A month after the fires hit northwest Oklahoma, $850,000 has been donated to the Fire Relief fund set up by the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Foundation, a 501(c)3, to aid Oklahoma ranchers that saw their ranches burned- leaving a trail of destruction.

"We've received donations literally from all over the country and contributions are still rolling in daily," said Jeff Jaronek, Coordinator of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Foundation.

In Oklahoma, more than 310 thousand acres burned causing a wide variety of losses to livestock, pastures, hay, fences, facilities and homes.One report that was associated with the release of CRP Grazing by USDA indicated that the cost of fences lost in Oklahoma exceeds $22 million- which is just a starting point to the overall economic loss to the ranchers involved.

"The healing process will be slow, but I'm proud to be part of this industry that is quick to help each other when times are tough. We want the contributors to know that 100 percent of the fire relief donation funds will be distributed directly to ranchers affected by the wildfires," Jaronek said.

Click here to read more- and for details about the applications that need to be returned to the Foundation by May first in order to receive help from the donations collected.

I invited LeAnna McNally of Oklahoma Farm Bureau in studio, last week, to give us an update on the policy issues she's been keeping an eye on for us. She tells me there have been a few pieces of legislation come through that has piqued some interest, but one bill in particular, HB1374 to be exact, has really caught the attention of the folks at Farm Bureau.

"That bill really concerns our members," McNally asserts. "It allows ad valorem taxes to be utilized by municipalities by a vote of the folks living in the city limits."

Now, while there is an exemption for agriculture included, McNally warns voters not to be fooled. This bill changes up the rules of the game, allowing a rate hike to occur by a simple majority vote. Advantage has always been given to landowners in ad valorem votes because simply put, it is the landowners who typically pay out the most in these taxes. She begs the question, that if this bill is passed into law, then what doors would that open in turn?


"It's that idea of the camel's nose under the tent when we talk about municipalities having access to those ad valorem taxes," she said, "when they have several sources of revenue currently."

Listen to McNally and I, on our off-camera interview discussing this issue and others, such as authorizing nurse practitioners to perform more medical services in rural areas, the state budget deficit and more by clicking or tapping here.

Listen to Dr. Peel's prognosis of the cattle industry as he takes the pulse of the feedlot situation with me, on last Friday's Beef Buzz - click here.

 

Big commercial airline companies are facing pushback, with a coalition of rural and ag industry groups, submitting a unified letter to members of Congress requesting they block moves by major airliners to privatize our nation's air traffic control system.



To read the original story or for a look at the letter sent to members of Congress, click here.

Recent data from the National Agricultural Statistics Service also estimates the average age of today's agricultural producer is 58 years old. It's more important now than ever that we recognize and support successful land stewards providing the other 99 percent of the population ecological services such as clean water, clean air, sustainable livestock products and wildlife habitat across the Southern Great Plains.

To encourage land managers to learn and adopt the sort of practices every good steward of the land should posses, the Noble Foundation consulted with seasoned professional to compile a list of the Top 10 traits a successful steward of grazing lands should have. Here's a few of those traits...

10. Cautious risk taker


A cautious risk taker is someone with an open mind and willing to consider more effective and efficient methods of doing things.


9. Willingness to share knowledge

Most producers who are successful often get great ideas from their peers. They talk and learn from each other, many times gaining more satisfaction from seeing others succeed than themselves.


8. Have clear, measurable and attainable objectives


Successful outcomes are very often a result of carefully planned objectives. Clearly stated objectives keep sideboards on expectations. In order to achieve success, you must also know when you get there. Most successful producers, at a minimum, consistently monitor rainfall, available forage, body condition score relative to class of livestock and reproductive stage, and market tendencies. Then, they act on monitoring triggers.


7. Have a conservation ethic


Successful managers want to leave their properties for the next generation better than when they received it.


6. Big picture thinker

Big picture thinkers don't get caught up in the weeds. Where others tend to find problems, they try to find opportunities and structure their business to decrease risk and be positioned to capitalize on opportunities inherent in turbulent conditions.

Find out what traits are included in the Top 5 on the list - continue reading this article by clicking here.

Oklahoma State University announced last week it will be partnering with two-year colleges in a project designed to improve four-year degree completion rates for place-bound students wanting a B.S. in agricultural leadership from OSU. There will be a mix of online, satellite, short and blended courses, offered to students enrolled in the program.

"The Oklahoma Department of Commerce reports that one of the top five priority Oklahoma industry ecosystems is agriculture and biosciences," said Penny Weeks, project director and OSU professor. "Not only is degree completion in the state of Oklahoma of increasing importance, degree completion in the food and agricultural sciences is of vital importance."

Students will be required to complete 60 hours of coursework through their two-year school, on track to earn their associates degree and complete 60 hours of coursework through OSU.

A $270,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture Higher Education Challenge Grant will fund the program, which embodies the land-grant mission of improving the lives of people in Oklahoma, the nation and the world through integrated, high-quality teaching, research and Extension. The grant was awarded in 2016 and will continue through 2019.

To learn more about this opportunity to conveniently earn a degree in higher education through OSU's new and innovative partnerships, click here and find out how to get involved.

We finish out our features of this year's competitors in Ag Placement, with our fifth and final District Star for the category, hailing from the Madill FFA Chapter, Will Shelby, who represents the Southeast district. Shelby has had an amazing opportunity to learn alongside a true professional, which has sparked an interest in his goals for a future vocation that may lead him to follow in the footsteps left behind for him.


"My dad's a large animal veterinarian and he basically works with a lot of the sale barns in the state as well as goes on farm calls," he said. "I've been able to work under him and get a lot of experience in that way."

Overall, apprenticing for his dad has taught him many of the skills he will need in the future, as he intends to gain acceptance to the Oklahoma State University Vet School and start a practice of his own one day. But he says, too, that his experiences in the FFA since joining his 8th grade year, have had a "tremendous" impact on his life.


"I don't know if you can really pinpoint it in just a couple minutes talking," he said while being interviewed. "But it really has made a difference. I don't know what I'd be doing right now if it wasn't for FFA."


American Farmers & Ranchers is the proud sponsor of our District Star spotlights this month. Be sure to visit the AFR website by clicking or tapping here to learn more on how AFR supports the young people of Oklahoma, and how AFR can provide you with quality insurance for your home, auto, farm, and life.