OKLAHOMA CITY—American Farmers & Ranchers (AFR) Cooperative has announced its 2022-2023 AFR Youth Advisory Council. This year’s council members were chosen by popular vote during the organization’s 2022 Senior Leadership Summit, which was held July 27-30.
Members of the 2022-2023 AFR Youth Advisory Council are Kolton Hunt, Wellston; Callen Cox, Crescent; Kelby Ott, Lomega; Morley Griffith, Dale; and Halee Pullen, Stratford.
The AFR Youth Advisory Council is an opportunity for high school seniors who are active in the AFR Youth Program to further their leadership and program management skills. Council members assist in planning many AFR Youth Program events, facilitate general AFR events and act as mentors for younger Oklahoma youth. Council members also participate in agriculture-based service projects throughout the year.
“The AFR Cooperative is proud to invest in the future of Oklahoma through our state’s youth,” said AFR President Scott Blubaugh. “The AFR Youth Council is a unique opportunity to recognize and encourage some of our exceptional program participants.”
To become an AFR Youth Advisory Council member, the student or an immediate family member must be an AFR Insurance policyholder and have attended a Senior Leadership Summit prior to the year applying.
The AFR Youth Advisory Council is just one of many AFR Youth Program traditions. The organization also hosts a youth leadership summit, statewide scholarships, speech contests, livestock judging and grading competitions, and many other development opportunities. For more information, visit the AFR Cooperative website at www.afrcoop.org.
For more information about the 2022-2023 Youth Advisory Council, contact AFR Youth Coordinator Tailor Atkinson at 405-218-5566.
AFR Cooperative is a membership services organization established in 1905 as Oklahoma Farmers Union. AFR provides educational, legislative and cooperative programs across the state and serves as a watchdog for Oklahoma’s family farmers and ranchers and rural communities. The organization is actively supportive of the state’s agricultural industry and rural population with membership consisting of farmers actively involved in production agriculture and non-farmers adding their voice in support of AFR principles.
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OKLAHOMA CITY—American Farmers & Ranchers (AFR) has received a 2021 Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Regents Business Partnership Excellence Award. The award is designed to highlight successful partnerships between higher education institutions and businesses. AFR was nominated by Connors State College (CSC) in recognition of their longstanding partnership.
AFR’s relationship with Connors State College is longstanding. CSC’s namesake, John P. Connor, served as the first vice president of Oklahoma Farmers Union, now known as AFR. In the more than 110 years since CSC’s founding, AFR has provided the institution with resources that have contributed to valuable and positive experiences for CSC students. AFR has sponsored livestock contests, provided funding for student programs and filled volunteer positions within CSC.
“We are both humbled and honored by this recognition,” said AFR Cooperative President Scott Blubaugh. “Throughout our history, AFR Cooperative has encouraged the youth of Oklahoma to pursue higher education. Connors State is a place where students can gather not only knowledge, but also life experiences that will carry them into successful futures. Connors graduates achieve great things, improve and build rural communities and shape the future of our state. We are proud to play a part in their success.”
In early 2021, AFR gifted $10,000 to the CSC Development Foundation. The endowment will fund a tuition scholarship award for the CSC Top Agricultural Student each year. The scholarship is named in honor of the first president of the Oklahoma Board of Agriculture and CSC’s namesake, J.P. Connors.
“AFR has been a longtime supporter of our students at Connors,” said CSC President Ron Ramming about the scholarship endowment. “We are proud of our students and grateful AFR saw our students the same way we do—bright and full of potential to make a difference in the world.”
For more information about RBPEA and this year’s partnerships, visit www.okhighered.org/RBPEA. For more information about AFR Cooperative, visit www.afrcoop.org.
AFR Cooperative is a membership services organization established in 1905 as Oklahoma Farmers Union. AFR provides educational, legislative and cooperative programs across the state and serves as a watchdog for Oklahoma’s family farmers and ranchers and rural communities. The organization is actively supportive of the state’s agricultural industry and rural population with membership consisting of farmers actively involved in production agriculture and non-farmers adding their voice in support of AFR principles.
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LOYAL, OKLA.—It seems you can’t pick up a farm publication or listen to the agriculture news without reading or hearing something about soil health and regenerative agriculture. More and more, farmers and ranchers are undertaking practices such as improved pasture management, no-till crop production and planting cover crops in an effort to improve the health of their soil, better prepare for droughts and floods and help reduce input costs. They are experimenting with different plant species mixtures in their covers, working in some cases to incorporate more livestock to graze cover crops and looking at new marketing opportunities like carbon credits. But with all this energy and focus, one thing often gets over looked by even many of the long-term early adopters of these soil health practices—they never think about the importance of reporting any of their cover crop acres to the USDA Farm Services Agency (FSA).
That needs to change.
If you follow the ag news, you probably know by now that earlier this summer USDA announced a new crop insurance premium assistance program for farmers who planted fall cover crops and were in the process of insuring their spring planted program crops (cash crops), called the Pandemic Cover Crop Program (PCCP). This program was an effort to help those producers who undertook the sustained, long-term investment required to plant cover crops during the challenging economic times created by the COVID-19 pandemic with a one-time crop insurance premium support of $5 per acre. The trick was that those cover crop acres that qualified for this program were those that producers reported to FSA using the Report of Acreage form (FSA-578) at the local USDA service center.
Many summer crop producers who wanted to take advantage of this initiative were put in a bind trying to meet an accelerated deadline of turning in previously unreported cover crop acres to FSA. While the deadline for the initial rollout of this program has passed, there has been some discussion on extending it this fall for crops such as winter wheat. Whether or not this happens, the only way a farmer who plants cover crops can take advantage of this or any other potential new program to reward soil health practices is to make sure they have all their information turned in to FSA. That’s why it is so important that, if you do use soil health practices on your land, you make sure to take the additional step of enrolling your cover crop acres using form FSA-578. You need to contact your local USDA service center to make an appointment as soon as you get your covers planted this summer. You can find a list of local and state FSA offices here: https://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?state=us&agency=fsa
Please keep in mind, the deadline for the initial rollout of the Pandemic Cover Crop Program has already passed. That horse is out of the barn. And if you grow winter wheat, rye or other fall planted crops that you follow with summer covers, you weren’t eligible for this first roll out. That said, I would STRONGLY encourage producers who are planning to plant summer covers to report their cover crop acreage to FSA once these covers are in the ground. If this program continues into the fall to cover winter cash crop acres, producers will want to be sure that all of their reporting requirements are covered.
The talk of rewarding and incentivizing soil health and regenerative agriculture practices continues to float around USDA headquarters and the halls of Congress. The last thing you want to do is get caught flat-footed by not having your information turned in to USDA.
–Clay Pope, Loyal, Okla.
Southern Plains Climate Hub
OKLAHOMA CITY—American Farmers & Ranchers (AFR) Cooperative is requesting a 30-day extension on the 2021 dicamba application deadline. The current application cut-off dates set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are June 30 for soybeans and July 30 for cotton.
The EPA set the new nationwide cutoff dates for dicamba application last fall, without knowledge of future weather patterns or planting conditions. Now, several states are pushing to expand those application deadlines to accommodate late planting caused by either drought or heavy late spring rainfall, depending on the region. This combination of delayed planting and pre-set application deadlines has caused dicamba to be virtually unusable.
“This is absolutely not the right year to implement new dicamba application cut-off dates,” said AFR President Scott Blubaugh. “Much of the country is experiencing significant drought; the remaining crop production regions have experienced heavy rainfall. Both have played a part in delaying planting of the 2021 soybean and cotton crops. Because of this planting delay, the new EPA deadlines will prevent or severely limit the use of dicamba. Preventing the use of this technology unnecessarily handicaps Oklahoma’s farmers and will certainly reduce their ability to produce a viable crop. It is clear that applying arbitrary deadlines in this year of extremes is a recipe for food insecurity and market instability that could be easily avoided.”
AFR Cooperative is a membership services organization established in 1905 as Oklahoma Farmers Union. AFR provides educational, legislative and cooperative programs across the state and serves as a watchdog for Oklahoma’s family farmers and ranchers and rural communities. The organization is actively supportive of the state’s agricultural industry and rural population with membership consisting of farmers actively involved in production agriculture and non-farmers adding their voice in support of AFR principles.
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OKLAHOMA CITY—Reps. Frank Lucas (OK-03), Tom Cole (OK-04), Markwayne Mullin (OK-02) and Stephanie Bice (OK-05) joined 47 other members of Congress in sending a bipartisan letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland June 8. The letter requests the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) provide an update or final report on its investigation into potential anticompetitive behavior within the beef industry.
The letter joins a growing chorus of cattle producers, industry organizations and lawmakers who are both concerned with the current state of the U.S. beef industry and frustrated about a lack results of the more than yearlong DOJ investigation. This is not the first time Lucas has taken a leadership role on this issue. In May 2020, he led a bipartisan letter to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requesting the Agency provide results from its beef pricing investigation.
“We are very pleased four members of our state’s congressional delegation are standing in solidarity with Oklahoma’s ranchers in recognizing the potential for antitrust behavior in the beef industry and calling upon the U.S. Attorney General to continue to take action,” said American Farmers & Ranchers (AFR) Cooperative President Scott Blubaugh. “Rep. Lucas showed a willingness to lead on this issue during the pandemic and we are pleased to see he is continuing to push for answers, along with other members of the Oklahoma delegation asking for DOJ investigation results.”
“Cattle producers nationwide are desperate for answers and they have certainly waited long enough. Reps. Lucas, Cole, Mullin and Bice have shown they understand the severity of the situation and have proven they’re in sync with our state’s cattlemen and cattlewomen. It is time for the rest of the Oklahoma congressional delegation to take note and voice their support for the Oklahoma rancher.”
AFR Cooperative is a membership services organization established in 1905 as Oklahoma Farmers Union. AFR provides educational, legislative and cooperative programs across the state and serves as a watchdog for Oklahoma’s family farmers and ranchers and rural communities. The organization is actively supportive of the state’s agricultural industry and rural population with membership consisting of farmers actively involved in production agriculture and non-farmers adding their voice in support of AFR/OFU principles.
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OKLAHOMA CITY—American Farmers & Ranchers (AFR) Cooperative is pleased with agriculture sales tax exemption legislation recently passed by the Oklahoma Legislature. Senate Bill 422, authored by Sen. Frank Simpson (R-Springer) and Rep. Dell Kerbs (R-Shawnee), passed the Senate 45-0 May 19 and the House 96-0 May 24.
SB 422 provides clarification and flexibility to farmers and ranchers applying for or renewing an agricultural sales tax exemption permit. Applicants can now qualify for the exemption by providing satisfactory documentation from one of four categories—a federal tax form, such as a
Schedule F, Form 4835, Form 1065, or an equivalent IRS form; a one-page business description form provided by the Oklahoma Tax Commission; a USDA FSA number or program form; or other documents the Oklahoma Tax Commission sees fit to verify involvement in production agriculture.
“Oklahoma’s farmers and ranchers are an integral part of our state’s economy; it is essential we foster a regulatory environment that keeps farming operations successful and encourages the next generation of producers,” said AFR President Scott Blubaugh. “Clarifying Oklahoma’s agricultural sales tax exemption process will provide certainty to our producers, while also providing eligibility guidelines for regulators that ensure the ag sales tax exemption is reserved for active farmers and ranchers.”
A coalition of Oklahoma’s agriculture organizations urged passage of SB 422. The bill was considered to be the best option to ensure producers could secure a state agriculture sales tax exemption permit, while also preventing fraud in the sales tax exemption process.
“In today’s challenging legislative environment, I’m pleased to say this bill was championed by the entire agriculture community,” said Blubaugh. “It will help reduce fraud in the agriculture sales tax exemption and create certainty amongst producers and regulators alike. AFR Cooperative is glad to support it.”
AFR Cooperative is a membership services organization established in 1905 as Oklahoma Farmers Union. AFR provides educational, legislative and cooperative programs across the state and serves as a watchdog for Oklahoma’s family farmers and ranchers and rural communities. The organization is actively supportive of the state’s agricultural industry and rural population with membership consisting of farmers actively involved in production agriculture and non-farmers adding their voice in support of AFR principles.
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OKLAHOMA CITY—Gov. Kevin Stitt and Oklahoma Sec. of Agriculture Blayne Arthur penned a joint letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland May 21. The letter expresses support for the ongoing U.S. Dept. of Justice antitrust investigation into the U.S. meatpacking industry. The letter deems the investigation necessary “to determine if any manipulation, collusion, or other illegal activity may be occurring and ensure market transparency.”
“We are extremely grateful to Gov. Stitt and Sec. Arthur for recognizing the potential for antitrust behavior in the beef industry and calling upon the U.S. Attorney General to continue to take action,” said American Farmers & Ranchers (AFR) Cooperative President Scott Blubaugh. “Oklahoma ranchers have been begging for relief from a dysfunctional marketplace. Once again, Gov. Stitt has shown he is in touch with our state’s ranchers and is listening to our concerns.”
The joint letter penned to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland specifically expresses concern over the substantial margins between live cattle and retail beef prices that have widened in recent years, the historic level of consolidation in the meat packing sector, and the minimal level of competition in the marketplace.
The letter states: “If any market manipulation does exist, it is vital for the continuation of the American beef industry that it be identified and fairness in the market be restored.”
“The independent ranchers of our country just want a place in their own industry,” said Blubaugh. “In fact, their very existence hinges on marketplace reform. Gov. Stitt is an entrepreneurial businessman and he certainly recognizes grit. Oklahoma ranchers have a lot of grit; we just need someone to stand on our side.”
The letter to Attorney General Garland addresses a major issue effecting the economic health of one of rural Oklahoma’s largest economic drivers—the beef industry. Ranchers have worried about the gradual consolidation of the meat packing industry for decades, as they have found it increasingly difficult, and sometimes impossible, to conduct business in the black.
“If we lose our independent ranchers, so goes a stable supply of competitively-priced beef for American consumers,” said Blubaugh. “Gov. Stitt clearly recognizes the severity of the situation. This letter is a vote of support for both ranchers and consumers and I could not be more pleased. Thank you, Gov. Stitt and Sec. Arthur, for recognition of the cattle market situation and the vote of support for our industry.”
Gov. Stitt and Sec. Arthur join a growing nationwide chorus of congressional and government leaders calling for further investigation into potential manipulation in the U.S. beef industry. In May 2021 alone, at least 18 members of Congress urged Attorney General Garland to further investigate anticompetitive behavior in the industry.
Today, four meatpackers control more than 80 percent of beef slaughter in the U.S. These “Big Four” companies control such a large percent of the domestic slaughter and processing capacity, they are well positioned to influence the price of both live cattle and retail beef. While concern over consolidation has hovered for decades, market manipulation in the beef industry has been at the forefront of discussion in the last two years.
Two significant market-disrupting events—an August 2019 Tyson processing plant fire and the 2020 Coronavirus processing plant closures—resulted in record-setting price disparity between live cattle and retail beef prices. Ranchers took significant losses on their cattle, consumers paid inflated prices at the grocery store and large meatpackers benefited in between.
In light of this spotlight, both the 2020 and 2021 AFR Cooperative Legislative Policy Special Orders of Business include a demand for proper enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act: “We demand the enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act in regard to the anti-trust issues surrounding the packing segment of the beef industry in the United States.”
“Lack of competition in the beef industry has led to an outcry over cattle market issues that is now at a fever pitch,” said Blubaugh. “Our cattlemen and cattlewomen have endured incredible adversity over the past few years. Continual market volatility has taken a toll on our industry and producers need to see action on this issue. Whether or not wrongdoing is discovered, our producers deserve to have their concerns answered. A Dept. of Justice beef antitrust investigation is more than welcome and, in my opinion, results can’t come soon enough.”
As a representative of National Farmers Union and AFR Cooperative and a rancher himself, Blubaugh has become increasingly involved in the cattle market concentration issue. He was one of only 24 people nationwide to participate in a cattle industry summit May 10 in Phoenix, Ariz. The summit convened representatives from six major cattle and rancher industry groups in an effort to find common ground.
“Our nation’s ranchers have become increasingly more desperate for a fair and transparent marketplace and I believe everyone in the room understood that,” Blubaugh said of the summit. “The meeting brought all sides of the cattle business together to work toward solutions. We all know what’s on the line.”
According to a joint press statement, the group reached consensus on three action items to move forward the fight for a more fair cattle market, including a demand that “the Department of Justice issue a public investigation status report and as warranted, conduct joint DOJ and USDA oversight of packer activity moving forward.”
AFR Cooperative is a membership services organization established in 1905 as Oklahoma Farmers Union. AFR provides educational, legislative and cooperative programs across the state and serves as a watchdog for Oklahoma’s family farmers and ranchers and rural communities. The organization is actively supportive of the state’s agricultural industry and rural population with membership consisting of farmers actively involved in production agriculture and non-farmers adding their voice in support of AFR/OFU principles.
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OKLAHOMA CITY—Gov. Kevin Stitt and Oklahoma Sec. of Agriculture Blayne Arthur penned a joint letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland May 21. The letter expresses support for the ongoing U.S. Dept. of Justice antitrust investigation into the U.S. meatpacking industry. The letter deems the investigation necessary “to determine if any manipulation, collusion, or other illegal activity may be occurring and ensure market transparency.”
“We are extremely grateful to Gov. Stitt and Sec. Arthur for recognizing the potential for antitrust behavior in the beef industry and calling upon the U.S. Attorney General to continue to take action,” said American Farmers & Ranchers (AFR) Cooperative President Scott Blubaugh. “Oklahoma ranchers have been begging for relief from a dysfunctional marketplace. Once again, Gov. Stitt has shown he is in touch with our state’s ranchers and is listening to our concerns.”
The joint letter penned to U.S. Attorney General Garland specifically expresses concern over the substantial margins between live cattle and retail beef prices that have widened in recent years, the historic level of consolidation in the meat packing sector, and the minimal level of competition in the marketplace.
The letter states: “If any market manipulation does exist, it is vital for the continuation of the American beef industry that it be identified and fairness in the market be restored.”
“The independent ranchers of our country just want a place in their own industry,” said Blubaugh. “In fact, their very existence hinges on marketplace reform. Gov. Stitt is an entrepreneurial businessman and he certainly recognizes grit. Oklahoma ranchers have a lot of grit; we just need someone to stand on our side.”
Ranchers have worried about the gradual consolidation of the meat packing industry for decades, as they have found it increasingly difficult, and sometimes impossible, to conduct business in the black. Two significant market-disrupting events—an August 2019 Tyson processing plant fire and the 2020 Coronavirus processing plant closures—resulted in record-setting price disparity between live cattle and retail beef prices. Ranchers took significant losses on their cattle, consumers paid inflated prices at the grocery store and large meatpackers benefited in between.
“If we lose our independent ranchers, so goes a stable supply of competitively-priced beef for American consumers,” said Blubaugh. “Gov. Stitt clearly recognizes the severity of the situation. This letter is a vote of support for both ranchers and consumers and I could not be more pleased. Thank you, Gov. Stitt and Sec. Arthur, for recognition of the cattle market situation and the vote of support for our industry.”
AFR/OFU Cooperative is a membership services organization established in 1905 as Oklahoma Farmers Union. AFR/OFU provides educational, legislative and cooperative programs across the state and serves as a watchdog for Oklahoma’s family farmers and ranchers and rural communities. The organization is actively supportive of the state’s agricultural industry and rural population with membership consisting of farmers actively involved in production agriculture and non-farmers adding their voice in support of AFR/OFU principles.
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OKLAHOMA CITY—Five Oklahoma agriculture groups have formed a task force to develop solutions to the issues facing farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses from the exponential growth of the medical marijuana industry across Oklahoma.
The Medical Marijuana Impacts on Oklahoma Production Agriculture Task Force—comprised of American Farmers & Ranchers Cooperative (AFR), Oklahoma Agribusiness Retailers Association, Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, Oklahoma Agricultural Cooperative Council and Oklahoma Farm Bureau—was created to focus on crafting state and federal solutions to the increasing impacts of medical marijuana on production agriculture across Oklahoma.
The task force will review the variety of challenges confronting Oklahoma agriculture and work together to provide policy recommendations to state and federal leaders.
The statewide organizations plan to engage the task force with key stakeholders including other state agriculture organizations, public and private utility providers, members of the Oklahoma Legislature and congressional delegation, and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
Statements from the organizations are listed below.
“Many farmers and ranchers have expressed a growing number of issues in their community stemming from the medical marijuana industry. These challenging issues include inflated land values, overwhelming stress to rural water and electric infrastructure, interruptions to critical fertilizer and pesticide applications, and many more.” – Michael Kelsey, Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association executive vice president
“This new task force is designed to foster an opportunity for open dialogue between the leaders of our industry. We will review these ballooning issues and develop recommendations for our state and federal leaders.” – Adam Wood, Oklahoma Agribusiness Retailers Association board chairman
“The Medical Marijuana Impacts on Oklahoma Production Agriculture Task Force represents thousands of agricultural producers across the state. As we respond to the mounting problems the medical marijuana industry is presenting to Oklahoma production agriculture, task force members recognize the immediate need to find solutions. We know the issues are not hypothetical; they’re affecting farmers and ranchers today.” – Scott Blubaugh, AFR Cooperative president
“We look forward to working together to discover and encourage implementation of appropriate solutions. Some common-sense approaches will help manage the disruption impacting Oklahoma farmers, ranchers, cooperatives, and agribusiness.” – Audrey Hofferber, Oklahoma Agricultural Cooperative Council board chair
“Many of our farm and ranch members have shared a variety of challenges that are facing their farms, ranches and communities due to the rapid increase in medical marijuana production in Oklahoma. Farm Bureau is pleased to continue working side by side with our fellow ag organizations to collaboratively find solutions that benefit farmers, ranchers and all Oklahomans.” – Rodd Moesel, Oklahoma Farm Bureau president
“The challenges for Oklahoma’s agriculture producers that have come with the introduction of the medical marijuana industry in our state are numerous. We hear from producers from all areas of Oklahoma that are dealing with the variety of impacts medical marijuana grow facilities are having on their livelihoods and day to day operations. As we continue the discussion to identify answers to these challenges, I appreciate the insight I anticipate this Task Force will provide and the momentum toward solutions it brings.” – Blayne Arthur, Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture
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PHOENIX—It’s no secret that the last few years have been a roller coaster ride for cattle ranchers. The Coronavirus pandemic and other disruptive events have wreaked havoc on live cattle markets and left ranchers feeling out of control of their own industry, even as consumers clamor for more American beef.
When the gap between live cattle prices and retail beef prices widened to historic levels in 2019, ranchers across the U.S. cried foul. When it happened again in spring of 2020, they piled even more pressure on lawmakers and industry organizations to address meatpacker concentration issues and what appears to many to be a broken market system.
Legislation has been proposed and industry organizations have come up with various solutions, but it has been difficult for all groups to align behind a unified plan. In an effort to find common ground, member leaders of American Farm Bureau Federation, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Farmers Union, R-CALF USA, and the United States Cattlemen’s Association met May 10 in Phoenix, Ariz. The organizations convened at the request of Livestock Marketing Association.
The Phoenix meeting was a historic event and likely the first of its kind. In an effort to hear directly from ranchers on the front lines of the issue, the meeting was organized in secret and attendance was limited. Each organization sent four representatives, all of which were members or elected officials. No legislative staff or organization employees were allowed to attend.
American Farmers & Ranchers/Oklahoma Farmers Union (AFR/OFU) Cooperative President Scott Blubaugh was chosen to attend the Phoenix meeting as a representative of National Farmers Union (NFU). He was the only Oklahoman included in the event.
“I’m honored to have been included in such a discussion and to be part of the reforms that will ensure independent cattle producers and cattle feeders have a place in their own industry,” said Blubaugh.
Of the meeting itself, Blubaugh was afraid it would be unwelcoming or even hostile, but he was surprised by the atmosphere in the room.
“Lack of competition in the beef industry has led to an outcry over cattle market issues that is now at a fever pitch,” said Blubaugh. “Tensions have been running high lately and I didn’t know what to expect. But, I was pleased by how open we all were. We had a frank, respectful discussion and I was surprised by how much we were able to accomplish.
“The meeting brought all sides of the cattle business together to work toward solutions and that’s what we did. It was clear to me that everyone there has a heart for this industry and the knowledge to back it up. We all know what’s on the line.”
According to a joint press statement released May 17, the unprecedented meeting in Phoenix brought together the diverse set of industry organizations to “discuss challenges involved in the marketing of finished cattle with the ultimate goal of bringing about a more financially sustainable situation for cattle feeders and cow-calf producers.” The press statement also claims that “attending organization representatives were pleased to have reached consensus on many issues and are committed to the ultimate goal of achieving a fair and transparent finished cattle marketing system.”
Blubaugh agrees that the groups did find a lot of common ground and even reached consensus on a few points.
“Last week’s historic cattle industry meeting happened because of the dire situation many ranchers have found themselves in,” said Blubaugh. “Our nation’s ranchers have become increasingly more desperate for a fair and transparent marketplace and I believe everyone in the room understood that.”
“Six major players, with differences of opinions and different policies, came together and formally recognized that our producers are in trouble and, in large part, the market system is to blame. Despite our differences, we identified problems and solutions we agree on and have agreed to move forward with what we can. On those items of consensus, we’ll all be marching in the same direction. That’s huge.”
Key takeaways from the joint press statement include topics of discussion, including but not limited to:
- Packer concentration,
- Price transparency and discovery,
- Packer oversight,
- Packers and Stockyards Act enforcement,
- Level of captive supply, and
- Packer capacity.
According to the statement, Phoenix meeting attendees agreed to take the following action items to their respective organizations for consideration:
- Expedite the renewal of USDA’s Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR), including formula base prices subject to the same reporting requirements as negotiated cash and the creation of a contract library.
- Demand the Department of Justice (DOJ) issue a public investigation status report and as warranted, conduct joint DOJ and USDA oversight of packer activity moving forward.
- Encourage investment in, and development of, new independent, local, and regional packers.
For the complete joint statement, visit https://lmaweb.com/press-releases/.
AFR/OFU Cooperative is a membership services organization established in 1905 as Oklahoma Farmers Union. AFR/OFU provides educational, legislative and cooperative programs across the state and serves as a watchdog for Oklahoma’s family farmers and ranchers and rural communities. The organization is actively supportive of the state’s agricultural industry and rural population with membership consisting of farmers actively involved in production agriculture and non-farmers adding their voice in support of AFR/OFU principles.
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