We have been talking about this day coming for several years now- and with the arrival of August 28th- the EPA has achieved a dream of more control across the American landscape with their Clean Water Rule now law in 37 of the 50 US states.

Only a Federal District Judge in North Dakota has kept EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy from claiming a total victory- as Judge Ralph Erickson said the administration had overstepped its bounds in trying yet another end run around Congress.

Judge Erickson called the Environmental Protection Agency's attempt "inexplicable, arbitrary and devoid of a reasoned process," and issued an injunction preventing the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from claiming oversight of millions of acres of land that contain small bodies of water.

The EPA, though, said it will only honor the injunction in the 13 states that had sued, and will move forward with the rules in the rest of the country.

"In all other respects, the rule is effective on August 28," the agency said in a statement. "The agencies are evaluating these orders and considering next steps in the litigation."

Oklahoma and neighboring Kansas and Texas are all on the outside looking in when it comes to this injunction, that keeps EPA from implementing WOTUS for the time being. 

Oklahoma Senator James Lankford says that he believes the most viable strategy for Congress is to deprive EPA and the Army Corps of any money to implement the law for the next 15 months- as he expects the next Administration to NOT proceed in implementing the changes in the Clean Water Act that dates back to the 1970s.

Lankford also hopes that the court system will eventually the language illegal.

Click here for our story posted on our website this morning about the legal wrangling- including a link to the order issued by Judge Erickson.

AND- we will be talking this morning to Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt about where his lawsuit stands and how he sees the litigation battle with EPA playing out. We will be posting that to our Website and to our APP as quickly as we compete our conversation with AG Pruitt.

U.S. Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden Thursday announced that Whole-Farm Revenue Protection insurance will be available in every county in the nation in 2016. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is also making changes to the policy to help farmers and ranchers with diversified crops including beginning, organic, and fruit and vegetable growers, better access Whole-Farm Revenue Protection.


"Whole-Farm Revenue Protection insurance allows producers who have previously had limited access to a risk management safety net, to insure all of the commodities on their farm at once instead of one commodity at a time," said Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden. "That gives them the option of embracing more crop diversity on their farm and helps support the production of a wider variety of foods."


USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) introduced the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection pilot program for a majority of counties in the 2015 insurance year. Starting with the 2016 insurance year, the new program will be available in all counties in the United States, a first for the federal crop insurance program.


USDA also provided additional flexibility to producers by making changes, click here to read more.

The pressure on the feeder cattle markets in Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas has been tremendous over the last couple of weeks- and every market that is reported by USDA Market News has shown nothing but red ink- lower prices- on both yearling and calf prices. The losses have ranged from two to ten dollars on yearlings this week- and calf prices, where there has been adequate numbers for a test, have fallen from eight to thirty dollars a hundred.

Yearling price drops have included the Oklahoma National Stockyards three to eight dollars lower on Monday of this week, Joplin five to ten dollars down, OKC West $2 to $7 cheaper, Pratt, Kansas five to eight dollars lower and Dodge City $7 to $10 down on yearling steers.

Calf price drops have been even more extreme- Oklahoma City reported a $10 to $15 drop on steer calves and $15 to $30 per hundred drop for the females. Joplin reported steer and heifer calf prices were down by $10 to $20 and the Southern Oklahoma Livestock Market in Ada showed a mid week decline of $10 to $15 on Wednesday.


Kansas State University Extension Livestock Market Economist Glynn Tonsor said international worries of global growth has translated into a real chill onto the cattle market. China is at the core with concerns of the health of the global economy, but he said this extends beyond China.

Tonsor is our Beef Buzz guest as we look at some of the reasons behind these huge price drops for feeder and stocker cattle- click here to read more and for a chance to listen to this edition of the Beef Buzz.

As farmers look to plant their wheat crop this fall, the price outlook isn't very rosy. On this weekend's edition of SUNUP, Oklahoma State University Grain Marketing Specialist Kim Anderson said basis right now is around 30 to 50 cents in Oklahoma. In looking at the July 2016 Kansas City wheat futures contract, prices are about $5.20, so local cash prices are ranging from $4.75 to $4.50.


For farmers with marginal land, Anderson recommends they evaluate their cost of production. Landowners may be better off in cash renting the land and contracting the crop, but Anderson wouldn't recommend forward contracting for harvest delivery right now.


While wheat prices are low, Anderson said they are getting closer to the bottom. His bottom cash price is about $4 a bushel in Oklahoma. With prices right now from $4.40 to $4.60, prices could go a little lower.

SUNUP host Dave Deken asks Anderson, will prices get back above $6 by harvest 2016?  Click or tap here to listen to the full interview.  You can also find the lineup for this weekend's edition of SUNUP.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Thursday announced a four-year strategy that will invest approximately $211 million through 2018 in conservation efforts to benefit the greater sage grouse. The strategy, known as Sage Grouse Initiative 2.0, will build on successful public and private conservation efforts made since 2010 to improve sage grouse habitat. The new plan will provide additional assistance for ranchers to make conservation improvements to their land, which mutually benefits the iconic bird and agricultural operations in 11 Western states.


"The Sage Grouse Initiative has proven itself as a model for how wildlife and agriculture can coexist and thrive in harmony, and that is why we are announcing steps today that will expand this important initiative throughout the life of the 2014 Farm Bill," said Vilsack. "I applaud America's ranchers for their initiative in improving habitats and outcomes for sage grouse and other wildlife, and for their recognition that these efforts are also good for cattle, good for ranching operations, and good for America's rural economy."


NRCS leaders from California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming worked with conservation partners to develop the four-year strategy.  Click here to read more.

Water quality has a greater impact on soil quality than once realized. Marginal wells have provided farmers with much needed irrigation water during drought, but the recent effects of five years of continuous drought has become more apparent. Oklahoma State University Research Director Randy Boman has conducted research on the issue at the Southwest Research and Extension Center. He has seen how those marginal quality wells have increased salinity levels in the soil and that causes production to decline.


Yields decline because plants are using more energy to remove the salty water, rather than putting on yield. Boman said salty irrigation water can result in osmotic issues in the soil. With higher soil salinity levels, it may become more difficult to get a crop established. Boman said farmers may have to switch up their crop rotation in planting more salt tolerant crops, like barley or cotton. If the situation continues, he said salinity can damage the soil and might result in expensive reclamation.


"At the end of the day, I think what we need to be better stewards of the water, kind of understand what we're doing there with respect to the water and also be following up and checking the soil situation," Boman said. 


This should encourage farmers to look at the water quality in the wells they pump for irrigation.  Click here to read more or to listen to the full interview. 

We will be visiting with Cattlemen's Beef Board Member Chuck Coffey this Saturday morning during our In the Field segment that will be seen on KWTV News9 in Oklahoma City- at about 6:40 AM as a part of their Saturday morning news block.

Coffey has a cow-calf operation near Springer, Oklahoma- and recently traveled with other ranchers from Texas and a corn farmer from Missouri to Japan- working with the US Meat Export Federation in interacting with buyers of US beef in the most important international market that the US beef cattle industry has.

If you miss our conversation on Saturday morning- we will be posting our conversation on our web site later in the weekend.

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American Farmers & Ranchers/Oklahoma Farmers Union's (AFR/OFU) Leadership Exploration And Development (LEAD) program has teamed up with the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association's 31st Annual Range Round-Up to host its first educational event tomorrow afternoon(Saturday) at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie.


The first of LEAD's Cattle Seminars will be an afternoon spent with professionals who will discuss the most recent news and technology affecting the industry and will end with a tour of the Lazy E facility. The event is open to AFR members and non-members alike and will include lunch and a chance to win tickets to the evening's Range Round-Up's performance.

More details are available here.

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Speaking of the Lazy E and the OCA Range Roundup- it's happening tonight and tomorrow night at 7:00 PM. Ticket info can be had by clicking here on the Lazy E Website.

Tim Drummond, OCA Range Round-Up Chairman says "OCA Range Round-Up set out on a mission back in 1985 to provide family entertainment, promote beef and raise money for charity.  The selected charity has varied over the years, but 2014 marked the 18th year in a row that the selected charity has been the Children's Miracle Network. In that time, the OCA has donated more than $404,000.00 and formed a strong connection to the charity and its work."

The event will still consist of twelve ranch teams consisting of 'real ranch' cowboys that compete in 6 different events that mirror many of the activities they do on the ranch. Seventeen ranches will have participants on those twelve teams.

More details about this year's Range Roundup are available on the OCA website by clicking here.