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The Chairman of the House Ag Committee from 2011 to 2014, Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas, was honored Tuesday evening by friends, supporters and colleagues as his portrait was unveiled during a reception held in the House Ag Committee meeting room in the Longworth Office Building of the US House of Representatives. The portrait, was paid for by private donations and has been donated to the US House art collection- accepted during the unveiling by the US Speaker of the House- John Boehner. The portrait was painted by Robert Alexander Anderson of Massaachusetts.


Boehner praised Chairman Lucas for his tireless efforts to bring the votes needed to the floor in favor of what became the 2014 Farm Law. Other lawmakers also praised the skills of their western Oklahoma colleague- all in agreement that the 2014 farm law had proven to be a very difficult piece of legislation to successfully pass in the House- but that Lucas found a way to accomplish the task.  


A total of six Ag Committee Chairs were present for the ceremony- Lucas, Present House Chairman Mike Conaway of Texas, Collin Peterson of Minnesota- also the current Ranking Member, Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas who was House Ag Committee chair when Freedom to Farm was passed as a part of the 1996 Farm Law and is now Chair of the Senate Ag Committee, Congressman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia and Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan who served as Chair of the Senate Ag Committee as the 2014 Farm Law was developed and worked closely with Lucas(and she is now the ranking member of that Committee in the Senate).  

We talked with Congressman Lucas about the portrait and about what his legacy as Chairman will be- the 2014 Farm Law.  You can hear our conversation with Mr. Lucas and read more by clicking here.

We also took a bunch of pictures during the evening- click here for our Flickr album of pictures from Tuesday evening.

TPA Cloture Vote Gets to Sixty- Wheat Growers Cheer and Senator Lankford Offers Two Thumbs Up

The trade promotion bill cleared its last major hurdle on Tuesday as the Senate agreed by a 60 to 37 vote to advance the legislation to a final congressional vote. In a key victory for President Obama, 13 Democrats joined Republicans in voting for cloture on the Trade Promotion Authority bill which would ensure that trade agreements can get an up-or-down vote in Congress without risk of amendment.
 

One of the Senators supporting TPA was Oklahoma Senator James Lankford- who told us last night here in Washington that this is not giving more authority to President Obama- but rather dictates what trade deals must have in them before the President can bring them back to Congress for an up or down vote.

You can hear Senator Lankford talking TPA with me by clicking here.

One ag group that quickly saluted the vote in the US Senate was the National Association of Wheat Growers. Their President Brett Blankenship, wheat grower from Washtucna, Washington offered this statement:


"We are extremely pleased the Senate showed their commitment to trade today as they prepare for a final vote on Trade Promotion Authority. We are one step away from providing U.S. wheat growers expanded opportunities through trade and strengthening relationships with our trading partners abroad. The U.S. is the single largest exporter of wheat in the world, and TPA renewal is essential to finalizing comprehensive trade agreements and putting the best deal on the table. I look forward to swift passage as this important bill goes before the Senate tomorrow."

IARC Cancer Classification at Odds with Health and Safety Regulators Worldwide

The 2,4-D Research Task Force Tuesday responded to an International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) ranking, saying the IARC classification of 2,4-D as a "2B - possible" carcinogen is at odds with comprehensive cancer reviews completed by health and safety regulators worldwide.


"No regulatory agency in the world considers 2,4-D to be a carcinogen," said Dr. Julie Goodman, an epidemiologist, board certified toxicologist and consultant to the 2,4-D Research Task Force. Dr. Goodman was an observer throughout the IARC meeting, which took place in France June 2 - 9. 

CropLife America (CLA) has issued the following statement from Dr. Janet E. Collins, senior vice president of science and regulatory affairs:  "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires extensive testing on all pesticide active ingredients in order to determine their potential impacts on human health and the environment. Cancer is a chronic disease and is strongly influenced by many factors including age, lifestyle and genetics. The ability of any carcinogen to cause cancer is dependent on the dose and duration of the exposure. Regulatory agencies require these compounds to be tested for carcinogenicity, and their acute, chronic and sub-chronic effects are taken into account."  Click here to read more from CropLife America.  

OSU's Dr. Place Calls Sustainability - a 'Wicked Problem' for Beef Industry

The 2015 edition of the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) convention was held earlier this month in Biloxi, Mississippi. One of the presenters was Dr. Sara Place, associate professor of animal science at Oklahoma State University. She was tackling the issue of sustainability. For the beef industry, she said you have to measure three different aspects to understand sustainability. She said the 'sustainability' discussion started with environmental impacts, but that's not all. She said you also need to consider economic and social issues.


In measuring sustainability, Dr. Place calls this a "wicked problem". The definition of a wicked problem is that it is such a problem that it doesn't have a single solution. She said it can't be solved, it can only be managed. That's because there is no clear definition of the problem of sustainability. There is no right or wrong answer and stakeholders have very different ways of looking at the problem. Thirdly, all of the causes and effects that interact in the beef system and all of the elements that fall under sustainability are complicated.


"They are complex, they are interrelated, we can model some of them, we can't understand all of them," Place said. "Some of these things are essentially unknowable, so this is what makes sustainability such a challenge. It's a wicked problem."


Just because sustainability is a wicked problem, Dr. Place said that doesn't mean she doesn't have a good idea about what she thinks sustainability is.
 

I featured Dr. Place on our latest Beef Buzz, as heard on great radio stations across the southern great plains. Click or tap here to listen to this feature.

DuPont Pioneer Gains Exclusive License for Genome-Editing Technology from Vilnius University

DuPont Pioneer (DuPont) Tuesday announced a technology license and research collaboration agreement with Vilnius University to further the technical and commercial utility of guided Cas9 genome editing technology. Under the agreement, DuPont receives an exclusive license to Vilnius University intellectual property for all commercial uses, including in agriculture. In addition, Vilnius University and DuPont have entered into a multi-year research collaboration to advance the development of the technology.


"Guided Cas9 is one of the most exciting recent breakthroughs in biology and, through our collaboration with Vilnius University, we're positioning DuPont to be an early adopter of this promising new technology in agriculture," said Neal Gutterson, vice president, Agricultural Biotechnology for DuPont Pioneer, the advanced plant genetics business of DuPont. "The superior properties of guided Cas9 assist our scientists to develop innovative and sustainable solutions for growers similar to those realized through marker-assisted plant breeding, but with even greater precision and accelerated development timelines."


A team of scientists from the Vilnius University Institute of Biotechnology was one of the first groups to discover that the Cas9 protein could be repurposed to precisely edit targeted sections of an organism's DNA to achieve a specific outcome. In plants, this can include promoting drought tolerance and disease resistance for protecting plant health and increasing crop yields.  Click here to read more about this research collaboration.

Oklahoma Cotton Crop Gets Off to a Great Start, After Record May Rainfall

Cotton Comments from Oklahoma State University Southwest Oklahoma Research and Extension Center of Altus, OK

The 2015 cotton crop is off to a great start, although it is running about 2 weeks late. Record May rainfall delayed planting until the end of the month, but most producers were able to get the crop planted by June 20th. May ended up being not only a wet month, but cool also, as the cotton heat unit accumulation at Altus was 27% below normal. This really didn't matter, as we had virtually nothing planted until about May 27th. June conditions in the first two weeks or so have been excellent, with an occasional thunderstorm producing more rainfall in some areas. Since June 1, cotton heat unit accumulation at Altus has totaled 421through June 21. That is about 11% above normal. What this means is that the crop was planted during the first couple of weeks of June, emerged fairly rapidly and has been growing vigorously ever since. The most advanced cotton in the state of which I am aware is closing in on 5-6 true leaves at this time. This cotton will be soon be moving into the squaring phase. We have many fields that were planted during the second week of June closing in on 4 true leaves. The value of no-till planting into terminated small grains cover is hard to overstate. Much of the cotton we have been observing has encountered few environmental negatives such as high winds/damaging hail, thrips, etc. This cotton is very robust and appears to have been grown in a greenhouse. The protection afforded by the cover is phenomenal. This cotton was planted June 3rd and the photos were taken on June 18th.


Although we have considerable cotton in very good to excellent condition at this time, not all has fared quite as well. The storm that dumped up to 10 inches of rainfall in Harmon County during the weekend of June 12-14 produced some very high winds, flooding, and hail. Some clean till fields were damaged by this extended stormy period. Typical leaf shredding, bruising, stand loss, etc. was observed in fields that just a few days earlier were immaculate. Growers by and large have done well with weed control through this interesting last two months. Click here to read more about controlling Palmer pigweeds.  

This N That - Ag in the Classroom Rolls in Eastern Oklahoma and It's Big Iron Wednesday  

Dana Bessinger with Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom is all pumped up about the Ag in the Classroom Bus Tour for this summer- it is now underway and she emailed us a quick overview about what a busload of teachers are seeing down on the farm and ranch:

"Once again Ag in the Classroom is on the road with a busload of educators. 55 teachers left from Shawnee early this morning(Tuesday) headed for Dismukes Cattle Ranch in Checotah. The Dismukes' run Angus and Charolais cattle. The teachers learned about the handling and breeding of cattle. Other stops today include an agritourism spot, Cal2Homa Christmas Tree Farm, an alpaca farm, Sloan Farms at Gore, Consolidated Grain in Webbers Falls, AgriTech, Inc, and Maple Creek Berry Farm. Tomorrow's(Wednesday) plans include a visit to Don Sebo's Cattle Ranch in Keota and the Kerr Center. Thursday's agenda will find us at Wild Things Farm in Pocola and the Holdenville Sale Barn. 

"Yummy and nutritious BEEF is what's for dinner and some berry picking will be done. 

"All along the way Ag in the Classroom lessons and resources will be presented. Teachers can take their up close and personal experiences back to the classroom this fall. 

"The rolling workshop is sponsored by the Oklahoma Beef Council and a USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant.  Oklahoma Cattlewomen, Oklahoma Soybean Board, Oklahoma Farm Bureau Women's Leadership Team, and Chisholm Trail Farm Credit provide support for the tour."

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It's Wednesday- and that means the Big Iron folks will be busy closing out this week's auction items - all 727 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.