Late Friday, US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the lineup of State Directors for FSA and the Rural Development Agency across the US. Included in that announcement were former State Lawmakers Scott Biggs of Chickasha to be the Oklahoma Executive Director for the Farm Service Agency in Oklahoma and Dr. Lee Denney of Cushing to become the State Director for the USDA Rural Development in Oklahoma.

Earlier this year- Senators Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) worked with state agricultural leaders to make recommendations to the Trump Administration for these posts- and on Saturday, they praised the President's announcement of Denney and Biggs to be the top USDA officials in Oklahoma.


"Scott Biggs is a great choice to serve as Farm Service Agency State Director," said Inhofe. "Throughout his tenure in the state legislature, Biggs has been a committed advocate against unnecessary regulations against the farming community," Inhofe said. "I also applaud the selection of Lee Denney to lead the Oklahoma Rural Development state office. Her longstanding service to Oklahoma, particularly in our more rural communities, will be of great value to her well in the new role. Given the importance of the USDA Farm Service Agency and Rural Development Office in Oklahoma, I am confident they will work to promote agriculture, enhance rural economic development and support disaster relief efforts. I congratulate them both and look forward to working with them in their new capacity in support of Oklahoma's farmers and ranchers."


"I am pleased the Administration filled these vital positions that serve Oklahoma's diverse agricultural and rural communities," said Lankford. "Lee and Scott are the right candidates to faithfully serve the agriculture and rural development communities; I am grateful for their willingness to serve our state in this capacity."

Click or tap here to Read more- and check out the complete list of appointments unveiled by Secretary Perdue on late Friday afternoon.

By the way- INCLUDED in our webstory is praise for Scott Biggs by Terry Detrick of AFR.

 

I was joined over the weekend by Mike Spradling, a pecan farmer in Northeast Oklahoma, during my 'In the Field' segment on KWTV-News9.

Spradling offered a brief review of the progress of this year's pecan crop that on first look, appeared to be quite exceptional. However, Spradling says a bout of fungus and insects may have taken a toll.

"We've been looking at a good harvest all year," Spradling said, sharing the early positive reports he had gathered from fellow growers. "But, things may change. What I'm hearing from a lot of growers, now that the leaves are starting to come off, we may not have quite as large a crop as we thought we had."

He explained that earlier this year, farmers faced an extended period of heavy rains followed by warm temperatures, that created the perfect conditions for the scab fungus to form in pecan groves.

"A lot of those individuals that didn't control scab, are starting to see the results of that now," he said. "We also had a tremendous outburst of aphids and those that didn't spray or control the aphid situation, saw a lot of early leaf drop on their crop."

Oklahoma's crop for this year is supposed to weigh in at 30 million lbs. according to estimates made is estimating the crop at closer to 20 million lbs.

Noting the obvious spread between these predictions and pointing out that last year's harvest only yielded 12 million lbs,, Spradling admits that pecan crops can certainly vary from year to year. But he assures a firmer grasp on the actual yield will become more clear as farmers begin harvest.

You can listen to mine and Spradling's entire off-camera interview, and learn more about this year's harvest and the recent activity of the newly establish American Pecan Council, by clicking here.

A Blair County 4-H member from Okeene, Avery Fisher, was named Grand Champion at the 2017 Oklahoma 4-H/FFA Junior Wheat Show, sponsored in part by the Oklahoma Wheat Commission.

Fisher's Bentley variety wheat, earned her the Grand Champion title, in addition to placing 1st in production and milling and 6th in baking, earning her the title of 1st place as the 4-H champion, and also placed 3rd placed with her Gallagher variety. Fisher received a total of nearly $4,000 in prizes. For 3rd place, Fisher will receive an additional $1000 in scholarship monies, $300 from Oklahoma Genetics Inc. and $50 in premiums for production, milling and baking contest.

Dylan Chaney of the Medford FFA Chapter, placed 1st in the FFA division with his Doublestop CL Plus variety. Chaney placed 1st in production and milling and 4th in baking, earning him the title of 1st place and the FFA champion. Dylan also won 10th place with his WB  bake contest and trophy and also won 10th place with a WB Grainfield variety.

Chaney maxed out his scholarship money in previous years but was able to take home a $500 premium from Oklahoma Genetics for his Doublestop CL Plus variety since it was an OGI release. Chaney won $250 as well for being FFA's Champion from WestBred®, a $100 premium from Oklahoma Wheat Research Foundation, and a $40 premium for production, milling,

Click here to read more about these contestants and their entries in this year's Oklahoma Junior Wheat Show.

 

And then there were three. Another member of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Board of Directors has decided to join the race for the Presidency of the general farm organization. Tom Buchanan had indicated early on that he planned to run for reelection as President of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau- then last week, we heard from District 4 Director and Current Vice President of the group, Jimmy Wayne Kinder of Walters, that he plans to challenge Buchanan for the job of President of the organization.

Sunday evening, we got word from District three Board Member, Rodd Moesel of Oklahoma County, that he is also a candidate for the job of President of Farm Bureau as well. Moesel and his wife Dona, have sent a letter electronically to Oklahoma Farm Bureau leaders around the state- and he has provided the Oklahoma Farm Report with a copy as well. His announcement follows:


"Over the last few weeks we believe it has become clear that Oklahoma Farm Bureau would best be served by new leadership as we make plans to select our new executive director, rebuild our important field services team, fight the pending lawsuit and develop our vision and direction for the next 25 years as we head toward our centennial. Dona and I have spent the last week visiting and praying about whether to join the race for President and have decided that we think our experience and skills may be a good fit for the challenges currently facing Oklahoma Farm Bureau."

Read Moesel's complete letter by clicking here.

The delegates that are seated at this weekend's annual meeting will be voting for who will be President of the group this coming Saturday afternoon at the Embassy Suites in Norman.

Oklahoma Cooperative Extension's "Farm to You," an interactive learning display, just got a revamp.

Since 2008, Farm to You has been used to teach more than 124,000 students in pre-K through sixth grade across Oklahoma, more about where their food comes from, the importance of eating healthy foods and how these foods help make their bodies and minds strong.

Brandon Miller, coordinator for the Farm to You exhibit, said that, "Kids can be disconnected when it comes to knowing where their food comes from. Many of today's youth think their food simply comes from the store. It's important for them to realize our agricultural producers are providing a healthy and safe product for them."

Now going into its 10th year, the exhibit recently went through a complete update and is better than ever. Farm to You contains nine stations focusing on different aspects of agriculture and how the food we eat is beneficial to our bodies. The stations include Oklahoma Farmland, A Farmer's Life, Farmers Market, Mouth, Stomach, Intestines, Muscles, Bones and Brain.

According to Lisa Taylor, former Farm to You coordinator, says  the exhibit now includes all new graphics and scripts with updated content and even a cow for students to practice their hands-on milking skills. She says this is a unique, modern way to provide mostly urban children with an agricultural experience.

"This is a great head start on our farm unit. It really helps kids visualize what agriculture is," said Katrina Wilkins, a pre-K teacher at Ripley. "In class we talk about the fact that what we eat and what we wear comes from the farm. This helps them gain a better understanding of why farms are important."

To learn more about this exhibit, how it's helped to bring agriculture into Oklahoma classrooms, and how it can be scheduled for a visit to your own children's school, click here.

Continue reading Luthi's story about her life and what makes her a significant woman in agriculture, by clicking over to our website for her complete profile by ODAFF.