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Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

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USDA's April Cattle on Feed Report Looks Neutral to Friendly - Derrell Peel Explains

 

Beef herd expansion that began back in 2014 means producers will continue to see more feeder cattle in the market, says Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University extension livestock marketing specialist. This is confirmed in the latest USDA Cattle on Feed report released April 22, that indicates U.S. cattle on feed inventory is up 1 percent from this time last year.


Peel says there weren't any real surprises in the report, and the fact that numbers are up year-over-year is something producers should expect for several months to come.


"Herd expansion has now reached a point where that feeder supply pipeline is coming into the feedlots," he says. "We're going to translate this into increased slaughter coming out of the feedlot and increased beef production from this point forward."


According to the report, cattle and calves on feed for the U.S. slaughter market for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 10.9 million head on April 1, 2016. The inventory was 1 percent above April 1, 2015. 

 

Read the full report and listen to Peel's complete commentary.

Earth Day Editorial from Ag Committee Chairmen Praises Farmers and Ranchers

 

To celebrate Earth Day, the chairmen of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees - Rep. Michael Conaway and Sen. Pat Roberts - wrote the following editorial applauding the efforts of America's farmers and ranchers in protecting our natural resources. 


We've all heard it said: farmers are the original environmentalists. We say that because American farmers and ranchers were taking care of their land long before anyone told them to do so. Why? They have the most at stake. If they do not take care of their land, the land will not take care of them. They also know that leaving the land in better shape than they found it is the key to passing their farms and ranches down to the next generation.

 

The Agriculture Committees, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and numerous farm groups and conservation organizations have long chosen the first option. For decades, they have worked collaboratively with our nation's farmers and ranchers to implement voluntary, incentive-based conservation practices that have drastically reduced soil and water erosion and provided critical wildlife habitat among a host of other environmental benefits.

 

 

Read the full editorial from Rep. Michael Conaway and Sen. Pat Roberts.

With Recent Rains- Dr. Bob Hunger Reports Foliar Diseases on the Rise in 2016 Oklahoma Wheat Crop

 

 

Oklahoma State University's Dr. Bob Hunger, Extension Wheat Pathologist in the Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology has released his latest wheat disease findings- released via email on Saturday, April 23rd.

 

Dr. Hunger writes "Rain over the last week was extremely beneficial to wheat across Oklahoma, with the cool, cloudy and wet weather also serving to slow down wheat progression. Wheat around Stillwater is basically at flowering. Gary Strickland (Extn Educator; Jackson County in SW OK) indicated wheat in his area experienced some hail damage, and Greg Highfill (Extn Educator; Woods County in NW OK) indicated that although not widespread, he has seen a bit more freeze damage than expected. Overall though, my impression is that freeze damage is minimal.


"Cool temperature and rain also will facilitate foliar disease development. Especially over the last several days, there has been extended periods of dew on wheat, which provides an optimum environment for increasing foliar diseases. As temperature now rises, leaf rust should become more common."

 

There's more- and you can read his full disease update by clicking or tapping here.

District Stars, Contest Winners and More to Highlight 2016 Oklahoma FFA Convention

 

Over 10,000 FFA members and guests will be a part of the 2016 edition of the Oklahoma FFA Convention that officially kicks off tomorrow in downtown Oklahoma City. There's a lot that will be happening- and that includes the recognition of some of the top FFA members that make up the 27,000 total membership in the state of Oklahoma.

 

Four of the top awards will be spotlighted on Wednesday afternoon- as the Stars in Production Agriculture, Agribusiness, Ag Placement and Agriscience will be announced from a total of twenty top seniors in High School from across the state. There are five District Stars in each of the four categories- we have that list of twenty for you by clicking here. 

 

Over this past weekend, over two thousand FFA members were in Stillwater- and the top achievers in a whole host of contests will be honored on stage during the various general sessions. 

 

Some of the teams that won State Titles in their contests include Tuttle FFA winning Livestock Judging, Kingfisher FFA winning in Meats Judging and Ag Communications, Edmond FFA winning in Floriculture and Ag Mechanics, Choteau  FFA winning in Dairy Judging, Whitesboro winning in Land Judging, Oklahoma Union winning in Rangeland Judging and Salina FFA winning in Poultry Judging.

 

A list of the top winners- teams and individuals- in many of the Interscholastics events from this past Friday and Saturday can be seen by clicking here.

 

 

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Comments on the Signing of Paris Climate Agreement

 

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack released the following statement Friday on the signing of the Paris Climate Agreement:


"By signing the historic climate agreement reached with nearly 200 nations in Paris this past December, the U.S. is moving forward on our commitment to take real action on climate change. The agreement establishes a long-term and durable framework to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and build resiliency for the future. 


America's farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners have a track record of coupling extraordinary productivity gains with natural resource stewardship, which positions them well to contribute to the climate solutions called for in the Paris Agreement. Since 2009, USDA conservation programs have helped American producers install practices that have reduced net greenhouse gas emissions by over 416 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, or approximately 60 million metric tons per year -- the equivalent of taking 12.6 million cars off the road for a year. 


Through USDA's Building Blocks for Climate Smart Agriculture and Forestry, we plan to accelerate our efforts, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing carbon sequestration by over 120 million metric tons a year by 2025. At home and abroad, USDA and its partners will continue to demonstrate that climate-smart strategies can build resilience, reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, and increase carbon storage in our soils and forest while boosting productivity and improving global food security. This Earth Day, USDA is proud to be part of this commitment."

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NCBA's Daren Williams Says MBA Program is All About Creating Grassroots Promotion for Beef

 

In an effort to better educate consumers, members of the beef community are being trained to share positive - and accurate - facts about their industry. Daren Williams, senior executive director of communications for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, says the Masters of Beef Advocacy program is actually modeled after a political campaign strategy.


"I got my career start working on Sen. Bob Dole's 1988 presidential campaign," he says. "We (NCBA) kind of stole this idea of building a grassroots network - state by state, county by county - where we would have advocates on the ground well-equipped to discuss any of the issues with their neighbors or the media."


Supported by the National Beef Checkoff, the MBA is a set of online courses created to empower producers to engage consumers about production practices, food safety and dietary guidelines.


Graduates of the MBA program are then encouraged to connect with consumers across the country via social media. The variety of social media platforms available today - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and blogs - makes it possible for this growing network of more than 8,000 advocates to effectively communicate with the public and respond when issues arise. 

 

 

I caught up with Williams during his recent trip to Oklahoma City. Hear more about the NCBA's Masters of Beef Advocacy program during the latest Beef Buzz.

 

 

AND- we hosted Daren on our Saturday morning TV feature In the Field on KWTV News9- click here to watch it in case you missed it!

Monsanto Announces 2016 Regional "Farm Mom of the Year" Winners

 

As spring arrives in full force, two things are sure to follow - planting will begin, and Monsanto will announce its new crop of "Farm Moms." For most areas of the country, planting has officially started, and now today Monsanto is proud to announce it has selected five fantastic women as its regional winners in its 2016 America's Farmers Mom of the Year contest.


"Once again we are so honored to have read nominations for hundreds of the strongest, kindest and most passionate women when it comes to their families, farms, communities and agriculture," says Tracy Mueller, corporate brand manager for Monsanto. "What all of these women accomplish on a daily basis is phenomenal, making our job to select just one winner per region a difficult one. However, we are thrilled to introduce America to our five new regional farm moms. We were impressed with their drive and willingness to speak out for agriculture, and we know America will be, too."


The 2016 regional winners of the America's Farmers Mom of the Year contest include:

- Northwest Region: Katie Heger (Underwood, N.D.)

- Southwest Region: Nikki Weathers (Yuma, Colo.)

- Midwest Region: Karen Kasper (Owatonna, Minn.)

- Northeast Region: Ann Stamp (Cranston, R.I.)

- Southeast Region: Mary Courtney (Bagdad, Ky.)

 

 

Read more about the 2016 America's Farmers Mom of the Year contest.

 

 

Of course, Oklahoma is home to the first National "Farm Mom of the Year- Carol Cowan of Watonga!

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