Twenty years ago- the idea was kicked around to establish a sales venue for the top gilts that were being shown at the Oklahoma Youth Expo. That venue has matured and grown over the years as buyers from many states outside have traveled to Oklahoma City to bid in those early days to now where the bids can come from those in the seats in Barn 8- or can be hundreds or thousands of miles away watching and buying via CCI Live.

On Tuesday, ahead of the Wednesday night 2023 Night of Stars Gilt Sale, I talked with Blake Kennedy of Kennedy Ventures. Kennedy says that the depth of quality of the gilts in the sale is better than he has seen in the last four or five years that he has been a part of the process. 

The 2023 sale will originate in Barn 8 at the OKC Fairgrounds at 6 PM, TONIGHT and will also be broadcast over the internet on CCI Live– where buyers can watch from anywhere and bid online. This will be the fifth year that Night of Stars will be taking bids live and on line as well.- starting the online option in 2018.

The past two years have been historic for the Sale, with the Night of Stars hitting the million dollar mark in 2021 and setting a record high price for a gilt of $60,000 for not just one- but two of the best gilts in the sale.

The quality of the lineup this year- plus lots of interest by buyers may take us back to that million dollar level again here in 2023.

Our coverage of all the young people involved at the OYE is powered by Hilliary Communications.



The vision of the Oklahoma Beef Council is to be a positive difference for Oklahoma's farming and ranching families and the greater beef community, and its mission is to enhance beef demand by strengthening consumer trust and exceeding consumer expectations. 

To learn more, visit www.oklabeef.org. Also, don't forget to like its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/oklabeef for stories on Oklahoma's ranching families and great beef recipes. 

And Check out this video below that helps you learn more about the Beef Checkoff- .



Farm Director, KC Sheperd, is visiting with the Associate Vice President of Research at Oklahoma State University, Scott Senseman, about agricultural research in Oklahoma.

“We have several campaigns going on with our ag comm services group there, and we are really trying to highlight more about some of the stories that are having an impact on the state of Oklahoma and some of the things that our scientists are working on,” Senseman said. “We just want to be able to highlight those in the best possible light, and so we are really having a concerted effort to try and make those stories known in multiple ways.”

Senseman said there are three pieces of the land grant system, and ag research is one of those.

“We also have the extension service, which we now call OSU Extension, and then we have the teaching aspect of things,” Senseman said. “Of course, that is our Ferguson College of Agriculture now. All three of those pieces together create a land grant system where we have research going on, we extend those findings out to the public, and then we have taught a lot of those same things coming from the research and extension programs to the young people coming through.”

Senseman also talked about field days, which allow Oklahomans to learn about the latest ag research.

“We are really trying to identify and highlight and really promote at least five to seven field days a year to really make sure that we get the right kind of people that really are key people in the state of Oklahoma to hear the stories that are coming out,” Senseman said.

U.S. Beef Export Numbers Decline in First Month of 2023

In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am visiting with the Director and Senior Agricultural Economist at the Livestock Marketing Information Center, Katelyn McCullock, about the latest beef export numbers from the USDA and the U.S. Meat Export Federation.

Looking back at 2021 and 2022 both being record export years, McCullock said this January 2023 data is starting things off on a negative note as those numbers have fallen 16 percent below 2022.

“We saw a pullback almost universally, across the board,” McCullock said. “Canada was even with a year ago, but China was down 25 percent.”

Taiwan was down over 30 percent, McCullock said, while Mexico and Japan were up. South Korea and Vietnam, she added, were both down significantly by double digits.

“We did import more product,” McCullock said. “That was up four percent in total. Probably the big story out of this is going to be Brazil shipped, I believe, it was a record-high for the month.”

Argentina sent 15 percent more and Canada sent 14 percent more, McCullock said, creating a pretty strong import month.

“One of the things that is happening with imports and exports is going to be what the relative currency value is, and how expensive beef is relatively here, and what we can buy it for in all of the relative values,” McCullock said. “So, it remains to be seen maybe what the rest of the year looks like. We have a fairly aggressive import projection out there. We are up about seven to ten percent over a year ago in 2023.

It’s just one more reason why the Oklahoma Youth Expo is one of the greatest youth livestock shows anywhere in the United States. On Tuesday evening- after the State House and Senate had adjourned for spring break week- 115 state lawmakers hung around Oklahoma City into the evening to be a part of the 2023 OYE Legislative and Celebrity Showmanship Contest. In addition to the state lawmakers- aides to most of the Oklahoma Congressional delegation participated as well- all showing at least one of the four species that are featured at the Youth Expo.

The lawmakers were paired with a 4-H or FFA member and got a lesson in how to handle their animal and properly present them to a judge during the contest. After that brief tutorial- they started the contest with a goat, lamb, steer or barrow.

After great encouragement and non stop commentary from Oklahoma Secretary of Ag Blayne Arthur- who introduced the lawmakers and guests to the crowd- and reminded the lawmakers they were showing their animals(with tips on how to do that)- the final selection by the judges came in- as they named Speaker Pro Tempore Kyle Hilbert as the overall best showman and the winner of the Senator Robert Kerr Traveling Trophy.

It was a great evening- the lawmakers got an up close and personal chance to see the leadership development skills these 4-H and FFA members have- and how skilled they are at handling their animals- and the lawmakers were reminded how important these youth programs are in building our next set of leaders.

After Rep. Hilbert received the trophy- I caught up with him in the show arena- and we talked aboout how FFA has made a difference in his life- and how he has used those lessons in becoming the second highest ranking member of the Oklahoma House.You can listen to his comments in the story linked below.

“Unitum Stamus” for Soy & 399 Other Ag-Related Groups Seeking Favorable Farm Bill Budget

The American Soybean Association is among 400 farm and industry groups signed onto a letter shared with congressional leadership on agriculture’s budgetary needs in the 2023 Farm Bill. That letter sent to the chairmen and ranking members of both the House and Senate Budget Committees is a strong example of “united, we stand,” a phrase popular amongst the country’s founding fathers. Signees are hopeful modern leaders in the nation’s capital understand the value of agriculture and will take their needs into consideration when developing the fiscal year 2024 budget.

“We write to express our strong support for providing (…) sufficient budgetary resources to write a new bipartisan, multi-year, comprehensive, and meaningful piece of legislation,” the groups convey in the letter, continuing, “Just as there are many pressures on the federal budget, there are many pressures on U.S. farmers and others throughout the agricultural supply chain who provide food, feed, fuel, fiber, and other products to consumers across the United States and abroad.”

Daryl Cates, soybean farmer from Illinois and ASA President said, “We have been heartened by recent meetings with leadership—both in Congress and the administration—and appreciate their willingness during this farm bill reauthorization year to hear from the many of us who provide for our nation every day, keeping our families fed and clothed, our cars and fleets moving, and our nation’s economy strong and competitive. Their decisions for the 2023 Farm Bill have the ability to sustain these indispensable businesses—both on the farm and those that support and are supported by farmers—and keep them viable in the years to come.”

International sales of U.S. farm and food products reached $196 billion in 2022, according to USDA. China is the top market for these products. When the trade war with China began in 2018, U.S. agriculture endured significant market impacts, revealing critical gaps in the farm safety net.

The 2023 Oklahoma Peanut EXPO will be held March 23 at the Business Enterprise Center at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford.

Attendees will receive updates from peanut experts on everything from variety and market type selection to marketing and industry outlook. 

“The peanut expo allows attendees to visit with the industry representatives who supply the equipment, products and services needed to produce their crops,” said Josh Bushong, northwest area Extension specialist for agronomy. 

“It’s a great opportunity for producers to interact with and learn from industry experts and other peanut producers,” added Ron Sholar, executive director of the Oklahoma Peanut Commission.

The expo, which is considered the premier peanut education and training event for the region, is a joint effort of the OPC, Oklahoma State University Agriculture, the USDA-Agricultural Research Service, the National Peanut Board and partners in the peanut industry. The event is free, and lunch is provided.

Valuable Experience at OYE Highlighted by Exhibitor Trenton Morton

At the Oklahoma Youth Expo, Farm Director, KC Sheperd, talked with an exhibitor, Trenton Morton about his experience at this year’s OYE and previous years he has attended.

Morton is 13 years old and has been showing wether goats at the Oklahoma Youth Expo for the past five years. Heavily involved in many extracurriculars, Morton talked to Sheperd about how he makes time to do his best in all of his activities.

“Playing basketball really doesn’t interfere with showing goats as much, but when it does, we just have to work through it,” Morton said.

At a previous OYE, Morton started a campaign to write thank-you notes to those helping put on the show.

“We might be doing this again this year, but I am not 100 percent sure,” Morton said.