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introducing… The Break Down
We’re excited to introduce The Break Down, our new podcast series providing in-depth analysis of agricultural legislative and policy issues. In our first episode, Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s John Collison shares an update of the second-to-last week of the 2016 legislative session including the budget, feral hogs, burn bans and State Question 777.
TOP HEADLINES
GOVERNOR TRADES FERAL HOG SPOTLIGHTING BILL FOR HER OWN: Gov. Mary Fallin on Friday vetoed a measure that would have made it legal to shoot feral hogs at night without a permit and instead issued an executive order directing the Wildlife Department to streamline the issuance of such permits. [Tulsa World]
OKFB PRESIDENT TOM BUCHANAN ISSUES STATEMENT ON VETO OF FERAL HOG CONTROL BILL: Oklahoma Farm Bureau is disappointed in Gov. Mary Fallin’s veto of SB 1142, which would have allowed landowners to remove feral hogs from their property at any time without a permit. Feral hogs are an invasive species, and should be treated as such. By giving the Department of Wildlife Conservation jurisdiction, the feral hog remains a game species. [Oklahoma Farm Bureau]
‘A TRAIN WRECK’: BIZARRE LEGISLATIVE SESSION DRAWING TO A CLOSE WITH MUCH LEFT TO DO: While legislative leaders tout the accomplishments of the current session, some longtime observers view it as “a train wreck.” Lawmakers must adjourn by 5 p.m. Friday or call a special session. Meanwhile, legislative leaders have yet to announce a budget agreement to fill a $1.3 billion hole for fiscal year 2017. [Tulsa World]
HOUSE SPEAKER: OKLAHOMA BUDGET PROPOSAL LIKELY NEXT WEEK: A budget proposal that’ll cut about $300 million from state agencies but protect health care services is expected next week, the speaker of the Oklahoma House said Friday. Rep. Jeff Hickman, R-Fairview, did not offer details, but said the budget will be offered in time for the Legislature to adjourn by May 27 as constitutionally required. [Associated Press]
OKLAHOMA LANDOWNERS REGISTER PRIVATE AIRSTRIPS TO KEEP WIND FARMS AT BAY: Rooster Barn Regional. Logues International Airport. Condit Regional Airport. An airport boom is underway in southwest Oklahoma. But don’t expect to be in long security lines or grab a coffee while you wait for a flight. These are airstrips registered with the Federal Aviation Administration for private use. Most are turf runways mowed out of a pasture. Some even have a wind sock. But they have no lights or other nighttime warnings. [The Oklahoman]
MONSANTO DEAL WOULD PUT BAYER DEEP INTO GMO: Bayer AG’s bid to acquire Monsanto Co. would bring the German pharmaceutical maker deep into the lucrative but socially controversial business of genetically modified crops while paring the share of health care in its business. Monsanto is a dominant supplier, developing genes and licensing them to rival seed makers, in a multibillion-dollar a year business that has transformed farming in some countries but which faces trade and regulatory challenges. [Wall Street Journal]
DOES MINNESOTA HAVE THE SOLUTION TO BETTER WATER QUALITY?: In the Land of 10,000 Lakes, where water recreation is a $10 billion-a-year industry, Minnesotans have seen many of their waterways slowly and inexorably become choked and polluted. The state’s Pollution Control Agency released a report last year that found that at least half of Minnesota’s lakes in watersheds with heavy farming and urban activity weren’t swimmable because of harmful algae outbreaks fueled by excess phosphorus. [Des Moines Register]
HOW FACTORY FARMS PLAY CHICKEN WITH ANTIBIOTICS: The massive metal double doors open and I’m hit with a whoosh of warm air. Inside the hatchery, enormous racks are stacked floor to ceiling with brown eggs. The racks shake every few seconds, jostling the eggs to simulate the conditions created by a hen hovering atop a nest. I can hear the distant sound of chirping, and Bruce Stewart-Brown, Perdue’s vice president for food safety, leads me down a hall to another room. [Mother Jones]
WHITE HOUSE UNVEILS UPDATED NUTRITION LABEL: The White House today unveiled the first major update of the Nutrition Facts label for packaged foods in more than 20 years, which will include, among other things, a line that clearly states the amount of sugar added to the product during processing. [Agri-Pulse]
