It’s another step in the journey by farmers and ranchers who belong to the Oklahoma Farm Bureau to set their policy priorities for 2024 here in the final part of 2023. Taking proposals from the County Farm Bureaus- the State Resolutions Committee boiled down hundreds of ideas to 75 resolutions that will be presented for consideration by the full delegate body at the OKFB Annual Meeting in a few weeks in downtown Oklahoma City.

I caught up with Steve Thompson, Vice President of Public Policy for Oklahoma Farm Bureau on Friday afternoon to talk about what some of the policy themes are for the group to grapple with in 2024.

“There was almost a even split between local/state and big picture /national issues that were brought up and there was also both things that our members were supporting as well as things they are very much opposed to.” Of the things that the delegates were strongly supporting- the Beef Checkoff- while one issue that the members were clearly not happy about- the EPA’s plans to use the endangered species act to enhance pesticide regulations- and they also have no interest in supporting the elimination of the state income tax as called for by Governor Stitt.



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Wet and cold weather dominated a lot of Oklahoma over this past weekend- and it will be clearing up but staying cold as we end October with warmer temps coming back in the early days of November.

The Mesonet rainfall map above shows the rainfall totals for this past weekend as of early Monday morning. Tahlequah picked up almost 3 inches over the weekend- and the Saturday-Sunday amounts were larger in east central locations- but Altus added an inch in the southwest. Miami also got over an inch over the weekend- and they had only had a half inch or so before that over the past week.

Meanwhile- the map below captures the rain from this morning all the way back to last Monday- showing a lot of Oklahoma got significant rains of two inches or more. There are at least a dozen Mesonet stations with at least five inches of rain over the past seven days- all south of I-40 except Newkirk up by the Kansas state line.

The northwest and the Panhandle were pretty much left out of this multi front rain event.

Both maps are clickable- so you can go and see exactly who has gotten what

Former OSU PASS Department Head Dr. Jeff Edwards Named Dean of Ag at University of Arkansas College of Ag

Jeff Edwards has been named dean of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences and senior associate vice president for academic programs of the Division of Agriculture, effective Jan. 1, 2024, in a joint appointment by U of A Provost Terry Martin and U of A System Vice President for Agriculture Deacue Fields.

Edwards will succeed interim Dean Jean-Francois Meullenet. In January, Meullenet will return to his role as senior associate vice president for agriculture research and director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station for the U of A System Division of Agriculture.

“I am thrilled Dr. Jeff Edwards will serve as the next dean of Bumpers College,” Martin said. “Since joining the U of A in 2022, Dr. Edwards has accomplished a great deal in a short amount of time. He has proven himself to be an exceptional leader, and he is known throughout the country for his work in improving agricultural systems and environmental sustainability. In this new role, he will continue to serve the U of A well, and I know he will help elevate the Bumpers College and its programs in the state, region and nation.”

Dr. Edwards served as the Department Head of the Plant and Soil Science Department at Oklahoma State from 2015-2022. Before that- he was out State Wheat Specialist for several years.

Congrats Jeff!!!!

Out of a total of 35 national FFA officer candidates who will be in Indianapolis for the National FFA Convention this coming week to compete for six spots in the next National FFA officer leadership team, two of those 35 candidates are students at Oklahoma State University studying in the Ferguson College of Agriculture.

Those two students include  Braden Heisler of Waukomis, Oklahoma,, Oklahoma, and Erynn Allison, from Tifton, Georgia. I had the chance to visit with Allison about what inspired her to run for a national FFA office.

Early on, Allison said she knew the FFA was where she was meant to be.

“I participated in over 14 career development events through my time that ranged from prepared public speaking, where I gave a speech on prescribed burns, to floriculture and environmental natural resources,” Allison said.

“I found my place in leadership,” Allison said. “I was an area officer for two years, and eventually, I served as Georgia FFA State South Region Vice President my senior year of high school,” Allison said.

Allison adds FFA is the reason she chose to attend Oklahoma State University in hopes of pursuing a career as an agricultural educator. When asked about her experience at OSU, Allison said it feels like home.

Heisler and Alison have been busy the last couple of days with lots of interaction in front of the Nomination Committee. They will learn tonight if they have made the first cut in the process- where the 35 candidates will be reduced by about half. Those finalists will then be on pins and needles until Saturday afternoon when they hope to hear their name called as one of the six national officers for the coming year of the National FFA.

I had the chance in recent days to talk with Elanco Animal Health Principal Research Scientist Ron Tessman, about Bovine Respiratory Disease and a different way to treat it.

“We look at across any of the sectors of the cattle industry, and BRD is right there at the top, if not at the top when we think about cost,” Tessman said. “It is not just the monetary cost of treatment, but the cost associated with labor, with identifying the disease, and really the cost associated with production losses that we may not even recognize.”

The lungs of a cow are set up to receive BRD, Tessman said, as research has found that many cows have had BRD without treatment. Because of the long-term implications of BRD on the health of cattle, Tessman recommends administering Zelnate.



“It is a product that is unique in the market when we think about those things that are approved for BRD, in that it is not an antibiotic and it is not a vaccine,” Tessman said. “It is termed an immunostimulant. I prefer to call it an immunomodulator.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing the appointment of 21 new members and nine returning members to the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF). The purpose of the committee is to provide impartial scientific advice and recommendations to federal food safety agencies that assures the safety of foods.

Members of the committee are chosen based on their expertise in microbiology, risk assessment, epidemiology, public health, food science and other relevant disciplines.

One individual affiliated with a consumer group is included in the membership of the committee and five members are federal government employees representing the five federal agencies involved in NACMCF. The activities of NACMCF are carried out, in part, by subcommittees that are focused on specific areas being considered by the full committee.



“NACMCF members bring a wealth of expertise and dedication to the critical mission of ensuring the safety of our nation’s meat and poultry products,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Their contributions will help us continue to strengthen our nation’s food supply and protect the health and well-being of American consumers.”

Starting Wednesday- You Can Vote for NCBA's National Anthem Singer for 2024: Our Suggestion?- Vote for Landri Jones of Weatherford!

Four finalists have been selected in the 11th annual National Anthem Singing Contest, sponsored by Norbrook®. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is inviting the public to vote for the winner beginning November 1. 

Introducing the four finalists:

Landri Jones of Weatherford, Oklahoma, is a fifth-generation cattle producer and FFA member whose family manages a cow-calf operation. 

Shirley Matlock of Greenfield, Indiana, is a veteran of the United States Air Force and enjoys working alongside her children and grandchildren on the family’s cow-calf operation, including singing to the herd when on gate duty. 

Brittany Price of Center, North Dakota, is a fifth-generation farmer and rancher who works for North Dakota State University Extension, raises Simmental cattle, and helps her husband run a feedlot. 

Anna Sponheim of Winifred, Montana, helps on her family’s cattle and wheat farm and serves the industry as Program Manager at the Montana Beef Council.

Voting opens Wednesday and you can vote once daily through November 15th.

Get on Team Landri and vote daily!