On Tuesday- I talked with the Co-Founder and managing partner of Combest Sell & Associates, Tom Sell. Sell, and I talked about new rules the USDA has now put in place on the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) for 2022. This announcement comes 10 months after funding was initially signed into law in the 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act.  

Combest Sell & Associates represents the Southwest Council of Agribusiness across Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico.

“They made a massive departure from the rules…,” Sell said. 

Sell said the USDA has changed the makeup of the disaster assistance program in a way that is biased against larger, full-time farmers.

“In the previous programs, you would calculate the loss based on this threshold that is in the law, and has been endorsed by the law, then once you calculate that loss- say it is 100,000 dollars, you would get 75 percent of that loss,” Sell said.

The new formulation of pay limits, Sell said, reduces that amount significantly compared to years passed.

“For anything beyond 10,000 dollars in losses, you only get 7.5 percent of help, and that is not at all what Congress intended,” Sell said.

Dating back to 1891, Stillwater Milling Company has been supplying ranchers with the highest quality feeds made from the highest quality ingredients. Their full line of A & M Feeds can be delivered direct to your farm, found at their Agri-Center stores in Stillwater, Davis, Claremore and Perry or at more than 125 dealers in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Texas. 

We appreciate Stillwater Milling Company’s long time support of the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and we encourage you to click here to learn more about their products and services.

New American Angus Association President Barry Pollard Talks Genetics

In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am talking with the new president and chairman of the board of the American Angus Association, and Oklahoma seedstock producer, Dr. Barry Pollard.

We caught up with Dr. Pollard at the 2023 American Angus Convention in Orlando- and we talked about the role he will serve and the latest technology in the beef industry.

Pollard said he has always been interested in Angus cattle. From raising stocker cattle to having a background in medicine and genetics, Pollard said after he became more involved in Angus genetics and raising Angus cattle years ago, serving in a leadership role had been on his mind for quite some time.

“I have gone nationwide purchasing good genetics from other prominent breeders,” Pollard said. “We select the matings, and we do a lot of embryo transplant, and we do a lot of flushing of the cowherd. We do a lot of invitro fertilization, and of course, through flushing and IVF, that is the fastest way to make improvements in your herd and multiply the good genetics.”

Pollard also talked about the use of gene editing in recent years. One of the conversations the Angus board has had regarding this subject is the rules that may need to be in place to monitor the edits that come forward.

Bennie Beutler with Beutler and Son Rodeo Company, to be Inducted Into the Rodeo Hall of Fame on November 11

On November 11, 2023, Bennie Beutler of Beutler & Son Rodeo Company will be inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame. Farm Director, KC Sheperd, had the chance to talk with Beutler about the history of Beutler & Son Rodeo Company.

Beutler was born April 4, 1949, in Elk City, Oklahoma. His granddad, Elra, and father, Jiggs, were longtime RCA and PRCA stock contractors and it was no surprise that Beutler followed their lead. Today, Beutler & Son Rodeo Company is operated by Beutler along with his son, Rhett, and remains one of the most successful stock contracting firms in rodeo.

In 2022, Beutler & Son was the first stock contracting company to win all three top Bucking Stock of the NFR Awards in a single year. Beutler was the PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year in 1997; was inducted into the Western Oklahoma Hall of Fame; won the PRCA Stock Contractor Remuda Award in 2007; was inducted to the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2010; and was inducted into Bull Riding Hall of Fame in 2019. He was a PRCA Board member for 16 years, chairman for three years and has been the assistant general manager of the National Finals Rodeo since 1982. Beutler & Son stock 25 to 30 rodeos a year in seven states.

The Beutlers have won the PRCA bull, bareback or saddle bronc of the year for the PRCA ten times and the top bareback, bull or saddle bronc at NFR a total of 12 times. Beutler lives in Elk City, Oklahoma.

Yesterday, U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) questioned witnesses during a Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee hearing to address water infrastructure challenges in rural and underserved communities. In his questioning, Mullin, the Ranking Member of the Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight Subcommittee, argued that the most beneficial water infrastructure investments occur when state and local-level perspectives are accounted for, and states need flexibility with federal dollars to address their own individual infrastructure challenges.

Mullin had the opportunity to introduce one of the witnesses, Ms. Shellie Chard, Water Quality Division Director for Oklahoma’s Department of Environmental Quality. In their remarks, the Senator and Ms. Chard spoke about how Oklahoma is a prime example of local water investments having significant economic impacts for the region.

Click here for a video of part one of Mullin’s witness Q&A.

Click here for a video of part two of Mullin’s witness Q&A.

CAB Insider: Middle Meats and Supply Driving Fourth Quarter Spreads

The fed cattle market remained very steady last week with a fractionally higher cash fed steer price at $184.92/cwt. While a positivee trend at face value, many in the cattle feeding sector were disappointed that the market did not develop as strong as expected.

Live Cattle futures activity has been excessively volatile in the past 10 days following the suprisingly large feedlot placements number in the October 1 Cattle on Feed report. Nearby contracts had posted some recovery through last Thursday but have since deteriorated in a very large way. The December contract dipped about $6/cwt. since last Friday’s open through this Tuesday’s close.

Seasonally, cash fed cattle prices have increased 4.8% during the month of November in the past five years. Given the relative currentness of fed cattle supplies at this time the quite bearish values in Live Cattle futures defies fundamentals. This is particularly obvious with the December contract last trading at a $7.29/cwt. discount to last week’s cash. Fund trading is having a serious impact on cattle values with a snowball effect remaining strong at the time of this November 8 analysis.

On the other side of the coin, packer margins are thin, or even negative, on a cash basis —a stark contrast to their position during this period in any recent year. Carcass cutout values have started November in a bit of a defensive pattern with an equal share of lower and higher pricing days to start the month. Fundamentals seem fairly strong considering the reduced head counts for cattle harvested, as compared to a year ago at this time.

The 10th annual Oklahoma Local Agriculture Summit is set for Feb. 28 – March 1, 2024, at the Edmond Conference Center located at 2833 Conference Dr, Edmond, OK 73034. The focus of the conference is to increase the availability of local food in Oklahoma communities and strengthen farmers markets and agritourism sites through education and networking opportunities.

The conference is made possible by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, ONIE Project, Langston University, and key stakeholders from agricultural, community, and public health agencies.

Two in-depth workshops will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 28, including hands-on marketing training and a workshop sharing best farm practices. The full summit with more than 20 breakout sessions is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 29 followed by the agritourism bus tour and innovative farm bus tour on Friday, March 1.

Most of the events associated with the summit are free to attend, however, registration is required for each event. Registration is open online at https://oklac.org/oklas and will close on Feb. 28, or once capacity is met.