Congressman Frank Lucas Dives into 2023 Farm Bill Update and Process

I had the chance to catch up with Congressman Frank Lucas and talk about the 2023 Farm Bill. Lucas is the former Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee and now serves as the current senior member of the House Agriculture Committee.

“We are moving from the hearing phase over to the drafting phase of the process,” Lucas said. “Chairman Thompson still believes it is possible to have a markup in September.”

Lucas suggests to his fellow farmers and ranchers to remember there was an extension on the 2008 Farm Bill and the 2014 Farm Bill. The 2018 bill did not have any extensions, he added, but it was still not completed until after September 30.

There are 28 legislative days between now and the 30th of September, Lucas said, so he is guessing there will be an extension. The final bill, he added, will most likely be completed around February or March of 2024.

This next Farm Bill will be an extension of the 2018 Farm Bill with improvements and refinements, Lucas said, just as the 2018 Farm Bill was an extension of the 2014 Farm Bill.

Things are more difficult this time around, Lucas said, because there are five more Republicans than Democrats out of 435 individuals.



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The Heat is ON with Triple Digit Temps this Week Across the State

Dangerous Temps are expected across the State this week with excessive heat warnings. According to State Climatologist Gary McManus, heat index values are up to 114 degrees. With temperatures this hot, there’s a possibility of heat illnesses, so be careful and make sure you have plenty of water on hand.

The Dangerous high temps will be sticking around for the next couple of days as we are approaching the hottest part of the year for most of Oklahoma and throughout the U.S.

“The hottest day of the year occurs from mid-July through mid-August," McManus said. "That’s what we see for much of Oklahoma as well."

McManus says come Friday, we may see a little relief from this heat as we see highs only in the upper 80s.(that's the Mesonet map you see above- looking forward to the relief!!!)

Rundown of This Week’s OCA Convention and Trade Show with Michael Kelsey

In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am talking with the executive vice president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, Michael Kelsey, about the upcoming Annual OCA Convention and Trade Show.

The OCA’s 71st Annual Convention and Trade Show will be held on July 21st and 22nd in Norman, Oklahoma at the Embassy Suites Convention Center. The theme of this year’s convention, Kelsey said, is “Past Preserved Present Prepared,” so the educational sessions featuring a variety of speakers will follow the same concept.

Donnell Brown of the R.A. Brown Ranch in Throckmorton, Texas will be the keynote speaker of the event, Kelsey said, talking about balancing production, survival, sustainability, and joy.

“We have got six educational sessions that are going to be powerful in addition to the learning lounges,” Kelsey said. “The trade show will be set up and we have got a lot of different awards that we will be presenting both on our banquet Saturday night as well as the juniors will be presenting some awards. Lots of scholarships.”

Also at the event, Kelsey said the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry will be having an open board meeting after lunch on Friday.

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AFR to Host Leadership Summit for Oklahoma Youth July 23-29

American Farmers & Ranchers (AFR) Cooperative will host more 270 Oklahoma students next week as they learn to be effective leaders in their homes, schools and communities. Held at the Heartland Conference Center in Midwest City, the 2023 AFR Leadership Summit will be divided into two sessions: Teen Session for students entering grades 7-9 and Senior Session for students entering grades 10-12.

The AFR Leadership Summit focuses on leadership development and team-building exercises. The theme of this year’s Summit is “Mission: I’m Possible.”

In addition to this year’s leadership development activities, Summit attendees will participate in a camp-wide service project. For this year’s Summit project, students will prepare 500 care boxes for active military personnel serving overseas.

About American Farmers & Ranchers Cooperative: AFR Cooperative is a membership services organization established in 1905 as Oklahoma Farmers Union. AFR provides educational, legislative and cooperative programs across the state and serves as a watchdog for Oklahoma’s family farmers and ranchers and rural communities. The organization is actively supportive of the state’s agricultural industry and rural population with membership consisting of farmers actively involved in production agriculture and non-farmers adding their voice in support of AFR principles.

Challenging Times for Growth Promoting Implant Use

Weekly, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Nutrition Specialist Paul Beck offers his expertise on the beef cattle industry. This is a part of the weekly series known as the “Cow-Calf Corner.” Today, he talks about utilizing implants in cattle.

The U. S. Beef industry has used anabolic implants since the mid 50’s when Synovex-S was approved for use in growing cattle. The artificial equivalent to testosterone, trenbolone acetate (TBA), combined with estrogen like compounds has been in use since the late 80’s. The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved implants in use today as efficacious and safe for beef cattle production. There has never been a substantiated adverse event for humans since approval in 1956. All implants are approved for no withdrawal before slaughter, emphasizing their safety.

Label changes, effective July 1, 2023, make reimplanting within a production phase off-label use of implants unless the label specifically states it is approved for reimplanting.

What are the stages of production?

There are currently 3:

1. “Beef calves 2 months of age and older” – defined by FDA as “Beef calves considered ruminating and nursing their dams from 2 months of age to weaning.”

The FDA states: “While there are cattle ear implants approved for use in this production phase, no implants are approved for use in a reimplantation program in this production phase of cattle.”

Dutch Farmers’ Advocate Eva Vlaardingerbroek To Headline R-CALF USA Convention

Dutch farmers’ advocate and internationally renowned political commentator, Eva Vlaardingerbroek of Amsterdam, Netherlands, will give a keynote address “The Global War on Farming: Control the Food, Control the People” at R-CALF USA’s 24th Annual National Convention and Trade Show in Rapid City, South Dakota, on Friday, Aug. 18.

Vlaardingerbroek is known worldwide as one of the key voices advocating for farmers and fighting globalism. According to her blog, “Resist Much, Obey Little,” she cites her mission as fighting the eradication of freedom and fundamental rights.

Along with many others, she helped incite change in her home country after years of farmer demonstrations against environmentalist policy directly attacking Dutch farming operations. These actions were heard around the world, as thousands of Dutch farmers drove tractors to the nation’s capital in protest, resulting in election victory for the farmers and their supporters.

Gaining an international following, Vlaardingerbroek has brought attention to the fight against globalism far past the borders of her country and throughout America, Europe, and in other strong agricultural producing countries. After scrolling through both social media and network media, it is evident she understands that these radical environmental policies in the Netherlands are just the start of a globalized effort to control the food supply and those who produce it in the name of saving the planet.