Administration: Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry

Oklahoma Congressman Dan Boren on Friday presented Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, Terry Peach, with a deed to a facility in Tupelo, OK, that will be used as an emergency response center. The building was built for the U.S. Department of Energy but had been out of use for some time.

March 2009

Rising input costs, volatile commodity prices and a trend toward diversified crops are all factors in an increased demand for agricultural experts called Certified Crop Advisors. Earlier this month, Kim Metcalf of Metcalf Land and Lawn and Estes Chemical was named Oklahoma CCA of the Year.

“I’m honored to receive this award but what is really important to me is to stress the benefits of the CCA program,” Metcalf said. “Our members are educated, tested and certified just like professionals like certified public accountants and receiving continuing education every year so we have the latest technology and techniques for our clients.”

Nutrient management, soil and water management, integrated pest management and crop management are the four categories stressed in the program, he said. These are the main areas of concern for producers not only for production, but in keeping their costs as low as possible.

“A certified crop advisor can help keep a farmer’s input costs as low as possible,” Metcalf said. “A producer has more control over input costs than he has with the market so this can mean the difference between a profit and a loss.”

Joe Neal Hampton, CEO of the Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association and the Oklahoma Agribusiness Retailers Association, said he relies on a CCA’s expertise in his own farming operations.

“Last year I decided to diversify and add sunflowers to my production,” he said. “I wouldn’t have considered it without the benefit of a reliable crop advisor that could help me with the information and technical assistance I needed.”

Most CCAs, like Metcalf, work for cooperatives, chemical companies, and other farm supply businesses. A few contract directly with growers. There are about 90 certified crop advisors in Oklahoma.

“This isn’t an easy certification to achieve,” Metcalf said. “We have to pass a local and a national test to be certified and only about 60 percent of the people who take these tests each year pass them. For those that pass the test, they must have at least 40 hours of continuing education every two years to remain certified.”

USDA’s Risk Management Agency recognizes certified crop advisors as experts for evaluating and assessing crop insurance claims and its Natural Resources and Conservation Service branch recognizes them as approved technical providers in nutrient management, pest management, and land treatment.

Even with the best resources and information, the hardest part about being a certified crop advisor is most often the weather, according to Metcalf.

“Mother nature can make a liar out of you.”

February 2009

Providing rural Oklahomans with timely updates about agricultural programs and opportunities is a priority of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry. The agency has begun a new agricultural blog to help people who have no access to a daily newspaper or who rely on the internet for news and other information.

January 2009

An Oklahoma agricultural trade team led by State Secretary of Agriculture, Terry Peach, returned from Cuba this week saying negotiations have begun for future wheat sales as well as other commodities.

December 2008

The long-term safety and affordability of the American food supply is threatened by skyrocketing input costs that are straining American farm families, agriculture leaders from the southern United States said today. They called on Congress and the federal government to address the crisis immediately.

Many farmers could go out of business if solutions aren’t found, forcing the nation to import more food, the state agriculture commissioners warned.

“I’ve had farmers in my state come to me in tears because they don’t know what they’re going to do,” Commissioner Ron Sparks of Alabama said during the annual conference of the Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture in Lexington, Ky.

Costs of fuel, fertilizer and livestock feed are wiping out gains in crop prices. Livestock and poultry prices generally are flat, so higher input costs are eating into producers’ bottom lines. Record oil prices are driving up the cost of virtually all farm inputs.

“Everybody feels squeezed when they have to pay more to put gas in their cars,” Commissioner Terry Peach of Oklahoma said. “They have to cut back on eating out or going to the movies. But for farmers, this raises their costs to run a business, and some people are at the breaking point.”

Rising expenses could put some farmers in danger of losing their homes, the agriculture commissioners said. The pressure is especially intense for young farmers who are paying for land and equipment.

“If we lose very many family farms, we’ll end up importing food the way we import oil,” Commissioner Steve Troxler of North Carolina said. “America has the highest food safety standards in the world, yet we already import food from countries with less stringent food safety rules. If we end up importing most of our food, American consumers could suffer.”

The pressures on farmers have been intensified by other events beyond their control such as recent flooding in the Midwest and the deep drought in the southeastern United States last summer.

Higher producer input costs, production and transportation disruptions, and increasing demand in developing countries have combined to raise prices for food in American supermarkets.

“That hurts everyone, but it’s especially hard on the poor and on our children,” Commissioner Richie Farmer of Kentucky said. “The financial strain on American farmers is an issue of public health and safety for all Americans. The federal government needs to help us find solutions that will enable family farmers to make a living while maintaining this country’s safe, abundant and affordable food supply.”

May 2008

Texas County has long been recognized as the leading agricultural county in the state. Now it is also Oklahoma’s top biofuel county.

High Plains Bioenergy, a joint venture between Seaboard Foods and Oklahoma City based Musket Corporation, held its grand opening ceremony April 24 in Guymon. Seaboard Foods President, Rod Brenneman said the biodiesel plant is currently producing over 60,000 gallons of fuel each day and will produce 30 million gallons annually at full capacity.

“We’re committed to sustainable business practices and the biodiesel plant represents this commitment well,” he said. “This was an opportunity for Seaboard Foods to add value to a product and further diversify our operation. The result is more jobs and new opportunities for Guymon and the state of Oklahoma.”

Pork fat, a relatively low-value byproduct of Seaboard’s Guymon processing facility is remarkably efficient as a source of biodiesel. High Plains Bioenergy says one gallon of biodiesel can be made from every gallon of pork fat. Glycerin, a high value component used in a variety of products ranging from cosmetics to soaps feeds is a byproduct of the biodiesel manufacturing process.

The plant was the result of Seaboard employees experimenting with ways to add value to pork fat. Brenneman said the first batch of biodiesel from Seaboard Foods was actually made in someone’s garage.

“That experiment led us to spend $40-plus million for a biodiesel plant,” he said to laughter during the grand opening.

The partnership with the Musket Corp. was necessary “because we did not want to market or distribute biodiesel,” Brenneman added. “We have no experience there and Musket is very successful both nationally and internationally. It’s a terrific partnership.”

Terry Peach, State Secretary of Agriculture, applauded the partnership saying it shows what the state can accomplish when industries work together.

“When Governor Henry first took office he challenged everyone in his administration to find ways to bring everyone in all our industries together and find common ground to improve not only our state’s economy but our quality of life,” Peach said. “High Plains Bioenergy is the perfect example of our state’s two leading industries, agriculture and energy, to come together and create this tremendous asset to Oklahoma.”

More information is available at www.SeaboardFoods.com or www.HighPlainsBioenergy.com.

May 2008

January/February 2007

Seaboard Foods’ Wakefield Farm has been named the 2007 Oklahoma Environmental Steward Award recipient. The award was presented on Friday, February 9 at the Annual Oklahoma Pork Council (OPC) Pork Congress in Oklahoma City.

“This is one of the most sophisticated swine production facilities in the country,” OPC Executive Director Roy Lee Lindsey, Jr. said. “Seaboard has clearly gone above and beyond in their efforts to protect the environment and Oklahoma’s precious natural resources.”

A committee of Oklahoma pork producers and representatives of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry chose the Wakefield Farm as this year’s recipient of the prestigious award.

“Recognizing and honoring farms that are dedicated to protecting and enhancing the environment is one of the biggest pleasures I experience as Secretary of Agriculture,” Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, Terry Peach said. “Seaboard Foods’ Wakefield Farm’s commitment to make use of all the technologies and practices to protect soil and water quality while excelling in pork production is truly worthy of this award and serves as an example of what modern Oklahoma agriculture is all about.”

Wakefield Farm, owned by Seaboard Foods, is located near Beaver, Okla. The 1,200 acre farm uses some of the most sophisticated and unique agriculture technologies in the country. Its seven-stage waste treatment system is what set it apart from the rest – earning it the title of 2007 Oklahoma Environmental Steward.

“This is the only farm that I know of in the country that utilizes all the different components as one system,” said Don Owens, Director of Environmental, Maintenance & Construction for Seaboard Foods.

The seven-stage system treats the liquid and solid waste separately, creating two non-toxic, environmentally friendly products. The liquid becomes a type of liquid fertilizer, called effluent, and is used by local farmers, and the solids are also composted into fertilizer.

Seaboard Foods, like many other pork producers in Oklahoma, recognizes the importance of reducing odor and protecting the land. The system put in place at Wakefield Farm goes above and beyond the call of duty.

Wakefield Farm will now be submitted to the National Pork Board as a candidate for the 2007 National Environmental Steward Award. In 2005, Treadway Ranch in McCurtain, Oklahoma won the Oklahoma and National award. Since 1998, Oklahoma has had six National Environmental Steward Award winners, the most of any state in the country in that time period.

February 2007

The Livestock Assistance Grant Program checks are in the mail to state producers. Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, Terry Peach, said Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry staff worked diligently to meet their goal of having all 13,804 checks mailed before the weekend.