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.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM OKAGPOLICY
As we gather with family to give thanks this week, we encourage you to remember our farmers and ranchers whose hard work ensures we enjoy healthy and affordable food each and every day. Note: In honor of the holiday, OKAgPolicy Today will take a break this week and will resume Monday, Nov. 28.
TOP HEADLINES
Trump will start to exit from TPP on first day as president:
President-elect Donald Trump today announced that he will follow through on campaign promises to withdraw the U.S. from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a trade pact that is still supported by much of the agriculture sector [Agri-Pulse].
Price of Thanksgiving cheaper locally than 2016’s national average:
Need one more thing to be thankful for this week? The price of a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner is down nationally — and in Tulsa, it’s well below the national average [Tulsa World].
FEDERAL
Trump lays out agenda for first days in the White House:
Donald Trump has instructed his transition team to develop a list of executive actions he can issue on his first day in office aimed at rolling back regulations, cracking down on illegal immigration and withdrawing the nation from global trade deals [The Hill].
Trump’s pullout of TPP opens way for China:
An Asia-Pacific trade deal stands almost no chance of working now that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has pulled the plug on it, proponents of the pact said on Tuesday, opening the way for China to assume the leadership mantle on trade [Reuters].
Roberts’ staff chief to lead Trump’s USDA transition team:
Joel Leftwich, Republican staff director for the Senate Agriculture Committee,will lead President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team at the Agriculture Department [Agri-Pulse].
Why Democrats can no longer neglect rural America (opinion):
The fallout and analysis of the 2016 election has started in earnest, and Democrats are seeking to understand how this election went wrong. What strikes me the most is that, for all the changes to American society, economy, and demographics, rural America can still have a say on the direction of this country [Agri-Pulse].
STATE
Real ID, school bonds subjects of first filings for 2017 legislative session:
SJR 1 would allow individual school districts to ask voters to raise the bonded indebtedness limit from 10 to 12 percent of the district’s assessed value. SJR 2 would allow individual districts to ask voters to raise from 5 to 10 mills the maximum property tax rate increase for a capital bond issue [Tulsa World].
Oklahoma lawmakers will consider putting wind tax credit on chopping block:
Senate President Pro Tem-nominee Mike Schulz, R-Altus, said he anticipates legislation to “accelerate the sunset” of the so-called zero-emissions tax credit, which applies to power generation facilities, such as wind, that do not generate emissions [Tulsa World].
Gov. Fallin meets with Trump about Cabinet post:
Fallin, who has two years left on her term, has been discussed as a possible secretary of interior, a department that includes the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Geological Survey. The department oversees oil and gas production on federal land [NewsOK].
MISCELLANEOUS
Cost of Thanksgiving dinner takes a surprising turn:
A classic Thanksgiving dinner will cost $49.87 for a gathering of 10, just under $5 per person, according to figures out this week from the American Farm Bureau Federation. The total is a step back from 2015’s all-time high of $50.11 [USA Today].
American Star Farmer continues family tradition:
Tyler Schnaithman — an agricultural economics major and fifth-generation family farmer — has spent half his life working toward the award, the highest recognition in the nation for an aspiring young farmer [The Oklahoman].
