American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented on Wednesday on the election of Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) to be Speaker of the House.

“AFBF congratulates Rep. Mike Johnson on his election to Speaker of the House. Speaker Johnson has a strong history of supporting America’s farmers and ranchers, which has earned him the ‘Friend of Farm Bureau’ award multiple times.

“America’s families are relying on Speaker Johnson, and Congress, to focus on pressing needs, including completion of fiscal year 2024 appropriations and passage of a farm bill. The farm bill provides certainty to those who grow this nation’s food, fuel and fiber and plays a vital role in ensuring a safe and affordable food supply for everyone.

“We stand ready to work with Speaker Johnson to pass this important legislation. Every family in America is counting on his leadership.

Click below to read more reactions to the election of Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) to be Speaker of the House:

• Lucas Congratulates Mike Johnson as Next Speaker
• Cole Congratulates Speaker Mike Johnson
• Congressman Josh Brecheen Applauds the Election of Speaker Mike Johnson
• Bice Supports New House Speaker

And Coming in Friday's Email- our conversation with Ethan Lane of NCBA on the new Speaker- and what is ahead as the House gets back to work.



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Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, is featuring comments from Farm Director, KC Sheperd’s interview with the Executive Vice President of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, Michael Kelsey, about the OCA 2023 Fall Gatherings.

The OCA has been conducting fall gatherings for over 20 years, Kelsey said, to allow cattle producers, OCA members, and more to have a chance to get together and talk about the latest issues.

The next Fall Gathering is tonight in Bristow at the Bell Cattle Company.

There are nine Fall Gatherings hosted across the state, Kelsey said, and anyone is welcome to attend.

“Our winter policy meeting is in January, so a lot of times, we get a lot of good ideas and a lot of good feedback and input from members at these meetings,” Kelsey said.

Some of the issues that Kelsey has been hearing lately from producers include the cattle markets, the Farm Bill, tax policy, and more.

“The governor is proposing to eliminate the income tax, which we do not favor, and we have not been bashful about that…,” Kelsey said.

More Rain on the Way with Cooler Temps and Frost on the Pumpkins for Next week

We have the latest rainfall map for this week above- as of 4 AM Thursday morning- and it's linked to the Mesonet four day rainfall totals as it shows a lot of Oklahoma has gotten significant rainfall. What follows comes out of the latest Mesonet Ticker from Gary McManus:

This week, Oklahoma has seen some much-needed rain across the state, with what looks to be more on the way thanks to Hurricane Norma. State Climatologist Gary McManus says we’ve seen very generous rainfall with a possibility of storm # 2 and Storm #3. Storm #2 is moving thru eastern parts of the state as of early Thursday morning. Storm #3 will hit the state, moving in over the weekend.

With these storms comes much cooler weather, according to McManus.

“I would imagine to the east, we’ll see those lows drop below record-high levels as the rain moves in, but again just another way to show how moist it is," McManus said. "Those high dewpoints act as sort of a barrier to temperatures falling below that point (dewpoint to be exact) due to the release of heat with condensation if the temperature reached that dewpoint temperature.”

Mcmanus says Storm #3 Will be bringing chilly spooky temps for the trick or treaters next week.

“We’re going to get a cold front on Friday with storm system #3, but sometime Saturday night or Sunday, we’re going to get a cold front, with the first arctic air of the season," McManus said. "And, I’m talking bone-chilling cold if you’re out in it, with wind chills down into the 20s, a widespread hard freeze, and maybe some ice up in NW OK.”

To celebrate National Pork Month on October 24, a free Prairie Fresh pork lunch was served, courtesy of the Made in Oklahoma Coalition, Oklahoma Pork Council, Head Country, and Homeland Stores. Following the lunch, Farm Director, KC Sheperd had the chance to visit with David Brooks, a founding member of the Made in Oklahoma Coalition.

Brooks has been working with the Made in Oklahoma Coalition for 25 years and has also been with Shawnee Mills for 26 years. Brooks is seen on television quite often cooking Made in Oklahoma recipes.

As the holiday season draws near, Brooks said some of his favorite Made in Oklahoma products include pecan pies and hams.

“We have so many pepper jellies and things like that just trim out a good dinner,” Brooks said.

Brooks said there are now around 100 companies within the Made in Oklahoma Coalition that produce everything from meat and produce to dressings and sauces. The Made in Oklahoma Coalition website also has gift baskets available.

“We can do breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” Brooks said. “We actually have a couple of egg companies now.”

Angus Genetics, Inc. releases Functional Longevity research EPD

Now available in a research EPD format, functional longevity (FL) evaluates how long Angus cows stay in the herd and how many calves they produce.  The Functional Longevity (FL) research expected progeny difference (EPD) was released by the American Angus Association® for breeders on October 25. The trait’s purpose is to help further characterize relevant maternal traits, which aim to increase the long-term success of breeders and profitability of cow-calf herds.

The Angus Genetics Inc (AGI®) research team, which conducts the breed’s development of EPDs, leveraged the dataset from Angus Herd Improvement Records (AHIR®) Inventory Reporting as a base for FL.

“I want to applaud the membership, because those data submissions on those traits that we needed have really ramped up,” said Smitty Lamb, Association board of directors’ member and AGI® board chairman. “You’ve allowed us to provide this tool.”

At its most basic, functional longevity looks at not only how long a sire’s daughters will stay in the herd, but also how many calves they will produce during their lifetime. The unit of the trait is number of calves produced by six years of age, with a higher EPD meaning on average sires’ daughters are predicted to produce more calves by six years of age, compared to a lower EPD.

OSU College of Veterinary Medicine Fall Conference coming up November 9-10th

The OSU College of Veterinary Medicine Fall Conference is coming up on November 9-10! Details below:

• In person and virtual online continuing education (CE) program offered via Zoom
• Meets Thursday, November 9 from 8 AM to 5 PM (CST), and Friday, November 10 from 8 AM to 5 PM (CST)
• Brought to you by OSU Veterinary Medicine 
• Approved for up to 15 hours of CE in Oklahoma by the Oklahoma Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
• This course has been approved as CE by the Oklahoma Veterinary Board. If you are licensed in another state, please note many states accept CE when it is offered (1) as approved by another state board (OSU CVM CE is Oklahoma Board approved); or (2) offered by an accredited veterinary school (OSU CVM is an accredited school). Please satisfy yourself as to your state’s requirements.