Oklahoma's Latest Farm
And Ranch News
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Thursday, January 19, 2023
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Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update.
- State of Oklahoma Wins Poultry Case Brought by Former Attorney General Edmondson in 2005
- State Climatologist, Gary McManus says Oklahoma’s Best Bet for Rain is this Spring
- Dr. Randall Spare Offers Insight Into Getting the Most Out of Your Bull Investment
- Oklahoma Annual Voter Registration Statistics
- Adam York with National Sorghum Producers Gives Sorghum Policy Update
- USDA Seeks Public Comment on Proposal to Strengthen Animal Disease Traceability Regulations
- Make Your Soil Work For You To Optimize Ranch Production And Profit
- FDA Set to Change Antimicrobial Drugs from Over the Counter to Prescription Soon
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State of Oklahoma Wins Poultry Case Brought by Former Attorney General Edmondson in 2005 |
What in the world????? 2005 Litigation against the major poultry companies of the day has finally been addressed by a Federal Judge 18 years later.
At that time- Oklahoma's Democratic Attorney General Drew Edmondson declared war on "Big Poultry" but left office with no decision by Federal Judge Gregory Frizzell. We have been checking our archives and have updated ourselves on this story of almost two decades ago- you might find testimony offered by Edmondson to the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in September 2007 interesting as it explained why he was suing the poultry companies- click here to listen.
Apparently out of nowhere- we have the judge dusting off the arguments and declaring the state of Oklahoma the winner in this lawsuit against poultry companies located mostly in northwest Arkansas.
The ball has been placed in the hands of new Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond. In a statement- he says “While this decision has been a long time coming, it is important to note that in the intervening years since the filing of the suit, the poultry industry has made, or is willing to make, strong improvements in waste disposal to ameliorate the extent of the problem. Oklahoma has amazing natural resources that deserve our vigilant protection. We will thoroughly review the judge’s decision and determine the appropriate path forward.”
The Judge has ordered Oklahoma and the poultry companies to craft an agreement by March 17th- he will okay it or come up with his own settlement to his decision.
Oklahoma Farm Bureau has quickly reacted- "Oklahoma Farm Bureau members are disappointed with the conclusion reached by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma today finding in favor of the state of Oklahoma and holding poultry companies liable for high phosphorous levels causing pollution in the Illinois River Watershed.
“For decades, Oklahoma poultry farmers have been regulated by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry which requires nutrient management plans and limits on poultry litter application.
“Additionally, in the almost 20 years since this lawsuit was filed, our members have worked with agencies like the Oklahoma Conservation Commission to improve water quality in the Illinois River Watershed using conservation practices like streambank restoration and filter strips. These farmer-led, proactive efforts have contributed to consistent improvement in water quality in the watershed."
OkFB President Rodd Moesel told me last night that this is a very significant ruling and could have broad implications for agriculture as the parties try to come up with an agreement that is relevant to now and that judge will accept.
Our story on our website has the Drummond reaction- Farm Bureau's reaction and we look at a story from 2016 showing huge reductions in chicken litter application in the Illinois River watershed in Oklahoma in the years after the lawsuit was filed.
By the way- in reaching out to the Poultry industry- they are digesting ruling that came yesterday so have no comment as of yet.
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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.
They would like to thank all of you who participated in their 2022 Tulsa City Farm Show.
Up next will be the Oklahoma City’s premier spring agricultural and ranching event with returns to the State Fair Park April 13-14-15, 2023.
Now is the ideal time to contact the Midwest Farm Show Office at 507-437-7969 and book space at the 2023 Oklahoma City Farm Show. To learn more about the Oklahoma City Farm Show, click here.
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State Climatologist, Gary McManus says Oklahoma’s Best Bet for Rain is this Spring |
KC Sheperd, Farm Director, is visiting with the State Climatologist of Oklahoma, Gary McManus, about what to expect in the weather for the next few months.
Parts of eastern Oklahoma have received rain this week, McManus said, but the rest of the state is still waiting on decent rainfall.
“What we have seen over the last 34 to 35 days, most of the state has gone consecutive days without at least a quarter an inch of rain or even a tenth of an inch of rain in a single day,” McManus said. “Unfortunately, most of the state is still continuing on that streak.”
Looking into the future, McManus said he sees some storm systems coming through. It is still uncertain how much moisture those will bring and how quickly they will travel through the state.
“Probably just a best bet to wait on spring to count on a good rainfall, unfortunately,” McManus said.
This year’s time period from December to January, McManus said, is the fourth driest since 1921.
Although December to January is typically a dry time of year, being the fourth driest of that period on record is significant, especially dealing with long-term drought impacts in the background.
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Dr. Randall Spare Offers Insight Into Getting the Most Out of Your Bull Investment |
I had the chance to speak with the operator of the Ashland Veterinary Center, Dr. Randall Spare, at a recent Angus education event that took place at the 2023 Cattlemen’s Congress. Dr. Spare and I talk about the development of bulls for the cow herd and how to be successful in the bull business for those buying or selling.
Ashland Veterinary Center is located in Ashland, Kansas, and serves cattle producers in a four-state region.
For those purchasing bulls for their cow herd, Spare said it is most important to take into consideration the environment and geographic area the animal was raised in. Doing so, Spare said, can help with the transition.
“That is understanding, maybe the disease prevalence he was raised in, or what nutritional environment was he raised in, and then how can I transition him,” Spare said.
The bottom line, Spare said, is taking action to get the most out of that investment so that in three or four years, the offspring of that bull will be profitable.
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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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Oklahoma's Annual Voter Registration Statistics Released |
An official voter registration report by the Oklahoma State Election Board shows 2,225,086 people are registered to vote as of January 15, 2023. The annual report comes days after the State Election Board conducted its statutorily-required voter list maintenance process, removing inactive voters and duplicate voters.
Current numbers show Republicans make up 51.9% of registered voters, while Democrats constitute 29.5% of the voting population. Libertarians consist of 0.9% of the voter registration rolls and Independents account for nearly 17.7%.
The routine voter list maintenance process was conducted on January 13 and removed 2,855 duplicate voter registrations and 83,719 inactive voter registrations from Oklahoma’s voter rolls. The removal of inactive and duplicate voter registrations is a thorough, multi-step process the State Election Board is required by law to conduct every two years following a General Election.
Duplicate registrations that were deleted matched newer registrations by the same person at a new address. Inactive registrations that were removed were for voters who failed to confirm their address in 2019 and then had no voter activity through the 2022 General Election. (The 2019 Address Confirmation Notices were sent to some voters for one of several different reasons required by law, including those who surrendered an Oklahoma driver license upon being issued a new one in another state, or who had a first-class mailing from the Election Board returned as “undeliverable,” or who were identified as a potential duplicate of a voter registration in another county or state, or who had no voter activity from the 2016 General Election through the 2018 General Election.)
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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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For the agent nearest you, go to unionmutualic.com or give them a call at 405 286-7703.
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Adam York with National Sorghum Producers Talks Climate Smart Policies for the Crop |
At the Oklahoma Sorghum Producers meeting in Enid, Oklahoma, Associate Farm Editor, Reagan Calk visited with the Sustainability Director for the National Sorghum Producers, Adam York.
In his role, York provides leadership and advocacy surrounding the industry’s strategic sustainability initiatives to help advocate for sorghum. York works with brands and companies to demonstrate how sorghum farmers, mainly in the high plains, produce a sustainable crop responsibly.
Through USDA’S Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, National Sorghum Producers was recently awarded a grant of up to 65 million dollars.
“National Sorghum Producers was awarded a grant of up to 65 million dollars from USDA for their partnerships for climate-smart commodities programs,” York said. “This program will be utilized to pay farmers for new practices that they adopt on their field to collect data for what is the back-end carbon sequestration and carbon intensity for those practices associated with the sorghum or the sorghum-based rotation that they have on their farm, ultimately for added-value and markets downstream that are looking for consumer demand climate-smart products.”
From the policy side in Washington, D.C, York said he is most focused on looking at what the circumstances are for the House and Senate and producing a farm bill that will be in the best interest of growers.
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USDA Seeks Public Comment on Proposal to Strengthen Animal Disease Traceability Regulations |
The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced a proposed rule this week to amend animal disease traceability regulations. The agency is soliciting public comment on the proposal until March 22, 2023.
What will be the biggest change?
The proposed rule would require official eartags to be visually and electronically readable for official use for interstate movement of certain cattle and bison. It would also revise and clarify certain record requirements related to cattle, including requiring official identification device distribution records to be entered into a Tribal, State, or Federal database, and available to APHIS upon request.
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Make Your Soil Work For You To Optimize Ranch Production And Profit |
Optimizing your ranch’s soil health can help reduce inputs, increase available forage and improve your bottom line.
Many ranchers are in a “more is best” mindset — more production, more livestock, more income. Yet, maximizing your ranch’s output doesn’t always maximize your profit, because this constant pressure to produce more sometimes overlooks the input side of the equation, as well as potential negative effects on soil and other resources.
Hugh Aljoe, Noble Research Institute’s director of producer relations, recommends instead of maximizing a ranch’s production, ranchers make their goal to optimize it.
Optimizing your ranch’s production strikes the balance between inputs (direct costs, labor, equipment) and gross output (actual production and revenue), which makes the operation more profitable. And one way to optimize your land’s production is to put your soil to work. Healthy soil stands as the cornerstone of a profitable regenerative ranch, because it can help ranchers simultaneously reduce inputs and increase net margins, and often increase forage production with a few years of adopting regenerative management.
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FDA Set to Change Antimicrobial Drugs from Over the Counter to Prescription Soon |
University Products LLC recently alerted cattle ranchers to an official move by the FDA that will soon make it much harder to access antimicrobial drugs. The Center for Veterinary Medicine’s (CVM) Guidance for Industry #263 goes into effect on June 12, 2023. The guidance applies to all food animals and animals not intended for food, and includes penicillin, sulfa-based drugs, boluses, intramammary mastitis tubes, and topical products. For decades, antimicrobials were used to treat seasonal diseases like anaplasmosis in cattle, but there are better options – like vaccines produced by University Products.
Additionally, as of February 21, 2023, the FDA will again hold veterinarians to federal requirements for a veterinarian-client-patient relationship which “requires animal examination and/or medically appropriate and timely visits to the premises where the animal(s) are kept.” These requirements, temporarily put aside for the COVID-19 pandemic, can no longer “be met solely through telemedicine.”
“In the past, before the FDA tightened antibiotic restrictions, ranchers treated anaplasmosis infections indiscriminately with an oxytetracycline or chlortetracycline supplied in feed and mineral supplements,” said Dr. Donald Luther, University Products vaccine developer. “All of these treatments required a Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD). But even without restrictions, what decades of using these medicines have shown us is this: most cows do not eat enough feed for an effective dose and ultimately spread anaplasmosis to the herd anyway.”
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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 $2.58 and Select Beef was down 67 cents on Friday 01/18/2023.
Click on the Button below for the latest report from USDA Market News
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OKC West in El Reno had 10,555 this week for their stocker and feeder auctions.
According to USDA Market News- Compared to last week: Feeder steers traded 5.00-9.00 lower. Feeder heifers sold 4.00-8.00 lower. A severe winter storm is expected across the Northern Plains towards the end of the week hampering movement towards the north. Demand light to moderate for yearlings as recent weeks have seen large placements of feeder cattle limiting pen space in many yards. Steer calves traded 6.00-8.00 lower. Heifer calves sold 3.00-5.00 lower. Demand moderate for the bulk of the offering, few stick out offerings that were in thinner flesh more suitable for grazing sold with good demand.
OKC West Manager Bill Barnhart adds these comments on their Facebook page- " With nice weather there were lots of cattle on the market this week. The market remained very good through heavy receipts. With show lists lighter cattle feeders will price finished cattle higher, 159-160. Let’s hope they get it. Feed costs are still a major hurdle with breakevens running in the mid 160s. Like last week there were lots of very nice quality calves offered most with shots and ideal condition. Producers are doing a great job raising nice calves and preconditioning properly. The big runs should begin to moderate soon."
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
Reagan Calk, Farm News and Email Editor
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.
Oklahoma Farm Report's Ron Hays talks regenerative agriculture and ranching with Jimmy Emmons. Jimmy is a long time resident of Leedey, OK. He is the third generation on the family farm in Dewey County. He and his wife Ginger have been farming and ranching together since 1980. They have a diverse 2000 acre cropping operation growing wheat, soybeans, sesame, sunflowers, irrigated dairy alfalfa hay, canola, grain sorghum and several cover crops for seed.
Jimmy has been monitoring soil health with soil testing since 2011 utilizing cover crops to enhance soil health.
Jimmy and Ginger also have a 250 cow/calf herd and take in yearling cattle for custom grazing on the nearly 6000 acres of native range. Ginger is the primary cattle manager in the operation. The Emmons’ utilize an adaptive multi-paddock grazing system on their range and forages grown on crop ground. They use the system to keep the native grasses and soils healthy, maximize biological diversity and optimize animal health.
As Jimmy Says- Long Live the Soil!
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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