Agricultural Crime Investigators Look Into Cattle Rustling, Timber Theft and Stolen Equipment Across Oklahoma
Investigators in association with the Department of Agriculture have been assisting local law enforcement departments in investigating agriculture-related crimes and taking the workload off sheriff’s departments in the process. These investigators are often retired law enforcement officers that are able to offer specialized skills to finding rustled cattle and stolen trailers. Mike Grimes leads a division of nine, full-time investigators, within the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture Food and Forestry Service. In an article published on KOTV.com, Grimes is quoted saying that sheriff’s departments are undermanned and overworked. He, and his investigators, are trained to investigate these specialized crimes. Read more about this story on KOTV.com.
Texas Senate Approves Moratorium on Private Toll Roads
On Thursday, April 19, 2007, the Texas Senate approved a moratorium on private toll road contracts within the State of Texas. The moratorium also established a panel to review the term of those contracts. Texas Gov. Rick Perry urged the legislature to reject the moratorium, citing Texas road conditions and the need to attract big companies and jobs. Texas State Sen. Robert Nichols, who supported the proposed Trans-Texas-Cooridor, is supporting the moratorium because he did not expect the state to enter into “decades-long contracts.” Read more about this story on MySantonio.com.
Uncertainty in feed grain markets affects cattle prices
Economic Research Service, USDA, 4-18-07 - Via TSCRA Web site
Rains across much of the mid-United States in late March and early April boosted pasture and range prospects for 2007. Corn planting intentions were reported to be 90.5 million acres in 2007, the highest since 1944. This 15-percent year-over-year increase comes, in part, from 11-percent lower soybean planting intentions and 20-percent lower cotton planting intentions.
Wheat planting intentions were up five percent, and intended harvested hay acres were up four percent. Given these planting intentions, grain and cattle prices may display some volatility during the spring and summer in concert with weather conditions.
Despite improving pasture and range prospects, cow slaughter continued at a high rate through March 2007, given the size of the cow inventory, due to inadequate pastures before spring forage growth, harvested forage stocks that have been severely stretched by the late winter snows, and the fourth Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) dairy herd buyout. Read more on the TSCRA Web site.
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