Oklahoma's Latest Farm
And Ranch News
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Monday, May 2, 2022
Pray for Drought Busting Rain!
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Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update.
- First Confirmed Case of HPAI Reported in an Oklahoma Commercial Poultry Flock in Sequoyah County
- Final Deadline Week Leaves Many Proposals Left Behind as Roadkill at the State Capitol
- NCBA's Mary Thomas Hart says U.S. Agriculture Needs a Clear Definition of WOTUS
- OSU's Dr. Amanda Silva Says 2022 Wheat Looks Grim to Good
- Temple Grandin says Skilled Trade is Important for Today's Youth
- America's Farmers are Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Senate Approves Measure Designating Oklahoma's State Horse
- Busy Busy Week Ahead- Here's Where We Are
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First Confirmed Case of HPAI Reported in an Oklahoma Commercial Poultry Flock Found in Sequoyah County |
The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry and the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have confirmed a positive case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma. The virus was found in a commercial poultry flock.
“While this case of HPAI is not unexpected, we have prepared for this and are working closely with USDA and livestock producers to control and eradicate this disease from our state,” said Dr. Rod Hall, State Veterinarian for Oklahoma. “We have activated our Avian Influenza Response Plan and are working diligently with federal partners to prevent further spread of the virus.”
Flock owners should prevent contact between their birds and wild birds and report sick birds or unusual deaths to state officials. Biosecurity resources and best practices are available at https://ag.ok.gov/disease-alerts. If producers suspect signs of HPAI in their flocks, they should contact their veterinarian immediately. Possible cases should also be reported to the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture at (405) 522-6141.
There will be Zoom meetings on Monday, May 2nd, conducted by the ODAFF at 10:00 AM(Sequoyah County residents only please) and then 3:00 PM Central time. ODAFF says "We invite any poultry owners, 4-H/FFA members, any concerned citizens or those looking for more information about HPAI and our response plan to join us on Zoom at 3 PM. The details on that Zoom meeting are in our story linked in the blue button.
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Oklahoma Farm Bureau is a grassroots organization working to improve the lives of all Oklahomans by supporting our state’s agriculture community. As Oklahoma’s largest general farm organization, OKFB advocates for farmers and ranchers at the state Capitol and in Washington, D.C., to ensure our way of life continues for generations to come. With leadership events, supporting our state’s agricultural youth and connecting consumers with agriculture, Farm Bureau promotes and sustains Oklahoma agriculture in numerous ways. Join with OKFB today by becoming a member at okfarmbureau.org/join. Together, we are rural Oklahoma.
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Final Deadline Week Leaves Many Proposals Left Behind as Roadkill at the State Capitol |
At the conclusion of the latest Deadline week at the Oklahoma State Capitol, I talked in depth with the Vice President of Public Policy for Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Steve Thompson. We discuss the latest week of legislative work at the Oklahoma State Capitol. It was an important week, as another crucial deadline has come and gone- leaving many pieces of legislation in serious danger of not having a chance to become law this session.
They discuss medical marijuana and measures that would offer oversight of grow houses- tax issues- especially those involving county assessors and others that Farm Bureau and other ag groups have been tracking.
They also talked about how close the budget deal for this year may or may not be. Things have gone quiet when it comes to budget negotiations, according to Thompson, and he says that will often mean an announcement may be coming that the sides hopelessly too far apart to ever come up with a deal- then in the matter of another day or two- the word will come that a deal has been struck and lawmakers will be ready to go home to allow many of them to campaign.
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NCBA's Mary Thomas Hart says U.S. Agriculture Needs a Clear Definition of WOTUS |
The National Cattleman’s Beef Association joined with their state affiliates, offering an amicus brief to the Supreme Court regarding the Sackett v. EPA case that will be argued later this year at the U.S. Supreme court. I talked with Mary Thomas Hart, Environmental Counsel of the NCBA about that brief, and the latest going on with WOTUS, or Waters of the U.S.
We can expect to hear oral arguments on the Sackett vs. EPA case, Hart said, in October. NCBA filed an amicus brief in support of the Sackett family, she said, arguing for a clear and limited definition of WOTUS.
“In addition to the brief admitted by NCBA, there was also a brief submitted by other agricultural organizations and some individual farm owners who submitted briefs in support of the Sackett,” Hart said. “I think that we are sending a clear message to the Supreme Court that the agriculture industry is certainly impacted by the definition of WOTUS and really needs a clear definition and needs this issue to be settled once and for all.”
The decision of Sackett v. EPA, will give some direction on how much government control may be in the cards for Waters of the U.S.
“We have argued to the Supreme Court that both tests should be satisfied in order for a feature to be jurisdictional,” Hart said. “So, not only should it have relative permanent flow and sufficient surface connection to downstream waters, but it should also have a significant Nexus to downstream water quality.”
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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!
Click on the Button below to listen to our most recent report
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OSU's Dr. Amanda Silva Says 2022 Wheat Looks Grim to Good |
Extension Specialist for Small Grains at OSU, Dr. Amanda Silva has had the opportunity to assess wheat fields across southwestern parts of the state, including fields in Walters, Altus, Tipton, Apache, And Chickasha. Farm director KC Sheperd caught up with Silva at the Chickasha field day. While the wheat there looked pretty good, the outlook in some areas is pretty grim, "Unfortunately, there is not a lot of great news, but I'm very happy with what I'm seeing here in Chickasha. What I saw yesterday at Apache, Walters was looking better than what I expected as they got a couple of inches of rain that helped." Silva said it's still a very thin crop and has not tillered that much, but she said it's hanging in there and could use a good rain.
Moving from Walters to Altus, Silva said things started to get critical with crops being very drought-stressed and several fields had already been terminated. Then, moving from Apache to Chickasha, Silva said the crop was still thinner than she would like, but overall the wheat was looking good.
Even with many fields being zeroed out by insurance adjustors- Silva said all hope is not lost, though, "In Some cases, I think we are also in that borderline area. We have some good-looking wheat fields right now, but we do need a little more rain to hold up on those yields that are still there." She added, though, if those fields don't see some moisture, we could still see some reduction in yields.
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We invite you to listen to us on great radio stations across the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network weekdays-
if you missed this morning's Farm News - or you are in an area where you can't hear it- click below for this morning's Farm news from Ron Hays and KC Sheperd on RON.
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Sponsor Spotlight
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Temple Grandin says Skilled Trade is Important for Today's Youth |
This year’s Ag Mechanics show at the Oklahoma Youth Expo had over 150 entries. Exhibitors in the show entered various kinds of equipment manufactured on their own. Farm Director, KC Sheperd sat down with Dr. Temple Grandin and talked about why skilled trade is so important for our youth.
“I think it is very important,” Grandin said.
Being in the cattle industry for 50 years, Grandin has spent most of her time working in various plants aiding in the design and layout of these facilities. Grandin’s concern, she said, is many people she has worked with over the years in these construction sites are retiring, and there is no one taking their place once they leave.
“I had a gigantic wake-up call in 2019 shortly before covid,” Grandin said. “I visited a poultry processing plant and two pork processing plants- state of the art, brand new factories- all of the equipment was imported from Holland.”
Grandin said this all goes back to taking out skilled trades.
“We are getting into a very serious issue here with a skill loss,” Grandin said.
When Grandin started to notice the lack of U.S. manufactured items being used in various buildings and plants, she began to investigate, she said. She found that fewer individuals in the U.S. are going into a skilled trade, so we are having to look outside of the U.S. for things that previously could have been built by American hands.
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America's Farmers are Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions |
Agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions fell more than 4% percent from 2019 to 2020, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The most recent Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks shows agriculture continues to represent just 10% of total U.S. emissions, much lower than other economic sectors.
American Farm Bureau Federation economists analyzed the data from EPA in the latest Market Intel. 2020 overall emissions from agriculture fell at least 4.3%, or 28.8 million metric tons, compared to 2019. Emissions from agricultural soil management like fertilizer application and tillage practices were reduced by 8.4%.
“The most recent numbers show America’s farmers and ranchers are dedicated to feeding America’s families while remaining committed to improvements in sustainability,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “Farmers are dedicated to doing even better through voluntary, market-based incentives that allow them to capture more greenhouse gases while meeting growing food demands here at home and abroad.”
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Senate Approves Measure Designating Oklahoma's State Horse |
The Senate gave full approval in a 43-3 vote Wednesday evening to name the Quarter Horse as Oklahoma’s official state horse.
“This legislation is very near and dear to my heart,” Stephens said. “Our state was built upon the western heritage and lifestyle of our ancestors and naming a state horse pays tribute to the cowboys, Native Americans, pioneers and others who built Oklahoma. There’s no better way to honor our past while still looking toward the future than enshrining the Quarter Horse as our state’s horse.”
The American Quarter Horse is one of the oldest recognized horse breeds in the country, dating back to the 1660s and a known descendant of the Colonial Spanish Mustang, which has major ties to Oklahoma’s tribal community. The state is home to more registered Quarter Horses per capita than any other in the nation and boasts more than 33,000 registered owners.
When all aspects of the state’s horse industry are combined, a study by the Oklahoma Equine Alliance study found the Oklahoma horse industry accounts for a combined direct, indirect and induced effect of $3.6 billion and 35,000 full-time jobs.
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Busy Busy Week Ahead- Here's Where We Are |
We are helping launch a brand new radio network as Hilliary Communications has acquired the Radio News Network that was left behind when Griffin Communications sold our Radio Oklahoma Ag Network to Tim West (and I came along for the ride with our digital products- including this email) back in 2017.
The name for our state newscasts returns as the Radio Oklahoma Network- and more content will be available for radio stations across our great state- that includes three state Capitol reports daily to be anchored by our new News Director, Ken Johnson.
Welcome Ken, Michael Dean and Jim Craig to our Hilliary family.
Meanwhile- covering agriculture will keep yours truly, KC Sheperd and our newest Ag team member- Reagan Calk very busy. KC Sheperd is in our nation's Capitol this week as she participates and covers Inside the Beltway news at the 2022 Washington Watch put on by the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. The next three days will include interviewing lots of Ag Group lobbyists who represent farmers and ranchers in Washington- hearing from USDA and EPA and others from the Biden Administration and from a number of lawmakers from across the country. She will be busy.
I will be busy here at home as we cover the Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association annual meeting in OKC- that will include the Tuesday morning "first guess" at the number of wheat bushels we might produce here in Oklahoma in 2022- Reagan will be helping me add things up during that session- I will be moving over to Tulsa to be a judge at the State Finals of the Oklahoma FFA Prepared Public Speaking Contest- the winner of that event will represent Oklahoma in Indy this fall at the National Contest during the National FFA Convention.
Hope to see many of you at one function or another over the next couple of days!
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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.
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Today's First Look:
Ron on RON Markets as heard on K101
mornings with cash and futures reviewed- includes where the Cash Cattle market stands, the latest Feeder Cattle Markets Etc.
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Wholesale Boxed Beef Prices were lower- Choice Beef was down $1.82 and Select Beef was down $3.09 on Friday 04/29/2022.
Click on the Button below for the latest report from USDA Market News
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Oklahoma National Stockyards had right at 8,000 head of cattle Sunday evening- and Stockyards President Kelli Payne tells us they expect to start their sale this morning with 8,500 head and will likely sell right around 9,000 head for the day. She says they will start the sale at 6:30 AM this morning.
On April 25th- Compared to the previous week: Feeder steers and heifers unevenly steady. Steer calves 10.00 - 12.00 higher. Heifer calves 2.00 - 5.00 higher. Demand moderate to good. Quality average to attractive. Demand for calves improved as moisture fell in some parts of the region while western Oklahoma remains extremely dry.
Click below for the complete closing report.
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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..
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Okla Cash Grain:
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.
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Our Oklahoma Farm Report Team!!!!
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
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Rural Oklahoma is full of some of the greatest success stories throughout the entire state and is a big reason why Oklahoma is on track to become a top 10 state.
The Road to Rural Prosperity dives into these stories, bringing you stories covering rural life, agriculture, energy, healthcare, tourism, and politics affecting rural America.
The Road to Rural Prosperity is here to tell stories about rural America, for rural America.
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Our Latest RRP features Don Schieber, the 2022 winner of the Outstanding Achievement in Agriculture Award, which is the highest award given by the Governor of Oklahoma to honor distinguished Oklahoma agriculture producers. This prestigious award honors leaders in the agriculture industry who exemplify personal values, performance, and achievement.
Governor Kevin Stitt presented Schieber his award during the Oklahoma celebration of Ag Day on March 24th- after riding with the honoree in a mule drawn wagon up Lincoln Blvd to the front steps of the Oklahoma State Capitol.
Schieber is the 25th award winner and becomes the newest inductee into the Oklahoma Ag Hall of Fame. Ron and Don talk about his career in production agriculture- his work on behalf of wheat farmers with the Oklahoma Wheat Commission and US Wheat Associates that included traveling to 26 countries taking the Oklahoma wheat production story to buyers of wheat around the world. Don is a major supporter of the wheat breeding work of Dr. Brett Carver- having provided ground on his farm in Kay County for an OSU wheat Variety Field Plot for 17 years.
Search for Road to Rural Prosperity and subscribe on your favorite Podcast platform.
To hear this podcast, you can click here or tap below:
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Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K Equipment, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Oklahoma Ag Mediation Program, Great Plains Kubota, Stillwater Milling Company, National Livestock Credit Corporation, Oklahoma Beef Council, Oklahoma AgCredit, Union Mutual Insurance, the Oklahoma Cattlemens Association, and KIS Futures for their support of our daily Farm News Update.
For your convenience, we have our sponsors' websites linked here- just click on their name to jump to their website- check their sites out and let these folks know you appreciate the support of this daily email, as their sponsorship helps us keep this arriving in your inbox on a regular basis- at NO Charge!
We invite you to check out our website at the link below too that includes an archive of these daily emails, audio reports and top farm news story links from around the globe.
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God Bless!
Reach Out To Us:
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Tim West
President/General Manager
Rural Oklahoma Networks
405-317-6361
***************
Mike Henderson
Director of Sales
405-615-4922
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KC Sheperd
Farm Director
Radio Oklahoma Ag Network
405-443-5717
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Ron Hays
Senior Farm/Ranch Broadcaster
Radio Oklahoma Ag Network
405.473.6144
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