Cattle Producers Need To Engage in the Carbon Footprint Conversation 

At the recent Cattlemen’s Conference, I talked with Dr. Frank Mitloehner of the University of California, Davis, about the concept of upcycling.

About 70 percent of all agricultural land in the United States is marginal land, Mitloehner said, which is land where crops cannot be grown.

“What grows there is forages containing cellulose,” Mitloehner said. “Cellulose is the world’s most important biomass.”

The only animals we eat that can digest cellulose, Mitloehner said, are ruminants because of their unique digestive nature and the fact that they have microbes that help digest that cellulose.

“The unintended consequences of these microbes is that they produce methane gas and that methane gas must come out, and it does come out through the mouth,” Mitloehner said.

This entire system, Mitloehner said, is nothing short of a miracle. As photosynthesis creates cellulose, Mitloehner said, the animals consume that cellulose and convert it into foods we can enjoy.

“It is nothing short of a miracle because we are upcycling something nobody else can eat into a product that is highly desirable,” Mitloehner said.



Dating back to 1891, Stillwater Milling Company has been supplying ranchers with the highest quality feeds made from the highest quality ingredients. Their full line of A & M Feeds can be delivered direct to your farm, found at their Agri-Center stores in Stillwater, Davis, Claremore and Perry or at more than 125 dealers in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Texas. We appreciate Stillwater Milling Company’s long time support of the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and we encourage you to click here to learn more about their products and services. 



Statement from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on the Confirmation of Xochitl Torres Small as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture

Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the following statement on the confirmation of Xochitl Torres Small as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

“Xochitl Torres Small has dedicated her career to serving the agriculture industry and the American people, and I have witnessed her lead with energy, authenticity and personal investment that I know will leave an impact on USDA for years to come. As the granddaughter of migrant farm workers, Xochitl experienced firsthand the challenges that many producers and rural communities face day in and day out. The hard work and determination she witnessed informs her commitment to public service and her respect for those we serve. Under her leadership, our Rural Development team has made record progress working to drive down energy costs, improve access to high-speed internet, expand processing capacity to help America’s livestock producers attain fairer prices for their work, and provide affordable housing options for rural residents.

“At this critical time when USDA and the Biden-Harris Administration are laser-focused on mobilizing historic investments to rebuild our economy and secure healthier, more vibrant communities for future generations, I am grateful to have Xochitl’s partnership at the helm of the People’s Department. She has time and again met the moment with a collaborative approach and a can-do spirit, and I applaud Congress for confirming her as USDA’s next Deputy Secretary.”    



Since October 2021, Torres Small has served as Under Secretary for Rural Development at USDA. Effective July 14, Rural Development Chief Operating Officer Roger Glendenning will serve as Acting Under Secretary.

Agriculture Industry Reacts to Confirmation of Xochitl Torres Small as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the confirmation of Xochitl Torres Small as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture.

“AFBF congratulates Xochitl Torres Small on her confirmation, and we look forward to working closely with her on the big issues ahead for agriculture. Her previous leadership experience at USDA and her time on the House Agriculture Committee give her important perspective and solid experience to hit the ground running in addressing the challenges and seizing the opportunities ahead for America’s farmers and ranchers.”

Click below to read more reactions:

• NCFC Statement
• American Soybean Association and Soy Growers Statement
• National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Statement
• National Milk Producers Federation Statement
• National Cattlemen's Beef Association Statement
• Ranking Member of House Ag David Scott's Statement

Oklahoma Farm Bureau has selected 12 rural Oklahoma businesses for the organization’s new Oklahoma Grassroots Rural and Ag Business Accelerators program.

The accelerators program is a collaborative rural development initiative from Oklahoma Farm Bureau along with national and state-level partners that develops Oklahoma-based innovators creating ideas, technologies and products creating economic opportunities in rural Oklahoma.

The 12 startups, all based in Oklahoma communities with populations of 50,000 or less, were selected from a robust pool of applicants in early June and recently completed a multi-day business bootcamp at the OKFB home office in Oklahoma City as well as their local CareerTech offices, where they learned business basics and best practices from national and statewide partners.

Each company was assigned to one of two program track cohorts based on their business innovation.

How To Switch To Regenerative Management Without Big Upfront Costs, Tough Trade-offs

When Noble Research Institute leaders talk to ranchers about making a shift to regenerative management, they inevitably field the two big questions: “So … what’s the cost? What’s the trade-off?”

Noble Senior Ag Consultant Mike Porter says ranchers often expect to hear that new management practices automatically come with a prohibitive price tag. 

“The fact is, if somebody is doing regenerative management appropriately, they should have fewer costs,” Porter says. “The whole point is to work with the resources you have.”

He’s leery of anyone who says a rancher needs to make big, upfront infrastructure investment or pay a high price for a new tool or trick in order to consider themselves ‘regenerative.’ 

Benefits of Creep Grazing with Dr. Mark Johnson

Mark Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Breeding Specialist, offers herd health advice as part of the weekly series known as the “Cow Calf Corner” published electronically by Dr. Peel, Mark Johnson, and Paul Beck. Today, Johnson talks about the benefits of creep grazing.

This week we re-visit the potential benefits of creep grazing. While creep feeding, based on grains, has been studied in the animal science field for many years and quite a lot of data is available, typically when the question of whether creep feeding is cost-effective practice comes up. The simple answer for commercial cow/calf operations is “not in most circumstances”. This is particularly true for spring calving operations. Calf weaning weights can be increased anywhere from about 20 to 80 pounds. However, in most cases, the value of added weight gain will not cover the added expenses of creep feeding. Even so, not all operations make this decision based on the economics. For example, seedstock producers may have entirely different objectives when it comes to creep feeding. Chief among those include marketing and expression of genetic potential for growth. 

Creep grazing, on the other hand, has potential to be a more cost effective solution. Creep grazing programs can produce additional calf gains using forage rather than the traditional grain-based creep diets. There are many ways to adapt this system to each individual situation, but the bottom line is that it must be profitable.