Stillwater FFA of Oklahoma was named the 2023 National Model of Excellence winner at the 96th National FFA Convention & Expo this year in Indianapolis.

After the Chapter received the award in the third General Session-I caught up with Stillwater FFA members Ryne Crosthwait and Trinity Blosch to talk with them about their efforts to serve the Stillwater community.

Among their projects- Stillwater FFA taught farm fire safety by connecting members to their local fire department during a hands-on learning demonstration at the school farm. Members learned how to use a fire extinguisher as well as teamwork to fight fires and signed a pledge to practice fire safety. The chapter hosted fourth graders for a day where the children learned about animal handling practices, smoking bees, food safety and supporting agriculture.

Earlier in the second general session- Guthrie FFA saw two of their Livestock Judging team members place in the top ten nationally- including Maysen Garrett named High Individual of the contest- and that enabled Guthrie to win the National Title in 2023 for Livestock Evaluation. Steven Sanders was fifth high individual.

We will recap the achievements of Oklahoma FFA members in our Monday email- it's going to be a lengthy one based on where we stand right now- and what we know is still to come.

Our coverage this week from the 2023 Convention has been powered by Oklahoma Farm Bureau- Together- We Are Oklahoma!



Oklahoma AgCredit supports rural Oklahoma with reliable and consistent credit, today and tomorrow. We offer loans for land, livestock, equipment, operating costs and country homes (NMLSR #809962) to farmers, ranchers and rural businesses across 60 counties. As a cooperative, we are owned by the members we serve. Through our Patronage Program, we have returned more than $74 million to our members since 1997.

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According to the latest Oklahoma drought monitor report, exceptional drought remains at zero percent, unchanged from the past three months.

Extreme drought or worse is at 1.16 percent, improved significantly from last week’s 13.47 percent.

Severe drought or worse is now at 13.68 percent, improved from last week’s 33.91 percent.

Moderate drought or worse is now at 35.82 percent, improved from last week’s 49.29 percent.

Abnormally dry or worse conditions are now at 50.27 percent, down from last week’s 72.12 percent.

According to the 6-10-day precipitation outlook map, the northern half of the state is standing at a near-normal chance of precipitation through November 11. The southern half of the state is leaning below a 33 to 40 percent chance of precipitation through that November 11 date.

Click the drought map above the story to see Oklahoma's drought numbers for this week.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Says a Farm Bill Extention Will be Needed

At the Thursday morning general session of the 2023 National FFA Convention, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack addressed students, agricultural educators, and guests before signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the organization formalizing a partnership to prepare more students for careers in food, agricultural science, natural resources, and related fields.

Afterward, Vilsack met with the media and gave an update on the Farm Bill. 

“We are not going to have a Farm Bill passed before December 31,” Vilsack said. “But we do have to have an extension because we don’t want the program to lapse because if it were to lapse, there would be serious consequences to the farmers, but also very serious consequences to the economy and the consumers.”

Vilsack said he is confident there will be an extension, but how long the extension will be is yet to be known.

“I think the Senate leadership, in a bipartisan way, is suggesting a year,” Vilsack said. “I don’t think they think it will take a year to get the Farm Bill done, but they think that is the easiest and simplest format to get the 60 votes necessary to get it passed in the Senate.”

Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack addressed students, agricultural educators, and guests at the opening session of the 96th National FFA Convention and Expo before signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the organization formalizing a partnership to prepare more students for careers in food, agricultural science, natural resources, and related fields.

In his remarks, Secretary Vilsack shared USDA’s vision to secure the future of American agriculture and opportunities for the next generation of agricultural leaders. He emphasized the importance of ensuring that farms of all sizes have the opportunity to succeed. This starts by transforming our agriculture system to one that lifts up small and mid-sized farms, strengthens local rural economies, and enhances our food security and safety to create value and opportunity for all producers and communities.

While at the convention, Secretary Vilsack and Scott Stump, chief executive officer of the National FFA Organization, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to underscore the Department’s commitment to youth in agriculture.

Multi-disciplinary project aims to predict stress in cattle

Oklahoma State University researchers have launched a $1 million, four-year, multi-disciplinary project to study stress in cattle using artificial intelligence and sensor technologies.

“I had a theory that some of these animals may be genetically predisposed to becoming dark cutters or having heart failure or being less efficient due to physical stressors and animal-environment interactions,” said Janeen Salak-Johnson, associate professor of animal and food sciences.

Dark cutter refers to meat that fails to have a bright red color when grading. Carcasses without bright coloring are not sold in retail stores and are discounted for other food services. Scientists believe the condition is partially caused by the accumulative stressors livestock animals experience during the weaning phase.

The project, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Interdisciplinary Engagement in Animal Systems program, will study moderate-growth and high-growth cattle under the same conditions to determine if differences exist between them when they are stressed. Sensor technology will be used to monitor animal behavior and response to stress, including heart rate, body temperature, steps and respiration rate. 

Foreign Investment in U.S. Ag Land – The Latest Numbers

Foreign investment in U.S. agricultural land is a hot topic, largely spurred by media reports raising concerns about bad actors from adversarial nations purchasing land for potentially hostile purposes. Several questions arise when considering this issue. First and foremost, how much agricultural land in the U.S. is owned by foreign investors and from what countries do those investors hail? Second, what kind of land do these foreign entities own? Productive cropland? Forestland? Or perhaps open space for energy production or other purposes? Additionally, how have these numbers changed in recent years? While data exists to answer many of these questions, the quality of these data points has often been questioned, complicating our true understanding of how much U.S. ag land is owned by foreign investors and who they are. This article summarizes the latest available data with some critiques of its quality.

As noted in a January Congressional Research Service report, the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (AFIDA) established a nationwide system for collecting information pertaining to foreign ownership of U.S. ag land (defined as land used for forestry production, farming, ranching or timber production). AFIDA defines a foreign person to include “any individual, corporation, company, association, partnership, society, joint stock company, trust, estate, or any other legal entity” (including “any foreign government”) under the laws of a foreign government or with a principal place of business outside the United States. U.S. citizens and green card holders are explicitly excluded from AFIDA requirements. The regulations require foreign persons who buy, sell or gain interest in U.S. agricultural land to disclose their holdings and transactions to USDA directly or to the Farm Service Agency office where the land is located. Failure to disclose this information may result in penalties and fines through USDA investigative action. Maximum civil penalties of up to 25% of the fair market value of the interest held in land can be levied for those who fail to comply. The accuracy of disclosed data relies on voluntary compliance and self-reporting by the foreign entities.

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