OSU's Shannon Ferrell Says Everyone Needs a Transfer Plan

Last Thursday, the Women In Agriculture and Small Business Conference was hosted in Edmond, Oklahoma. At this conference, Dr. Shannon Ferrell presented two talks on farm and family transition planning. Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Intern, Maci Carter, got the opportunity to talk to Dr. Ferrell about family farm and ranch transition planning, how to make the transition easier, where to start, and much more.

“What we’re really talking about is not only how do we move a person’s property after they’ve passed away, but how do we successfully move an intact business from one generation to the next,” Ferrell said.

Most people think of this topic as just estate planning, and while that’s true, it is certainly not the only piece to the puzzle. Ferrel explains that farm transition planning is more of a transfer of livelihood.

“We want to make sure that we’ve got a nice smooth pathway for every part of the farm that is vital to its economic well-being,” Ferrell said.

Ferrell explained that gradual and smooth transitions are vital to ensuring the best outcome possible. Slow transitions over time and in advance allow for adjustments as needed and proper preparation as people take on this new role in their life.

“The more that people have that information, the better decisions they make and the less nasty surprises I think we have opportunities for in the process as well,” Ferrell said.



The Oklahoma Agriculture Mediation Program knows this is a hard time for farmers and ranchers. We want you to know we are still open, and we are still here for you. The Ag Mediation program is a free service that provides mediation to agriculture producers who may need help with ag-related disputes.

At Oklahoma Ag Mediation, we have been helping people in agriculture resolve conflicts since 1987. We know firsthand about working together to resolve conflicts, so you don’t have to go through the court systems. Let our professional mediators help you. Mediation is allowed for lease issues, farmer/neighbor disputes, family farm transitions, and more. These services are available at no cost for Oklahoma farmers and ranchers in all 77 counties. For more information, you can go to ok.gov/mediation, or give us a call at 800 248 5465.



In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am visiting with the senior vice president of global marketing and research at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Jennifer Nealson, about beef promotion.

With tighter supplies and higher prices, Nealson said one of the efforts the Beef Checkoff has focused on is teaching consumers how they can stretch their dollar and do more with the beef they purchase at the grocery store.

“The strategy we are deploying now is to help people understand how you cook beef once and serve it twice, and also beginning to reduce the barriers to entry,” Nealson said. “I think when you have higher prices, people are less likely to buy because they are worried they don’t know how to cook it.”

Nealson said more content is being released to help people choose what to buy at the supermarket and prepare it properly. A big message being pushed, Nealson said, is that beef can be cooked for more than just special occasions.

“They are still getting that great taste and that nutritional value and maybe even making it stretch further, bringing the price down for them, having it for many meals,” Nealson said.

Dr. Rebekah Hartfield Emphasizes Proper Treatment and Prevention of Common Illnesses and Injuries in Cattle

Associate Farm Editor, Reagan Calk, had the chance to visit with Dr. Rebekah Hartfield about common illnesses and injuries in cattle that she sees on a weekly basis at her clinic, Holdenville Veterinary Clinic.

Lameness in cattle is one of the most common issues, Hartfield said, and while foot rot is not the only cause of lameness, it is a frequent cause. Hartfield said lameness can also be caused by abscesses and overgrowth of the hooves.

“The other thing I love talking about is anaplasmosis, which is very common here in Oklahoma,” Hartfield said.

Anaplasmosis is seen weekly, Hartfield said and is caused by Horn Flies and can lead to severe anemia.

Hartfield said for issues that a producer is not completely confident about, she recommends bringing cattle into the clinic rather than diagnosing and treating the problem at home. One example Hartfield provided was foot rot- many times, the root of the problem is something else, she said, such as an abscess causing symptoms similar to foot rot.

“We are able to actually treat that animal more efficiently and minimize the number of times we are giving antibiotics,” Hartfield said. “You should be able to identify the problem, give it an antibiotic, treat the issue topically with things, and it should clear up. Hopefully, minimize the amount of antibiotics that are actually going into that animal.”

Hartfield also talked about the importance of breeding soundness exams for bulls. At her clinic, Hartfield said she only charges $65 per bull, which is less expensive than losing an entire calf crop due to a bull that is not sound enough to breed.

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 adding value to your calf crop.

After addressing last week’s question of retained ownership, this week we look at our calf crop from the standpoint of your buyer. Cattle markets remain robust with the promise of getting even better. Even with that being the case, there is no excuse for leaving $ behind when marketing your calves. Understanding what has value to your calf buyer is key to capturing the most possible $ in the market place.

If I were buying calves, what would I want?

• Uniformity. Calves of similar weight (less than 100 lbs.). Similar age (less than 90 days). Same sex. Similar condition (not too fat, not too thin). Uniformity in quantity adds even more value. Uniform semi-load lots of 50,000 lbs. is best. If this is not possible from your operation alone consider collaborating with other cattlemen to pool calves or investigate the marketing potential of the Oklahoma Quality Beef Network sales (website link below).

• Management. Buyers want calves that are polled or dehorned. Steers that are castrated and heifers that are open. When these conditions are not met, calves will be discounted. Furthermore, calves weaned for 45 days, vaccinated (twice), bunk broke and pre-conditioned have more appeal to buyers and accordingly potentially sell at a premium.

• Genetics. Calves sired by bulls of similar genetics that appear to be from the same cow herd adds to uniformity. Documentation of genetic potential in the form records of past calf crops health, growth and cost of gain, dressing percentage, carcass weight, carcass quality and cutability add potential value.

Oklahoma Water Resources Board set to host stakeholder Input meetings across the State

Farmers and ranchers are invited to attend the Oklahoma Water Resources Board’s upcoming stakeholder input meetings this month. As the largest user of water in Oklahoma, it is crucial for agriculture to have a voice in these meetings.

The stakeholder meetings will center on the impending updates to Oklahoma’s Comprehensive Water Plan with discussions on water policy, future water supply and demand, water challenges and more.

Two virtual meetings will be offered on Aug. 18 and Aug. 31 for participants who are unable to attend an in-person meeting. More details will be shared on these virtual meetings soon.

For more information on the stakeholder input meetings and OCWP changes, visit the OWRB website.

Regenerative Ranching Runs Downstream

Land management decisions have consequences – both good and bad – for your ranch’s watershed and the health of your bodies of water.

When you peer into your ranch’s stream, pond or lake, what do you see? Does clear water flow over a rocky substrate teaming with fish, crayfish and other organisms? Or is the water muddied or overrun with algae with only a few water bugs skittering across the surface?

A ranch’s watershed – the land from which water runs off into bodies of water – and its water sources can tell a lot about how the land is managed. Healthy bodies of water reflect proper, regenerative management techniques. As the saying goes, everything runs downstream, which is undoubtedly the case with ranch management, according to Steve Swaffar, ag consultant at Noble Research Institute.

“If you see a lot of bare soil in a native-grass system or along your watersheds, then you’ve probably overstocked, and it’s affecting your entire watershed. If you see a bunch of attached algae on the streambed or rocks that is 30 feet from your cornfield, you’re probably sending a heck of a lot of very expensive fertilizer down that stream,” he says. 

Challenge Accepted: U.S. Soy Is Stepping Up to Address Global Food Scarcity

U.S. farmers produce a safe, reliable and consistent supply of food for our country and, through U.S. exports, for many countries globally. While there may be food deserts in the United States where pockets of citizens need periodic food assistance, there are no vast underserved or malnourished populations like those existing in countries where access to quality food and protein is unavailable or limited at best.

In many parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America, thousands of children are not just going to bed hungry — severe malnutrition is widespread and frequently a precursor to life-threatening diseases. The statistics are staggering and hard to fathom. According to the UN World Food Programme, over 30 million children across 15 countries are severely hungry, meaning they suffer from extreme weight loss due to lack of nourishment. Global food security is a crisis of unimaginable magnitude in which America’s 515,000 soybean farmers are playing a vital role to address.

For 15 years, Edesia, a nonprofit social enterprise, has been manufacturing protein-rich food products fortified with U.S. Soy flour at their production facility in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The packets are shipped around the world and deliver nourishment to millions of malnourished children. Through the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) program, the soy checkoff funds research to verify the advantages of increasing the content of soy in formulations of Edesia’s life-saving products.