OKAgPolicy Today is a morning email containing the day’s top agriculture and policy headlines. The inclusion of a particular story does not equal an endorsement. Subscribe to the email here.
TOP HEADLINES
More than $1 million raised in support of SQ 777:
Campaign filings show the Oklahoma Pork Council is a major supporter of a state question that would make it harder to pass new laws to regulate agriculture in the state, and the Humane Society of the United States is the single largest donor opposing the measure [The Oklahoman].
Look at who supports SQ 777:
When you start to look at who is in favor of SQ 777 and the Right to Farm, it’s people like me — our Oklahoma farmers and ranchers. Your relatives, neighbors, classmates, and friends. My family works every day for our farm and we are certainly not being pushed around by some “big agri” boogeyman [Muskogee Phoenix].
Stand up for OK farmers, vote yes on 777:
But the Kirkpatrick Foundation, which does nothing to help Oklahoma or its children, decided it wanted to tell the Oklahoma-based company what to do. Since when do Oklahomans allow activist groups to tell private companies how to do business? [Muskogee Phoenix]
ELECTIONS
Clinton vows to electrify rural economies:
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton says if she’s elected, she’ll bring diverse economic development to rural communities [Iowa Public Radio].
Trump: Wind power ‘kills all your birds’:
Donald Trump bashed renewable energy sources Monday night, saying solar power doesn’t work well and wind turbines kill birds [The Hill].
State’s congressmen spend $900,000 to defend seats in June:
Responding to a threat that was more imagined than real, Oklahoma’s five U.S. House members spent nearly $900,000 over the last three weeks of June defending their seats from Republican challengers [The Oklahoman].
STATE
Senate leader balks at proposed special legislative session for teacher pay raises:
Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman says talks of a special session for a teacher pay raise are premature because there is no plan on the table [Tulsa World].
Fallin: No decision on special session for teacher salaries:
Gov. Mary Fallin said Tuesday she believes a $140.8 million windfall in state revenue should be prioritized for teacher salaries and that she supports a special legislative session to address the needs of public education [AP].
FEDERAL
USDA continues to quantify ag conservation efforts:
The National Agricultural Statistics Service is contacting 25,000 farmers and ranchers now through August to take part in a national survey that will more accurately measure the environmental benefits associated with implementation and installation of conservation practices on agricultural land [USAgNet].
When conservation efforts end up using more water:
A new study looked at how farmers in the Ogallala aquifer of the Great Plains changed their water use after being subsidized to adopt more efficient irrigation technology and results are striking [Bloomberg].
Niemeyer: Waterway infrastructure a quiet driver in grain market (audio):
A quiet factor is playing a big role in the U.S. grain market. Garry Niemeyer, a former president of the National Corn Growers Association, tells Agri-Pulse that waterways infrastructure that gets grain to market plays a huge role in what the producer can collect for their crop [Agri-Pulse].
