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According to Radio Oklahoma Network News Director Jerry Bohnen, Oklahoma's Attorney General Scott Pruitt believes he has at least two Supreme Court Rulings on his side in the lawsuit that he filed this week in Tulsa Federal Court against the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers over WOTUS, the Waters of the US rule they have published and say will take effect August 28. Pruitt is one of 28 state government officials from around the US who has entered into litigation against the Obama Administration regarding the Clean Water Rule.


On Thursday afternoon, the AG talked with us about the case- including an explanation of what laws he believes the Administration has violated along the way to this point- those Supreme Court Decisions that agree with the states that are challenging what EPA is attempting to do with this Rule and his hope for a preliminary injunction to short circuit the tremendous damage that could be facing farmers, ranchers and others that will be impacted if the Rule is allowed to be set into place. 

This morning- we have as our Top Ag Story on our website Team Coverage from Jerry and myself on this issue- you can hear my conversation with the AG and you can read Jerry's analysis from the litigation filed against EPA and the Army Corps by clicking or tapping here.  

Lucas Stresses Importance of Regulatory Transparency to EPA Chief

Congressman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), Vice Chairman of the House Science Committee, Thursday questioned Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy about the science used to justify the 'Waters of the United States' (WOTUS) final rule. WOTUS seeks to expand the EPA's regulatory control over waterways in our country by expanding the definition of "navigable water" under the Clean Water Act to include potentially any flowing or standing water on public or private land.


"Coming from a rural area, I'm a little sensitive about the Waters of the United States rule," said Lucas.


He stressed to McCarthy that the scientific data used to justify these burdensome regulations should be made available to the public for review.


Lucas also pointed out to McCarthy that comments from the Chairman of the EPA's own Science Advisory Board and the President's science advisor have reflected that the data used to justify regulations should be made publically available.


Lucas concluded his remarks saying, "there's a fine line between doing things for people and doing things to people... there's a perception across the country - whether it's in ag or construction -you're not doing things for people. You're inevitably doing things to people."

Click here to watch Congressman Lucas' remarks to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy.  

Anderson Reviews Grain Market Rally and Offers Harvest Price Outlook

Wheat, corn and soybeans have seen some positive gains in recent weeks. On this weekend's edition of SUNUP, Oklahoma State University Grain Marketing Specialist Dr. Kim Anderson provides the outlook for grain prices. The wheat market continues to be highly volatile. The Kansas City wheat futures contract has been trading from $5 to $6.11 a bushel. This past week, wheat traded from $5.74 to nearly $6.11. He said the price needs to break through the $6.11 level in order to move higher.


"If we can break that $6.11, which I think the odds are against that, then we would establish an uptrend," Anderson said. "Right now the market looks like we're just going to continue this sideways pattern, probably in a plus or minus 30 or 40 cents off the current price."


Corn prices has seen a significant rally. In looking at harvest delivery, Anderson said the Chicago Board of Trade contract prices for December are running from $3.63 to $4.40. He said this week corn had a support price around $4.20. The basis in central Oklahoma for harvest delivered corn is running around 25 cents below the December futures contract price for a cash price around $4.15 in central Oklahoma. The Panhandle region has a positive 25 cent basis, so cash prices are running around $4.65.


Soybean prices have rallied from $9 to about $10.40 in recent days. Anderson said soybean basis levels for harvest delivered beans across Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle is running around 90 cents. With a November CBT price around $10, he said that makes the harvest delivered price $9.10.


Click here to read or listen to listen to the interview with Kim Anderson about the price outlook for sorghum, corn, wheat and soybeans.   

Oklahoma Pork Council's 'Taste of Elegance' Event to Benefit March of Dimes

Oklahoma's pork producers will be supporting the March of Dimes this month. The Oklahoma Pork Council is hosting their annual "Taste of Elegance" event on Tuesday, July 21 at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma Pork Council Executive Director Roy Lee Lindsey said the benefit event features 13 chefs cooking their best pork dishes to be evaluated by a panel of judges. The top chef receives a trip to the 2016 Pork Summit at the Culinary Institute of America at the Greystone, California campus.   Lindsey invites the public to take part in the "Taste of Elegance".


"The public can buy tickets and come in and enjoy and sample all of these great dishes," Lindsey said.


This is the second consecutive year the "Taste of Elegance" will benefit the March of Dimes. Lindsey said all the proceeds of ticket sales go to the March of Dimes to support their efforts to help mothers, babies, and young children. The Mission of the March of Dimes to help moms have full-term pregnancies and research the problems that threaten the health of babies.


Tickets are $35 each and include Tasting Portions of Pork from the Best Chefs in the Metro as well as two complimentary drink tickets. Click here for more information and how to purchase tickets online.  

Grazinglands Research Lab Studies Climate Variability Impact on Cattle Production

The Grazinglands Research Laboratory in Fort Reno, Oklahoma is looking at how the climate impacts forage production and in turn cattle production. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) laboratory is in its second year of a five year $9.4 million dollar study that is looking at how to improve regional beef cattle production while mitigating its environmental footprint. The project involves 46 research scientists and extension specialists from Oklahoma State University, Kansas State University, University of Oklahoma and Tarleton State University, along with the Noble Foundation and two ARS research locations. The lead scientist is Dr. Jean Steiner. She said one group of scientists are focused on forage and livestock production, while the other unit has a strong focus on water quality, water quantity and climate variability.


"Increasingly as we start looking at these integrated systems approaches to our research, those two units are coming together to really look at how the soil, the climate, the water and the plant resources all are sort of sustain these mixed grazing systems that are so important to Oklahoma agriculture," Steiner said.


The Grazinglands Research Laboratory in Fort Reno was recently declared a Southern Region Climate Hub for ARS and USDA. That designation came less than two years ago, when U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack determined regional hubs were needed for USDA to improve landowner access to climate information. The climate hubs were created to establish coordinated voice. The Fort Reno facility represents Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma as the Southern Plains region. Steiner said she is currently serving as interim director for the Climate Hub, until a new director can be hired. She said the staff is working a lot with USDA, land grant universities and producer organizations within the three states. 

I featured Dr. Jean Steiner 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. 
 

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.

Bayer CropScience and Ernst Conservation Seeds Partner to Create Pollinator Habitat

As part of its ongoing commitment to honey bee health, Bayer CropScience has partnered with Ernst Conservation Seeds to provide bulk seed to individuals and organizations that have pledged to become Feed a Bee partners and dedicate land to the establishment of pollinator habitat. Feed a Bee partners will receive a pollinator seed mix from Ernst Seeds that includes wildflowers that bloom from spring to fall, providing important nutrients for pollinators all season long. Some of the most popular pollinator attractant plants in the mix include slender mountainmint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium), wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) and purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea). The seed should be planted according to USDA Pollinator Program guidelines at a rate of four pounds per acre.


"The collaboration with Ernst Seeds is an integral part of our Feed a Bee initiative," said Dr. Becky Langer-Curry, manager of the North American Bee Care Program. "Their participation in the campaign will help contribute to acres of bee forage that we're aiming to help establish across the U.S. this year."


Bayer's initiative with Ernst Seeds is the most recent in a series of collaborations that Bayer is forging as part of its recently launched Feed a Bee campaign (FeedABee.com) that has a goal of growing 50 million flowers and providing additional forage acreage for bees in 2015. One-third of all food eaten by humans is dependent on pollination. Reduced bee habitat has decreased bees' food options, at a time when a growing world population is putting increased pressure on agriculture. Feed a Bee collaborations will help ensure bees have access to the diverse pollen and nectar sources they need, especially during times when the fruit, nut and vegetable crops they help to pollinate are not in bloom.
 

Click here to read more about this partnership.  

This N That- In the Field, Calendar Shout Out and Mushrooms- They are Not Just for Pizzas Anymore

Coming up tomorrow morning on News9 KWTV in Oklahoma City- we are excited to have Terry Detrick joining us as our Saturday morning guest on our In the Field segment .  Detrick is the President of the American Farmers & Ranchers and we talk about Right to Farm and more during this week's video conversation.   

Take a look at around 6:40 AM on News9- and later in the day- if you miss it- it will be posted on the News9 website in their video section- and we will be posting a short on our website spotlighting the video as well- in case you miss it.

And- you can click here for our story featured yesterday with Detrick on our website and in this email about their efforts to support the youth of our state as well as their lining up strongly behind State Question 777.

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A quick reminder about our Oklahoma Farm Report calendar that is available here. We have cataloged a huge number of events that are happening this last half of July- and the August list is starting to grow as well.  

Check it out- as we have everything from crop production meetings to youth events and statewide and national meetings all listed.

If you know of something that we need to be adding- please email me by clicking here and we will do our best to get it included as well.  

We always appreciate your feedback and help in spreading the word about what is happening in farm and ranch country.

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Finally- in case you missed it on our website earlier this week- we featured a great story about how mushrooms are being used to help deal with lignin in grass bales of hay.  OSU researcher Mark Wilkins is leading a team looking to construct a system that applies oyster mushrooms to grass bales in order to reduce a component of the grass called lignin.  

You can read more by clicking here- but for a guy who is not that fond of mushrooms on my slice of pizza- it's nice to find a better use for them!!!