosate, the generic form of Roundup®, Touchdown® and several other branded herbicides.  

The 2015 Oklahoma Wheat Harvest Rapidly Expands North of I-40- WheatWatch 2015

Mike Schulte with the Oklahoma Wheat Commission reports that wheat harvest is moving forward in Southern Oklahoma with combines harvesting in the fields as far North as Okarche and Kingfisher. In some parts of Southern Oklahoma along the Oklahoma Texas line, harvest has come to a halt because of the wet ground conditions on the heavier clay soils.  

The wheat industry leader says that "Overall the quality that is being reported is favorable for the moisture conditions we have received over the past month. Protein levels seem to be holding up well for the most part with larger ranges than last year but a decent average on everything reported so far coming in around 11.5 percent."  

One of the most remarkable parts of this mid week report is the lack of sprout damage being seen thus far in southern Oklahoma.  Schulte says that may come as we get into fields that are now too muddy  and soft to support the weight of a combine.  There was minimal sprout damage reported in the three locations north of I-40 in his report.

Major sprout damage has appeared in Texas- one tweet we saw last night indicated that a neighbor had a load of wheat rejected by a local elevator because of excessive sprout damage. Both Texas and Oklahoma were hit with the most rain ever for a single month during May.

As far as the full rundown of locations that Mike Schulte has in his mid week harvest report- click here to check them out.

Damage Assessment of Flood Control Infrastructure Begins

Oklahoma's flood control infrastructure suffered wear and tear during a month of historic rainfall. As floodwaters recede, crews are inspecting the 2,107 dams operated by conservation districts for damage.


"It's impossible to say the extent of damage caused to the dams until the water goes down-that is taking some time," said Tammy Sawatzky, Oklahoma Conservation Commission Conservation Programs Division director. "Preliminary inspections indicate the cost of repairs may run in the millions of dollars."


Heavy rain caused the grass covered auxiliary spillways of 133 dams to flow with water. This design feature prevents water from overtopping the earthen dams and threatening structural integrity. Of these 133 dams, 21 incurred damage; of which 4 suffered significant damage.


Damages observed include cuts into the base of dams from backward flowing water, dislodged spillway pipes and heavy erosion in auxiliary spillways.


"Minor repairs can cost between $1,000 and $5,000, while more serious repairs can cost up to $75,000," said Sawatzky. "Multiply that by 2,107 dams, and the repair cost is potentially quite high." 

Click here to read more about the availability of funding to repair the state's infrastructure.  

U.S. Pig Farmers Intensify Efforts on Antibiotic Stewardship

Through its continued commitment to build consumer trust in U.S. pork, the National Pork Board announced a new antibiotic stewardship plan. The most notable change will be updating its industry-leading Pork Quality Assurance® Plus (PQA Plus®) farmer certification program and increasing investments in research and education by more than $1 million in 2016 alone. These efforts will promote sustainable farming practices focused on responsible antibiotic use that will protect the health and well-being of people, pigs and the planet.


"Today's consumers are focused on their food and the role antibiotics play in meat production," said National Pork Board CEO Chris Hodges. "By the end of 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will implement a new policy aimed at on-farm antibiotic use in food-animal production. The goal is to eliminate on-farm use of medically important - to human illness - antibiotics for growth promotion and to bring therapeutic use to treat, control or prevent specific disease under veterinary oversight. U.S. pig farmers will adapt to this change because of their ongoing commitment to responsible antibiotic use at the farm level to produce safe, wholesome pork in a socially responsible way."


According to Hodges, collaboration will continue to play a pivotal role in moving forward in antibiotic stewardship. Aside from long-standing cooperation between the National Pork Board, the National Pork Producers Council and the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, he pointed to the recent engagement with the White House on this issue. The Executive Office of the President recently highlighted the National Pork Board as one the nation's leading agricultural organizations managing research efforts in antibiotics and resistance. Hodges said that the organization is working with the White House on obtaining additional funding for research to add to the more than $5.3 million in Checkoff-funded research that's been conducted on antimicrobial resistance and alternatives since 2000.

Click here to read more about the Food and Drug Administration's veterinary feed directive, the Pork Checkoff's PQA Plus certification program and additional funds in antibiotic-related research.

NCBA's Colin Woodall Says Retaliation Over COOL Will Hurt More Than Beef

American Farm Bureau last week came out in favor of repeal of mandatory Country-of-Origin labeling for beef, pork and poultry. That's significant as the nation's largest general agricultural organization hadn't taken a position until the final ruling was issued by the World Trade Organization. The WTO recently ruled that the U.S. continues to be out of trade compliance.


National Cattlemen's Beef Association Vice President of Government Affairs Colin Woodall said that means the process is at a point in determining how many dollars' worth of retaliation Canada and Mexico are entitled to.


"The three countries - Canada, Mexico and United States are currently working to settle out the monetary level that which both of those countries can retaliate against us on," Woodall said. "Basically saying is it going to be two and half or three billion dollars. Once that is done, then we expect the retaliation to actually take place."


Retaliation could begin as early as the last week of July, but Woodall said more than likely it would begin in September.   Mexico has not issued their retaliation list, but Canada has and it shows Canada plans to spread out the pain to get the U.S. Congress to do something. This won't be just retaliation against beef and pork, but a whole host of commodities.

I featured Woodall on the Beef Buzz- as heard on great radio stations across the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network. Click or tap here to read or have the opportunity to listen to today's Beef Buzz. 

NPPC To 'Key Vote' House TPA Vote

The National Pork Producers Council Wednesday announced its intention to score the vote on Trade Promotion Authority in the U.S. House of Representatives as a "key vote."


"Periodically, NPPC will score members of Congress on their votes on issues and legislation that are of paramount importance to the livelihoods of America's pork producers. These scores then will be made public so voters have this information when determining the candidate of their choice in the next election."


TPA defines U.S. negotiating objectives and priorities for trade agreements and establishes consultation and notification requirements for the president to follow throughout the negotiation process. Once trade negotiators finalize a deal, Congress gets to review it and vote yes or no - without amendments - on it. Congress has granted TPA to every president since 1974, with the most recent law being approved in August 2002 and expiring June 30, 2007.


The key reason TPA is needed, Prestage said, is for concluding the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations among the United States and 11 Pacific Rim countries.  Click here to read more about how the TPP deal would the most significant commercial opportunity ever for U.S. pork producers.
 

We Remember Richard Gebhart

Today will be a good day- and a tough day.  Along with his family, friends and cattle industry colleagues from literally all across the United States, we will be in Claremore for the celebration of the life of Richard Gebhart.  His wife Susan gave us all an invite via Facebook earlier this week- "A memorial service honoring the life of Richard Gebhart will be 10 a.m. Thursday, June 4, 2015 at the Claremore Expo Center. This life celebrating memorial will conclude with birthday cake in honor of Richard's 59th birthday which would have been Thursday. Those who wish to share a special memory are asked to bring a written story to either the memorial service or visitation. We will fill his cowboy boots with your notes and stories."

She added-"In lieu of flowers, those who wish to honor Richard's memory may do so with gifts to the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Foundation, 2500 Exchange Avenue, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 73108. We will be working with OCF to set up a program supporting cattle industry youth funded by these contributions and in keeping with Richard's passionate belief in developing youth leaders for the cattle industry."

Our Beef Buzz that aired this morning on great radio stations around the region via the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network featured some comments that we gleaned from Richard almost two years ago in July 2013- right after he was elected for a two year term as the President of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association.  

Click here and take a listen.

AND- Thanks Richard for all you did- we will miss you on this earth and see you one of these days in heaven!