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
Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe says Indian water treaty should clear Congress soon:
Inhofe, R-Tulsa, has eased the necessary congressional approval of the agreement among Oklahoma City, the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations and the state by attaching it to his $10 billion water projects bill [The Oklahoman].
Farm income to sink even more than expected, USDA says:
In its November update of its farm sector income forecast, USDA’s Economic Research Service predicts a drop in farm income for the third consecutive year [Agri-Pulse].
STATE
Fallin’s role with Trump team remains undefined:
Gov. Mary Fallin says she’s honored to serve as one of 13 vice chairs on President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team, but there was no indication the position is anything more than honorary [The Oklahoman].
Oil and gas industry would welcome Mary Fallin as secretary of interior:
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin as secretary of the interior would be great news — at least for the state’s oil and gas industry. “We’re excited about it,” said Chad Warmington, president of the Oklahoma Oil and Gas Association, when asked about Fallin being a leading candidate for Interior in President-elect Donald Trump’s administration [Tulsa World].
Educated guess:
Some of Oklahoma’s leading economists told members of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber Wednesday that quality of life is a key to improving the economy, both for the city and the state. On nearly every question, answers seemed to gravitate toward education, its impact on quality of life, and how that quality of life impacts economic development [The Oklahoman].
Dorman won’t run for Oklahoma governor:
Joe Dorman, the Democratic Party’s nominee for governor in 2014, said he will not run for the post in 2018. Dorman became executive director of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy in September and said he wants to dedicate his efforts to that organization [NewsOK].
FEDERAL
Who will be Donald Trump’s agriculture secretary?:
Donald Trump has yet to officially select a new secretary of the Department of Agriculture, but there are some lists of candidates floating around [Modern Farmer].
Conner predicts a farm bill farmers will like:
If Chuck Conner, president and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, really is a contender for the Agriculture secretary post, as many suggest, he showed on Wednesday how he might fight for the agriculture industry’s interests against challenges from taxpayer groups and environmentalists [Politico].
Farmers are courting Trump, but they don’t speak for all of rural America:
Farmers make up a small minority in the rural population, with different priorities and agendas than their non-farming neighbors [NPR].
Trump nominees map out plans for tax cuts, trade and Carrier-style negotiations:
President-elect Donald Trump’s nascent administration on Wednesday began outlining the contours of its strategy for jump-starting the nation’s economy, including how it would overhaul the tax code, rethink trade agreements and directly negotiate with major corporations [Washington Post].
MISCELLANEOUS
Boulder County to proceed with phasing out GMO crops:
Boulder County will proceed with a policy and plan for phasing out the growing of genetically modified corn and sugar beets on county-owned farmland, county commissioners decided on a 2-1 Wednesday night vote [Boulder News].
