***Below is the transcript of John’s commentary from the weekend of May 11-12, 2013 followed by a number of viewer opinions on the topic:

JOHN’S WORLD:

   There is an important debate within the Farm Bill debate concerning how producers respond to animal welfare and food safety issues.  It centers on how California egg producers who must cope with California’s political wildcard:  voter initiatives.  When Proposition 2 passed in 2008, a deadline of 2015 was put in place for new standards of animal care.  In response, egg producers hammered out a difficult compromise with the HSUS to allow more practical implementation.  Since eggs are shipped all over the country, they are asking for uniform federal standards to be included in the new Farm Bill.  Here’s where it gets interesting.  Other livestock groups have charged Egg Producers with caving in to HSUS and strongly oppose any federal standard as the first step toward mandated production changed for their industries.  In my view, they seem to be saying Egg Producers shouldn’t be pushed around by HSUS – Egg Farmers should be pushed around by other farmers.  Egg Producers have a right to plan their own future and negotiate with whomever they choose.  And they deserve a vote in Congress on their efforts.  Hysteria from other livestock groups arises from a justifiable fear that this issue will soon go beyond knee-jerk hatred of HSUS, and spread to increasingly skeptical consumers.  Egg Producers have taken a forward-thinking step toward addressing customer concerns.  The arrows in their backs are a testament to their leadership.

#1:  Dear John - in response to your commentary on the California Egg Producers negotiations with HSUS I would like to share my thoughts with you. It appears to me that the Egg Producers have the right idea of being forward thinking and the American Farmer had best be warned. I do not agree that HSUS is the right entity to negotiate these concerns with and instead should be exposed by American Farmers for their agenda to dismiss meat as a food source altogether. There is no doubt we need to expose our production and process to the consumers’ scrutiny and approval as they are the end user and ultimate judge of our success. American Agriculture cannot argue against the claims of groups like HSUS until we are willing to show the consumers around the world how and what we do to produce their food as safe and humane as possible. As to HSUS, It is like negotiating with your undertaker, your goal is to live as long as possible and his to profit from your death.  Harold R. Edge

#2:  John…..just remember one thing. Way back when……..ALL the anti-smoking crowd wanted was to ban smoking on long flights!! That's ALL they wanted. Remember?  The anti-smoking crowd wrote the textbook that many other 'rights' groups now use………including HSUS! Give 'em an inch and they WILL take a mile! Dick House - Arthur, IL

#3:  HSUS, Peta and their ilk are the perfect example of Godwin's Law (google it if you need to!).   Their way or the highway and seem to find a believer in a legislator who agrees with them or has an arm twisted hard enough so they create a bill.  HSUS sticks its nose into things that are none of their business.  First they forget that animals are personal property and NOT human.  Second all humans should be vegetarians.  This includes no fish, chicken, eggs or milk.  Third consumers do not know what they really want. Domesticated animals should not be kept as pets.  If you have any understanding reverse from the above look at web sites and attend meetings like State of Illinois, Agriculture, sub committees.  I ran into these groups as a breeder of Kerry Blue Terriers.  They want to run breeders out of business because no human should keep a dog as a pet.  They liken it to have a slave.  Granted there are breeders who keep animals in terrible conditions and just like livestock producers are soon out of business if they keep herds in substandard conditions.  I raised dogs because I want to see the breed continue and virtually every breeder I know treats there dogs as if they are gold.  I do not mean kept on a couch and fed bonbons.  Dogs have amazing talents that are very helpful to humans.  Dogs can detect cancer before medical personnel do.  Did I make money for fairly expensive puppies?  I was happy to break even.  We have a grain farm so I do not have to worry livestock and overly intrusive do-gooders for the moment.  I'm waiting for the day that corn, beans or wheat will be banned.  Do I need to tell you anymore about my HSUS thoughts?  I think not but about the pantywaist legislators who manage to get their knickers in a twist. Patrick J. Harris - Carbondale, IL

#4:  Good day,

When and where is all the new legislation going to stop? Living in the poultry capitol of the world (GA) I’m concerned with the Human Society and their actions in California as much as anyone. I feel like the USDA and the HSUS is going to put all the egg producers out of business in this country.  The brown egg market has taken such a hit with the new USDA laws, its put a lot of people out of business. Our egg breaker in Gainesville, GA is only running part time, egg brokers and trucking companies went completely out of business as soon as the new law went into effect.  Farmers forced to dispose of eggs on the farms now is going to cause more disease than any problems in the past. It has also increased the price for commercial eggs, which is passed on to the consumer.  US FARM REPORT should do a story on the new USDA laws and its impact on us here in the south. I support the human society in other areas, but the reality is in few years we will be paying three times the current price for imported eggs.  It won’t be profitable, nor legal to produce eggs in this country at the rate we are going. Joey McNeal – Pendrgrass, GA

#5:  Thank you, John Phipps, for your commentaries and viewpoints expressed during the television show's "mailbox" segment. Your expressions strike me as truly well-rounded and informed.

***Editor’s Note:  The following viewer comments were received in response to the May 5-6, 2013 edition of U.S. Farm Report…

#1:  Dear Al, John & Tyne - I've watched your Saturday program almost regularly since I moved to LA (Lower Alabama) and my forty acres. I don't farm; just enjoy the sanctuary of living in rural America. I enjoy watching your program because it gives me insight into what is going on around me on many of the farms here, mostly cotton, soybeans, corn and peanuts.   My question would likely be directed towards Al's portion of the show. I'm not much on the Stock or Commodity's markets, nor do I know much about them. Could you in one of your broadcasts include a sort of Farm Marketing for Dummies? During the financial segments I hear Al and his panel guests talking about "puts", "options", etc., can you 'splain those in terms that a non-farmer might understand?  Thanks in advance, Bill Silaghi - Samson, Alabama

#2:  John, I really liked your blog on no till farming. We don’t no till on our farm, no till has gotten way out of control in my book they seem to cross a field more than we do. Give me a plow, planter, a row crop cultivator and am as happy as a pig in mud.  I see that in no till they have to put on chemicals to get rid of chemicals from the year before and it seems harder in no till to control pest.  And the price of seed just to control weeds and pest is nuts. I was raised to work the land and it will work with you.  Ty  

***Editor’s Note: The following viewer reaction is in response to the April 27-28, 2013 edition of U.S. Farm Report…

#1: This is in response to your comments on farmers setting their own prices. It is evident from your comments that you are a crop farmer and not a livestock or dairy farmer. Not once in my 20 years of farming have I been able to go to the livestock sale barn or to the milk plant and tell them I want x amount for my product. We take what we get and go on about our business. Livestock farming, like crop farming, has the advantage of being able to hold their product until prices are "right" for selling. However, dairy farming, there is no holding product. You sell no matter what the price/cwt. As for other big business, they do set their own prices as well, they figure what they have in a product and then inflate the end price to the consumer several times, thus they are then able to give rebates, cash back, discounts, etc. Most of the time I would say they are still recouping the money they have invested in that product.  —Michelle Wright, Wright Dairy, Cabool, Mo.

#2: Hello John, I have farmed 950 acres in north central Oklahoma for 13 years…been no tilling for the last 3 years. The first ten years I watched flash floods cut and erode my topsoil away. In 2009 it started raining in September (wheat planting time) and ended late October. By the time I was finished fixing broken terraces and pulling the soil out of the creeks it was November. Luckily, I got it all planted before the insurance due date on December 1st. That was my first reality check. Tillage destroys organic matter and soil structure. When the soil temperature hits 100 degrees the soil life that holds our soils together starts to die. Six months ago was the second big reality check. I was the first farmer in my town to get a row crop field test on my farms. Scientists say when your soil organic matter (s.o.m.) gets below 1.7% it is classified as pre desert, below 1.0% s.o.m. is desert. I have farms that are less than 1% and a couple around 0.5%. S.o.m. is the most important and neglected part of farming. What I have learned: 1. It will take 10 to 20 years to get back above the pre-desert classification. Slow process. It is easier to save the soil than it build it back. 2. I will never know it all. Not even the smartest soil scientist knows every aspect of the soil. What happens in the soil is truly God’s gift to the world (that 99% of the world does not care about. But they should). Soil organic matter is what makes soil more or less productive than another. It holds water and nutrients from leaching and evaporating. Hold and cleans the chemicals and fertilizers before entering the streams and ground water. My backyard has never been tilled or over-grazed. The s.o.m. test came back at 4.8%. I am 35 years old now. I could live two lifetimes and never increase my fields back to what they were. But my friend has been rotational no tilling for 7 years. He had 82 bushel per acre wheat field last year. His field s.o.m. was 1.4%. The Oklahoma average is less than 30 bushel. And I don't think it coincidental that the s.o.m. and the red on the drought monitor map coincide. Farmers who have lots of s.o.m. take it for granted when it rains but will know what I am talking about when it is almost gone and dries out again. Thank you and your crew for what you do. Keep learning and teaching. We are listening.  —Chris Kroll

#3: John, It seems that the best tillage type, from what I’ve seen is strip till. You can also do banded fertilizer to get the nutrients just where you need them.  —Les Odgers, Arizona

#4: Love the show, I watch it every week. I wanted to thank you for the piece on the Auburn Oaks. It means a lot to students, alumni and fans to be featured on your show.  —Gregory Resmondo, Auburn University '14

#5: I watch U.S. Farm Report every week and pay attention to John Phipps and Mike Hoffman, meteorologist. I like the new graphics that Mike Hoffman used today. I also like the Al Pell segment on market conditions, but I am still learning the jargon. John Phipps is the best—double his salary!  —Ann Morrison, St. Louis, Mo.

***The following comments were received following the April 20-21, 2013 edition of U.S. Farm Report…

#1:  I saw the program in the last 2 weeks where John Phipps address concerns of GMO corn and explained that this not the first time he has addressed these concerns.  I know that farming is a life for Mr. Phipps, but it is only time that enough info will surface to the public about the dangers of the GMO crops and also the fact that many countries will not buy our export grain crops.  I provide another story in this link:  http://rt.com/usa/toxic-study-gmo-corn-900/.  I have eliminated just about all GMO products from diet and have not only lost weight, but I feel better than I have in years.   Wayne

#2:   Hello, I watch your channel (rfdtv) from time to time and find it very interesting. I am a biologist, environmental engineer, farmer, problem solver, vegan and animal rights activist. I also grew up in a small farming community. I choose a vegan lifestyle because i am very concerned about animal welfare, the environmental impacts of animal agriculture and see the numerous benefits of a plant based diet and wish to stay as healthy as possible. I am not writing or would never in any way insinuate that all farmers are abuse animals or are destroying the environment. I know many people are choosing a plant based diet for the reasons given above and would like to offer some comments from that perspective. I feel that we are in a very tough situation currently but one, that if handled correctly, could be very helpful and change the course of history. I see the new ag gag legislation as something that has to happen so that farmers and animal rights activists can come together and find a solution (more open communication, the elimination of any animal abuse, and industry wide repercussions if it is identified). I also see a huge market for vegan products and faux meats for people that choose to not eat animals for ethical or other reasons. I believe this is a good industry (vegan products) for the farmers of America to look into and possibly start to capitalize on. In fact, Bill Gates recently came out and said that vegan meats and other non-animal based products are the way of the future. They can be more nutritious, easier on the environment and we can possibly feed the growing population of the world with less if we can find ways to more efficiently and compassionately grow food products. Please read this article for further evidence as to why conversion to a more plant based diet will be so crucial for the future:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/02/un-report-meat-free-diet
Thank you so much for your time.  Sarah Eastin

#3:   John, your comments about crop insurance reflect the attitude of someone who never experienced $2.00 corn during back-to-back droughts without crop insurance.  Fred Lundgren - Katy Texas

#4:   In response to your reply about farm subsidies last week, I don't really believe that "we own congress", that's a designation I reserve for banks, insurance, and oil companies.  I think that the farm subsidy issue will never go away as it is the only means the government has to force farmers to report everything we have and do in order to control farm commodity prices. The USDA is constantly coming out with some kind of farm commodity report that everyone knows are bald-faced lies, but still the brokers trade on the lies--usually downward in price. The second reason and in answer to Dan's question is farmers are the only businesses in this country who cannot set our own products prices, we can't figure our production cost and then double the price of our product as other businesses do, which alludes back to reason one==USDA CONTROL.  I personally would love to see the USDA disbanded and return to a real, fair market for all. Our country has long held a "cheap food" policy. Sure, we're bringing in many more dollars than ever before, but look at our expenses. We are handling more money which throws us into a higher tax bracket with far less purchasing power.
    To your "weatherman":  How can just a couple of decent rains improve our exceptional drought status so drastically?  We have not had "normal precipitation" since July 2011. The yearly total for 2011 may look normal but the moisture was all in the first half of the year, and most of our subsoil moisture was depleted before the 2012 drought hit.  It will take way more than a few good rains to replenish our subsoil moisture. We will need timely rains all through our growing season to get a reasonable crop this year.
Ivan Salmons - Pilger NE

#5:  John, I was deeply moved by your points made about what needs to be done for agriculture and the people of Africa.  Indeed, I dare say a team of 'doctors of sociology' should take up your well thought out points and create a blueprint to implement for all countries on every continent including the United States.  So often, Africa is described as the "Third World", and through the centuries, many attempts have been made to colonize and bring 'civilization' to the continent.  To explain: With the upheaval of subsistence farmers by the millions to the cities in China and the contrast of the United States of millions of people being displaced out of the workforce and with millions of people migrating from Africa, the Middle East, and Mexico and other countries all over the world to Europe and the Americas, it seems the whole world has 'Third World' problems.  The points you make about your trip to Africa would be a great start to truly bring 'civilization' to a world that is sorely needed everywhere.   Humankind became 'civilized' when agriculture was learned.
Very truly yours,
Steve Wisniewski

#6:  Paul Harvey’s Super Bowl ad was great, But did anyone see the Liberal Parody of it posted since then?  Much better…..........but GOD should have stopped with the farmer..........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUzMPlQb2G4
Hilarious.
God Bless the Farmers.  And here it is for those few, that have not heard it, Paul Harvey’s Super Bowl ad, SO GOD MADE A FARMER,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuzhwkaNC40

***Editor’s Note:  The following viewer comments were received in response to the April 13-14, 2013 edition of U.S. Farm Report…
#1:  While I agree with your answer to the crop insurance subsidy I think that one point was missed. In my opinion all farm subsidies exist for one reason including the insurance subsidy:  The "Cheap Food Policy".  Our government has maintained this policy since the 1930's. The typical US citizen spends less than 10 percent of the income on food staples. A country with a full belly is more productive and less likely to revolt against the government. In a way it's a socialist program. Thats my point I hope it has some merit.  Christopher Toalson

#2:  I believe I heard "North Dakota Land Values up 42%" on this weekend’s show. I did not have my hearing aids in at the time, I believe that John said something about a value of $5,600 per acre. Please what was reported? Is that a statewide average or just selected eastern ND counties that are now produce corn and beans and virtually little to no wheat? Dan Treinen
#3:  John, your national platform should have turned into a trapdoor when you abused the truth about GMO's with that flippant $4.00 corn remark. Fred Lundgren - Katy, TX
#4:  Dear John, my husband and I are fans of the show and were just wondering your stance on this very subject, however, after seeing your commentary last week, we figured you have not seen this video: http://tv.naturalnews.com/v.asp?v=44b01fc78cdd4ba22ddadab2e6965711
I hope this enlightens you to the dangers of GM or GE food.  Love U.S. Farm Report!
Mike and Jennifer Anderson - Central New York