Farm Director KC Sheperd is visiting with U.S. Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson. As the House Ag Committee Chair, Thompson talks about working in the best interests of ag producers in the 2023 farm bill.

Thompson first highlighted the importance of strengthening crop insurance because it provides it is a great tool for producers to use.

“Agriculture is capital intensive, credit, you need that, and the lenders like crop insurance,” Thompson said.

Part of what Thompson said is focusing on includes incorporating outside disaster relief into the farm bill.

“Eighty percent of what we spent on agriculture was outside the farm bill through disaster relief, but it didn’t come with any certainty,” Thompson said. “I am absolutely certain that there are farms and ranches and probably forestry operations that went out of business before those disaster checks arrived. That is not helpful, and there is no certainty. Lenders don’t like it, so it is difficult to borrow and get the credit you need.”

It could be more affordable for the government, Thompson said, if some disaster relief was put into the space of crop insurance.

“It won’t be everything because when you are wrestling with nature, there is always a curveball that comes in someplace that we need to be able to respond to, but as you all know, disaster relief is tough,” Thompson said. “It takes Congress a long time to do the right thing.”



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.



The Tulsa Farm Show is Oklahoma’s premier agricultural and ranching event- and returns to the SageNet Center (Expo Square) December, 7-8-9, 2023. 

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

In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am talking with Jarold Callahan about the upcoming Grass Time Sale at Express Ranches coming up at noon on April 28, 2023, at the ranch in Yukon, Okla.

“We are excited about how good the cattle business is,” Callahan said. “I think we are going to have three or four years here of excellent prices, and I think it is a great time to invest in some inventory. We have got a really good set of bulls. A lot of them are calving ease bulls, for those people that are wanting to breed heifers, but we have also got bulls that have got a lot of growth and power to them.”

The sale will feature around 150 Angus bulls, Callahan said, and about 10 Hereford bulls.

“We also have about 150 spring calving pairs, predominantly Angus, but we also have some registered Hereford pairs in it as well,” Callahan said.

There will be about 40 fall calving Angus bred heifers offered at the sale, Callahan said, and around 50 Angus registered heifers that have been artificially inseminated one time that will be sold in groups of three.

“We also have 20 November/December show heifer prospects that qualify for the Express scholarship program,” Callahan said.

Introducing Gabriella Clark of the Atoka FFA Chapter, Your 2023 Southeast Area Star in Agricultural Production

During the month of April, the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and Oklahoma Farm Report are spotlighting the 17 Area Stars of Oklahoma FFA that are among the highest achievers in the organization.

The stars come from the five areas in four categories- Star in Ag Placement, Star in Agriscience, Star in Agribusiness, and Star in Agricultural Production.

One Star Finalist featured in the coming days from each of the categories will be named the State Star Award Winner during the 97th Oklahoma State FFA Convention coming up on May 2nd and 3rd in Tulsa, Okla.

This week, our coverage of the 2023 Oklahoma FFA Star Award Finalists continues with Agricultural Production competitor Gabriella Clark of the Atoka FFA chapter representing the Southeast Area.

“I started my business, C5 Genetics, when I was a freshman in high school,” Clark said. “I started it with my family. We show and raise swine.”

Clark said her project has helped grow her work ethic because regardless of the weather or anything else that may be going on, she must take care of her animals.

“I plan to attend Oklahoma State University in the fall and major in animal science with a pre-vet option,” Clark said.

Clark plans to continue working on her project when she goes to college.

All this week- we have been following total rainfall since Sunday as this current pattern started to unfold. This morning- we are using the four day rain map from the Oklahoma Mesonet- it's clickable so you can jump over to the Mesonet to see real time info location by location.

The National Weather Service initially was seeing one to two inches across Oklahoma- and in some areas more than 2 inches. And- this morning's map is showing a lot of that.

Six Mesonet locations have recorded more than three inches since Sunday- with Perkins at 3.46 inches of rain the biggest winner.

Over thirty Mesonet stations have now surpassed the two inch rainfall level over these last four days- and the vast majority of the state can now claim over an inch of moisture.

The least amount of rainfall this week has fallen in the northeastern corner of the state with Miami only getting .18 inches of rain since Sunday. They could add to their totals today as radar shows rain sliding that direction in Green Country.

And much of the state has more rain in the forecast Friday and Friday night before drier weather is in the mix for the weekend and early next week.

We will have a Drought Monitor update at 7:30 AM central time this morning- don't expect any changes from recent weeks- we should see some modest improvements next Thursday morning with the first Drought Monitor that will be released in May.

National Sorghum Producers Chairman Craig Meeker, a sorghum farmer from Wellington, Kansas, testified in front of the House Agriculture Committee Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit during a hearing on “Producer Perspective on the 2023 Farm Bill.” 

Meeker’s testimony highlighted farm bill priorities for the nation’s sorghum farmers, focusing on the importance of the Title I safety net, crop insurance and Congressionally-authorized ad hoc assistance. Meeker told the panel farmers and ranchers need a stronger farm safety net to provide predictability and certainty for producers and lenders.

“It is clear that more resources will be necessary to enact a strong Farm Bill this year as there’s simply a major shortfall in safety net funding compared to historical levels,” Meeker said. “Cost of production has similarly increased, rising at least 50 percent in most cases and upwards of 100 percent in others. While the changes in the 2018 Farm Bill have been helpful, given the level and speed at which costs have increased, statutory PLC reference prices are now far too low to provide effective support in light of the many risks facing farmers in 2023.”

Meeker also reaffirmed support for crop insurance, stating he would not be the sixth generation on his family farm without it. He said while the tool has been critical in helping sorghum farmers manage the ongoing drought conditions decimating the Sorghum Belt, availability of products and ratings, can have a very real local impact on plantings, which is an area the committee can take measures to improve.

Read Meeker’s written testimony at SorghumGrowers.com. 

There is a new blog post out at the Southern Plains Perspective. Read a preview below!

Did that headline grab your attention? I hope so. It still surprises me how many people fail to make the connection between conservation/climate-smart ag/soil health and the positive impact good natural resource management can have on your bottom line. I have to scratch my head every time it’s overlooked how poor resource management can negatively affect an individual’s personal profit margin while also impacting the rest of society.

So, let’s try again.

It’s estimated that soil erosion costs the United States around $44 billion each year in lost agricultural land.  That’s a lot of money. I’ve always heard that if you’re not working to control soil erosion on your land it’s like your throwing dollar bills into the nearest creek. These numbers show that pretty well.

Farmland where I live in central Oklahoma is currently selling for around $3,000 an acre.  It is estimated that Oklahoma loses over 50 million tons of soil each year to water erosion alone.  If you consider that an acre-foot of soil weighs 2000 tons, that equals out to over $75 million in land value lost each year in Oklahoma to JUST water erosion (remember, the wind also comes sweepin’ down the plains here….and takes soil away with it too).

Rob Larew Emphasizes Properly Functioning Markets for Farmers and Ranchers

While in Washington, D.C., Farm Director KC Sheperd caught up with the President of the National Farmers Union, Rob Larew, and talked about the latest work from the National Farmers Union advocating and working to make sure the voices of farmers and ranchers are heard.

“In Oklahoma, and really across the country, a lot of things we are focusing on right now is making sure that folks don’t lose sight of the fact that farmers need the freedom to farm,” Larew said. “What that means most specifically is making sure that we have the right to repair. I think most folks don’t really understand that with today’s sophisticated equipment and the fact that we have just a handful of equipment manufacturers out there, that too few players also means that those monopoly powers ultimately take control, and farmers who are very equipped to be able to manage a lot of the repairs on their own are simply boxed out of that.”

Close to 16 states, Larew said, have bills before their legislators addressing a producer’s ability to repair his or her own equipment.

“In Colorado, which is the one that we have had the most progress in so far, it is actually passed out of their legislature and is now ready for the Governor to sign,” Larew said. “We expect him to sign it, and this will put in place the promises that the equipment manufacturers have made over the years, the promises they have made to other farm groups and so forth, and actually puts in law that they have to back that up with real meaningful access to Right to Repair.”

Another concern for producers at the moment is drought, Larew said, so helping them make it through this time is a top priority.