In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am talking with Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Breeding Specialist, Dr. Mark Johnson, about the upcoming Cattlemen’s Conference set to take place on May 24-25 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Online registration is still available as of this morning, or attendees can register on-site at the Totusek Arena.

Derived from the idea of similar conferences in the past, such as the National Steer Symposium in 1981, the Cattlemen’s Conference is aimed at discussing selection trends in breeding cattle and the importance of using genetic values and selection programs.

“It really led us to where we are today to do the best job we could to make improvement in cattle and increase profit potential in beef production,” Johnson said. “We needed to be using EPDs and genetic values for the traits that we could measure objectively.”

The topics to be discussed at the Cattlemen’s Conference, Johnson said, will be broad in scope.

“We are going to address pasture management, dealing with drought, and making our soil plants and beef production systems sustainable long-term,” Johnson said. “We are going to take a look at current trends in the meat packing industry. We are going to take a look at some data that we are collecting right now in terms of what is going on nationally in terms of carcass size and carcass specifications that we get into right now.”



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The Legislature has approved final passage to a set of bills directing a historic investment into public education. 

Senate Bill 1119 provides longevity-based pay raises for all certified staff, ranging from a $3,000 increase for teachers with 0-4 years’ experience; $4,000 for 5 to 9 years; $5,000 for 10-14 years; and $6,000 for teachers employed 15 years or more. 

Senate Bill 1121 provides six weeks’ paid maternity leave for teachers employed for at least a year. 

House Bill 2901 appropriates a recurring $500 million to the school funding formula to cover costs associated with SB1119 and SB1121. 

Senate Bill 1120 directs $125 million to the Redbud Fund to address property tax revenue disparities in districts with lower ad valorem bases to help meet basic infrastructure and maintenance needs. 

Senate Bill 1118 creates a three-year literacy instructional team within the State Dept. of Education to assist school districts. The team will have five regional locations across the state and will help teachers recognize educational needs of students, with an additional emphasis on students who have dyslexia. The program is funded through a one-time appropriation of $10 million. 

Bill to stop illegal purchases of Oklahoma land heads to Governor

In an overwhelming vote Friday, the Senate gave its final approval to Senate Bill 212 to strengthen the state’s fight against illegal purchases of Oklahoma land by aliens and non-U.S. citizens. Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, said with the proliferation of land grabs following the legalization of medical marijuana, the state must take swift, definitive action to preserve and protect Oklahoma and its citizens.

“I have been working to stop the foreign takeover of our state by means of illegally purchasing our land,” Bullard said. “To date, they have consumed over 380,000 acres of land. Senate Bill 212 closes the loopholes they are using and adds an affidavit to the process to create a paper trail for law enforcement to shut it down.”

SB 212 clarifies that no alien or any person who is not a U.S. citizen may directly or indirectly, through a business entity or trust, own land in Oklahoma unless otherwise authorized by current law. The measure requires any deed recorded with a county clerk to include an affidavit executed by the person or entity coming into title attesting that the person, business entity, or trust is lawfully obtaining the land and that no funding source is being used in the sale or transfer in violation of any states’ laws or federal law. The bill further requires an affidavit before a county clerk may record any deed. The attorney general would create a separate affidavit for individuals and for business entities or trusts to comply with this legislation. Businesses engaged in regulated interstate commerce in accordance with federal law would be exempt from this prohibition.

Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, is the bill’s principal House author, which now goes to the governor’s office.

Rep. Carl Newton, R-Cherokee, has thanked the governor for signing into law a bill that will allow teens as young as 14 years old who live or work on a family farm to be eligible for a driving permit to go directly to or from home, work or school.

House Bill 1962 becomes effective Nov. 1, which will allow Service Oklahoma time to prepare the new permit.

“Those who run family farms work from dawn to dusk to raise food and other crops to provide for families across the nation,” Newton said. “Allowing these responsible teens to be a more effective part in meeting the needs on the farm by using their driving skills in work around the farm or driving to school will be a major benefit for family farms. I’ve already heard from a number of constituents that this will help them tremendously, and I’m very pleased to be able to offer them this added benefit.” 



Sen. Darcy Jech, R-Kingfisher, was the principal Senate author of the bill.

Atypical Case of BSE Found in Tennessee Cow- USDA Expects No Trade Impacts

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing an atypical case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), a neurologic disease of cattle, in an approximately five-year-old or older beef cow at a slaughter plant in South Carolina. This animal never entered slaughter channels and at no time presented a risk to the food supply or to human health in the United States. Given the United States’ negligible risk status for BSE, we do not expect any trade impacts as a result of this finding.

USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) confirmed that this cow was positive for atypical L-type BSE. The animal was tested as part of APHIS’s routine surveillance of cattle that are deemed unsuitable for slaughter. The radio frequency identification tag present on the animal is associated with a herd in Tennessee. APHIS and veterinary officials in South Carolina and Tennessee are gathering more information during this ongoing investigation.

Atypical BSE generally occurs in older cattle and seems to arise rarely and spontaneously in all cattle populations.

This is the nation’s 7th detection of BSE. Of the six previous U.S. cases, the first, in 2003, was a case of classical BSE in a cow imported from Canada; the rest have been atypical (H- or L-type) BSE.

Over the weekend- we talked with Michael Kelsey of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association about the discovery- you can listen to our conversation with Kelsey by clicking here- Michael is our Monday Beef Buzz guest and the write up on our conversation with him will be in our Tuesday email.

Pecan Conference and Trade Show – June 1-3, 2023 – Tulsa, Ok

Pecan growers are invited to three days of learning, networking and fun at the annual Oklahoma Pecan Growers Association Conference and Trade Show June 1-3 at Tulsa’s Cox Business Convention Center.

The event brings together industry professionals and vendors from across Oklahoma. Pre-registration, due by May 24, is $125 for OPGA members and $175 for non-members. On-site registration will be available during the event. Private pesticide applicator CEUs are available for some of the workshops.

The conference will feature several educational sessions geared toward all pecan producers, from novice to seasoned growers, said Becky Carroll, Oklahoma State University Extension fruit and pecan specialist.



“The first afternoon of the conference features a mini-pecan class with topics including pecan insects, diseases, cultivar selection and tips for successful plantings. A social is planned for that evening,” she said. “The next day’s educational program highlights issues such as crop insurance, soil health, new pecan cultivar releases, protecting pecan crop quality, microbial biopesticides, agritourism and more.”

FAPC Studies Potential of Meat-based Hummus

Many think of hummus as a blended chickpea spread, but an untraditional meat-based hummus with an extended shelf life is dipping into the food industry.

The Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center recently hosted a research project on the potential product. A group of survey participants gathered in a FAPC sensory evaluation lab to sit at isolated desks separated by dividers. The panelists were then presented with various samples of meat-based hummus.

Ranjith Ramanathan, associate professor of animal and food sciences, said there is not a meat-based hummus product currently available on the market.

“We are developing a novel meat-based hummus,” Ramanathan said. “Participants who are a meat eaters and hummus lovers have the opportunity to support research by making the product tastier and more palatable.”

Hummus is a popular Middle Eastern food, and the proposed meat-based, alternative version incorporates traditional lamb meat and innovative flavors. The possibilities for value-added products are inspired by consumer preference.