The creation of an Oklahoma Broadband Office via House Bill 3363 represents Oklahoma's most aggressive step yet in broadband expansion, which has been a House Republican priority for three years.

"With all the funds now available for broadband expansion, a dedicated office is needed to maximize their benefit for all Oklahomans," said House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka. "House Republicans support broadband expansion because it is critical infrastructure that creates jobs and is as essential as phones or roads to modern life."

HB 3363, authored by McCall, creates the Oklahoma Broadband Office to distribute all funding available for broadband expansion and deliver high-speed internet to 95% of Oklahomans in five years. The nonappropriated office would be fully funded with administrative allowances from federal funds and sunset in 2028, once all funds are distributed.

Midwest Farm Shows is proud to produce the two best Farm Shows in the State of Oklahoma annually- the Tulsa Farm Show each December and the Oklahoma City Farm Show each April. 

Up next will be the Oklahoma City’s premier spring agricultural and ranching event with returns to the State Fair Park April 7-8-9, 2022.

Now is the ideal time to contact the Midwest Farm Show Office at 507-437-7969 and book space at the 2022 Oklahoma City Farm Show.  To learn more about the Oklahoma City Farm Show, click here. 

The Oklahoma Field Office, cooperating with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry issued the February 2022 Oklahoma Crop Progress and Condition report yesterday.

Oklahoma winter wheat condition is 9% good to excellent, 27% fair and 64% poor to very poor. Winter wheat grazed reached 61%.

Even with the moisture Oklahoma saw last week, nearly all of the state is facing abnormally dry conditions or worse. The same can be said for the rest of the Southern Plains too; 85% of Kansas is classified as facing abnormally dry conditions or worse and 88% of Texas is classified in the same way. Conditions are forecast to get worse and spread to other integral parts of cattle country in 2022.

Already starting the year with tighter cattle supplies, Derrell Peel, extension livestock marketing specialist at Oklahoma State University, said expanding drought conditions could have major impacts on beef cattle numbers this year and beyond depending on how bad things get.

For our farmers who have either- always have had cotton on their farms- or those who have more recently have added the fiber crop to their operations- we have a daily report heard on several of our Radio Stations- It's Called Cotton Talk!

For rural Americans, seeing grain bins dot the landscape is often an everyday occurrence. However, these storage structures pose very serious and threatening dangers to agriculture workers if proper health and safety procedures aren’t followed. In just 20 seconds, a farmer can sink in the quicksand-like flow of grain and become fully entrapped with little hope for survival. Such accidents have resulted in 81 deaths over the past five years.

To bring attention to the dangers and prevent these tragic accidents, the leading insurer of farms and ranches in the U.S., Nationwide, has opened its ninth annual Nominate Your Fire Department Contest in recognition of Grain Bin Safety Week. The annual advocacy campaign aims to deliver critical education and resources to agricultural professionals while also supplying life-saving rescue equipment and training to rural fire departments, who are often the first and only line of defense when an entrapment occurs. Nominations for this year’s Nominate Your Fire Department Contest are open until April 30.

"Nationwide has been deeply rooted in agriculture since the company’s founding by the Ohio Farm Bureau and our commitment to protecting America’s producers continues to fuel our work today,” said Brad Liggett, president of Agribusiness at Nationwide. “Grain Bin Safety Week is one of many efforts in place to help address the dangers they face. These accidents send shockwaves through rural communities each year, and the reality is, they are often preventable. We are proud to continue to grow Grain Bin Safety Week and bring on new partners in our mission to end this industry issue.”

This year, Grain Bin Safety Week runs from Feb. 20 - 26.

U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and John Boozman (R-Ark.), Ranking Member, yesterday announced the creation of the bipartisan Senate FFA Caucus. This caucus will work to support teachers and parents preparing the next generation of leaders through agricultural education. FFA chapters in Michigan and Arkansas have done great work to address the needs of their communities by advocating on a number of food and agriculture issues, and engaging with local business and nonprofits.

You can attend in person or you can watch and participate on CCI Live- available here.

They will be selling 140 Two Year Old Bulls. They will also be Selling Commercial Females Carrying QC Genetics

Learn more about Quartermaster Creek by clicking here for their Sale Book.

And- check out their website here and take a look at a preview video they have produced for today's sale- below.

OKC West is our Market Links Sponsor- they sell cattle three days a week- Cows on Mondays, Stockers on Tuesday and Feeders on Wednesday- Call 405-262-8800 to learn more.

Ron on RON Markets as heard on K101  

Wholesale Boxed Beef Prices were mixed. Choice Beef was down $2.45 and Select Beef was up $1.80 on Tuesday, 02/22/2022.

Click on the Button below for the latest report from USDA Market News

Oklahoma National Stockyards had a final count of 13,714 head this week on Monday, February 21st.

Compared to last week: Feeder steers 1.00-3.00 lower and heifers unevenly steady. Steers calves 1.00-3.00 lower and heifer calves unevenly steady. Demand is moderate. 

Click below for the complete closing report.

OKC West in El Reno combined their Tuesday and Wednesday sales yesterday because of the winter storm that is happening today and tomorrow in the state. Totals for this week were 4, 914 head sold on Tuesday.

Compared to last week: Feeder steers sold 2.00-5.00 lower. Feeder heifers traded 4.00-6.00 lower. Steer and heifer calves sold 4.00-7.00 lower. Demand moderate for all classes. Strong winter storm is expected for Tuesday evening and aa week of sub-zero temperatures are in the forecast. 

Manager Bill Barnhart offered a short commentary on Facebook from the Tuesday combined sale: "With winter weather moving in all cattle were sold Tuesday this week. Stockers and feeders were all 2.00-5.00 cheaper this week. Weather a factor for sure but rising grain costs have put a lid on the feeder market for the time being. Cattle feeders are pricing cattle higher this week. Let’s hope they get it."

Click on the button below for details of the trade as compiled by the USDA Market News Service.

Each afternoon we are posting a recap of that day's markets as analyzed by Justin Lewis of KIS futures - click below for the latest update on the Livestock and Grain Futures Trade..

Daily Oklahoma Cash Grain Prices- as reported by the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture- The report available after the close of the Futures Trade for that day.

Our Daily Market Wrapup from the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network - analyzing the Futures Markets for that trading day- as reported by KC Sheperd.

The National Daily Slaughter Cattle Summary- as prepared by the USDA Market News

Finally, here is the Daily Volume and Price Summary from the Texas Cattle Feeders Association.

Ron Hays, Senior Farm/Ranch Broadcaster and Editor

KC Sheperd, Farm Director and Editor

Dave Lanning, Markets and Production

Pam Arterburn, Calendar and Template Manager

Chelsea Stanfield, Farm News and Email Editor