Ethanol Boosters Tell EPA to Restore RFS- NCGA and Growth Energy Among Those Weighing in 

In comments submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Monday, the National Corn Growers Association and Growth Energy highlighted the importance of the 2014, 2015 and 1016 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) which are part of the broader Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).


In the comments, NCGA states, "The RFS has spurred growth in agriculture, increased energy diversity and decreased GHG emissions from fossil fuels through the development of renewable energy resources. We urge the Agency to stay the course and support this important piece of transformational energy policy, and we request it reconsider its proposed reduction in the 2014, 2015 and 2016 renewable volume obligations." 

In a letter accompanying NCGA's comments, NCGA President Chip Bowling writes, "The RFS is doing exactly what it was intended to do. It is successfully driving the adoption of renewable fuel alternatives to petroleum, supporting jobs across the country, and ensuring the United States remains a global leader in developing new renewable energy sources while decreasing GHG emissions here at home.   provide regulatory certainty to the most successful renewable fuel program in place. The continued stability and health of the rural economy and the nation's environmental improvements hinge upon your decision."  Click here to read the full comments from NCGA.


Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy noted, "The RFS has been an overwhelming success. It has created American jobs, revitalized rural America, injected much-needed competition into a monopolized vehicle fuels market, lowered the price at the pump, improved the environment, and made our nation more energy independent and secure by reducing our dangerous dependence on foreign oil. It makes no sense that EPA would try and move this program backward. We hope that EPA will review our comments closely and finalize the volumes at the statutory levels."  Click here to read the comments from Growth Energy.    

Selk Says Stockpiled Bermudagrass Can Reduce Winter Feed Costs

Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University Emeritus Extension Animal Scientist, writes in the latest Cow-Calf Newsletter.


"Harvested forage costs are a large part of the production costs associated with cow-calf enterprises. A 15 year-old OSU trial had the objective to economically evaluate stockpiled bermudagrass. The research found that this practice can reduce cow-wintering costs. Forage accumulation during the late summer and fall is variable from year to year depending on moisture, temperatures, date of first frost and fertility.


"The OSU research has found that 50 to 100 pounds per acre of actual nitrogen fertilizer applied in the late summer has produced 1000 - 2000 pounds of forage per acre. In some ideal situations even more forage has been produced.


"Studies between 1997 and 2000 found stockpiled bermudagrass protein concentrations were quite impressive, even after frost. In November, the range of protein content of the standing forage was 13.1 percent to 15.2 percent. The protein held up in December and ranged from 12.5 percent to 14.7 percent and declined to 10.9 percent to 11.6 percent in January.


Dr. Selk adds that planning for the stockpiling of Bermuda must begin now.  Click here to read Selk's list of recommendations for stockpiling bermudagrass pastures for best results and reducing winter feed bills.

Noble Foundation Among Scientists Receiving $1.45 million Grant to Advance Gene Research

Researchers at The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Michigan Technological University (MTU) and University of California, Riverside (UCR) recently received a three-year, $1.45 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).


This grant will enable the Noble Foundation's Patrick X. Zhao, Ph.D., principal investigator, and co-principal investigators, Hairong Wei, Ph.D. (MTU) and Shizhong Xu, Ph.D. (UCR) to develop the formulas and models needed to study how genes or groups of genes (genotypes) are connected to and control the characteristics traits (phenotypes) of plants. This would turn gene data into valuable information for plant breeders to use when breeding improved varieties.


"This grant will help us generate new methods and tools to decipher plant the associations between genes and physical traits. This will further enhance plant breeding programs," Zhao said. "This is a great opportunity to join with other researchers and combine our expertise to study these associations more in-depth than ever before. Through this collaborative research, we look forward to advancing bioinformatics for the basic plant science research, plant breeding, and ultimately to improving agriculture and our communities."  

Click here to read more how genes work together to express certain traits and this research project.  

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association is trying to stop the 'Waters of the United States' or Clean Water Rule from being implemented. NCBA has been fighting 'WOTUS' on Capitol Hill and they have also filed lawsuits to stop the regulation from being implemented in August. Speaking at the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Convention, NCBA Executive Director of Legislative Affairs Kristina Butts said they are attacking this regulation on multiple fronts.


In June, there was hope that the U.S. House would take up the interior appropriations bill that would not allow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to enforce the final 'WOTUS' rule. Butts said unfortunately that bill was pulled from the floor, so now negotiations are taking place on a spending bill beyond this fiscal year. She said there is also standalone legislation that has passed the House, and opponents to the Clean Water Rule are looking for similar opportunities in the Senate to move that legislation forward, but time is quickly passing by. After the August recess, Butts said there are only eight to ten days that Congress will be back in session before the end of the fiscal year.


"We really need to move forward on the 'WOTUS' front sooner rather than later," Butts said. "And again it's the Senate, looking for opportunities there to move that forward in the Senate."


NCBA is also involved with in litigation with EPA and Army Corps of Engineers. NCBA has joined a broad coalition to stop the implementation of this rule. NCBA has been joined by the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Pork Producers Council and Public Lands Council, along with other producer and land use groups in filing litigation. The coalition has filed a complaint in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas against the EPA and Army Corps over the 'WOTUS' final rule. Butts said obviously this tactic will require many years and thousands of dollars. 

Kristina Butts of NCBA was our guest on Beef Buzz- and you can hear her comments by clicking or tapping here.    

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.

Attacking Brome in Winter Wheat with PRE-PARE Herbicide

Brome has become a management headache for wheat farmers. Typically farmers have treated brome with post-emergence products. Over time brome has become harder to treat. A new product of Arysta LifeScience allows farmers to try a new strategy in treating brome pre-emergence. Herbicide Development Manager Chad Effertz said the key to effective treatment is applying "PRE-PARE" at the start of the growing season.


"The research we've looked at shows that the biggest yield losses you get is from that brome that emerges right with your winter wheat versus any brome that emerges three weeks after," Effertz said. "And that's really the window that "PRE-PARE" is the most effective in controlling that early flush of brome."


"PRE-PARE" works in a no-till or clean till system and the product can be applied within 10 days of planting. Effertz said "PRE-PARE" works on brome species like rescuegrass, downy brome, cheatgrass. He recommends a two-pass pattern in using "PRE-PARE" for the early flush of brome, then come back with a post-emergence application. He said this give farmers a manageable population of weeds to treat, a good winter wheat stand that has been protected through the fall and winter.
 

I interviewed Chad Effertz about this new herbicide product "PRE-PARE" for use in winter wheat.  Click here to listen to the full interview.  

This N That - Superior's Video Royale, Big Iron Wednesday and OCA Salutes Jerry McPeak 

 The next three days- Superior Livestock Auction will be offering right at 100,000 head of cattle from across the western part of the United States.  The sale will originate from Winnemucca, Nevada and is the Video Royale XXIII.

Details of the cattle being offered today, tomorrow and Friday are available here. 

As always- you can call Superior to get more information at 1-800-422-2117. 

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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 243 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.  

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One of several awards handed out at the 63rd annual Convention of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association went to State Representative Jerry McPeak. McPeak received the 2015 OCA Legislative Appreciation Award.

"Representative McPeak is a cattleman serving in the legislature and he therefore knows the issues cattle producers face every day," shared Charlie Swanson, OCA President.

Read more about this OCA award by clicking here.